How to Start a Rock Band

Hello Everybody

· Get a guitar or piano and learn some basic chords. The basics that every beginning musician should know are G, C, and D or A, E,. You can learn on any guitar; electric or acoustic. Learn those chords and a whole world of rock music opens up to you. Learn a few a more and you can play almost anything.

· Don't forget, your instrument of choice doesn't have to be a guitar - it can be a keyboard, bass, drums - or just your voice!

· Make a place to play. Most great bands start out in the garage. Get some fans to circulate the air if you live in a hot area. Another idea, would be to rent a storage shed for your band to play, and store your gear.

· Get an electric guitar and amp.

· Get at least one microphone, and a stand to go with it. Playing songs is a lot more fun when someone's singing!

· Get a band name and image . Decide what kind of band you want to be . Rock, Pop, Punk or whatever. You have to decide which one to start creating your band .

· Recruit your personnel. A trio or a four man group is an excellent way to start - electric guitar, a drummer, and a bass player (possibly a keyboardist as well). There are tons of new players out there dying for people to play with. Websites such as virtualrockband.com even allows you to search for musicians living near you.

· Create a set list. You and your band mates will want to agree on some songs that you all like and want to play. For starters, five songs is a good number.

· Learn the chords and words to those songs! The Internet is full of lyrics and chords for your favorite songs. Just do a Google search giving the name of the song and the words lyrics or chords. Try http://www.chordie.com for chords. If you're ambitious, sit down with a recording and try to pick out the chords yourself by ear. There's no better ear-training in the world.

· Now put it all together. Gather your band mates and their equipment in your practice room and run through your five songs. You might want to bring printouts of the chords and lyrics.

· You're not quite ready to perform yet! Your band needs a sweet name. See the tips sections for some suggestions.

· Organize a party with friends and family where you can perform your songs and show off how much your new band rocks!

· Spread your name, talk with other people about the band and create a simple website. If you are not quite that tech savvy, MySpace offers a free hosting service for bands. Invite all of your friends to join the friends list and post songs on there when you record something.

· And remember that no matter what!!!! Do not give up...People may try to drag you down and say your playing sucks, but that's when you look them in the face, just keep on playing and have fun!