man, finding a band while in high school is TOUGH

[TheLeech]

When I first entered high school, I thought getting a band would be easy as hell

9 months later, i find i'm still not in a band

it seems that *nobody* wants to play in a rock cover band; the only bands people want to play in are really awful screamo bands.


so my question is: do you guys know of any good ways to advertise the fact that I'm looking to play in a rock cover band (mainly 80s and 90s rock and a bit of thrash metal)?

i need to show off my playing in front of my fellow students and get laid :D

(j/k, sorta ;) )

[Paroxysm]

Talent show, if you don't mind playing up there by yourself of course. And try to look around your area more; band members doesn't have to be from the same school.

[Hanshananigan]

Use yer k-rehz-ma!

1. If you don't have friends, make some.
2. Take an opportunity to play a cover or cool original in his/their presence.
3. Teach him/her a few notes/chords.
4. Take a friend to a used instrument shop. Preferrably in October. Let him/her dig the atmosphere and put little thoughts in his/her head about what a rock god(ess) they could be.
5. Get him/her to play something, anything, in the store so they feel like a rock god-to-be.
6. Talk up how cool it would be to start a band.
7. Make sure he/she asks for a guitar/bass/drums for the holidays.
8. There's your band!

Good luck!

[The*Ataris]

Sorry, dood...

High school is the easiest time in one's life to start a band. Tons of kids play instruments, have disposable income, and have all the free time in the world. If you think it's hard now, try it in college or when everyone works 40 hours a week and has a girlfriend...

I see one HUGE flaw in your idealogy: you want to start A COVER BAND. Now what bright-eyed, optimistic young guy with his whole future in front of him wants to play in a freaking cover band?!? Sure, all musicians will play cover songs occasionally but you take all the fun out of being in a young band when you set limitations. Wirte some music, record it, make some t-shirts, try to get signed--shoot for the stars, holmes!

...and the last post was spot on. I didn't take up guitar (or any instrument, rather) until I was a sophomore in high school, and now it consumes my life. You'd be surprised at who could be proficient at an instrument (I wish someone had gotten me to play sooner).

[Anesthesia]

im in the same boat....hepas of people play guitar but half of them i cant stand and the other half are too lazy to from a band

i played in a 'punk' band for a while just for the hell of it, but that turned to shit REALLY quickly.......i wish some more people would take me seriously and not blow me off because 'im just a kid with a bass guitar'

[Beachbum]

Maybe learn to play a 6 string, do some solo stuff, attract the attention of others, then start a band?

[2manband]

I actually found it easier to start bands in college than in high school - in either case it's a lot easier than when you're an adult.

Lots of good suggestions so far.

You could also try posting ads in music stores and at various places online (Harmony Central has a service - musician classifieds - along the left hand side of the front page)

[vanlatte]

Sheesh, you think it's hard to get a band going in high school? I tell ya you just have not lived until you try to coordinate 4 middle aged shcleps with soccer mom wives, full time jobs and a van load of kids.

:freak:

But I feel your pain. It's ironic the way things work out; when we are young we have all the time in the world to persue music but not the funds. As we get older and more financially stable (if barely squeaking by can be called "stable") then we have the funds to support our habit but rarely the time.

:evil:

[Monsoon]

Look on places like Craig's List and local music store postings. If you take lessons, let the teacher know you're looking for bandmates - the teacher may know someone looking for what you play.

High school can be tough because there are so many cliques and steriotypes. If you're not already in the right circle of friends, you may have a hard time breaking in. Maybe you're in all honors classes but the guys you'd need to connect with are all vo-tech. Maybe you're the "cool" kid but the guys you'd need to connect with are perceived as "uncool." Etc. There's so much social baggage in high school that it can be hard. If you are in a small school, the available pool might be too small. And breaking into the talent pool at another local high school might be difficult because you're way out of the clique.

When I was in high school, I was lucky because my best friend also played guitar. So there was always at least just the two of us. We went through a succession of drummers. Somehow when one guy crashed on us, we'd find another pretty quick. That was just luck. We had the hardest time with the bassist. Ultimately, a friend gave my friend the number of a guy in another school who played bass, so one day we just called him up and set up a jam. He was with us ever since. I guess you'd call that networking. Try that, too.

[JacieFB]

Yeah, I see what could be a flaw in your thinking...cover bands typically play in bars. I don't know how the laws are in your area, but you could have trouble with that. I'd say continue to learn lots of covers...a wide variety of them, and apply a wide variety of things to your own writing.

Don't want to write? Good. Too many of us half-assed song writers already out there.

Find a mediocre original band and use your chops to make the band better....TASTEFULLY, of course.

[TheLeech]

yeah, the social cliques are a big problem for me.

I'm one of the popular kids in school (not trying to brag but its true :thu: ) and as far as I know, none of the other kids I hang out with play any instruments or are even into music that much.

and you're right about a lot of kids playing instruments, however most of them who are any good are juniors or seniors (which means that they will be leaving for college soon, making hard to keep in touch) and the freshman and sophomores who play either suck or are only into making their own "music". And what's worse, there's only about 3-4 bass players in the entire school (as far as I know) of 900 kids, making it even harder to successfully form a band.

Also, the main reason I don't want to start an original band is because music is not my main priority in life, as I do plan to get to med school and all that jazz so academics come 1st in my life right now. If I wanna write music, I wanna write GOOD music, not something that was concieved in 2 minutes and sounds like ass.

To top it all off, I don't exactly live in the most bustling city around. I live about 20 minutes south of Morgantown, WV (home of the WVU Mountaineers! :D ) in Fairmont, WV. Not exactly the best place to attract people for gigs and stuff.

[Beachbum]

Leech,

You're from West Virgina? Hey, I went to Penn State, and we all know how much Penn State and WVU get along. :D

And it gets better my friend... I'm looking at Pitt (yes.. the dreaded Pitt) for a possible doctorate school. :)

So you & me have got some good natured football rivalry to look forward to this fall. Tell me you ARE a Steelers fan though....:thu:

Hey by the way, just thought I'd mention... at the last Pitt Vs. WVU game, at Pitt... someone left the lights of their tractor on in the parking lot, West Virginia plate number E-I-E-I-O.

[Tedster]

Originally posted by TheLeech
yeah, the social cliques are a big problem for me.

I'm one of the popular kids in school (not trying to brag but its true :thu: ) and as far as I know, none of the other kids I hang out with play any instruments or are even into music that much.
**************
To top it all off, I don't exactly live in the most bustling city around. I live about 20 minutes south of Morgantown, WV (home of the WVU Mountaineers! :D ) in Fairmont, WV. Not exactly the best place to attract people for gigs and stuff.

There's your first problem. You're popular. The kids you hang with are popular. They don't need music because they're popular. While all your friends are living the "Greg and Marcia Brady" life, the real musicians are out in the parking lot. 'Cuz they're NOT popular, and they have to learn to do something else (like skateboard or play guitar) to get any respect. At least that's the way it was when I was in high school...

Now...your solution...if you live close to a college town, THAT'S where you want to start hanging out. Your high school popularity won't mean beans there, although you'll be used to being treated a certain way, and you'll find you have to re-sell yourself. That's where you'll find musicians. Start hanging around the music stores and coffee houses in Morgantown. If it's only 20 minutes away, no sweat.

[Hanshananigan]

Originally posted by TheLeech


If I wanna write music, I wanna write GOOD music, not something that was concieved in 2 minutes and sounds like ass.


You aren't going to start off sounding like a rock star- EVER. Trust me- sounding kinda crappy is a great place to start and to learn, and provides motivation to improve. You'll find that while you're learning covers AND writing songs, all the sudden, that you'll spontaneously throw a cool riff you cop'ed from Smashing Pumpkins or whoever into your own tune. That's when the learnin' really kicks in- when you can integrate chops that exist "out there" with your own style, then those chops become part of your repertoire.

On the other hand, some of the best songs were written with 4 chords. Do the best you can do with what you have right now.

And let me warn you about taking ANY advice from someone from "Happy Valley"- you should stick to Pitt Alums like me. :thu:


------------------------------------------------------------------

A first grade teacher in State College Elementary School explains to her class that she is a Penn State Nittany Lion fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they were Nittany Lion fans, too. Since every morning school started with the "Pledge of Allegiance to Joe-Pa," their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks.

There is, however, one exception. A girl named Jody has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not a Penn State fan," she replied.

"Then," asks the teacher, "what are you?"

"Why, I'm a proud Pittsburgh Panther," boasts the little girl. The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red.

She asks Jody why she is a rebel. "Well, my mom and dad are Pittsburgh Panther fan, so I'm a Pittsburgh Panther, too."

The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason," she says loudly. "What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was a moron. What would you be then?"

With a pause, and then a smile, she replied, "THEN," says Jody, "I'd be a Penn State fan."

Jody didn't get many invitations to social events in the Happy Valley, but then again, she never had a desire to go cow tipping, anyway...

[Beachbum]

:rolleyes: :D

[Roy Brooks]

Dude, take up fingerpicking and chord melody jazz and learn to play by yourself. That way you can do it all by yourself and not have to worry about whether you can find a band to play with. If you know what you are doing they will eventually find you.

[rhat]

Originally posted by Monsoon
Look on places like Craig's List and local music store postings. If you take lessons, let the teacher know you're looking for bandmates - the teacher may know someone looking for what you play.

High school can be tough because there are so many cliques and steriotypes. If you're not already in the right circle of friends, you may have a hard time breaking in. Maybe you're in all honors classes but the guys you'd need to connect with are all vo-tech. Maybe you're the "cool" kid but the guys you'd need to connect with are perceived as "uncool." Etc. There's so much social baggage in high school that it can be hard. If you are in a small school, the available pool might be too small. And breaking into the talent pool at another local high school might be difficult because you're way out of the clique.

When I was in high school, I was lucky because my best friend also played guitar. So there was always at least just the two of us. We went through a succession of drummers. Somehow when one guy crashed on us, we'd find another pretty quick. That was just luck. We had the hardest time with the bassist. Ultimately, a friend gave my friend the number of a guy in another school who played bass, so one day we just called him up and set up a jam. He was with us ever since. I guess you'd call that networking. Try that, too.


What it comes down to in high school is to get real serious band members you got to raid the talent pool .... thats band an choir. You have to be willing to meet the people who have alot invested in music...... Emo scream = little in the way of real musical talent. chamber choir = able to sing harmoney on key. If you want a good band you have to be willing to recruit the talent. You get strong vocals and you pretty well have the high school band game nailed. You dont start with cool people to get a good band ,, you start with talent and when the band starts giggin ,, they are instant cool ......rat

[Hanshananigan]

Originally posted by rhat

You dont start with cool people to get a good band ,, you start with talent and when the band starts giggin ,, they are instant cool ......rat

funny and so true!

[TheLeech]

Originally posted by Beachbum
Leech,

You're from West Virgina? Hey, I went to Penn State, and we all know how much Penn State and WVU get along. :D

And it gets better my friend... I'm looking at Pitt (yes.. the dreaded Pitt) for a possible doctorate school. :)

So you & me have got some good natured football rivalry to look forward to this fall. Tell me you ARE a Steelers fan though....:thu:

Hey by the way, just thought I'd mention... at the last Pitt Vs. WVU game, at Pitt... someone left the lights of their tractor on in the parking lot, West Virginia plate number E-I-E-I-O.

Can't say I'm a Steelers fan. :P

I've been a Bengals all my life (yes, even when they sucked), and I can't lose my loyalties now. That's not to say I dislike the Steelers, just moreso that to me, Bengals > Steelers :thu:

[TheLeech]

well, school's out now, still no band :'(

[AunShui]

Originally posted by TheLeech
well, school's out now, still no band :'(

Hello!

I'm in High School right now (Junior) with a student body of about 2,000. Let me teach you a little lesson in the form of a time line:

1) June 2004: End of freshman year, I decide to start playing guitar. Why? I don't know, i suppose it was mostly the rockstar/sex god/ cool kid appeal.

2) December 2004: I go to a local live show and see a few bands from my high school as well as a few bands from other local High Schools. I am absoluteley intrigued and decide that its time to form a band. I call up a bunch of my friends and we start playing

-Its important to note here that the band had 2 drummers, 2 guitarst (at one point 3, at one point just me), and two bass players. I also want to note that one bassit and one drummer did not play the show (though they were in the audience and watched).

3) February 2005: We play our first show, a battle of the bands at our high school. The show went ok, we came in third or fourth (there were like 8 bands there total). Our set list was mostly cover songs and one original that was simply not very good.

4) June 2005: I have a show at my house where it becomes clear that one bassist and drummer are no longer interested, at this time I was the only guitarist in the band. However, the other two were brothers and moved up to their moms house in NYC, leaving my stranded.

5) Summer of 2005: I start jamming with the "deserters" and we think we're hot shit. Plans and promises are made.

6) December 2005: We play a coffeehose show, it goes ok.

7) January 2006: We decide to play at the show that first inspired me to be in a band. I thought we do well, but looking back on reviews and the video tape, i realize something: we aren't very good.

8) March 2006: Another drummer friend of mine decide that we want to make a band. At this point I'm fed up with the other guys because they are entireley un-motivated and essentially want to "jam" (more on this later). Search the forums for a thread about this (its called somethign like "here's an AIM convo with my bassist")

9) Early April 2006: I play a recital (for my lesson place) with my sister, a drummer in middle school, and the bassist who went to NY on voclas. I like the way the show went, but i refuse to be in a band with anyone in middle school or my sister. The bassist and I get talking and decide to form a band.

9) Mid april 2006: The drummer is contacted and we all meet up at the bassits house. A set list is written, and we book a show in 3 weeks. The bassist will be in NY for 2 of those, giving us 2 weeks of individual practice to learn the material and 1 weekend of putting it together. I book the show.

10) Late april 2006: the bassist, involved in other projects, decides to quit. I cancel the gig at the last minute. I'm pissed, as is the drummer.

11) Present day: I'm left with a drummer who I can jam with and who wants to start a band, but thats about it.

So, what is the point of this long winded post? A few things:

1) Make sure you are joining a Band, not a jam group!

2) Reliability is important! People from other schools are ok, but people from other states are looked down upon.

3) Don't be hatin' the juniors, we have another year left in us before college.

4) Don't be in a band with close friends. A band is a business, and you need to be able to add and cut people whenever called for. This can be hard or impossible with friends.

5) Have fun with it. If you aren't having fun don't wast time.

I've seen loads of High School bands get signed to lables, write songs, play incredible shows(audiences in the thousands), and make some serious cash. I've also seen high school "bands" stay in the garage playing metallica covers. I don't know what you need to do to find success, but I do know what you need to do to fail, and I hope that you don't do those things.

Hope I could help :)

[Tedster]

"I've seen loads of High School bands get signed to lables, write songs, play incredible shows(audiences in the thousands), and make some serious cash. I've also seen high school "bands" stay in the garage playing metallica covers. I don't know what you need to do to find success, but I do know what you need to do to fail, and I hope that you don't do those things."

Good stuff...actually. That last sentence reminds me of sagely advice from my father-in-law...

"After you get out of high school, get a job. You might not find out what you want to do, but you'll sure as hell find out what you DON'T want to do".

Applies here too.

Let me ask you this...if you were going fishing, where would you go?

A). Swimming pool
B). Bathtub
C). Desert
D). Lake or river.

Okay, the point is, you'd go where the fish are.

Now, if you're going to start a band, you've got to hang out where the musicians are. And now that school's out you should have some more time to, say, hang around music stores, coffee houses, whatever.

[skipstar59]

My son has not been able to form a band with guys at his high school either. Where we live, country and heavy alternative music is what most of the guys are into. My son has is a Sophmore and has been playing guitar for 5 yrs. He's really tried to hook up,but to no avail. He's really a gifted musican who writes,records,and plays all the intruments on his own original music. I influenced his musical tastes growing up by giving him heavy doses of classic and progressive rock. This is the main style of music he likes,and the other musicians he could play with, just don't like it. I told him, and I'll suggest to you that you try to keep playing what's in your heart reguardless of what others think. Learn to make music that you can play by yourself and don't give up. By the way, here's a link to my son's music.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=453803

[Kuhnfyoozed]

I'm a rising sophomore in HS and I'm in a band with some of my best friends. It started, believe it or not, in elementary school when my two friends decided we'd start a band with one guitarist, one drummer, and me on keys. Mostly a joke but we thought it would be really cool. Turns out we go to different middle schools so I find a new group of friends and thats where I met our bassist. I picked up guitar this year and have since then given up on keyboard. I meet my friend the drummer somewhere outside of school and ask him if hes interested in starting a band with myself and bassist. He agrees so I talk to old guitarist if he wants to join and he does.

Onto highschool. The band meets a few times on and off and it turns out old guitarist doesn't want to be in the band any more (probably because I had become the better player by then, not trying to sound cocky or anything). So he drops out and its just the three of us for a while. My best friend I've known since birth tells me hes been learning guitar so I invite him to come practice with us. Turns out he prefers to sing with us so he signs on. Today we're still together and working on some good stuff together. We're 99% original (we cover Low Rider for kicks) and it works great because of all the influences we bring together.

I guess I got really lucky to have such good friends. :thu:

It wouldn't be hard to make a band at my school, there are tons of bands out there that are breaking up and forming new groups ad infinitum. The hard part would be to find a band that didn't suck and actually wanted to enjoy what they're doing. Its entirely possible, but not something I would want to do.

[Coach]

Originally posted by The*Ataris
Sorry, dood...

High school is the easiest time in one's life to start a band. Tons of kids play instruments, have disposable income, and have all the free time in the world. If you think it's hard now, try it in college or when everyone works 40 hours a week and has a girlfriend...

I see one HUGE flaw in your idealogy: you want to start A COVER BAND. Now what bright-eyed, optimistic young guy with his whole future in front of him wants to play in a freaking cover band?!? Sure, all musicians will play cover songs occasionally but you take all the fun out of being in a young band when you set limitations. Wirte some music, record it, make some t-shirts, try to get signed--shoot for the stars, holmes!

...and the last post was spot on. I didn't take up guitar (or any instrument, rather) until I was a sophomore in high school, and now it consumes my life. You'd be surprised at who could be proficient at an instrument (I wish someone had gotten me to play sooner).

This totally rings true.

Edit: After reading this thread I feel privileged with the 30+ gig (actual clubs/bars) experience and 3 Records I've made in high school. It could stop today and I'd be happy. But it won't cause I got a lot of juice left in me :thu: