As an instrument player in a band, what is your role? Is it to outshine all of your band mates? Is it to play your scales and arpeggios everywhere? Or is it to support the band? Well, The right answer is that you should play according to what the situation needs you to play. If there is a prominent vocal melody line going on, do not overcrowd the music with a lot of notes and instead support the vocalist with a sweet and short chordal based melody line. For another example, if the music that is playing is instrumental and mostly chords on the background, then you have the space to include your solos and explore different scale shapes based on the chords. Band is a team game and to understand it better, here are few reasons why you should not over-play a song.
1. Every instrument is filling up a certain frequency in the song in the song
We will start with drummers, they are the metronome of the song, the provide you the rhythm and as a bandmate you have to respect that rhythm and play something that goes on with that and not anything that you feel like. The bass covers the low range of the frequency bands. Now as a pianist and a guitarist, you have to decide what each one of you wants to do in terms of contributing to the song. Do you want to occupy the middle section or the high section or you want to harmonize with each other. Better you project your sound in a frequency unique to your instrument, better will be your output and as well your sound as a band.
2. Song can only have One Focal Point
As a band, when you cover a song or make your own compositions, you decide on the focal point of a song or in a part of the song? Do we need a guitar solo here or should there be more voices harmonising? Anyways, whatever is the decision, as a band your job is to make that focal point shine through in the song and be heard and understood by the listening crowd that this is what you are trying to portray in the song. In cases like this, as a backing instrumentalist, you have to play as minimal but meaningful towards the common goal, that is to make the song as soothing as you can.
3. Ask yourself, is it really required?
The final question that you should constantly ask is if it is really required in that song? If you are playing a lot of notes, do they actually play a role in the song? How can you just play enough so that other instruments can be heard alongside you. Yes, it does some experience but there are certainly some tutorials on the net and you can take help of those in understanding, how you should contribute to the band. As a band, you have to know, where are the parts where you have the liberty to explore and the parts you have to strictly follow what has been planned. Playing in a band isn’t an essay writing where you can improvise your content , it is a movie where you have to direct every part of it very carefully. Also, do check out the video given on the link which will help you understand better how to not overplay certain parts -
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