Classically Trained Musicians In Rock Bands...

TheFiveLamps

How does one go about finding classically trained musicians who are willing to be in rock bands as a side project so to speak?

is it just the luck of the draw on who you come across?

hoping they also have a love of Alternative/Instrumental Rock as well as classical?

Theres not a shed-load of alternative rock bands who incorporate typical classical instruments into their sound in Ireland...

possible niche if done right...

Arcade Fire do it beautifully in the form of the violin...

And OneRepublic have a cellist who they also utilise extremely well...

I've contacted countless colleges,orchestras and a lot of people on forums like here...

but I've rarely if ever found a person more then up for it...

if anyone could point me in the right direction or tell me where im going wrong in regards to contacting/approaching people etc that would be great...


all CONSTRUCTIVE criticism welcome!


Cheers!

Seoid

I don't know I find it very strange... I would love to see more alternative/rock bands using classical (and other!) instruments! I love rock but the formula of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, drums, bass and singer is starting to really bore me...

The only place I can think of is where you are already looking... as well as signs in music shops with all the other bands.

From your line-up I think some kind of woodwind or brass would be great added to the mix. It sounds like a full line up already.

I play harp but I don't know how that would go with two pianists already...

TheFiveLamps

hey Seoid!

thanks for the reply!

P.M'd You

sarah___

Hi there,

I am a classical trained viola player and have had some experience playing with alternative bands in Australia. Haven't usually been involved in the creative aspect, more just performing music written by a group at gigs. I got involved during university but I think it takes a lot of commitment to get involved with a band as a member, rather than a contributor. Maybe if you have music written and ready to go for your classical musicians it would be easier to get them to commit to rehearsals/gigs? Sorry if this doesn't help!

TheFiveLamps

Hey sarah,that seems to be the right way to go,a couple of the band members are gonna write the stuff first for a couple of months,then when we get more of a finished article try find some people to record/perform with us!

Meelich

Try advertising in places like Opus II, Waltons, the music schools (college of music and Royal academy, music depts in universities) which have notice boards....I did music at UCD many moons ago and there were always ads up looking for musicians....

rcaz

TheFiveLamps wrote: »

Hey sarah,that seems to be the right way to go,a couple of the band members are gonna write the stuff first for a couple of months,then when we get more of a finished article try find some people to record/perform with us!

The best thing about having someone classically trained in a band is having their brain in your band! Don't just hand them music you wrote and ask them to play, get them to write the music with you! Whole new perspectives you wouldn't have thought of, your perspectives they wouldn't have thought of, finding a middle ground between your world and theirs... You don't even need 'classical' instruments - look at what Radiohead can do with guitars! (Jonny Greenwood's a trained viola player).

The Mad Hatter

El Pr0n wrote: »

The best thing about having someone classically trained in a band is having their brain in your band! Don't just hand them music you wrote and ask them to play, get them to write the music with you! Whole new perspectives you wouldn't have thought of, your perspectives they wouldn't have thought of, finding a middle ground between your world and theirs... You don't even need 'classical' instruments - look at what Radiohead can do with guitars! (Jonny Greenwood's a trained viola player).

Forget what he can do with guitars - it's what he can do with whole orchestras that I love.

TheFiveLamps

i completely agree with your post,i would much prefer a classical musician to write with us,as my appreciation for their talent is huge....

the problem i've found with classical musicians is none seem to be patient/willing enough to put the time and effort into a rock setup,its all good being radiohead and being able to pay them x amount of cash,but when a band is just starting off and wants a classical input into its music,theres a stumbling block,maybe its the payment thing,a lot of classical musicians get paid for their talents/services...

so for them having to give their time and also throw some bucks into the costs of the rehearsal room etc is not in their mind frame!

i'd love nothing more than to have as many classical musicians as possible fit onto the stage! but there would be a part of me that would have a negative thought about other "standard" musicians putting the work in and then a musician comes along just for the performing/recording part of the music....

of course thats a personal feeling i'd be willing to put aside for my music's sake!

rcaz

TheFiveLamps wrote: »

i completely agree with your post,i would much prefer a classical musician to write with us,as my appreciation for their talent is huge....

the problem i've found with classical musicians is none seem to be patient/willing enough to put the time and effort into a rock setup,its all good being radiohead and being able to pay them x amount of cash,but when a band is just starting off and wants a classical input into its music,theres a stumbling block,maybe its the payment thing,a lot of classical musicians get paid for their talents/services...

so for them having to give their time and also throw some bucks into the costs of the rehearsal room etc is not in their mind frame!

i'd love nothing more than to have as many classical musicians as possible fit onto the stage! but there would be a part of me that would have a negative thought about other "standard" musicians putting the work in and then a musician comes along just for the performing/recording part of the music....

of course thats a personal feeling i'd be willing to put aside for my music's sake!

To a degree I think it's very important to have friends as bandmates. Not to the point that the friend side outweighs the creative side (my band fell into that trap for a while), obviously if you can't get music made with your bandmates then there's no point. But one of the most exciting thing for me was the transition from "We're some mates, making tunes is fun, let's make tunes together" to "Hey lads, we have to get more songs finished, it's really important" - that difference between wanting to do something together, and feeling like you really have to do something together, that's half the magic part of being in a band. The other half is playing a song and exchanging that "hlyfcknsht we're actually really good at this!" look as you play. Speaking of which, I must start a new song soon... :pac:

Maybe you're fetishising classical training too much? (I used to have a really bad inferiority thing 'cause I wasn't a trained practical musician). I'm 2/3rds of the way through a music degree, and if anything, it's taught me that training isn't so important. It's amazing to have a music department full of people opening my mind to new sounds and techniques for 3 years, but it's all there to be found by anyone who wants to. To take my example of Jonny Greenwood again - his viola training is probably why his playing - as in the notes he chooses - doesn't sound to forced, and why he knows a bit about string arranging, but it has nothing to do with his knowledge of synthesis, computer programming, signal processing, nothing to do with the thinking he takes from jazz, electronic, reggae, and eastern music, and nothing to do with the other instruments he can play. That's all 'cause he loves music and wants to learn as much as he can.

If you had a trained piano player who wasn't too bothered to work hard on your band and an untrained guitar player who loved music more than anything and listened to all the music they possibly could and wanted to take your band as far as you all possibly could - guess who'll be your best friend in a few years :P

Maybe this is a lot of my own opinion of modern music coming across... The guys who are trained can do it, but the guys who aren't trained but want to do it, will do it way better. It's not knowledge and experience, it's practice and hunger for it.

TheFiveLamps

its not an inferior thing at all,obviously technically they are superior as they study/play 8 or 9 hours a day at least 5 days a week...

but thats not to say creatively they are superior as they're used to having sheet music in front of them and told to play this perfectly or learn this off by heart...

i disagree with your idea on the hunger too...i mean whats "hunger" the idea of wanting to be in a band or the will to put in 8 or 9 hours a day to become better...

surely if you have hunger you wouldn't be below average at your desired instrument and you're willing to put in the time and effort that classical musicians do to become better and constantly improving yourself...

i'm sure there are hundreds of classically trained musicians out there who are willing to put the effort into a rock band etc... there just hard to find...

obviously its good to have your friends in your band but thats not to say that you can't become friends with people you meet along the way...

not everyone is in a position to be able to form a band from within a friends circle so the likes of boards and other websites is the best alternative...

tootyflutty

TheFiveLamps wrote: »

i completely agree with your post,i would much prefer a classical musician to write with us,as my appreciation for their talent is huge....

the problem i've found with classical musicians is none seem to be patient/willing enough to put the time and effort into a rock setup,its all good being radiohead and being able to pay them x amount of cash,but when a band is just starting off and wants a classical input into its music,theres a stumbling block,maybe its the payment thing,a lot of classical musicians get paid for their talents/services...

You must be approaching them in the wrong way, or the wrong people, because I know for the most part, as El Pron has said, they love nothing more than to help write and play music that is not the typical classical concerto/symphony.
I play flute, and know a few other flautists, a couple of violinists and brass players, all studying in Maynooth that would love to have a crack at playing in a rock band. Put up some notices in the music departments of colleges and you should get plenty of interest!