Isaacs Vaughn Band

What constitutes a band?

A band has 3 members or more, 2 members is a duo and anyone who plays by himself or herself is entertainer or a troubadour.

1. An entertainer relies on backup tracks to fulfill their need to be whole. This is not a bad thing, but to the average person it is a sham. They hear a band with out the intricate interaction of individuals playing their instruments in unison.

2. A troubadour is an individual that can entertain by accompanying themselves.

3. A duo is closer to a band because there is interaction between 2 performers, therefore there has to be reliance and trust between the 2 members.

4. Now comes my favorite form of a band, a trio. With a trio, a third of what happens in the process of performing is placed squarely on each member. It is likened to trapeze artists performing without a net.

5. Any band with more than 3 members add to the risk of potential mistakes, but that is offset by the ability to          interact with the other members and can regain from any mishap by an individual. Due to the fact the mishap is spread over more members. This brings us to chemistry.

6. Chemistry is more important than proficiency. The right combination of mediocre players when teamed together can rise to unimaginable heights. Stellar players rarely get this concept due to the fact of being too concerned with themselves.

7. The lesson to be learned is, play music for the love of music and seek out those that drive you. You will find them as comfortable as an old pair of jeans or your favorite shirt.

Moving On:

Rock Guitar and Guitar Hero are games, put down the games grab an instrument and be a part of spreading the music.

Moving On:

Who’s the best? Ask your mom sweetie, but only if you want to feel good!

In reality, if you are playing somewhere tonight…YOU ARE. That is if you love the music and you or you and the band members are giving their all. No matter how good anyone is or they perceive themselves to be they can only play one place at a time. Sooo…chances are if you are playing some where tonight, they (other people who play) probably aren’t playing there.

Look at all the variations in music and ask yourself how you can judge who is best. Especially if you don’t understand the music being played.

Compete with yourself. And if you always want to be the best… lock yourself in a room by yourself and rip those licks off, I’ll guarantee you will be the best in that venue.

Moving On:

Sacrifices, connections and luck are usually the only means to get to the top. Talent has very little to do with it. You need to know what you want out of music and what you want out of life. Choose, but choose wisely.

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Rule of thumb; always try to play with better musicians than yourself. It gives you something to set your sites on.

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People who hire you perform are in business. The bar, club or arena was not built for you to have a place to play. They are there to make money. You are just an attraction and if you want to stay busy playing: MAKE THEM MONEY!

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You will always be too loud for someone, but the owner or manager calls the shots. And if that’s the case, cut the mains and punch up your monitors. Happy crowds are one of the ingredients to a return engagement.

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Learn and play it clean first, pedals makes everyone a Hendrix.

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Touch, tone and feeling are more important than being technically correct. Just listen to B.B. King or D’jango Rhinehart

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Every journey starts with the first step, don’t give up because of the first blister.

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Listen, listen and then… listen more! Tones, textures, touch, tempo and dynamics.

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Know when to play and when not to.

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It’s chemistry baby… learn that and you’ll have yourself a band.

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You are playing well when the people recognize it, not when you have to tell them.

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Rule of thumb; there are a lot of players consider themselves better than you and a lot of times they’re right.

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A good drummer and bass player makes a band. Everything else is just layered on top

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Timing is always a problem… from playing the music, finding gigs or waiting on other band members to show-up.

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For musicians, music is an addiction there is no rehab for.

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For most successful musicians, it takes living the life. No one from some big record company is going to come to your door, drag you off and make a      big star out of you. But…aren’t we lucky to live in a world where you can win a contest and be launched into STARDOM. Only in America, Baby!

Moving On:

Making it to the top is not impossible… staying there is.