The 4 Member Family
If you go back through history and look at most bands these days, you will notice that the most productive and successful bands tend to have four members. They will cover the rhythm section with Bass and Rhythm Guitar, have a Lead Guitar and Drummer.
Now, you will also notice plenty of bands with 3 or 5 players, but I think you will find that 4 is the golden number here. It gives the music a much fuller sound, and creates a better system between the band members.
You will notice in a 4 member family, that you will have a Leader, an Organizer, a Thinker and a Marketer. You might not notice these charateristics in a general sense, but you will notice it in other ways. Even if you feel you are all 'Leaders', there is still most likely one person in the band who takes the phone calls, books shows, and helps to keep everyone from fighting over their differences. They are also one of the few people in the band that HAVE to be notified of anything happening, usually because they are the one person who keeps track of what the band is doing.
Along side the Leader is usually the 'Organizer', this role might make more sense as the person who makes sure that the music is put together, timed well and fits the taste that your fans like. They will also be the person who makes sure everyone get to 'practice' and focuses on the tasks at hand. They tend to be calm and ready to go, but more than willing to take charge if the situation calls for it.
The 'Thinker' is one of most creative in the band, and is often the source of most of the music. Even if every memeber of the band ads their creative influences to a song, it is usually the 'Thinker' who molds and shapes that song to be as great as it is. The Thinker might also be the person that get argumentative about changing anything unless it was their idea, or they may want to toy with your idea a bit before agreeing on it. The Thinker can be a difficult person to hash things out with, but their creativity is such a huge Pro, that most people ignore the cons.
The 'Marketer', is generally the person who knows a lot of people, has a lot of friends, and who is not afraid to shout to the world that their band kicks ass! They are also the person who is usually dancing on the stage and engaging their audience into the vision that the band is attempting to show to the world. Often times the Marketer role is usually played by someone who is a 'follower' than a leader.
These roles will vary and do not generally go along with an instrument. Most people believe in certain stereo types, such as "The Lead Guitar" is the Leader of the band, or the Singer is the Leader. This is not a stereo type that has any real basis. There are so many different combinations of these roles and they are almost never the same in each band.
It is important to have all these roles though, as they are an integral part of the glue that bonds the band together. With out these roles, the band usually doesn't have the right building blocks to get off the ground and become a 'known' band.
Tell me, which role do you play?
Now, you will also notice plenty of bands with 3 or 5 players, but I think you will find that 4 is the golden number here. It gives the music a much fuller sound, and creates a better system between the band members.
You will notice in a 4 member family, that you will have a Leader, an Organizer, a Thinker and a Marketer. You might not notice these charateristics in a general sense, but you will notice it in other ways. Even if you feel you are all 'Leaders', there is still most likely one person in the band who takes the phone calls, books shows, and helps to keep everyone from fighting over their differences. They are also one of the few people in the band that HAVE to be notified of anything happening, usually because they are the one person who keeps track of what the band is doing.
Along side the Leader is usually the 'Organizer', this role might make more sense as the person who makes sure that the music is put together, timed well and fits the taste that your fans like. They will also be the person who makes sure everyone get to 'practice' and focuses on the tasks at hand. They tend to be calm and ready to go, but more than willing to take charge if the situation calls for it.
The 'Thinker' is one of most creative in the band, and is often the source of most of the music. Even if every memeber of the band ads their creative influences to a song, it is usually the 'Thinker' who molds and shapes that song to be as great as it is. The Thinker might also be the person that get argumentative about changing anything unless it was their idea, or they may want to toy with your idea a bit before agreeing on it. The Thinker can be a difficult person to hash things out with, but their creativity is such a huge Pro, that most people ignore the cons.
The 'Marketer', is generally the person who knows a lot of people, has a lot of friends, and who is not afraid to shout to the world that their band kicks ass! They are also the person who is usually dancing on the stage and engaging their audience into the vision that the band is attempting to show to the world. Often times the Marketer role is usually played by someone who is a 'follower' than a leader.
These roles will vary and do not generally go along with an instrument. Most people believe in certain stereo types, such as "The Lead Guitar" is the Leader of the band, or the Singer is the Leader. This is not a stereo type that has any real basis. There are so many different combinations of these roles and they are almost never the same in each band.
It is important to have all these roles though, as they are an integral part of the glue that bonds the band together. With out these roles, the band usually doesn't have the right building blocks to get off the ground and become a 'known' band.
Tell me, which role do you play?
