So, you’re making a demo…

You’ve rehearsed a lot, and are ready to lay down some tracks at a nice, or not so nice recording studio.  You’ve probably like I did, paid a bunch of money to have someone engineer the demo and are really wanting things to go well.

Here are just some thoughts about what things to think about once you are ready to go and get everyone together to play.  I recorded some pop songs, and so these are the things that I had to keep in mind, but I guess that the process would be slightly different say if you were recording a hip hop track, or classical concerto, or anything in between.  But for us, it was all about planning…

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I’m not a singer, but I have played in bands and have tried to sing.  Most of the time, it sounded bad.  It wasn’t that I am a bad singer, although that probably contributed to the situation.  It’s because singing at a club in front of loud instruments calls for some adjustment of technique.  For the first year of playing out at bars, I would sing backup, but it wasn’t really being heard in the room.  Then there were the times, that I felt I was on key and in tune, and yet, stuck out too much.  I think that at the core of it, the technique of singing into a microphone in a band situation is different from say singing in a choir, or in the shower.  Microphones accentuate certain aspects of the sound, and reward for crispness of the sound coming out of your mouth, rather than the tone coming out.  Like I said, I’m not a singer, but I have noticed some things here and there about singing backup that might be good to keep in mind…. Continue Reading

Hmmm, hummm, hmmmm, hummmm, da da da da! You know what? I gots myself a song or a melody or a chorus!!!!  That is the thought that comes to mind when I embark on the task or writing a song. Songwriting is a unique experience for everyone,  and for me the initial melody comes from the ether. My job now is to use my craft to tame that wild burst of creativity into something I can perform.

IDEAS

When I get an idea for a part of a song. I jump onto my instrument of choice:

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So, this is a simple one.  You’re ready to play with your friends, or a new person, and maybe you have a new original song to try.  So, this involves teaching a new song.  You can do it section by section and show your bass player, backup singer, and drummer how to play your song.  But if you got them all there at the same time, and are rehearsing in a loud rehearsal space and you’re paying by the hour… then you’ll want to keep things efficient.

I find that these days, people need to keep things moving and use their time wisely.  Sometimes, it’s tough to get that many people together in the same space.

So, here are some thoughts on how to get some paperwork together for your indie band.  Two things to get ready.  Lyric sheet and Chord Chart. Continue Reading

Everybody has their own ritual for starting to play music.  Lighting up, plugging in, rocking out.  But I’ve thought of some things to think about to keep the music flowing, and not getting stale.  I’ve been in bands before where the music doesn’t get better because people have fallen into a pattern and “hearing” the music in only one way.  And it takes a lot longer to get tighter as a band if the people in the band don’t learn to play together, which is what makes live music different and more exciting than canned music.

But rehearsing a band has its’ own challenges and skills that must be learned.  Here are some ideas.

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Finding other musicians to start a band can be difficult.  Musicians all have unique sensibilities and different playing styles and personalities, proficiency levels, drug habits, etc, etc.  But what if you are trying to find people to play with and start a band with?  What are some of the avenues to try out?  How do you go about it once you meet?  How about starting out?  Here are some more ideas…

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I have met many musicians who were otherwise very good performers, thoughtful songwriters, and great band leaders who none the less really weren’t that great at tuning their guitars. I guess that it is no surprise since most people first learn how to tune their guitars in the comfort and quiet of their own home, but once they are thrown into a live playing situation, then all kinds of other issues with sound sometimes get in the way of setting up a good sounding instrument. If this is your first time tuning a guitar or have been doing it a while, we’ll go over some things to keep in mind for tuning your guitar.

TUNING YOUR GUITAR… with a guitar tuner

The easiest way to tune a guitar, and probably the most common among people just starting out is to buy a guitar tuner and plug it in and follow the blinking lights to perfect in-tune-ness. If you have an electric guitar, or using the tuners built in mic if you have an acoustic guitar.

1. Turn on your tuner, and plug it into your electric guitar and turn up the volume knobs on the guitar itself. … Or hold the built in mic near the soundhole of your acoustic guitar.

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Ba Rock Obama Fundraiser in Greenpoint NYC

A few weeks ago, my band AM, played this fundraiser for Barack Obama’s campaign. It was basically a hipster neighborhood event in Williamsburg/Greenpoint in NYC where they got a bunch of bars together to host a bunch of indie bands. One ticket got you a bracelet that allowed you to go to any bar that was hosting this thing and see all the music that was being made. It was called Ba-Rock Brooklyn.

So, it was pretty cool to meet all the bands there that night, and to my surprise (since I am a pessimist when it comes to people showing up at shows), there were a lot of people out that night and everyone raised $2500 for Barack. Not bad for a neighborhood thing.

I realized that part of the success of these kinds of nights is the “Music scene” aspect of it all. It works better to ask your audience to go to an event where they will be able to hear lots of different musics than just hear your band. So, the draw is “Come see a night of local indie music”, rather than “Come see my band”. A slightly different Continue Reading