Help~ me out with my question please?
- Thread starter Justinl
- Start date
growlingsoulpup
New member
Well, the simplest way to break it down would be to look at the three primary colors of a rock band: drums, bass, and guitar. In terms of instrumentalists, these are the most basic and common positions.
The drummer would be the timekeeper of the band, by virtue of being the most rhythmic player. If you have a natural flair for rhythm (or just a fetish for hitting things HARD), then this position is probably the one for you.
The bassist is the bridging member of the band: what you effectively do is connect the rhythmic section and the melodic section together. If you're a complete newbie to rock music, the bass is responsible for the low notes you hear in between the guitars and the drums. Some people look down on bass cus its not as glamorous an instrument as guitar or drums, but it's very important in the context of a band because it keeps the bottom end movin'. A good bassist will be able to lock with the drums while still effectively supporting the guitars.
The guitar is, of course, the most well known instrument in rock music. Most guitarists are split between lead and rhythm: the lead guitarist plays melodic lines (the ones that sing in your head), while the rhythm guitarist is responsible for bringing out the chord progression and making things headbangable. Of course, sometimes the distinction between lead and rhythm is hard to tell, especially in a band like The Rolling Stones, where they often swop. But that's the most basic division.
Of course, if you're interested in singing, you could always be the vocalist. The vocalist can often be an instrumentalist or just a pure singer. Most of the time, regardless of whether you're playing or not, the vocalist is responsible for lyrics and crowd interaction as well, by virtue of the fact that you have the mike! if you love singing and/or/ are a buay hiao bai person, you'd be good on vocals.
Hope that helps.
The drummer would be the timekeeper of the band, by virtue of being the most rhythmic player. If you have a natural flair for rhythm (or just a fetish for hitting things HARD), then this position is probably the one for you.
The bassist is the bridging member of the band: what you effectively do is connect the rhythmic section and the melodic section together. If you're a complete newbie to rock music, the bass is responsible for the low notes you hear in between the guitars and the drums. Some people look down on bass cus its not as glamorous an instrument as guitar or drums, but it's very important in the context of a band because it keeps the bottom end movin'. A good bassist will be able to lock with the drums while still effectively supporting the guitars.
The guitar is, of course, the most well known instrument in rock music. Most guitarists are split between lead and rhythm: the lead guitarist plays melodic lines (the ones that sing in your head), while the rhythm guitarist is responsible for bringing out the chord progression and making things headbangable. Of course, sometimes the distinction between lead and rhythm is hard to tell, especially in a band like The Rolling Stones, where they often swop. But that's the most basic division.
Of course, if you're interested in singing, you could always be the vocalist. The vocalist can often be an instrumentalist or just a pure singer. Most of the time, regardless of whether you're playing or not, the vocalist is responsible for lyrics and crowd interaction as well, by virtue of the fact that you have the mike! if you love singing and/or/ are a buay hiao bai person, you'd be good on vocals.
Hope that helps.
Revelt
New member
Gene Simmons?
I think the positions are not defined per se, but growlingsoulpup has given a very good generic generalisation of the roles in the band.
At the end of the day, your aim is to be who you are on the instrument you're most comfortable with.
Revelt
New member
I think he was just going through the most common ones, cos there was no define genre. You could go into cello, double basses, trumpets, saxophones, flutes, computers, dustbin lids, farts etc.
theliverevolution
New member
Not really. Most rock bands do not require extensive use of keyboards, and even if they do, the keyboards are pretty much a little dumbed down. It's like icing on a cake - sounds nice but doesn't really give much
Anyway, as a keyboardist, I'll type the part for the keyboards
Keyboards, although a rising trend in modern rock music, aren't as recognized as they should be. Many people tend to add keyboards as an extra, just to give the music a slightly more interesting sound. Many people also presume that a keyboardist's work is easy, since all he needs to do is "to play a few chords and that's all"
Contrary to that, a real keyboardists work is more extensive. His role can be split, like a guitar, into lead and rhythm parts, and as an emulator. The lead parts would give a countermelody to contrast the vocalist's melody lines and the guitars solos, spicing up the whole piece of music. The rhythm would go along in performing chord progression, giving direction to the music.
Another key role of the keyboards is being an emulator. An emulator, as the name implies, would emulate the sounds of other instruments that will not play on stage due to various reasons, like a full orchestra, a grand piano, etc.
However, many people do not realize that keyboards play a greater role in sound shaping. The modern-day synthesizer is a very fickle instrument, able to synthesize and create many different sounds, even more then a gutiarist can. A keyboardist is usually concerned that the sound he produces are able to blend well with the music and with the other instruments, yet being distinct. The problem with the modern day keyboards is that the sound controls are very minute. While turning a knob would give a different sound, feel or texture, giving it a little more then necessary would give a different sound then required, which may or may not work, especially if you're playing live
Anyway, as a keyboardist, I'll type the part for the keyboards
Keyboards, although a rising trend in modern rock music, aren't as recognized as they should be. Many people tend to add keyboards as an extra, just to give the music a slightly more interesting sound. Many people also presume that a keyboardist's work is easy, since all he needs to do is "to play a few chords and that's all"
Contrary to that, a real keyboardists work is more extensive. His role can be split, like a guitar, into lead and rhythm parts, and as an emulator. The lead parts would give a countermelody to contrast the vocalist's melody lines and the guitars solos, spicing up the whole piece of music. The rhythm would go along in performing chord progression, giving direction to the music.
Another key role of the keyboards is being an emulator. An emulator, as the name implies, would emulate the sounds of other instruments that will not play on stage due to various reasons, like a full orchestra, a grand piano, etc.
However, many people do not realize that keyboards play a greater role in sound shaping. The modern-day synthesizer is a very fickle instrument, able to synthesize and create many different sounds, even more then a gutiarist can. A keyboardist is usually concerned that the sound he produces are able to blend well with the music and with the other instruments, yet being distinct. The problem with the modern day keyboards is that the sound controls are very minute. While turning a knob would give a different sound, feel or texture, giving it a little more then necessary would give a different sound then required, which may or may not work, especially if you're playing live
DeathCubeK
New member
How can you want to start a band and not know what instrument to pick up? Like geez, hey man I feel like being a rockstar, but I have no idea what instrument I should play. For God's sake if you can't even tell what instrument you love, then you are in for a long journey, my friend.
Revelt
New member
At least he's not another teach-me-how-to-play-muse newbie.
growlingsoulpup
New member
Haha relak lah, think TS just got into rock music only. Or TS is 14 or sth.
rottenramone
Active member
or u can be a dancer like bez in happy mondays
DeathCubeK
New member
You can try cowbell. Look how awesome Don't Fear The Reaper turned out.
