I’m in a Band Now, and It’s Not Exactly What I Expected

So, I’ve joined a band. And it’s not exactly the kind of band I imagined myself being in. We play rock and metal, with bass, guitar, drums, and to keep it interesting, a brass section. It’s a pretty unique mix, and while a lot of the songs aren’t necessarily my style, it’s been a great so far. 

This is my first real band experience, and the other band members are mostly a little older and definitely more experienced than me, which has been a good thing. It’s forced me to grow. The best part is that we don’t just play the usual party band hits you hear all the time. We focus on covers that aren’t the most obvious choices, which definitely keeps things fresh.

They’ve also made sure to point out that means that I missed out on classic “nasty rehearsal spaces” that musicians endure in their younger years. The space we have now is pretty top-notch. 

In the past couple of years, I’ve gotten a lot better as a guitarist, and I have my wife and daughter to thank for that. They both pointed out, pretty bluntly, that I needed to start taking lessons again, and I’ve got to admit, they were right. Turns out, there were plenty of gaps in my playing that I hadn’t even noticed until I started working with a teacher again. And now, being in a band, having to learn whole songs—complete with all their parts and transitions, and play along with others—has forced me to step up my game. It’s definitely made a difference. Practicing on my own is one thing, but having that accountability to a group and a set list of songs has kept me focused in ways I didn’t expect.

My new guitar teacher has also pushed me to try my hand at writing and recording an original song. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m excited about it. Once I’m ready to share it, I’ll definitely post it here. In the meantime, I’m just enjoying the learning process and realizing how much there still is to discover.

So yeah, this band might not be my usual thing, but it’s pushing me in ways I didn’t anticipate—and that’s what makes it so worthwhile.

Check us out at rockorbrass.de. I’m not in any of the videos yet, and I just realized I’m not on the site either, but hopefully neither will take too long.