Being Different When Everything Is The Same

[cymche]

(In bullet points for those of you who do not like reading long summaries)


I read lots of reviews online. I enjoy reading critique and opinions. One common thing I see in all reviews (under the "rock" music umbrella) is that the band sounds like every other one out there.

But if your in a band, how can you be different? Should you add a violin? Xylophone? Two vocalists? Three guitarists? Or, god forbid, you should just be talented at playing what you play and have fun with it.

My question to you, APers, is what should a band do to be different in this scene of bads copying their peers?
(I'm also taking advice, because I want to start a band, but I don't know how to go about it.)

[murrich]

Crimping.

[wewascontenders]

Play rubber band guitars and trash can drum sets.

[TheOtherAndrew]

Glockenspiel.

[HangsLikeHeaven]

Wear just your underwear wherever you go.

[drivthru182]

Don't auto-tune the vocals

[wewascontenders]

And instead of going for that added synth sound, use an organ.

[sugarcoatedlies]

play naked

[TheOtherAndrew]

But then people might see the wrinkly thing coming out of their vaginas!

[micahistheballs]

But then people might see the wrinkly thing coming out of their vaginas!
:lol:

[sugarcoatedlies]

not if they're guys

[chipdip18]

Use a different scale. Stray away form typical major, minor scales and the blues scale. If you write a rock song in the Arabian, Spanish, or Hungarian scale, you own face.

[Judge'sDaughter]

No string instruments.

[DJ_K-Morr]

Use classic 8 bit videogame noises coupled with grisly torture clips.

[checkered.stars]

Don't do anything at all. Just stand there, like post-post-rock.

[Regards]

play in Drop F

[sandra92]

I think that being different is about the combination of the instruments and vocals .. And yes , maybe add a not so common instrument such as xylophone .

[Reflecting]

If it's not broken, why change it?

I could listen to millions of bands that sound like the bands I like (90's midwestern post-hardcore) and probably never get bored of it. If I want a new sound, I can find a new genre. I don't see a reason why people seem to complain about bands copying eachother.

[Reflecting]

play in Drop F so gr1m.

[handlikesecret]

play with only Rock Band instruments.

[SLoT]

make all of your own instruments from animal bones, have three drummers who play double bass so youve got six bass drums (which would be an elephant skull with pig flesh wrapped around it using an endangered bird as the pedal) then have no guitar players, three bass players all of who cant play the fucking thing, 16 six year olds as the "gang" vocals on every song you play. have a guy who's only job is to tour with the band and swing a battle axe at the crowd cutting off their arms if they decide to try and touch one of the band members. also we're going to need a soccer player to kick a goat pelvis into the gong which is actually just a frail spiderweb housing brand new puppies. i can keep going, but the whole point is that they also would only tour water parks and play completely upside down and underwater. not to mention the 16 six year olds are all clones of verne troyers backside.

[anonymousgirl]

make all of your own instruments from animal bones, have three drummers who play double bass so youve got six bass drums (which would be an elephant skull with pig flesh wrapped around it using an endangered bird as the pedal) then have no guitar players, three bass players all of who cant play the fucking thing, 16 six year olds as the "gang" vocals on every song you play. have a guy who's only job is to tour with the band and swing a battle axe at the crowd cutting off their arms if they decide to try and touch one of the band members. also we're going to need a soccer player to kick a goat pelvis into the gong which is actually just a frail spiderweb housing brand new puppies. i can keep going, but the whole point is that they also would only tour water parks and play completely upside down and underwater. not to mention the 16 six year olds are all clones of verne troyers backside.

uh...wow.

my suggestion would be to write lyrics about more than just love songs.
try to maybe be in between 2 genres. like metal and punk or something, i don't know.
also bands could do a different tuning that isn't normally used (not standard or drop D for example).

[handlikesecret]

make all of your own instruments from animal bones, have three drummers who play double bass so youve got six bass drums (which would be an elephant skull with pig flesh wrapped around it using an endangered bird as the pedal) then have no guitar players, three bass players all of who cant play the fucking thing, 16 six year olds as the "gang" vocals on every song you play. have a guy who's only job is to tour with the band and swing a battle axe at the crowd cutting off their arms if they decide to try and touch one of the band members. also we're going to need a soccer player to kick a goat pelvis into the gong which is actually just a frail spiderweb housing brand new puppies. i can keep going, but the whole point is that they also would only tour water parks and play completely upside down and underwater. not to mention the 16 six year olds are all clones of verne troyers backside.
this guy knows how it's done.