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When I was 11 years old, my only goal in life was to play guitar in a band. Little did the 11 year old me know that 10 years later I would still be searching for reliable band mates. This is the reason why I switched over to composing other genres besides rock and trying to learn how to record and mix my own music a few years ago.

Over the past decade, I have never been able to find a band that can work. Meaning that they never play to a click track, know next to nothing about music theory, and make zero effort to improve their technique. Today, after "jamming" with my latest crew, I felt like burning my guitar and never looking back.

For the most part, any band around my town that can play well are older guys who've been at it for decades. Anyone my age who can play very well has no interest in playing in a band and as such won't dedicate the time to it.

Though the city I live in now has just a few hundred-thousand people and I am moving to a bigger city next year, is it really so much to ask for just a few people who can play and a singer who can sing properly? I've always thought that looking for college music students would be a good bet since anyone willing to pay that kinda money to learn music must have some dedication to it, but for the most part they are too caught up in their studies and work to dedicate time to a band outside of their school.

I know this seems like just an annoying rant, but this infuriates me to no end.

I can NOT be the only person out there with this problem, why is finding a bunch of rock musicians that can play together so difficult?

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Because many of them think they're better at certain aspects of their music than they actually are, and have no intention of improving.

Because many of them think that their music is God's gift to the world and, as such, no collaboration should be involved and you should just play what they write.

Because many of them aren't interested in the music so much as the limelight, booze, and chicks, and their musical abilities suffer for it.

Because many of them lack the drive to be musicians; they want all of the rewards with none of the work and time commitment that comes with it.

Because many of them are completely absent of any of the cooperative qualities necessary to effectively play music with other people.

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At one point or another, you must realize that people suck. It isn't about finding people who don't, because everyone does. Me, you, everyone. It's about sorting through the shit and focusing on music, not eachother. If they suck at music and they are dicks, throw em out, unless you have some connection to them and need em. If they are nice people, you should bear it out.

I really kinda suck at trombone right now. I've been playing about 2 months now, I can only get two octaves of a few scales, and I can't roll my r's, so my tonguing is limited greatly. My friends know this. I'm still in a ska band, because I know it will improve my playing, and they know it, too. My airflow has increased greatly, and I'd say I couldn't reach those octaves without practice in a playing environment.

People suck, but they get better. Give it time.

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Bands? Those old things still around? I figured if you could replace an entire orchestra with a computer and a guy on a keyboard or two, and get people to pay for tickets to that, then bands must have gone the way of the dodo, the titmouse and the ne-ne.

After bouncing around a few bands when i was in highschool, several of them with half deaf guys in their 40's with enough addictions to land everyone in jail for a few hundred years, I have to completely agree with DusK on this one.

At least now we don't have to put our hopes and dreams on the reliability of a bunch of failures who don't care about what they do.

Of course I made little money then doing music, and i'm making even less now. :)

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Back when I was doing that, me and my friend/drummer were the only stable elements. If someone wanted to go get high instead of come to practice, that person was replaced ASAP so he could have even more free time to get high. We went through a lot of singers/guitarists/bass players and if we had stuck with it, we would have eventually formed a solid band.

So if you're not finding people who meet your standards, keep looking.

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1) Don't count out being a studio musician; they make pretty decent money (and by that, I mean more than a touring unsigned band as a whole) yearly.

2) Internet, man. Other than live shows - which is, unfortunately, where you'll make most of your money - it is INCREDIBLY easy to collaborate and record with artists all around the WORLD. Once you get the fanbase you need to record, then you ship them all over to wherever you are (or go where they are) and fucking play some shows. Dig?

Message me if you have any questions. I can try to guide/help you out.

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1) Don't count out being a studio musician; they make pretty decent money (and by that, I mean more than a touring unsigned band as a whole) yearly.

2) Internet, man. Other than live shows - which is, unfortunately, where you'll make most of your money - it is INCREDIBLY easy to collaborate and record with artists all around the WORLD. Once you get the fanbase you need to record, then you ship them all over to wherever you are (or go where they are) and fucking play some shows. Dig?

Message me if you have any questions. I can try to guide/help you out.

Excellent points.

Actually, I'd say all the posts here are good.

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