Q&A for How to Become a Rockstar

If your friends laugh at you, they are not good friends. Keep at it, follow your dreams, and find nicer friends.

Many rock stars are socially awkward: Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Ian Curtis, and Kurt Cobain are/were all introverts. Find others who share your passion for music, and be yourself. Performing on-stage can be difficult even for those who are socially adept; however, the more you do it, the more comfortable you will become.

It really helps to be in a band, even if you do plan to go solo in the future. For the genre of rock, it is better to be in a band but going solo is okay, too.

If you're passionate enough about becoming a rock star, age does not matter at all. You can form a group with some friends, or choose to go solo. Start collecting audience members by playing for your family and participating in your school's talent show or local groups. Don't forget to collect reviews on the way.

Ask people for their honest opinions, and really listen to their critiques. But keep believing in yourself and never give up.

Learn music theory by taking a class either at a local school or online. Find a mentor in your area who can help guide you through the composition process.

You should continue your studies so you have something to fall back on when your rockstar career is over. You may be able to finish your studies while becoming a rockstar.

Age does not determine this.

Sure. Teegan and Sara come to mind.

You can make some flyers, or tell your friends to promote it. You can also promote your show by using social media.

Learn an instrument and find friends who know how to play instruments. Then, write songs with them and start finding gigs. Just practice a lot and go for it.

You have to play an instrument or sing and get a few friends or classmates who play different instruments and get together regularly to practice playing together.

When it comes to becoming a rock star, you do at least need to know the fret numbers. It is necessary for communicating with other guitarists/bassists, reading/writing guitar tabs, etc. Learning the note names is not necessary for a beginning guitarist. However, it is highly recommended that you eventually learn at least the note names along the 5th and 6th strings. This will help you with chord names when playing power chords and barre chords.

You don't HAVE to, but the majority of rock songs (including those in all the sub-genres like punk, heavy metal, hard rock, alternative rock, etc.) consist primarily of power chords.

You'll be fine. The passion is the most important thing. Listen to Kathleen Hanna, the lead singer of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. She has a very high-pitched voice and she sounds great. Don't try to imitate her exactly, but take some inspiration from her sound.

You can do it, but you have to always believe in yourself no matter what anybody says.

It depends on whether or not being a rock star is God's plan for you. The best thing you can do now is to pray that God will reveal his plan for you, so you can do what he wants you to do. His plan for you might be to be a rockstar, or it could be something else. If you do become a famous rockstar in the future, make sure you give God the glory.

Sure, you can start at any age. You won't be able to book gigs in over-21 venues, but you'll be able to get plenty of practice that will help you later in your rock career.

First, purchase a drum kit (you can get a modest drum-kit for under $1,000, but I would recommend the Pearl Export EXX 8-piece, available online at Guitar Center), or call a friend who has one. Next, watch a few videos online about playing drums, or teach yourself. Buddy Rich, considered the greatest drummer of all time, was self-taught. Afterwards, practice makes perfect. The more, the better. Practice often. Practice along to your favorite music. Watch and listen to the greats, like John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, Neil Peart of Rush, Keith Moon of the Who, Buddy Rich's various groups, and various other genre-specific drummers. Then, starting slowly, try to mimic their movements.

Write from your heart and whenever you hear yourself hum a good beat, if you have a phone with you, go on an audio recorder and hum it into the recorder and save it for later beat ideas. Also, if you want to write a great song, write it from your heart. Work on one song at a time so you're not overwhelmed or mixing up tunes.

A listener usually wants to hear a song again when they understand it, love it, and develop a feeling for it.

Fire them and hire some people who are passionate about music. The last thing you need is someone's negative energy and lack of passion bringing you down.

You can take your band on tour at any time, as long as you know there are venues you can play shows at. Make sure everyone in your band can dedicate a few weeks to the tour, and try to find a large, reliable vehicle to get you to and from your gigs.

Don't get discouraged! Almost every famous rockstar has been turned down at some point in their life. Keep reaching out to other venues and try to play gigs at other places.

Your first step is to get better at music. Learn an instrument or take vocal lessons to improve your skills. Once you're ready, you can talk to other musicians that you know or find online to form a band and start your journey toward becoming a rockstar.