Improving your skills: Finding the right approach

Getting your first guitar or drum kit can be unbelievably exciting, but at the same time, it can be incredibly overwhelming. You're itching to emulate Hendrix or Bonham, but all you can think at the minute is; 'what does this bit do?' 'how come I can't do that?'

Before long, your shiny new axe is nothing more than an elaborate clothes hanger, your drum-kit a coffee table. How do you avoid the all too familiar pitfalls of the new musician? We've put together some of our usual simple steps, to help you keep it up, until you can eventually play...

#1 Get the basics nailed first.
First of all, you won't get better if you don't practice. So, set up a little routine for every day, perhaps when you've just finished the daily grind. Get in, practice, tea, telly, bed.

Take it a step further, to keep you focused, you could look at laying out your practice sessions. Start with tuning, then scales, then you can move on to some songs that you're learning. That way, you aren't going to go straight to that drum solo from Moby Dick, or spend thirty minutes just playing Thunderstruck on loop.

#2 Slow it down
This is a great tip we got from Bobby Arechiga, when you're practicing, slow it down! Get the bare bones of what you are trying to do, then gradually speed it up. Remember, it's about having control of what you're doing. We've all been there, you want to nail that Yngwie Malmsteen song at 100mph, but can you really do that? Not yet.

#3 Sweat the small stuff, but keep it fun
Right, we aren't going to lie. If you want to make it as a musician and not just a glorified receptionist like us, then you'll need to get your head around some pretty boring stuff. Scales, rudiments, even holding sticks properly. Don't neglect it, but going back to point #1, make sure it's part of your practice routine.

On the other side of the coin, don't make practicing too dull, make sure you've always got a jingle or song on the go to keep you going. Here's a test, play a C Major Scale, now play the intro to The Flintstones. See what we mean?

#4 Give someone a show
May sound scary at first, but why not play for someone? Trust us, mums always think you're awesome. Give them a quick rendition of what you're trying to learn, then show them again a month or so later. They will be amazed at the progress you've made.

If you aren't too critical, why not film it? Then you'll see how you've improved (and what needs work). Put it this way, Mike Tyson could fight his way out of a paper bag when he was six.

#5 Keep it enjoyable
We aren't saying don't practice for weeks on end. But don't force it! Keep it enjoyable and remember; when you see your idols killing it on stage, they spent hours in their bedroom going over Enter Sandman on repeat.

We hope this sets you on your way as a beginner, to the lofty heights of stardom you're after. If all else fails, get in touch for lessons!

As usual, we hope that you enjoyed reading our blog, if you did, why not visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or visit our Website? We've got a new site coming soon, with loads of new stuff, including a new studio engineer, new tutors for lessons in our new teaching rooms and much more.

Keep checking back for more info.

These are just our ideas, what do you do to practice?

Quick Tips: Getting rehearsal levels.

One of the biggest problems people have at our studios when they're starting out, is getting the right levels for rehearsal. So we thought we'd give you some simple tips on finding the right volumes for everyone, so you can hear everything properly.

Firstly, good levels means balanced levels, in short, the drummer needs to hear the guitar, the guitar needs to hear the singer and so on. It's not about the lead guitarist blowing the walls off! What's more, it's not about live volumes, leave that to the sound engineer, you aren't looking for a live level, just some point where you can all hear everything during rehearsal. Avoid making the mistake of all gradually cranking it up;

Right, now to set up, so that hopefully, you aren't surrounded in feedback, or burst ear drums.

#1 Start with the drummer
Obviously, the drums are pretty 'un-tameable', they're either quiet or loud, depending on the drummer. Use the drums as the spring board for the rest of the set up, determining the overall volume of everything else. Remember though, there are a few things you can try, such as varying tuning, to limit 'ring' (see our drum tips- part 1 for some help) or use studio rings.
This wont necessarily make the drums quieter, but it could help.

#2 Guitars and Bass: Tone First!
Remember when setting a guitar up, changing the tone can alter the volume! Don't try to get your levels and then whack the gain up for good measure. Make sure you set the tone first, then adjust the volume in line with the drums.

#3 The rule of fingers?
Many people are advocates of 'the finger rule' but what is it? Put simply, keep your mouth one finger width away from the mic, no more, no less. Most live mics work best at close quarters, so don't try and re-enact the 'Iiiiii-Eeee-Iiii' from Whitney Houston's greatest hits. All you'll get during rehearsals is intermittent sound, keep that gob, near that mic!

 #4 One channel at a time
When you're setting up the PA, forget the master volume at first. Look at getting each channel to a desirable output first. Sing into the mic and turn the volume up (1) until the loudest notes just reach the clip monitor, normally shown with a small light. It should flash or light up to show you it's reached the maximum input (2). If it lights up too frequently, or constantly, chances are, you'll get a load of feedback or clipping whilst you rehearse. This is what we do, but there are other methods out there!

Remember, when sound checking, try and give it the same oomph you will when you're all rehearsing. Once you've repeated this for all inputs (lead vocals, backing vocals etc), work on the master volume (3) until it really cuts through the room mix.



#5 Don't add, take away
If you really need to use the EQ on a PA system, we find the best method is to 'take away' frequencies, rather than add to them. What we mean by this is; if it's too 'bassy' take some bass away, don't add more treble to concentrate. Otherwise you'll be cranking up the problems!

And, most importantly, don't forget to ask the staff! They can help (most of the time)



We hope you enjoyed reading, we'd love to hear your thoughts on any of our blogs, you can join in the debate over on our twitter, facebook, or go and check out our website, to keep up to date with all our goings on.

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Keep your eyes peeled for our next posts, including; tackling feedback, guitar sounds and drum tips-part 2!

Starting a Band: 5 things to remember

We've had some great feedback on our last blog entry: '10 ways to get your band noticed' and we'd just like to say thanks to Aggressive Management for helping us with it. We thought we'd go back a few steps with the next one and give newbies a few ideas on how to get a band going...

#1 Find your members

So you can play a few chords on the old axe, now you just need a drummer, bassist, singer, euphonium player, spoons expert and a session ukulele-ist for the odd occasion. But where to look?

Well, a great place to start is your local forums. (in our case Sheffield Forum Musician's Page).

You can always hit up the local magazines, studios, tutors, even photographers. They may all have heard in passing that 'such and such is after joining a new band'. 

#2 Get some common ground 

Don't worry too much if there's just two of you to begin with, have a chat and work out a few songs that you both like. Before you do anything else, print off the music, learn the songs, get in a room and play some covers first.

If you try and go straight to the top and write the next Dark Side of the Moon, with someone you've just met, you're not going to achieve anything and it will put you off.

#3 Write your music organically

We've all tried to sit down and write a riff in the style of 'X, Y or Z'. Don't, you'll just get stuck. The best way to get the music together, is to jam and see what sounds good. Yeah, you will get loads of bad stuff, but you're only looking for that one hook that you can work on and keep going back to.

Take it from us as studio owners, we're always trying new stuff out on the guitars, it never works if you force it, just play and see where it goes!

#4 Words? Stick to what you know

The Arctic Monkeys are a double edged sword in good old Sheffield in our view. On the one hand, they're unbelievably good, original and downright awesome. On the other hand, they've managed to spawn a whole generation of kids singing about losing their fake id's in Bargain Booze, getting smashed at the local and having a 'kick about' on a Sunday morning.

It works for AM, because it's real. But if that's not what you do, don't try and write about it. Take our blog for example, if we don't know what we're talking about, we find someone who does. (Honestly!)
Once you find a subject you can write about, you're sorted.

#5 Finally, work towards something
Once you've got some songs together and a full band, what're you doing next?
It may be scary, but book a gig. That way, you've got a set date when everything needs to be polished off for. Sure, you'll have many a sleepless night thinking about the dreaded evening, but without biting the bullet, you'll never get around to it!

We hope you found this helpful and interesting. If you did, why not follow us on twitter, Facebook, or just check out our website! Don't forget to check out our other blog entries, we've got all sorts of stuff to keep you amused for a short while!

Thanks for reading!

10 ways to get your band noticed

Sheffield has long been known as a musical powerhouse, producing some of the finest bands in the country. But with this musical greatness, comes a great problem for 'the little guys', how to stand out in such a thriving hotbed of creative genius.

That's why we've been talking to Aggressive Management- one of the biggest music management companies on the Sheffield music scene- to get 10 ways to make your band stand out from the crowd, we've also added our own input, just for good measure!

#1 Choose your gigs carefully
We know it's a buzz playing in front of any live audience, but make sure the gigs are going to benefit your band. If you're an out and out indie, twanging guitar band, why play the local monsters of post-apocalyptic metal-core event?

The audience won't like you for it, they'll just wonder why you're there. Always make sure you're playing the right places, at the right time.

#2 Put on a show with similar bands
Following on from number one, make sure your gigs all feature bands of a similar ilk, it doesn't matter who's better/worse, the audience will be more switched on if they're fully into the genre on offer.

#3 Make it worth people's while
Coronation Street is mighty entertaining, so why do people want to come out on a Wednesday night to see you play? Perhaps you could offer free merch or an exclusive track at certain gigs and see how it increases the numbers?

On top of this, instead of offering free gigs, why not sell tickets with a free CD? That way, people will feel happier and you'll have a bit of cash to play with.

#4 Work on getting brilliant, not getting signed
Look at all the biggest and best bands around at the moment, what do they have in common? They all put on a great show. Think of The Who, their biggest pull was their live shows.

If you want to pack out your gigs, make sure you practice until it's all tight enough to blow people away with. Smash your shows and the crowds will come.

#5 Persona is cool, but be approachable
When you're on stage, by all means, put on a show, don't be false, but make sure you aren't constantly giving a shout out to your mum. Offstage, the best example we can give is of The Ratells. They're onto big things at the moment, but check out their twitter account, they always find time to keep in touch with fans. Don't be too self important and always keep your fans and gig-goers in mind, after all, they're the ones who pay the bills!

#6 Keep everyone happy
Ever heard the saying about being nice to the people on the way up? Well, always remember, nobody will come and see a band full of idiots. This advice kind of follows on from #4, make sure you find a balance between keeping in touch with your old fans, the ones that were there from the start, as well as making time for the new people who are into you.

#7 Network with local promoters
This is important if you want to be considered for the best opportunities in your local scene. Why would a promoter put you on as support for a big touring band, if you've cancelled on them last minute the past three events?

Make sure you maintain contact with the right people, the ones who can get you on at X,Y and Z. Try and think further afield as well, you will need promoters, but what about someone who does CD duplication, recording studios, t shirt printers? They're all good to know in the long run!

One extra important thing, keep in good company with other bands! No one will want to play with you if you leave after your set. Stay and listen to everyone else!

#8 Avoid 'competitions'
Bit of a controversial one, some people love 'battle of the bands', some hate it. Why do it? Generally the prizes aren't worth it and it doesn't paint the best image of your band. Most organizers are trustworthy, but beware, there are a few bad eggs out there!

#9 Work to a plan
Going back a little to #1 Choose your gigs carefully, also make sure you plan what you're doing as well. Let us run you through the mindset of an 'out of the loop' gig-goer:
'Oh The Band are playing O2 for their album release, they must be doing well'
'Oh, next week, The Band are playing Joe's bedroom for his mum's 40th birthday, not doing as well as I thought'

Make sure everything you do 'leads up' to something. It's no good playing the biggest gig of your life, only to follow it up with something small scale. Everything you put out as a band should have momentum, the general public should look at you and think; 'they're onto big things'.

Look at playing ever increasing gigs, as well as creating a steady stream of press release and public interest, don't let it ebb and flow.

#10 Style it out
Quite simple really, people are fickle, even your look counts. The Strokes, The Clash, even The Beach Boys. They all had their own style, make sure everything in your band works, from the clothes, all the way to the logos, flyers, CD covers, even the band van!

We hope you enjoyed reading our latest blog! If so, why not follow us on Twitter, Facebook or check out our Website!

Thanks to Aggressive Management for the ideas and don't forget to follow them on Twitter as well, they've got some great bands on their books at the moment!

Check back soon for our next update!

Drum Tips: Part 1

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Be sure to keep checking back to find out all our latest info. Keep your eyes peeled for our website re-launch, complete with recording tracks, full-time blog, shop and much more!

Thanks for reading! Practice Sheffield

5 Ways to improve your recording sessions

Whilst summer is making it's belated (and presumably short) appearance, in the music world, festival season is in full swing. It's no secret that we've been championing the idea of recording some live tracks, so that the throngs of festival fans can take your music home with them, long after you've rocked the stage. 

Great idea you say! But what if everyone else has done it? Well, we've put together a few helpful tips, based on previous experience and first hand knowledge, to help you get the best out of your recording session and stand out among the vast diversity of talent out there...

#1 Make sure everyone knows the song

Sounds simple, when you go in as a band, you all know the song you're going to play, right? You would be amazed at the number of people that only know 'their bit', whether it's the bassist just plodding away on his own, or the lead guitarist melting people's faces a verse too early with the solos.

When you come into the studio, make sure everyone is confident with the tracks, that every single timing change, every single stop, start, chord change and solo is exact. The best way to do this (again, it seems straightforward) is to work on the one or two tracks in rehearsal until you're all happy with what you, and the others, are supposed to be doing. After all, if you work it out during recording, it's costing you money!

#2 Is the equipment as good as the band?

So you've spent days, weeks, even months preparing for this studio visit, you can all play with your eyes shut. But what's that fizzing on the finished tracks? Why does that snare sound like a half eaten tin of sardines? 

You don't need to spend loads on equipment, how's about making sure your drum kit is tuned up (incidentally, we'll be covering this in the future), or get some fresh strings on your guitar. All the mixing in the world won't get rid of dodgy kit.

#3 Don't cram it all in

We aren't just saying this because we run a studio. Honestly, it's always best to come out with one song that's amazing, rather than four that are 'meh'.

If the drummer falls asleep half way through, re-do it. If the bass player decides to add the theme tune to Hollyoaks in the middle, re-do it. We're not saying the studio can't help, but you get out what you put in. If you put in good takes, as well as clear concise feedback during mixing, you're going to be happier with what you've got.

None of that is possible, if you have to say; 'that take'll do, we've got to be out in half an hour'.

#4 Are you all singing off the same hymn sheet?

Do you want your new recordings to sound like the latest Queens of the Stone Age album, or Las Ketchup- The Ketchup Song? More importantly, does the studio know? One of the best things to do is send the recording studio a few examples of what you're trying to achieve. Don't expect them to have heard that B Side of the Japanese metal band you found on holiday in Mexico. 

Once everyone is trying to get to the same finish line, it should be much easier. The studio can try different set-ups, different rooms and different techniques in order to give you what you want.

#5 Enjoy the vibe

Obviously you need professionalism, a bit of focus works wonders in the studio when your all working together. But don't forget, all the greatest songs were created when people 'bounce' off each other. Enjoy your studio session, use it to get your creativity going, it'll definitely come through in the finished output.

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