Rock Star Parents

Rock Band Gear or How to Outfit Your Band

There is no getting around it. Outfitting a new band can get expensive, although it can be taken in stages.

Practice Stage
First, there is the practice stage. This is where you just need to fill what is most likely a small space and not large halls.

Small Gig Stage
Then, there is the small gig stage. This is where you might need to fill a YMCA gym, church basement or school auditorium with sound. What gear you actually own at this stage may depend on whether or not you play with a more well-established band where you can borrow a PA, etc.

Large Gig Stage
Finally, there is the large gig stage, which we won’t talk about in this post because if you are at the large gig stage you most likely don’t need to read what we write on RockStarParents.com.

Remember, you don't have to buy new equipment! You can find equipment that is close by through www.craigslist.org . Just make sure you click a close geographic area on the right hand side of the screen. You can then go and "visit" the equipment to make sure it plays correctly. Please be careful of buying any tube amps though. I know someone who purchased one but found out that the amp died a 1/2 hour after he played it continuously at home. eBay is another option.

Or, you can buy stuff new. At RockStarParent, we have a mixture of new and used equipment. My husband was able to pick up a huge bass speaker cabinet at the dump -- for free. So check out whether or not your dump area has a swap shed or reclycing place. He was also able to get a Fender neck that was in great shape also at our local dump, he then purchased a body and pickups off of ebay for $50. He then had a great Fender guitar for $60 with shipping. We purchased our Mackie mixer from Craig's list.

Here is a list of what is most likely needed for the practice and small gig stage. If you can afford it, then it is best to get gear that could work at the small gig stage, that way you don't have to buy an item twice. Parents, depending on your budget and your child's needs, this might be a good place to start for birthday or Christmas gifts.

Practice Stage:

Guitarist

• If you play some softer songs, this acoustic electric guitar by Rogueis a good value
• Lead or rhythm guitarists need a good electric guitar. Ephiphone Les Paul guitars guitars are nice but heavy.
• An amp is required. We got a 65 watt Fender Princeton amp so it has enough power. If you get one with this wattage, it can take you through the practice stage and the small gig stage. Just make sure the kids keep it low for practice. Best to buy these locally because of the weight. Remember, do NOT play your bass out of a regular guitar amp! You will ruin it!
• When you have to learn new songs, then a music stand is a must.
• Cable: It pays to buy a cable that has a replaceable warranty. We started out with cheap cables, but now we buy Monster Cable.
• Don't forget tuners and guitar strings (cheaper to buy strings in sets (multi-packs))!

Drummer

• There is no getting around it, you will have to pay some money for a drum set. We purchased the following kit for our daughter when we thought she was going to be a drummer Pacific by DW LX drum kit.
• I would suggest talking to your child's drum teacher about the types of drums to buy and where to buy them. This Pacific drum kit can take you through all of the stages, but be advised that drum kits don't come with cymbals. You have to purchase those separately.
• Most drummers swear by Zildjian cymbals and these can be purchased in starter packs. We, however, purchased Sabian cymbals.
• There are also lots of accessories that must be purchased for your drum kit, including cymbal stands and a bass drum pedal. It is fine to purchase these in a drum hardware pack, especially if you are just starting and don't know what exact configuration you want.
• Don't forget the sticks!

Bassist

• You need a bass. I don't recommend buying bass packs because they won't take you through the practice to the small gig stage -- especially the bass amp that comes with it. A Fender P-bass is a nice choice.
• You need a bass amp that will be powerful enough to fill a small gym. This means at least 100 watts, typical of a Fender Rumble bass amp.
• Just like for the guitar, you need a music stand.
• Cable: It pays to buy a cable that has a replaceable warranty. We started out with cheap cables, but now we buy Monster Cable.
• Don't forget tuners and guitar strings (cheaper to buy strings in sets)!

Vocalist

• A mic (or mics, depending on how many vocalists.) The Shure SM58 mic has the reputation for being a hardworking staple. We purchased the Sennheiser 835 and has found it has worked fine. Please be aware that you can buy these things with and without a mic power switch on the mic. Most mics don't have the power switch because they will be controlled at the PA. More on this later.
• A mic cable. You have to be more careful here than you are for a guitar cable. You might need an adapter depending on what type of PA or amp you are plugging your mic into.
• A PA. You can use a keyboard amp for this if you are stuck for cash. Keyboard amps can handle vocals. However, if you can swing it, even if used then a larger PA is great. They are a pain to haul around and they are heavy. We first purchased a vintage Earth Research System used for $200. We then replaced it with Mackie mixer and Yamaha speakers.
• Speaker cables are different than amp or microphone cables. They are shielded differently, so make sure you buy the correct ones!

The Band

• Monitor Speakers are a must so everyone can hear everyone else and they don't fight each other, they blend together.  They usually sit on the ground in front of the band so they can hear the vocalist, etc. We purchased JBL Monitor Speakers.
• Just as a reminder, speaker cables are different than amp or microphone cables. They are shielded differently, so make sure you buy the correct ones! If you don't, you will most likely get interference.

Have any words of wisdom for newbies? Or have any questions? We might be able to find the answers. Click on the comments below.

Dad at RockStarParents.com

Update: Please read the comments! More helpful advice there!

Teachers and Fan Influence

Music teachers and instructors may not realize the impact that they have on a kid's musical aspirations. A teacher saying, "you should go to a music camp with other kids like you" may mean so much at a critical time. Conversely, a struggling band getting a thumbs up of adoration from a young fan may be just enough to keep them going until they find their big break.

The impact of these vignettes may never be shared between the two parties, but the ripples of the experience may last.

The following is an exploration of what may be one of those experiences, a glimpse into the day of a teacher that may have changed "Rebel" forever. Here is a snippet, but read the whole post entitled School of Rock.

A small handful of students have formed a rock band and use the space to practice - more often than not, the band teacher lets them leave their drum kit set up onstage and they have spare amps stored in the band lockers that he lets them borrow. I peek in and notice Rebel's onstage, mic in hand, singing a My Chemical Romance tune. She actually sounds pretty good. I wander in and sit down on one of the tables. There's a handful of kids just hanging out and listening. One of my other students is on drums, another is playing bass. I don't recognize the guitarist. There's another girl I don't recognize with a mic in her hand and every so often she sings harmony. After the song ends, the bassit and drummer switch places. They break into some Nirvana and I smile. Rebel notices I've come to watch and shakes her hair in front of her face, eventually turns and faces the drummer, trying to hide herself from my view, but she doesn't stop singing.

Do you have a musical inspiration story to tell?

Super Group on VH1

As a parent with daughter who wants to go into the music industry, I let her watch SuperGroup on VH1.  So far we have seen the first two episodes. I tried to tell her that, like in any drama, there has to be conflict in order to get people interested. Furthermore, with editing, anyone can make the conflict seem more severe than it might have been.

That aside, she was raising her eyebrows quite a bit during the show. With the constant swears and the strippers, there was plenty to see that she hadn't seen before.

At first glance, I also had to laugh at the lack of management skills that these rockers had. They were constantly talking over each other, and they didn't seem to start with shared goals/deliverables and link each of their actions back to the shared goals. The goals might look like this...

1. Goal: Make a great demo with sounds of today that can actually sell as a single
2. Goal: Put on a great live rock and roll concert highlighting our personalities
3. Goal: Make a great TV show so people want to know more about us

Now, I may have been "off" with my initial thoughts on lack of management skills because while the goal of "make a great TV show" would have been third on my list, it might be first on their list so some of the scenarios/fights might take precedence and impact the first two goals. A trick to being a good manager is to weigh the short versus the long term and make trade-offs, but since this is only 12-days long, long-term may be a misnomer.

What I do know is that this might be interesting to watch, no one should use it as a best practices case study of how to be a band -- at least as far as my management experience tells me.

For those of you who have been in bands, I'd love to know how close this is to reality.

And for any parents of future rock stars, did you encourage or let your kids to watch this?

It will be interesting to see if they actually go on tour.

Mom at RockStarParents.com