My guitar teacher said I should find some kids my age to start one with one day while we were finishing up lessons. I'm kinda taking this seriously. I want to start a band. I want to find people who are into my music like KISS (imagine a couple young kids in a KISS cover band ) or the Beatles. Just flat out classic rock.


So, how old were you when you first had a band, and how did you find people?
And has anybody ever heard of the School of Rock? I hear the teaching is meh but the band camp seems like an incredible way to meet people.
~FFS

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I think it is awesome that you are trying to start a band and good luck with it!

I was quite old when I was in my first band I was 17. But I played alot within my own family, it helps alot to have a father that was in a band for years with his brother who both played guitar. I personally started quite late I was 13 years old. I am now 44 and have been in several bands over the years. If you keep playing and you get good enough People will sometimes find you. Just keep plugging away!

Scotty D.

What I found was that for the first six months or year, it didn't seem to be going any where. None of us were particularly experienced, and it was the first band we had all been in. After that it picked up, and now we do some great sounding stuff. You just gotta hold on and be patient.

At our age too, we have the constraints of school and begging a lift from parents. Practice wasn't every week, and the school kept letting out the room they said we could practice in, much to our annoyance. Again, patience. It all comes together eventually.

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Fender Flame Strat, I was 13. It was guys from my school that I played with at first. Then we replaced the drummer with one from 35 miles away who was much better and added a 2nd guitar that the new drummer had played with before. We got a bunch of cover stuff up and two originals and started gigging. That went on for four years. Then college and the first group split up. During the four years we had a couple of different lead singers and at one time a keyboard guy who was much older than everyone else.

It all just HAPPENED. Once you start playing with some people, including just jamming with folks just for fun, other players hear about it and want to get involved. I'd start basic. Find a drummer, find a bassist and start working up songs with them. It is best if at first they are close by, maybe even in the same school. Ask your instructor if he knows of anyone nearby that would be a good candidate. If other instrumentalists such as keyboardists or horn players want in, tell them you aren't ready yet. Get the basics down first and then decide what your music actually needs to fill it out.

I don't know how close your are to the guitar stores in your town, but many of them have a bulletin board where you can post a small flyer. Be specific about what you are looking for including age range of members and post away.

If your school has a newspaper chances are they are always looking for things to write about, talk to someone on staff and ask them do a story about you "auditioning" for bandmates or jam partners and how to catch up with you.

Good players are always in demand. I know a guy who is now 16 and plays out at least 8 times per month, so IT IS POSSIBLE to break out young and be successful! So far he's jammed in public shows with the Marshall Tucker Band plus Bob Burns (original drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd) and B.B. King's Allstars and others. Plus he has his own band, which is a power trio. He plays real clubs with his 3 piece band and they are very popular in the Carolinas and growing in popularity beyond.

I've seen him play three times and would like to see him again! And yes he has a loyal following made up of people of all ages, I'm 57.

http://www.reverbnation.com/JakeHaldenwang

That's just one of dozens of links you'll find for him if you do a search.

So, Jake Haldenwang proves you are NEVER too young to get out there if you have the goods and you feel ready!

+1 .....Skirt So Plain

First "bands" were really little more than a bunch of punks with little to no real skill trying to play songs from start to finish... and failing miserably most of the time. Mot of this started back in my junior high days.

I'm in my early 40's now and am still out gigging and playing live. And still love playing and learning. One of my FAVORITE things in the whole world is a good 3-4 hour band practice. Still one of the best things in the world to me Playing live can be incredible as well, but there's just nothing like a great rehearsal.

Good luck and enjoy!

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