FACEBOOK GROUPS - GUITAR PLAYERS COLLECTIVE
Social media is, of course, here to stay. Facebook, Twitter, and the like have become so entrenched in our lives that it’s hard to remember the pre-Internet world. Musicians have learned to use social media in all kinds of creative ways in order to better get the word about their music out to the world. Facebook has undergone many changes in the last few years, becoming more of a paid marketing situation than ever before, and those changes have made it harder for bands and artists to promote themselves they way they could in the wide-open days of MySpace. Facebook groups, however, have become more of a thing than ever before and do allow group members to get their message seen by all the people who belong to the group. Groups have also become excellent online social opportunities for musicians, songwriters, rappers, and anyone else to connect with their own tribes of people and forge friendships and business relationships.
One of the more popular up-and-coming groups on Facebook is Guitar Players Collective, run by Henry Stax of Hialeah, Florida. He has made it his mission to create a place and a network of people that give support, information, and friendship to guitar players of all levels and styles and are not chock full of the kind of arguments and bullying that online groups often dissolve into. Henry was good enough to do an interview with me to discuss the Collective, his own musical background, and a whole lot of other stuff. This article is the first in an occasional series I am doing to spotlight people who provide unique and interesting networking opportunities for us musical types. Knowledge and people are powerful and I want to help bring the two together. Now, here’s Henry:
1 - What is your background with music and guitar playing? What type of music do you play?
HS - I started playing guitar as a child then kinda stopped when my only guitar (a cheap nylon string) broke. Years later I got the bug again and began playing like my life depended on it!!! I have always loved this instrument and I'm glad I'm back in the saddle again. I play mostly rock and blues rock and dabble in metal.
2 - Why did you start the Guitar Players Collective group on Facebook?
HS - I have been a member of several guitar groups and forums over the years. I saw the ones on Facebook lacking a certain quality. They definitely have quantity, but all that adds is a lot of white noise and static. I was reluctant to start "another" group on Facebook but definitely felt that there was a need for a place where guitarists of all ages, colors, and skill levels can go and discuss their chosen instrument, a place where they can post there videos without worrying about trolls or being ridiculed if they don't meet some pre-defined qualification. I had a vision and, thanks to the great people in the forum, that vision is being realized. Without them, this place is just another crowded chat room, everyone screaming from their megaphones all the while having plugs in their ears.
3 - What do you think makes the Collective different from other Facebook guitar groups?
HS - Like I stated above, the people. These people belong to other groups and forums. Yet you wont see them posting over at other places. However, at the Collective, they post and share and comment while helping eachother out. They feel like they are part of a REAL community, a brotherhood, and I'm astonished at the responses thus far. They have exceeded my expectations wonderfully.
4 - What kind of guitar people are you working to attract to the Collective? Beginners, experts, cover guys, songwriters, etc?
HS - Though some places place their efforts on a niche, like shredding, or classical, I expect the members of our place to be much like the guitar, itself. The guitar, probably more than any other instrument, can be found in all genres. It just fits. Being a mid-range instrument like the voice, people are drawn to its sounds and melodies, becasue human hearing has a large focus on mid range frequencies. So, I want the members to be diverse, I want people posting covers, I have an interest in hearing famous songs reinterpreted, I also want to hear members' originals. I want luthiers, classical guys, metal guys. If guitar is a main part of that persons' life, I want them there. I want the 10 year old who just learned how to play a D chord cause there is a wealth of information at his fingertips to be found. I want the veteran guy who toured with Whitesnake, cause he has stories, experiences that even I can learn from.
5 - What do you want members to gain from participating in the group?
HS - Knowledge and inspiration. Music, much like other occupational pursuits, is a life-long learning endeavor. You can never know enough. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. Inspiration is there to be had. Perhaps you're stuck in a rut, and you see some guy or girl playing some beautiful peice of music, and all of the sudden you see how you can reinterpret an A Minor Pentatonic scale, I've seen it happen.
6 - What do you think of Facebook groups in general as a means of marketing, promoting, and networking for musicians?
HS - I think they are invaluable, like many other social media outlets, when done right. Unfortunately, a lot of people think they make some music, be it an original or cover, make a video and post it every where like sonic grafitti. That's alright but some see it as spam because they aren’t connecting with anyone! People love music but they also love that human connection. If you can figure out a way to communicate via your music on social media and the internet as a whole, then you have a gift, indeed, but humility is required. That is what sets the GPC apart. Yeah, we have our 'hit and runners,' as the admins and I call them, but the majority post and follow the 'pay it foward’ principle: check out others vids and posts, as karma has it they'll find your stuff and likely offer their love or constructive criticism.
7 - Do you promote the Collective outside of Facebook?
HS - Yes, we have the YouTube page, and I share videos we create via Twitter and Google Plus and Instagram. I'm also in the process of beginning a website and podcast.
8 - Do you have any plans to expand the Collective beyond Facebook? Will there be a website, podcast, or anything like that?
HS - How funny, I just answered that question above. Yes we have plans, and with the Help of Karl and Adrian, my wingmen, we are gonna get that rolling. Exciting times, indeed.
9 - With Facebook becoming more and more of a paid marketing channel, do you think groups like the Collective are the present and future for musicians looking to promote themselves online?
HS - Yes. Social media is here to stay and is indispensable for modern music, most certainly so for the independant DIY types. It is an exciting time to be a musician. Never have we had such a powerful force on our side. With social media as a marketing tool and modern digital audio recording techniques, we can take our hobbies further into semi-proffesional and full time pro work.
10 - Strat, Tele, or Les Paul? Why?
HS - Les Paul, because I can get the sounds I hear in my head better with one. I love Strats and Teles, but, for my style, Les Pauls (or similar humbucking-style guitars like Schecter and PRS) are what I prefer.