Some things take days to form, and others take years. Junior Eli Barnes met a group of friends a few years ago, and together they later formed a band known as Leaner. 

   “The reason we made a band was because I was really into music, and they really weren’t. I taught them basically everything I know about music which got them into it,” Barnes said. 

   Barnes only started playing the guitar around seven months ago. Soon after, he started to learn to sing well. All of which is  self taught, and learning from videos online. 

   “My friends noticed that I’m good at singing, and they wanted me to be a writer as well as a singer. I ended up contributing to the band,” Barnes said. 

   Like every band, there are different positions to be filled. In Leaner they have a drummer, a bassist, two guitarists, and a vocalist. When it comes to the writing aspect, everyone contributes. 

   “There isn’t a whole lot I’ve actually fully produced yet, as far as full songs or albums. We’re still in that stage where we are learning music. Most of us are pretty unskilled with our instruments and we don’t know a whole lot about theory,” Barnes said. 

   Because of this, there are no platforms as to which Barnes music can be found on. 

   He later went on to add that consistency is key when trying to learn things. Barnes takes about an hour every day to dedicate to practicing music theory, guitar, and singing. 

    “Usually what happens is we all unanimously use our free time practicing our instruments. If we are, we’ll invite each other to watch or even join in on the practice,” Barnes said. 

   With time and friends, there are many ups and downs throughout the journey. 

    “There’s a lot of great moments that we have, because we’re also just a friend group. I mean, we’re really just a bunch of friends who share the same interests,” Barnes said. 

   People should take Barnes’ story as inspiration, in the past seven months Barnes has gotten further than most people do in years.  

   “Just go for it. If there’s something that you are genuinely interested in and you have passion for, you only live so long, might as well go for it while you can. It’s always great to find that one thing that makes you happy,” Barnes said.

   Anyone can do anything they put their mind to, including making a band, or just practicing an instrument.