How to Be a Good Bandmate

Hey, don’t take that headline the wrong way — you’re
great! We weren’t talking about you because you do all of these things already.
But you know the feeling of trying to be in a band with someone that seems to
be in their own little world — a world where being considerate of your
teammates is apparently optional. If you know a musician like that, or perhaps
are even in a band with one right now, then print this article and sneak it
into their gear bag.

Learn Your Parts Before Band Rehearsal

We didn’t say “band practice” because practice
is what you do on your own time to be ready when your band gets together.
Whether you’re in a cover band or writing original material, getting together
as a band is the time to get all your parts working together as magnificently
as possible — it’s not the place to be learning your parts for the first time.
The first time you show up without knowing your parts, you may be met with
strained patience. The next time, it’ll likely be blatant contempt. You may not
get a third chance — learn your parts and show up ready to play them.

Be Assertive yet Flexible

When you’re working with a group of musicians,
everyone’s going to have opinions about everything — what songs to play, how
the band logo looks, what to wear onstage, and so on. You should do your part
to foster an environment in which everyone feels empowered to speak their mind subjectively
about these things. The flipside to this is to be just as willing to compromise
or even concede if others feel differently. There’s nothing more unproductive
than wondering what others are “really thinking” about the band’s direction —
show that you care about the band enough to voice your opinions, then show your
bandmates that you respect them by not digging your heels in if they feel
differently. And don’t sulk when you don’t get your way — even if you’re in an
emo band.

Be on Time

Especially if you’re the drummer, hey-o! Seriously
though, you really don’t want to be the band member that’s known for being
late. It’s disrespectful enough when we’re talking about a weekly band
rehearsal. But, when it comes to gigs, there’s an added layer of fear and
contempt when showtime is coming up and you’re still not there. Everyone should
agree on when to expect each other at the venue, and you should be
overcommunicating if you’re going to be late. Even if you think you’ll be fine
showing up 10 minutes before you’re supposed to start playing, everyone in the
band that showed up early is going to have stomach knots until you’re actually
there. And they’ll also suspect you came late to avoid helping with loading in,
which brings us to...

Help Load In — and Load Out

It doesn’t matter what instrument you play — if you
want to be seen as a good band member, then offer to help move stuff and treat
everyone’s gear better than if it were your own. There’s really no middle
ground here; either you’re seen as a helpful teammate or as a lazy freeloader
(even if you did just lug your 4×12 cabinet up two flights of stairs). If you’re
truly set on being lazy, then at least be smart about it — eagerly offer to
help then start to help as ineptly as possible. Get tangled in mic cables or
something like that. Eventually, they will decide they’ll get things done
faster without you, but they won’t be able to say you never tried to help.

Listen to What the Band Is Doing

As a passionate musician, you’re bound to lose
yourself in the music once in a while — it happens. But, if you’ve been in
enough bands, eventually you’ll notice there are some musicians that seem to
permanently reside in their own orbit, not beholden to the tempo, dynamics, or
tone of their bandmates. Don’t be that musician. Playing music with others
involves a complicated skill set, and one of those skills is simultaneously
focusing on your playing while also always being aware of the larger sonic
picture. Knowing which notes to play is just the start of performing in a band
— listen to what everyone else is doing to inform your phrasing and dynamics,
and you’ll sound more cohesive as a band.

Get Them Gifts from Sweetwater

If you need to get back into your band’s good graces, nothing says “Please don’t fire me!” like a surprise musical gift. Of course, the best way to truly earn the label of “good bandmate” is to be respectful of your band, your music, and the goals you’re trying to accomplish together. We can’t fix personalities or broken relationships, but we can always help you find the right music gear — call us at (800) 222-4700 to get started!

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