Practicing alone Vs Joining a band?

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deleted042815

Inspired
Does being in a band really make you a better player?
I've been practicing on my own for years and always thought i'd like to be good before i join a band.
Am i missing out?
 
better??? maybe, maybe not..
depends upon the individual and of course the band members themselves

it is however more natural feeling than playing to sequencers and backing tracks..
because you get that natural ebb and flow to the dynamics and tempi

real real beauty of being around good players though is the spontaneity..
like when you're playing a song you all know real well, and you're embellishing it as you go..
you're creating a whole new thing on the fly..

I love being in a band..
the sense of belonging to something.. being a part of something..
writing together.. creating something.. building and developing the band..
and then gigging and going on the road together..
you become a sort of family..

"Practicing alone Vs Joining a band?"
there's no 'Vs' in this at all..
they are opposite sides of the same coin
when you are in a band, you still need to practice and write alone..
so do both..
 
Mega Cloud said:
I've been practicing on my own for years and always thought i'd like to be good before i join a band.
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most folk are so self conscious about their playing that they will - in their own opinion - never be good enough..
it's like they want to be Vai before they join a band..
which is of course utter crap..

you just need to be good enough to hang on in there..
and be surrounded by folk of a similar ability..
you all grow together...

but the real killer thing is not how far your get or how good you get..
it's about making music and loving it..
 
if you get the opportunity, or feel you want to make the opportunity, then go for it. absolutely. it will make you a better musician (and a better guitar player) and teach you loads of life lessons in the process. you'll also meet some great people who may end up being friends for life (i know i did). it's also downright fun :)
 
It will definitely make you a better musician, and change the way you think about playing. To consider the song and support the other instruments or vocals dynamically, is alot different than just riffing away on guitar.
It can also get competitive if there is another guitar involved, which may or may not be a good thing.
 
Karl Houseknecht said:
Absolutely. Especially if you're constantly pushing yourself and learning a variety of new material.
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this is actually a killer thing..

developing a large repertoir is a principle key that unlocks your powers of creativity and composition
without even realising it, you are learning by example..
 
After playing alone for almost 30 years, I finally joined a band a year ago. Went through the whole not feeling good enough for far too long and finally pushed my barriers and joined a band. I love it, we play every week and starting to have a few gigs (next gig tomorrow actually). I wish I did this many years ago. I've grown so much as a musician since joining the band, just listening to other musicians, coming up with my own take on things and leaving rooms for the others to do their thing. It's awesome.

Another thing I can highly recommend is to get a teacher. That's another thing I wish I didn't wait 30 years to do. It's such a powerful thing just having someone that's going to be there every week. I'm committing myself to my own homework and send recordings on things that we talk about. Between these two things I've probably become twice as good in the last year as I've done in all my previous years of playing.

So yes, join a band and get a teacher, you will love it!
 
allard said:
After playing alone for almost 30 years, I finally joined a band a year ago. Went through the whole not feeling good enough for far too long and finally pushed my barriers and joined a band. I love it, we play every week and starting to have a few gigs (next gig tomorrow actually). I wish I did this many years ago. I've grown so much as a musician since joining the band, just listening to other musicians, coming up with my own take on things and leaving rooms for the others to do their thing. It's awesome.

Another thing I can highly recommend is to get a teacher. That's another thing I wish I didn't wait 30 years to do. It's such a powerful thing just having someone that's going to be there every week. I'm committing myself to my own homework and send recordings on things that we talk about. Between these two things I've probably become twice as good in the last year as I've done in all my previous years of playing.

So yes, join a band and get a teacher, you will love it!
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exactly my thoughts! i've been playing in band since i was 18, now 35 and it is a blast to be with people, friends that like to play together!
 
It's great playing with other people, it's also interesting how other people in the band can change your approach, for example I have been really good friends with the drummer in our band for 25 years and we have played together on and off for 10 of these years... We can just look at each other and we know what each other wants to do.... You make mistakes.... That others adapt and react to, which takes things in different directions.... If one of you is a bad mood and wants to play loud and heavy to de-stress.... It takes a different direction.

The key is to find like minded people who are not dicks, as a three piece we have tried to expand out and had control freaks, dicks and even one person who claimed she could communicate with the dead....she "developed this skill" after a bad "knock on the head" ....hmmmmm.

Anyway, it's always a great to dedicate a few hours just to playing with others, without other distractions.

Does not matter about ability for jamming, it's about fun....find some like minded people and have a blast.
 
Yes, absolutely playing with others will make you a better player. It's one thing to be able to play alone, but to be able to play in time with a group of musicians is another matter entirely. Ideally, you'll get in a situation where they'll push you, you'll push them, and everyone gets better.

That said, a band can be extremely frustrating. Such as, band members with personality issues, substance issues, egos, flakiness. I just don't have the patience to deal with that like I used to. That's why I joined a community college guitar ensemble. It's run by a top notch musician and when we gig, we have a professional-level rhythm section. It's nothing glamorous, but it does get me getting out and playing with others and meeting other guitarists.
 
allard said:
After playing alone for almost 30 years, I finally joined a band a year ago. Went through the whole not feeling good enough for far too long and finally pushed my barriers and joined a band. I love it, we play every week and starting to have a few gigs (next gig tomorrow actually). I wish I did this many years ago. I've grown so much as a musician since joining the band, just listening to other musicians, coming up with my own take on things and leaving rooms for the others to do their thing. It's awesome.

Another thing I can highly recommend is to get a teacher. That's another thing I wish I didn't wait 30 years to do. It's such a powerful thing just having someone that's going to be there every week. I'm committing myself to my own homework and send recordings on things that we talk about. Between these two things I've probably become twice as good in the last year as I've done in all my previous years of playing.

So yes, join a band and get a teacher, you will love it!
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it's a shame really...
I bet you was a good enough player for many years..
but you just needed to overcome that mental barrier..

cool that you finally managed to pluck up the courage and go do it...
and good on ya too...

awesome ain't it...
 
Ben Randolph said:
Yes, absolutely playing with others will make you a better player. It's one thing to be able to play alone, but to be able to play in time with a group of musicians is another matter entirely. Ideally, you'll get in a situation where they'll push you, you'll push them, and everyone gets better.

That said, a band can be extremely frustrating. Such as, band members with personality issues, substance issues, egos, flakiness. I just don't have the patience to deal with that like I used to.
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+1 ... You'll never be the player you can be playing at home alone!

I've been playing at home and doing pickup gigs for the last few months - having spent most of 2012 working every weekend - and it's *driving me NUTS!* Got sub gigs coming up the next couple of weeks - which is nice - but they're sub gigs, so I'm the hired gun. It's not the same a being a full-time band member, part of a team!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE playing gigs, so I'm looking for a new home right now. I'm not a pro (have a well-paying day job), but it's not my first dance, so the number of garage bands, wannabe's, flakes, etc. and those who grandiose ideas of their skills and long term plans that you may encounter (and I have) is frightening !!

The good thing about being in a band is that it WILL challenge you to improve your playing to keep up with the team!
For example - way back when musicians actually made decent money for gigs - I was the 2nd guitar in a band, getting some leads that the lead guitar didn't want or couldn't do! It split up and some of us tried to form a new band. The singer we asked to join, didn't work out so the NEW [and very good] lead guitar player, who also sings, volunteered for the role, but said he wasn't doing both jobs. I was "handed" the job of lead guitar. I protested, saying that I wasn't a lead guitar player. They said "You are now!". I was forced to step it up to a whole new level!

Personality is BIG deal when you are part of a band. It's a "right to work state" kind of job, with no contracts or union stuff and commitment varies dramatically. My best advice is to find a good group of guys/gals that you have a fit with and make good music. If the $$ and gig comes as a result, so much the better.
 
Take it from me, who never joined a band, do it if you have the opportunity. I've jammed with friends a couple times and it's a blast. I truly believe it'll make you a better player IF you actually play - instead of sitting around shooting the ***t or talking about what you're going to do. Playing full songs will help your physical attributes and getting used to playing whole songs and learning new stuff will push you as a player.

Plus, it's an absolute blast to play with other folks. I don't know if people still get a charge out of it after doing it for so long - or should I say if people still appreciate it after many years - but the feeling that you're artistically expressing yourselves, all together, in time (hopefully) is just fantastic. Doesn't matter if the material is original or not.
 
Often you don't know what to work on until you join a band. Timing and playing in an ensemble are very, very, very important. At home you can stop. You don't learn to interact with the drummer and bass player, in terms of their playing AND their personalities. There's a give and take that more experienced players can give (less experienced too!) Growing pains are all very important. Plus just being pushed by other players helps one grow. Guys might not like what you're playing and suggest things. This push and pull is so important.

No question about it. Playing with others is the most important thing to getting better.
 
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