How many pieces should be in a band?

[mellowinman]

A proper rock band should have six guitars, two bass guitars, one upright bass, three drummers, a Latin rhythm section, Timbales, a piano, two organs, a synthesizer, a three piece backup singer section, two stand alone lead singers; one male, and one female; a five piece horn section, a guy who doubles on theremin and flugelhorn, three people to mix drinks, and a good driver, but in today's economy, a lot of bands just do a power trio.

 

[millsbass5]

It depends. Are you guys covering some ZZ Top tunes, or some Earth, Wind, and Fire? As a bassist that's looking out for my own greedy "wants", I prefer a 3-piece band. I can stay much busier with my playing style. But, if you wanna cover songs ACCURATELY, some keys, and a 2nd guitar fits the bill nicely.

 

[BayStateBass]

A proper rock band should have six guitars, two bass guitars, one upright bass, three drummers, a Latin rhythm section, Timbales, a piano, two organs, a synthesizer, a three piece backup singer section, two stand alone lead singers; one male, and one female; a five piece horn section, a guy who doubles on theremin and flugelhorn, three people to mix drinks, and a good driver, but in today's economy, a lot of bands just do a power trio.

Power trio is tough on everyone although it can be fun, and I can really see the appeal and lots of people do it. My dear old pappy did it for years with guitar, keys (kicking pedals), and drums. He played drums and did 90% of the singing.

For me, my ideal setup would be two guitars, bass, keys, drums. No dedicated vocalist (only), vocals would be handled by the players. A lot of the music I like to play (covers) have two very distinct guitar parts. The keys really fill up a lot and give a nice sound to the final product when they can add piano, organ, strings, etc....

Of course, the more people you have the smaller the paycheck gets. So it gets harder and harder to make a group of 5 or 6 people stay invested when they are walking away with $75 after a night.

 

[ObeyGiant]

I've been playing with a singer/songwriter around here locally. It was originally just us 2 but we recently added a violin player.

 

[Bert Slide]

Dewey Cox: "It's still not finished yet. I'm hearing aboriginal percussionists. And I want an army of didgeridoos. Fifty thousand didgeridoos!"


But 3 is a good core for a rock band. Start with guitar, bass and drums then salt to taste.

 

[TomCHunley]

69

 

[Segrave]

This one I like. In my punk/grunge band we have 2 guitarists who sing as we'll and trade solos. We have two basses, we play different lines to each other in most songs. And the drummer. Hope this helps.

 

[nojj]

How many pieces should be in a band?

Only as many as necessary

 

[Floyd Eye]

Hello, I'm kind of forming a new rock-ish band and I'm wondering how many guys should I tag along.

How many guitars? Should the lead vocalist be able to play an instrument? Is a keyboardist very important for the genre? Does five pieces sound good, or is that too many? Any suggestions?

Throw me your thoughts

3 plus a sound man is the way I like it. Four is ok, but if you have four I would prefer the singer also play some guitar.

 

[glocke1]

Really depends on what you are after...

For a rock band most I've ever had were 8...Bass, drums, keys, three guitars, female vocalist. One guitar player was there basically because he sang like a bird..

 

[h2omaker]

It depends on how many Reece's you have!

 

[Hamlet7768]

Very broad spectrum from a metalcore sound to a more alternative. Think of breaking benjamin but a little heavier.

Yet I still want the capacity to go soft if the lyrics I create demand it

Sounds like you want two guitarists, a bassist (you), and a drummer, minimum. If any of them can sing well enough, don't bother with a dedicated singer.

Only go with one guitarist if the guy's really good and if you want a challenge.

 

[Downunderwonder]

With making music, you need just one person to tango. Everything beyond that is opinion.

Absolute truth.

Next question is desired monetary return vs value in making art. Which way do you swing? A rocking three piece with three singers can make decent money fairly easily. A 20 piece big band not so much.

 

[verycoolname]

I always thought four was a decent rock band number; bass, drummer, lead guitar, and a rhythm guitar. Preferably the bass or rhythm guitar sings, and if no one can sing bring in a fifth, and have them designated as the singer.

IMO anything over five looks silly. Two is my minimum (White Stripes, Black Keys, Middle Class Rut), but one person recording all the tracks solo then bringing other musicians on tour is cool (Nine Inch Nails).

 

[bolophonic]

The way this project is being presented, I would tend to think that it is going to be hard enough to get one or two people on board. A "sort of" formed band that plays "heavy alternative rock" sounds to me like two dudes jamming from time to time. Start working with a guitarist and see if you even need to bother adding additional musicians.

 

[Janzmeister]

Thanks for the input, the more I shop for skill I've noticed finding a good guitar player really isn't that hard. Where as a drummer... that's a different story. Yeah their are some out there that can hit the drums nice and hard, but their timing gets messed up after a few seconds of playing.

Sounds like you want two guitarists, a bassist (you), and a drummer, minimum. If any of them can sing well enough, don't bother with a dedicated singer.

Only go with one guitarist if the guy's really good and if you want a challenge.

What about a keyboardist/singer? Is keyboard one of those of those things you can sing while playing without too much difficulty? I'm really a noob when comes to anything outside of bass and guitar.

Originally Posted by mellowinman
A proper rock band should have six guitars, two bass guitars, one upright bass, three drummers, a Latin rhythm section, Timbales, a piano, two organs, a synthesizer, a three piece backup singer section, two stand alone lead singers; one male, and one female; a five piece horn section, a guy who doubles on theremin and flugelhorn, three people to mix drinks, and a good driver, but in today's economy, a lot of bands just do a power trio.

I'm talking about a band not an orchestra...

 

[Janzmeister]

The way this project is being presented, I would tend to think that it is going to be hard enough to get one or two people on board. A "sort of" formed band that plays "heavy alternative rock" sounds to me like two dudes jamming from time to time. Start working with a guitarist and see if you even need to bother adding additional musicians.

I already have one guitarist, that's way I was confused whether or not that was enough for the sound. Btw this can't sing worth crap

 

[Janzmeister]

69

Exactly...

 

[pklima]

What about a keyboardist/singer? Is keyboard one of those of those things you can sing while playing without too much difficulty?

I'd say for metalcore keys are great to have. Not necessary, but will open up a lot of possibilities, especially if you get somebody who understands how to create and manipulate synth sounds, trigger samples etc. A lot of keyboardists can sing, but usually trained classical or jazz ones, so I wouldn't count on that.

Finding somebody to play keys in a metalcore band will be hard, though. If you don't find somebody pretty quickly I'd just move forward without keys.

 

[Hamlet7768]

What about a keyboardist/singer? Is keyboard one of those of those things you can sing while playing without too much difficulty? I'm really a noob when comes to anything outside of bass and guitar.

If you can find someone who's willing to play, go for it. Just look at Between the Buried and Me; their lead singer plays the keyboard as well.

My recommendation was just a guideline based on my preferences for bands (ergo singer plays an instrument) and what I know of metalcore bands and bands like Breaking Benjamin (two guitars, bass, drums). If you find something that works as well, go for it!