Start A Garage Band








You got yourself a guitar and several of your pals play. Maybe you even got someone who has a set of drums. You write your own music. You want to start a band. Here are a few tips on getting started.

Before getting more equipment, before you can even practice, you'll need a place to practice. This is hard because parents for the last 50 years have hated starter up teen-bands. Particularly if your genre is Rock and Roll, Grunge, Death Metal, or the like.
Check with your parents and see if they'll let you practice in the garage or basement. Or perhaps a friend lives out in the boondocks and his parents don't care if you blast away at their place. Find a place that don't get you visits from the police or irate landlords. Not everybody appreciates loud, rockin' jams like you guys do! Take it easy, and find a safe, isolated place to do your thing.

If possible, find a friend that doesn't play music but likes yours. Get him or her to be the "live mixer." He or she can sit across the room and make recommendations on the level of the vocals, guitar, bass, horns, etc. This will help you when you audition for money, so you don't sound incoherent. That friend can find you the right volume for all your instruments.

GETTING THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
Microphone-A good dynamic mic is the cheap way to go. Get one that doesn't have a humm when you plug it in. They have junk out there and they don't mind selling you this stuff. After all, they're not using it! Before you buy a mic, ask the clerk to plug it into an amp. See if it has a hum. What does it sound like? Look for an omnidirectional mic. This kind of mic just picks up sound in front of the mic. You won't get as much backfeed with this type. Backfeed is that obnoxious whistle that you hear in the school auditorium when teachers have a get together. You don't want that. Second best mic-Cardroid- It basically picks up in front of the mic in a heart shaped form. Cost-$30-$80.

Sound System-Check around for one that fits your needs. A two speaker one should do the trick to start. If you don't want to spend several hundred dollars on one, you can start with a good one piece amp. Cost-$100-200.

Guitar Amp-Get one with like two-12" speakers, 4-10" speakers. See if the clerk will let you try one out. Like, one of the cheap ones.Try to get one with all those special effects built in. That way, you don't have to spend your money on extra boards, pedals, accessories, etc. They run about $150-$300. Don't get stuck on the big time brand names to start. Get one that sounds good to you guys.

Electric Guitar-A used Fender or Gibson Les Paul is the ideal. The Epiphone Les Paul can be had for less and is a fine instrument. I basically depends on what type of music you a playing. Sometimes, you can see on in the papers on sale.
Keyboard-Check out the low priced ones. Sometimes they'll let you patch into your amp. I'm not real knowledgeable on keyboards, so ask a friend.
Drums-Get a set that suits your needs. I'm not an expert on this one.

GETTING THE RIGHT SOUND
Experiment with your numbers. You might want to try to split up the lead between the guitar and keyboard, etc. If you have a super guitar player, it's usually better to let another instrument creep into your leads for variety. And don't copy another band (unless that is your thing). Make your own music!

SAFETY
Don't use a lot of extension cords. Make sure that the electrical outlets can handle what you have plugged in. If in doubt, check with someone who knows about electricity and electrical loads. Play it safe.

Read all the safety instructions that come with your equipment also.
Good luck in your endeavor. I hope that you'll be jammin' soon.





Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

3 Doors Down, Love Me When I'm Gone
Matchbox 20, Closing Time
Breaking Benjamin, So Cold
Sean Paul, Temperture
Neil Young, Keep On Rockin' In The Free World


Local Artist Of The Day:

Ali Handal