Bandleading 101

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   Thought I'd start a thread on bandleading and have it be a spot for people to share their collective wisdom, experiences, opinions and more on this precarious subject.

I am now in the process of audtioning and checking out musicians for a live The Owl Watches band (instrumental prog, self-managed, self-producing). 

Some things I've learned along the way:

1) NEVER settle for less, get the best musicians you can for your style of music even if it takes a while. COMPATIBILITY IS ESSENTIAL!!! 

2) As a counterbalance, get people you can get along with!! I'd rather have someone who may not be a super-technical wizard on their instrument and be able to get along FAMOUSLY respect each other and work in close quarters for extended periods of time, as opposed to a super-technical prodigy who is an overbearing, controlling egocentric jackass! 

3) Make your goals and expectations obnoxiously clear from the start. Spell it out upfront as much as you can. Avoid unpleasant surprises as much as you can. COMMUNICATE!

4) RE: playing with other musicians, DON'T BE A CONTROL FREAK!!! Nothing sparks more resentment, bad feelings (or fistfights), kills creativity and causes more disillusionment than mercilessly micromanaging how each musician plays, thinks behaves etc. It's an evil, destructive way to act towards others. DON'T DO IT!! Allow people room to be themselves, they bring something to the table you might not have thought of yourself that will make the music that much cooler! Suggestions comments and direction are always good, but trying to absolutely control EVERY little detail is EVIL!! 

5) A committed dedicated musician is one thing, but you need to have a life outside of that too, be VERY wary of people who are obsessive to the point of NOT having much of a life outside of that, it's a SCARY place to be. 

Your turn------------------------

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The Owl Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: February 19 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 363	Topic: Bandleading 101 Posted: March 23 2005 at 14:20
	Thought I'd start a thread on bandleading and have it be a spot for people to share their collective wisdom, experiences, opinions and more on this precarious subject. I am now in the process of audtioning and checking out musicians for a live The Owl Watches band (instrumental prog, self-managed, self-producing). Some things I've learned along the way: 1) NEVER settle for less, get the best musicians you can for your style of music even if it takes a while. COMPATIBILITY IS ESSENTIAL!!! 2) As a counterbalance, get people you can get along with!! I'd rather have someone who may not be a super-technical wizard on their instrument and be able to get along FAMOUSLY respect each other and work in close quarters for extended periods of time, as opposed to a super-technical prodigy who is an overbearing, controlling egocentric jackass! 3) Make your goals and expectations obnoxiously clear from the start. Spell it out upfront as much as you can. Avoid unpleasant surprises as much as you can. COMMUNICATE! 4) RE: playing with other musicians, DON'T BE A CONTROL FREAK!!! Nothing sparks more resentment, bad feelings (or fistfights), kills creativity and causes more disillusionment than mercilessly micromanaging how each musician plays, thinks behaves etc. It's an evil, destructive way to act towards others. DON'T DO IT!! Allow people room to be themselves, they bring something to the table you might not have thought of yourself that will make the music that much cooler! Suggestions comments and direction are always good, but trying to absolutely control EVERY little detail is EVIL!! 5) A committed dedicated musician is one thing, but you need to have a life outside of that too, be VERY wary of people who are obsessive to the point of NOT having much of a life outside of that, it's a SCARY place to be. Your turn------------------------
	People are puzzled why I don't dig the Stones, well, I listened to the Stones, I tried, and I tried, and I tried, and--I Can't Get No Satisfaction! www.myspace.com/theowlsmusic

Soulman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: January 22 2005 Status: Offline Points: 290	Posted: March 24 2005 at 02:47
	Well I don't have much to add on Bandleading, you pretty much said it all to me . I'm not a professional musician, but I've had my share of experiences with my ever changing band that began as a bunch of rag-tag amateurs teenage musicians wanting to reach the glory of rock. Though only myself and my best friend ended up being left in the band because of passion for the music, not the glory, got the better of us and kicked people out of the band. Fortunately my friend and I have lives beyond music, nonetheless, we are obssesed with it (more so than the average person, but no super obssesed.) I think the only thing I could add from what I've learned about being in a band is that make sure you're going into music for the right reasons and you have the people that you know will support you. Also to not have too much animosity in the band, to the point where certain musicians just want to stand out because of their pride; every one should learn and do things together. Communication is another big aspect; if you have a problem with another band mate, speak to them personally, don't bring it so much to the rest of the band unless it really really concerns the entire band. I can't really say much about Bandleading in a professional aspect since I'm not a professional musician and I haven't actually hired musicians. Though I speak on a personal level about running a band. Like life, we have to be reasonable and realize that we are dealing with a group of people and we have to be able to live with each other peacefully. Also the band has to remember that it is a group of people wanting to express themselves through music, not just one person (frontmen/vocalists should realize that, especially if they can't play music very well.)