I remember it like yesterday! 2 Weeks ago, I was at a jamming studio called AkarKarya which is located in Damansara Uptown, Petalin Jaya (For those who are not in Malaysia, it's located in the state of Selangor).
I arrived 30 minutes earlier, had a talk with the staff there. Turns out that he was the Bassist for an Indie band called Janice and the Super Tank!! Immediately, I grabbed the opportunity to ask him the dos and donts in the music industry as a band.
He shared with me 7 Golden Rule which I've embraced and apply to bands which I apply and will use in the future.
Rule#1 Chemistry between band mates
You've seen it and heard it many, many times - Conflict of Interest.
The band's lifespan depends very much on this. The band must work together as a team, for business students it is the "Cross Functional Team" whereby each member plays a unique and different role from each other but benefits the team's purpose in the end.
The members must be clear right from the beginning that the purpose of the band being formed is to play music together. Therefore, recognize or discuss the body languages to signal a certain moment in a song (Yes, that means you Bassists and Drummers out there!), reach a compromise when there are misunderstandings, treat the band and it's members like a second family once you've known each other long enough.
Rule#2 Punctuality
This, ladies and gentleman, is the norm of 99.99% of Malaysians. In other words, being LATE!
The music industry is one of the most challenging industries to survive in, it all begins with discipline and time management. Whenever there's a gig happening, amateur musicians and even some veteran musicians show up late. This creates a bad impression on the crowd and your employer which is the club/bar owner. You never know who would be in the crowd. It could be just a random dude or it can be a talent scout looking for the next band to sign into a record label.
As a musician, you can start with band practice sessions. Arrive 15-30 minutes earlier and begin setting up and sound check. In that way, you can save plenty of time which won't be wasted on those 1-2 hours you've spent your money in the jam studios.
Rule#3 Commitment
I'll talk about this using my personal experience. I'll talk about Band A and Band B which both play the Rock genre.
Band A has veteran musicians who've been honing their skills for more than 5 years. However, they only meet each other once every 2-4 weeks. The band disbanded after 3 months...
Band B started out with amateur musicians who've only played their specific instruments for only 1-2 years. However, they all practice their music at least once every week and only change it to once every 2 weeks in exceptional cases such as college exams. Even in these cases, band members would discuss about their music online or through the phone at least once every 3 days. Band B began playing in gigs, getting a solid fanbase and is currently on their way to more success.
Commitment defines your dedication to success and how far the band goes, if a member in the band is unable to commit an acceptable amount of time to the ongoing growth of the band, chances are he/she will be out of the band before you know it.
Rule#4 Accepting Feedback (Both Positive and Negative)
It can be from your fellow band mates or it can be from the audience which you've just entertained. Always be actively seeking out for feedbacks regarding your music and impact towards the audience in every aspect. Some will criticize you outright and some will give honest opinions and suggestions in a nice way. It is your job as a musician to hear it out and consider whether or not to make changes based on those feedbacks.
Rule#5 Volume Control
Easier said than done, sometimes you'll never realize it. However, your listeners and everybody around the venue will take note of that as well.
Whether it is a jamming session, gig or recording session, the perfect tone of volume used for each instrument and the vocals must balance out to produce that near-perfection called groove. The mistake many people make is neglecting the sound of everybody other than themselves, this will make it a typical quarrel-like scenario where everybody keeps raising their volume against each other.
Understand the music you are playing and ask yourself: "Should the guitar, vocals, synth, bass or drums be prominent in this particular section of this song?"
Rule#6Treat the Back-line Crew as part of The Band
I cannot count the number of times people never practising what they preach regarding this matter. The average Joe views music as the performance, music video or songs they've heard. However, behind-the-scenes there are far more ground work involved.
It ranges from Promotion, Marketing, Logo Designs, Stage Setup and especially The Sound Man! There are many people who make a band successful and it isn't only because of your badass riffs or rhymes. Appreciate these people and give them the appreciation they much deserve. Beware of underestimating the crew who help make tours,concerts and events a reality. It can and will come back to bite you one day in the future.
Rule#7Being Yourself and Polite to EVERYBODY
In other words, Keeping It Real! When your band goes on stage, you are entertainers, trend setter and everybody's idol. The moment you step down the stage you are just another man/woman making end's meet. Be friendly and approachable, it doesn't hurt you or your bandmates to do so. On the other hand, it benefits you as it will create new opportunities based on the word-of-mouth marketing.
There are media watchdogs waiting everywhere just for that one juicy story which will bring a band/artist's downfall once they are nearing the top. Being yourself (and nice) helps prevent scandals and unnecessary misunderstandings between your fans or the public.
These are advices which came from people who have seen through the good, the bad and the ugly. In the end, your choices determine the ultimate fate of the band. All the best!
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