How Joining a Band Can Propel Your Music Ambitions to the Next Level

Do you have a love of music that goes much deeper than just listening to your favorite artists? Are you perhaps a budding musician yourself who, up until this point, hasn’t taken it too seriously other than to dabble in it during your free time? Are you now looking for ways to take your love and passion for music and propel it into something much more, and potentially even a career down the road? It can be a scary venture as there is no guarantee you’ll succeed, but if you don’t at least try, then you’ll never know.

While there is certainly nothing wrong with going the path of a solo artist, for many musicians it makes sense to join or create a band. It offers a whole host of benefits that solo artists can miss out on. Still undecided on whether joining a band is the right move for you? Here’s a look at some of the reasons why joining a band could be the best decision you make in your musical career.

Enjoy Greater Creative Input

Perhaps the most obvious way joining a band can help – and the most impactful – is that it can provide you with greater levels of creative input. When it’s just you, all the responsibility lies on your shoulders. You have to come up with the ideas, the lyrics, the melody, how to connect with the audience and so forth. That may come naturally on some songs, but not all.

By joining a band, you are essentially joining forces. It becomes a collaborative approach where everyone can contribute and add to the experience. And because creativity is unique, you know each person is going to bring something different to the table.

All you have to do is think about successful bands throughout history such as The Rolling Stones, Queen, Maroon 5, U2, The Beatles, The Eagles – the list just keeps going. Each of these bands had members who were all unique from one another, so they all brought something to the table. It shows you just how powerful a group of creative individuals can be.

Bounce Ideas Off Each Other

Sometimes, musicians need to be able to bounce ideas, sounds and concepts off another person and see if it sticks and works. Who better to have these conversations with than your band members? This can be what your jam sessions are for, i.e., an opportunity to bounce ideas off each other.

Expand Your Sound

Then there’s the fact that not every person is cut out to be a solo artist. Perhaps you’re a great drummer or guitarist but you’re not great at solos. Being surrounded by a band helps to fill in those gaps, create a richer and fuller sound and allow you to go to heights you didn’t think were possible.

Take Advantage of Other People’s Skills

This leads to the next benefit, which is the fact that each band member can bring their skills to the table. You will probably have someone great at singing, one who has mastered the drums, and maybe a person who has played the guitar since they were a child. It’s highly unusual for one person to be able to do everything perfectly on their own, so joining a band gives you a chance to leverage the skills and talents of others.

You Have Others Who Understand What You’re Going Through

Being part of a band also offers emotional benefits that you won’t have as a solo artist. You will be going on this journey with others, so you are never alone. This means you have people you can talk to about your fears, doubts, challenges, dreams, and wins. There’s just something really special about sharing such a life-altering experience with others. It’s not unusual for bandmates to become friends for life, even if their music career doesn’t take off.

You May Appeal to a Wider Fan Base

Although your music is your music, when you’ve got a few band members, it’s only natural that fans tend to pick their favorite in the group that they take an interest in. So, when you’ve got a band, you can essentially cover more ground and appeal to a wider fan base. You need to back it up with talent to keep your fans engaged, but it can still be helpful in at least attracting people to your music.

How Do You Join a Band?

Now that you’re convinced that joining a band makes sense for you and your music dreams, the next question is, what are the best tips for how to find band members? Pirate tackles the topic of how to join a band in-depth, providing artists with all kinds of fabulous tips and advice. As a company that provides studio space for artists in different cities around the world, they have a lot of experience in helping people to connect and create some memorable music.

Some of the best ways to find band members can include:

• Posting a listing on social media stating what you’re looking for
• Networking with your friend list to find out if anyone knows of a budding musician who may be interested
• Hitting some open-mic nights and chatting with other attendees
• Speaking to local music teachers to see if there is anyone they can suggest

It’s all about getting out there, making your intentions known and getting a taste for the musicians who are currently following their dreams. The key is not to get discouraged, as finding the perfect band members can take a lot of time and hard work.

If it feels like you’re stuck in a musical rut, you’re not growing, you’re not expanding your fan base, you constantly feel a creative block, and you just aren’t happy with where you’re at, it could be time to entertain the idea of creating or joining a band. Joining a band provides musicians with a whole host of benefits that could transform the trajectory of their career path.

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