Singing With A Live Band... DO IT!

Singing with a live band is really important and completely different to singing to 'backing tracks'.  In fact, there is probably no better way to learn and experience musicality (via working with other musicians) and gain an insight into surrounding facets of singing, such as marketing, promotion, audition processes etc. than actually starting your own band! Starting a band is a fantastic way to meet like-minded people, make friends and both rehearse and hone your singing skills!

In fact, here's a little list of why starting (or, at least working in) a band could be brilliantly beneficial...

1) You will always be well rehearsed and at the top of your game - via singing in a live band you will be rehearsing new songs and constantly practicing old ones, which will maintain your voice to the highest level and keep it in mighty fine shape. Also, by singing with a band and working to different volume levels you will undoubtedly project your vocal with more power (in a naturally competitive manner), which will strengthen vocal chords.

2) Skills in the performing arena will be massively improved - The thing about singing in a band is that you will always be singing in front of people (even if those people are just the band themselves!). You will gain a lot more confidence, breakdown inhibitions, and hone your craft a lot better than you would just practicing to backing tracks in front of a mirror. There's nothing wrong with the mirror practices... it's always good to see how you look... but, nothing substitutes genuine, human interaction within performances. 

3) You will become a team player - It's all about the compromise! With all the band hopefully striving for the same thing (a great performance, world wide fame, etc...) there are going to be many personalities to handle. The way you do this will determine if you are a diva or a team player. The latter is always best :) Working on something you all enjoy collectively will be a hugely rewarding thing and the more you interact the more you will learn and produce.

4) As briefly touched upon, it will improve your confidence - Performing live... in front of people... SCARY! But, the more you do it, the better you will become at it. Your confidence will grow in leaps and bounds! You'll not only improve performance techniques (i.e. how to convey emotion in a song or get a crowd into a frenzy) but you will also become an all round better vocalist. There are some things that singing lessons just can't teach. They can provide all the technical tools for improvement, but nothing hones the craft like getting up and 'doing it' in a live environment.

5) We once covered the 3 Ps.... this is the 3 F's... FUN, FUN and FUN!! - There is nothing like the camaraderie of rehearsing and gigging in a band. It is a totally amazing way to spend time with friends and do something you totally enjoy and love. And, who knows, get good enough at it and you could even make a bit of cash doing it. Or, even a full-time living! 

Always remember why you started singing though and why you spent hour upon hour rehearsing... you enjoy the craft of it. Don't get bogged down with the wrong people or lose sight of the fun factor. Always ENJOY!

Right, that's it for today... I'm off for a rehearsal with my band!

TTFN :)