Should I be in Solo or band?

My suggestion would be for you to form a band, since that is your dream, and make it clear up front that you are numero uno from the beginning. Some people may head for the door, but others might be cool with it.

Solo gives you control. If you have a band, you always have personality and personnel and work habits issues. Always.

If you need control, you have to go solo. You have to hire session musicians.

If you want a band, you have to give up the idea of control.

Personally, I prefer band, but then, I play trumpet. Solo is not really an option.

one should never fly completely solo. a great support system is a fledgling musicians best friend. try developing your talents more by surrounding yourself with other musicians. you have a lot going for you and the collective knowledge of colleagues will do wonders for you professionally.

Sometimes the problem isn’t whether you should be in a band, but whether the band you are in is the right one for you.

My brother has been in many bands, but once he and his college roommate formed a band they have kept it going for thirty years. Three members of the band are pretty much the heart of it, with two or three folks who change out as lives and needs change. They are all OCD about the music, and so take great pains to share credit, stage time, and so on equally.

Yes, they have some problems with clashing ideas at times, but they have agreed to disagree and take turns being lead and back up. In fact, as even the fans know, some songs are specifically my brother’s songs, some songs are specifically his roommate’s songs, and some are specifically songs belonging to various other band members, even though they may have all of their names on the label for writing credit.

He has been in other bands where, although the music was good, the band members did not get along well at all. It all became a chore and everyone went their separate ways.

Advantages to being in a band seem to include building on each others’ talents, not having to be the star all the time, not having to bring in extra transient musicians, and having a wider or broader “sound.” However, splitting the gate with three or four or five other people can be a downer and you will have to make compromises on a lot of things, including what van the band gets to haul gear, where you stay when on the road, and, of course, how the band sounds.

Advantages to being solo are being in total control of the music, not having to deal with anyone else’s ego or personality or substance abuse or chronic lateness, not having to split the money from gigs with anyone else, and not worrying about having to share credit or stage time. However, if you aren’t feeling up to snuff one day and you have to perform, you have to perform. You can’t just play rhythm and sing harmony for the evening.

Something to consider is trying to have the best of both worlds. Look for a band where the level of control you can have is something you can live with so you can benefit from the interactions with other musicians. But also work on songs that you do solo. Eventually you will realize which fits you best and you will end up making a career of it.

And finally, another possibility is a blend of the two. Find someone who has the same vision you do or who simply wants to follow someone else’s vision and become a duo. If the two of you then find another musician with either a similar vision or who wishes simply to follow, then become a trio.

I play in a band too and I’d probably kick YOU out cause you sound whiny and annoying. It sounds like if you don’t get exactly what you want you pout around until you get what you want. It’s about chemistry, if you can’t or don’t want to try getting along with other musicians then go solo dude its as easy as that.

1. You probably are a control freak. Loosen up.
2. You’re either very talented, or very selfish. Either way, it’s obvious you work better alone. And that way you can get to do things the way you imagine them.
3. I’ve been solo most of my career, but for a different reason: even though I find it easy to find musicians (most of the time), I end up having to arbitrate amongst a pile of sky-high egos, and spend too much time as a referee and too little actually doing stuff. Also, organising rehearsals and so on can be a pain, and I don’t want to be the band’s manager. I’ve usually ended up hiring talented session musicians that can improvise with little or no practice. Most of my songs are easy, and I’m also easy to work with, which is why I often get people to help me for free or for very little money.
4. My current band does have my name, but I didn’t pick it. We actually agreed on a name which is an inside joke between us. Unfortunately the last place I sang insisted on printing posters with my name on them (as opposed the name of our band), because I’m the person people know. The current venue just went ahead and advertised with my name without even asking me. I don’t like this. I am always conscious of other bandmembers’ feelings and don’t want them to think I’m trying to steal all the fame or anything. I’m also like that on stage. Of course I do my thing, and all the spotlights are on me because of my role on stage, but at the same time I give space to all the other musicians, help them show off their talents, and do it all in a friendly and co-operative way.

There’s a difference between whispering “next song is in G, ok?” in the base-player’s ear and then smiling, and just playing the song and then shouting “it’s in G, you jerk!” half-way through when he gets it wrong.

Just my two cents of course.

Yeah if your always whiny they will kick you out but you got out before the kicked you out you should loosen up and if you want things to be done your way go solo

Go solo to create the work then get a session band.

thanks everybody. all great suggestions.
luckily this is Flutter (not Yahoo answers), so it’s in realtime-based so I can continue asking questions after seeing ur answers.
ok, so it seems like what Jack79 did is what i exactly want to do too: being in Solo, but in “band” format (ie: think Muse & Matthew Bellamy for example) , but without being so much egocentric & selfih, like what evolverevolve might have thought of me (believe me dude, i’m not like that. I am always considerate & warm with other band members, but i have exactly similar problems in the past like Jack79 did).

the next question then is (especially for Jack79) :
how did you word it out when u want to search/find other band members, to join your Solo project?
did you mention you want to form “a band” ,
or more like “help me doing my solo project” ?

and also, if they agree to help u Solo , then how they’re OK to do it for free? (this is referring to ur story, Jack79. i’m very interested to hear in more-details). because from what i’ve heard, usually a Solo musician would have to pay for the session musicians, ‘cuz they’re NOT ur permanent members.

and lastly, how or where is the best for you to find the additional musicians (or additional “band members”) ?
thanks!

you know, i play the drums, and to me playing them alone gets REALLYYYY boring, i like playing with other people no matter how good or bad they are, its just fun, so in turn, if your thinking to go pro, go solo. but if its just for fun, band is the way to go

It’s two different sets of stories.

There have obviously been many cases where I would somehow meet a musician, we’d get along, and I’d ask them if they wanted to play in my next album for example. And then we’d discuss money, usually a percentage of the profits, though nowadays most people just prefer a set price upfront (I would too). But some people do it for free to get the publicity, or the experience, or simply for the fun of it. I once begged a very good saxophone player (he was in Blues Brothers) to play on my 2nd album. I begged him for weeks and he’d say no. In the end he did it in exchange for a bottle of whiskey (but it had to be a specific brand). He did the whole thing in a few minutes and it was a wrap. My other saxophone player at that time was not famous or anything, and all he wanted was 50 copies to give out to his friends. It can work like that.

With my current band it’s different. I don’t consider myself the leader, and it’s not a solo project. I met our guitarist (whom I believe to be one of the best in the world) at a jamming session in a little bar somewhere. It was love at first sight (musically speaking of course) and he was the one who suggested we should form a band. I consult him on everything, I always ask him to make the final call on our decisions as a band, and even though it looks as if I’m the leader when we’re on stage, in reality it’s him, or at least that’s how I feel about it. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be that good, and he’s the difference between me having a band and me singing on my own with my guitar.

But things just happen.

thanks everyone!
I think one more remaining question:

If Muse is a “solo” band, then how is it different from the usual band format?
I mean for example, does Matthew Bellamy ,being the primary songwriter & conceptor of the band, view Chris and Dom as members of the band, or still as ‘session musicians’ , whom he has to PAY routinely for touring with him, and during recording ?

and how did Matthew get to find people like Chris and Dom, whom seems to be ‘kind’ and understanding to let Matthew be the main spotlight (ie: taking control of almost everything in the band Muse) , without getting into big quarrel/arguments of ego ?
is there perhaps some payment agreement? (ie: like most Solo artists who pays his/her additional/session musicians) , or since Muse is solo but in a “BAND” format, it’s different case?

should I just “go solo” by myself ? and just find additional/session musicians, and pay them to do my stuff?
or, should I just be in a band, like Muse , but that i’m in total control of all music ideas & concepts ?
or, is it all really FLEXIBLE?...(ie: “just go with the flow, don’t think too much” ??)

your answer on this one will help me finish up my remaining confusions on this whole “Solo .vs. band” thing :)

There are obviously many grey areas, like everything else in life, it’s not black and white.

Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band is more of a solo artist overshadowing everyone else, but I bet the people in “Silver Bullet” must have played together for years. As did Haley’s Comets or Springsteen’s E-Street Gang. None of these “solo” artists were really solo. But they were not a band in the sense that the Beatles were, where you could not really pick a leader between John or Paul, and even Ringo was pretty prominent. And even Bob Dylan (in his more recent albums and performances) is no longer a solo artist. The 60s Dylan with a guitar and a harmonica (which is what I was also doing until last year) is very different as a format and a final product to the Dylan that is currently topping the UK charts.

And at the same time, Dylan (or Springsteen, or me and you for that matter) might decide to just go down to the local pub with a guitar under one arm, and go back to being “true solo”.