What kind of band is right for you?

There are lots of benefits to being in a band, such as  improving your overall musicianship, or just having fun.

So you have been taking music lessons for a while; you can play your instrument reasonably well and you are ready to be in a band. This is great news! 

You can join a band for a wide variety of reasons:

• Maybe you want just want to have fun playing music with your friends, or meet like minded people.
  
• Maybe you want to improve your musicianship, or play your favourite songs.
• Maybe you are looking for a creative outlet and you want to write new songs with your band mates.
• Maybe you have already written a number of songs and you want to form a band to play them.
• Maybe you've always wanted to perform in front of people and you are ready to take the next step.
  
• Or maybe you want to start earn money from being in a band!
  

These are all good reasons to be in a band. There are a large number of bands out there looking for band members.

To find the right band for you, you have to be reasonably clear about a few things.

• What styles of music do you want to play?
• What styles can you comfortably play?
• Do you want to play originals or covers, or both?
• How much time are you able to dedicate to the band  for rehearsals and learning new songs?
• Do you expect to be paid for gigs?
• How far are you willing to travel for rehearsals and gigs?

Once you have the answer to these questions, you will be ready to start looking for a band - there is one out there for you.

In my case, I originally started drumming when my parter who is a bass player decided it would be fun to be re-form a band with his friends. So the first band I joined was with our friends. This was a lot of drum lessons, practice and a good number of bands ago.

My motivation to be in a band today is about making the music "feel good". I like to express emotional content in a harmonious way, and I enjoy creating original music together with my band mates.

I like to give my best to the music and I like to make my band mates and the audience happy!

Kate G Swann - Performer and Planet drum student.