There is a mystery in the music business. It goes like this: how does one make a living at it? That’s a big question. Today I’ll talk about performing. Specifically, having a band and wanting to earn money gigging.
I can give you one component that’s really important: the quality of the band. If you work on having a really good band, you’re bound to end up paying your bills with it. People love to see a bunch of musician rocking it out. That’s thrilling. But it means that, as a band leader, you need to have done a ton of preparation.
So, let’s go through a few of those steps. Maybe first determine what kind of band you want: original or cover. Although it seems music is music, those two configurations don’t necessarily require the same kind of player. Imagine Sting in a cover band. he would put his personality all over the songs and it would become Sting’s band, and that’s it.
Once you know what kind of music you’re going to play, you need to chose a repertoire. That’s because you’ve got a million different avenue in each genre. Let’s say you want to do a funk/soul kind of get up. Nice! Well, will you go with The meters or The Commodores? Aretha Franklin or Barry White? Not the same, are they?
Let’s move on and assume you’ve got a repertoire. Now it’s time to rehearse. That’s where the rubber meet the road. Because you’re going to have to really rehearse. You need to bring whatever music you play up to the proverbial 11. The energy, the precision, the conviction, the accuracy, everything needs to be put together for maximum effect. It takes an attention to details that might drive your band mates crazy. You’ll need psychology and diplomacy.
Once you’ve got a tight list, you’re ready. Jut keep your standards up and the gigs will come.
