Scar Tissue - The deep scar tissue of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
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Nothing could be simpler - or so it may seem at first glance. Most of the time, a good starting point is your own circle of friends or your friends' friends. If music is one of your hobbies or you are already an amateur/professional musician you are may be already surrounded by like-minded people who share your passion. If this is the case, bands are often formed by a group of musicians with the same interests and similar preferences - this isn't necessarily limited to a mutual love of the same music. You could meet at a show or a party and get along socially before you begin to make music together. Bands and groups in which close connections and friendships develop are usually the most stable and often successful bands in the end.
But how exactly do I find musicians for my band?
How do you find suitable musicians if they don't yet exist in your circle of friends? Facebook groups like "Musicians in your city" or "Musicians wanted" haven't yielded good results for a long time now, and unfortunately you don't learn much about the person without sending a friend request first. And just "google"...well, you must have tried that already. Don't give up hope, we at mukken.com have dedicated ourselves to this cause. As with many successful ideas, this one was born out of our own needs. So, if you haven't found a suitable musician for your band yet or if you couldn't find a suitable band for yourself, we can reassure you - this is the case for many people and it's usually just because chance hasn't brought you together yet - so why wait for chance? Take a look at our platform and start searching in your own city. Maybe there is already a like-minded person waiting to be found by you.
What really matters when starting a band?
Remember that a band can become a family. In many cases, bands even spend more time together than with their actual families! This is only possible if the group creates and maintains harmony and allow close friendships to develop. Therefore, when founding a band, this aspect should not be overlooked. Although someone may be an exceptionally talented musician, if you're unable to form a solid working relationship and trust, then working together and spending many hours in close quarters has the potential to become painful and a huge distraction from the music. This will not work in the long run. Good music is based on feeling and generally much more on gut feeling than on reason or logical connections that arise in the mind. Especially when several musicians come together, there has to be a common vibe, a flow, a feeling - it just has to groove.
And what if I don't find any suitable musicians?
Consider finding the right person with the right attitude first and then helping them grow into an inspired musician. Look at the biography of Coldplay - their drummer, Will Champion, only took on the role of drummer at that time because it was the only free position left for him, and he didn't really know how to play the instrument at the time. So don't give up hope, look for like-minded people and remember: it's never too late to learn an instrument!
Here is a summary of our most important tips for founding a band:
- Search for togetherness, friendship, and harmony – not only for skill
- Define clear goals together as a group
- Always remember: music is passion and should not serve any other purpose
- Put commercial goals on the backburner in the beginning
- Practise together as a band as often as possible and meet regularly
- As soon as it goes in a commercial direction: agree on and sign contracts together
- Get out when it no longer makes you happy
- Rome wasn't built in a day - keep working towards your long term goals but enjoy the journey each day at a time!
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! And if you're also looking for suitable musicians or a band in your area, take a look at our musician portal.