Starting a band can be one of the most exciting things you can do.  It might be something you do as a reason for getting out of the house more often as you go to practice, something fun you can do with your friends, or you may even have designs on making it big on the global stage.

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That said, it can be both easy and difficult to start a band, so you need to know what you’re doing, and have a plan to get moving. Use this list to help you on your way.

Forget the Name

Seriously, you need to stop worrying about what you’re going to call yourselves so much.

Yes, your name will be important for getting your name out there, but for now you can just come up with something random so that you can start posting on social media, for example. It might even be an idea to run a competition to see who can come up with the best name for you.

Use Social Media

We alluded to this just now, but it definitely needs to be explored further. Short of going on an Idol show or something like The X Factor, you are going to find it difficult to gain exposure quickly from any other avenue than social media.

You don’t need to be everywhere, however, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube should do the trick. The sooner you start getting people on board and supporting your band, the better the foundation will be as you look to build to success.

Write Your Own Stuff Immediately

It is a temptation for new bands looking to make a name for themselves to mix up their own songs with others, or even perform sets exclusively made up of existing songs.

Our take on this is that you need to write and perform your own stuff straight away. What are you going to remember more? The band that you have never heard of playing a song that you can still hear in your head now, or the same band playing a cover of a popular song that you’ve heard dozens of times before?

We know which category we fit into, and recommend that you aim to make your mark with your own definitive sound right from the off.

Spread Your Wings

Look at everyone in the group. Can you improve yourselves at all? Maybe the guitarist could learn to play in some different styles to add depth and a unique sound to your group. Could you incorporate a jazz element into the band by recruiting a saxophone player?

Think about all of the ways in which you could add something different to the band from an early stage. Try to keep it simple though, if you get carried away you could soon find yourself with enough people to start an orchestra!

Practice Incessantly

You might have four or five people who are excellent at playing their instrument or singing, but the real chemistry and long-term success of a band comes from making it work together. It seems strange to say that there is a difference between a band and a group of individuals simply playing instruments at the same time, but when you see a group live, you can really tell them apart.

Practice makes perfect, and by doing so religiously, you will quickly fall into the band category rather than the individual musicians one.

Robert is an online content writer with a passion for music, who was inspired to start a band many years ago, and still makes use of an online guitar tutorial to keep his skills sharp as well as add others to his repertoire.