Making music with other musicians is one of the true joys in life. But like anything worthwhile, it requires effort to make it the best experience possible.
That means playing in a band setting is not as simple as showing up with a guitar. (That is, assuming your goal is to play well.) There are a number of things you need to be aware of when you walk into a room with other musicians; some of them are intuitive, some not so much.
But the good news is that how good a guitarist you are often doesn’t matter as much as how good you are at getting along with your bandmates and fitting in the mix. Why is that good news? Because those are skills and habits you can learn — no talent required!
So whether you have experience playing in a band setting or are just curious about what it looks like, today I want to share with you five tips that will help you get better at playing music with others. Implementing these will help you have more fun and make better music, so let’s dive in!
Come as prepared as possible
The purpose of band practice is not to learn the material.
The purpose of band practice is to work out how you’re going to play the material together.
That means to the extent you are able, you need to come prepared.
Now sometimes, that’s not possible. Life happens. Especially if, like me, you’re trying to juggle work and family on top of everything else, there will be days/weeks/months where practicing guitar just won’t be a priority — and that’s okay.
And sometimes surprises happen. I recently learned “Overdrive” by Post Malone, only to walk into my band’s practice and find out we’re actually doing a reggae cover of the song. Welp, time to improvise! I’ve also practiced many a worship song for my church in one key only to find out at rehearsal that we’re playing it in a different key. D’oh!
But by and large, most of the time I’m able to come prepared and ready to rock and roll, and you should too. You and your bandmates will have a much better time, and your stress level will go way down.
Ask questions and collaborate
When it comes to making music with people, collaboration is the name of the game.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions like:
- “What are you playing between the first and second verses? I want to play something that complements it.”
- “I had this idea for the chorus — what do you think?”
- “Do you want to take the lead on this song, or do you want me to?”
- “How does that part go exactly? I couldn’t quite figure it out when I was practicing.”
This is where the magic happens — getting everyone involved in the creative process. You’ll usually find that one question or comment spurs another and another until you’ve got a really great idea on your hands.
So don’t be shy or think your ideas don’t matter. Speak up! (And if your ideas or questions are looked down upon, find better people to hang out with.)
Stay in your lane
I’m especially talking to my fellow electric guitarists on this one.
As much as we want them to be, most songs are not simply vehicles for your immaculate guitar playing. Nor did anyone in the audience come to hear you play over everyone else.
In a band setting, everyone has a part to play. Know yours and stick to it.
For example, when I play at church I’m the only electric guitarist on stage, and there’s always an acoustic guitarist. That means I don’t need to strum a bunch of cowboy chords — that would just be doubling the acoustic, leading to a muddy mess. Rather, I need to primarily focus on playing power chords, triads up the neck, or little licks here and there, depending on the song.
In fact, I’m very rarely playing all six strings any any one time. Instead, I’m narrowing my range to stay in my lane — the part of the sonic spectrum that no one else is covering.
Your lane may look different depending on the song and who you are playing with. But figure out where you need to be and get comfortable hanging out there. I promise there will still be plenty of creative freedom!
Use your ears…and your eyes
All of music theory can basically be distilled into the sentence, “If it sounds good, keep playing it!”
It makes sense that using your ears is key to making music. And as a guitarist, you need to be listening to the other band members and thinking about whether what you’re playing fits into the mix. Does your part match the song when it comes to rhythm and intensity? Are you playing over anyone (see previous point)? In other words, does it sound good?
But using your eyes is just as important. When I play in a band setting, I’m constantly looking at the other musicians’ hands. What are they playing? How high up or down the fretboard or keyboard are they playing? When are they playing (or not playing)? How hard or soft are they playing? Doing this provides me with a ton of information — much more than just focusing on the sound — that helps me make better decisions.
And the truth is sometimes you can’t hear everyone on the stage. (This can be especially problematic at church services, where you often don’t know what kind of mix you’re going to get from week to week.) That can leave visual cues as the only information you have to ensure you’re playing in sync with everyone else. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to look over at the acoustic guitarist to know what he’s playing, even though his channel is cranked in my monitor.
Remember that less is often more
Everyone loves EVH, but the reality is most songs do not require your services as a guitar virtuoso.
As I’ve started learning a lot more material recently, I’m constantly amazed at how simple some of the best songs are. Tom Petty made millions off of three chords, as has AC/DC. Dyads and triads are all over the place in rock music. A simple fill or solo can often be more effective than busting out our inner Joe Satriani.
That’s not to say there aren’t great technical songs (there are), but you absolutely don’t need to be a shredder to make good music that resonates with the audience. Sometimes one note is enough — and sometimes not playing is the right choice for the moment. (And thankfully, it’s pretty hard to screw up a rest.)
Bonus tip: Always serve the song
At the end of the day, the most important rule in music is to always serve the song.
This really encompasses each of the other tips. Everything that you and your bandmates play (or don’t play) should have the goal of benefiting the song. You may not get to show off your technical skills each and every song, but that’s okay. The best part for you to play in a given song — the part that meshes with everyone else — might be trivially easy. So? Play it anyway and take it as a chance to relax and enjoy the moment.
These are just a few of the tips I’ve learned over the years playing with other musicians. What did I miss? Let us know in the comments below.
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