You have just watched an old rock music video on MTV. Have you ever just fallen back into your pillows and asked yourself: How hard can it be to be a rock star? Well, you know, at one stage famous rock stars also decided that they wanted to be a rock star and they took a conscious decision to achieve their goals. Being a rock star has many facets and there are many different ways to get there.  This is is a list of important points to consider when thinking of taking up music.

1. Unless you want to be a technician for a band, you should start playing an instrument or take vocal lessons or both. Have you ever played an instrument? It is a whole new skill set you can develop. It fosters concentration and coordination and it develops the creative side of the brain. Do a local Google search and find teachers or community groups in your area. It is useful to get some help reading music notes.

2. If you want to play an instrument, there is the possibility of renting an instrument, which would be good for expensive ones like a piano, etc. But a guitar, for example, is not that expensive to purchase.  The Gretsch g6120 is a great acoustic guitar which generates ‘the great Gretsch sound’. Famous artist like  Chet Atkins, Eddie Cochran and Duane Eddy play the Gretsch guitars. The ultimate rock guitar is a Schecter Diamond Guitar. Schecter focuses on the rock market and endorses bands  such as the Stone Temple Pilots and Peter Murphy.

3. Once you have identified the instrument, you can start practising. Initially it will probably feel like a child trying to learn something new, but everyone has to start somewhere. Maybe there is a talent in you that you have not discovered yet. But without practising you will never know.

4. When you feel prepared and confident that you can handle the instrument, you should think about joining or forming a band, unless you want to go solo, of course. You can find members for your band on the internet or go to your community centre and hang up a note on the notice board.

5. Once the members of the band have played a bit together and all of you find a nice groove, you can start writing songs. The purpose of a good band is to play new songs and not cover everything. The beauty lies in your own songs.

6. And then comes the big moment when you have your first gig. This night is gonna be your début so you  have to make it count. Depending on the venue, you’ll need microphones and amplifiers. The Ampeg Bass Combo is a powerful amp combo with 100-Watt power section and a single  Ampeg speaker that can rock a small to medium-sized venue. Just plug in and you’re ready to rock! Enjoy the night, get feedback and practice more. Don’t forget to have fun.

7. Now people want to have recordings. You should start thinking of recording some of your songs in a recording studio. Google will help with your local search for such a venue. Enjoy recording your first CD and distribute it.

8. Your fan base will grow very fast. A Facebook fan page would also help and you could get feedback from your fans online. You Tube is a great distribution channel as well.

9. One other piece of advice: don’t quit your job yet. To make money with music takes loads of time and sweat. Just ride the wave as it comes and don’t expect a tidal wave soon.

Good luck!

Did you know…?

Coldplay is a great band that values family life. Members of the band have a rather conservative approach to the use of their music in the media. They’ve turned down multi-million dollar contracts from varying companies that wanted to use their songs for advertising.

-maricki

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