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I would like to create a band. This seems to me a non-trivial question to implement, as it involves a lot of management, which is not particularly tied to music theory. But it has musical specifics, and some of you may be successful bandleaders. So I'd like to ask you what your action sequence would be, if you had no friends in that field, and would like to know what you've done from scratch? Thanks.

P.S. If genre matters, I originated from '80s Metallica's Nothing Else Matters, which is kind of fingerstyle, and with bass I would like to do some funk melodies like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

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  • Go to shows, go to bars, go to meetups for musicians, music-oriented book clubs, whatever. Ask your non-musician friends if they have friends who are musicians. Hang out with people, find people you vibe with and want to play with, then start playing!
    – d_b
    Apr 29, 2020 at 20:07
  • At the moment, with most countries in lock-down? Dream on! When we CAN be social again, go places where bands play. Talk to the guys. Have you played in a band before? If not, consider filling a vacancy in someone else's band and learn the ropes.
    – Laurence
    Apr 29, 2020 at 20:55
  • I think this is a great question. Answers could address finding likeminded bandmates, organizing rehearsals, paying for equipment and rehearsal space, and various levels of commitment/professional aspiration that a prospective bandleader might choose from.
    – Max
    Apr 30, 2020 at 9:30
  • You don't mention the size of the town you live in. This is an important consideration.
    – empty
    May 1, 2020 at 16:20

2 Answers 2

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There are so many considerations, it may well not be feasible, particularly right now.

Even if you have access to several good players, and you are also in that category, it can and most likely will take many months minimum to even reach the stage where you can do a gig.

  • Players - what instruments, what level, what style, what age range?

  • Equipment - who buys, owns, looks after, stores, transports what?

  • Rehearsals - where, who pays, who finds, who attends, is available?

  • Songs - who chooses, works out, arranges, decides?

  • Gigs (eventually) - where, frequency, size, money paid?

  • Publicity - how much (time, effort, cost)?

  • Management - needed or not? One person in charge, or a group decision on what things?

  • Hiring/firing - who does what, when, why?

That's just some starter questions to consider, before we get into 'can my mate come and sing? No, he hasn't even got a mic...'

There are places to advertise - schools, colleges, unis, churches, local rags, sites like 'Join my Band'.

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    "Yeah, but John's the only one with a bass amp, so he HAS to be the bassist!" "John can't play to save his life, what about Dave?" "Dave always appears to be playing in 5/4 to most things, & often in a different key." ad nauseum….
    – Tetsujin
    Apr 30, 2020 at 11:08
  • @Tetsujin - been in bands like that - momentarily... It could always end up as a jazz band though!
    – Tim
    Apr 30, 2020 at 11:10
  • I'm just so glad I'm not in my teens any more ;) I got lucky, 3 friends, all played different instruments, all could sing, all had parents who'd buy amps, all about the same [limited] talent. Worked well, we all learned. All still musos, nearly 50 years later.
    – Tetsujin
    Apr 30, 2020 at 11:13
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    Keep in mind when forming a band that you're "herding cats." The more members, the harder it is to get them all in the same place at the same time. And if your bandmates are any good, there's a good probability that they're in other bands as well. How do you/they set priorities when there's a conflict?
    – Duston
    Apr 30, 2020 at 14:05
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    Also to add to the bullet list to consider: Union membership and licensing of the music.
    – Duston
    Apr 30, 2020 at 14:41
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I'd suggest that the first step in your action sequence, or rather the first intermediate goal you should set for yourself, should be to find just one other person, one other musician, with whom to get things started.

Ideally, it should be a compatible person, with similar tastes, with whom you can already start trying out some ideas. And you can already start looking for such a mate even now, during the lockdown period, why not. You can talk online, share ideas, etc. And at the first opportunity, meet somewhere and try playing together.

If you play bass, this first person could be a drummer or a guitarist. In both cases you'll already be able to get something started.

If you can get this done, you will have reached an important milestone toward eventually forming a full band.

And if you don't already have friends with those characteristics, try local ads, online ads, etc.

Again, the main principle is that you don't try to create a whole band all at once, but try instead to find one good person first, then after some time, if things gel, look for one more person that both of you will like, and so on. In this way things will always remain fairly simple and you'll gradually learn along the way whatever you need to learn.

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