How do I begin finally making music on the piano?

This question is for people currently in the music club of their respective college(in India). What exactly do you need to get into one of these clubs? Say for the piano or guitar what exactly do I need to learn and be good at to have a shot at making into the music dept of my college?

• I've added the from India part because I've seen college bands in the western nations to be far superior. Perhaps this is because of the Indian psyche where music is often not stressed as much as 'padhai'. But on a serious note, if I start out now, how much of an effort do I need to make it to that 'elusive' club.Any old timers please help

• Answer:

  TLDR - Getting into a band depends on your talent and your relationships with the seniors who are in the band. Long answer To put it very simply, you have to better than the next guy in the instrument of your choice. However, 'being better' is a subjective term- and who decides which one of you two is better? Obviously the seniors or the current band members. So factors such as your relationships with them also come into play. It doesn't hurt to be on good terms with those guys. Some of the best bands in history have been destroyed and created due to bad or good relationships between the band members and not because of lack of musical talent Remember playing a piece well in your room and playing it well on the stage in front of a live audience- with your instruments connected to powerful amps and speakers - are two very very different things. I have seen some very good musicians squeal on stage. 'How Good' - that is a subjective term but I would say to get into a band you need to have a mixed repertoire of popular English and Hindi songs. My suggestion is that pick up a simple song and practice it to perfection - by that I mean to the point that you can play it on stage. You can leave out the complex solos - just focus on the simple parts and practice them to perfection. For example, 'Sweet Child of mine' is a very simple song to play if you leave out the solos. With the solos, I would say it is one of the toughest songs to play. How do you know if you are good enough? - record yourself using a web cam. Play the song in a single go and then watch it. If you can find a mistake, practice some more and repeat. Try to build a mixed repertoire - of English, Hindi common and uncommon songs. So for Hindi  common songs would be 'Dum maro Dum'  or "Papa kehte hain' and throw in a couple of not so common on guitar numbers like 'Beete Lamhe'. Do the same for English ones. Now what if you are still not selected to play the instrument of your choice? I would suggest that you should still try to get in maybe for a side instrument or backing vocals. People aren't very choosy with those guys. How that would help you is that you will still get to be a part of the band and later you can try playing the instrument of your choice maybe for songs you might be very good at. Moreover, if music is your passion then just staying with the band would help you learn a lot about music and be around people that share the same passion. Irrespective of whether you are in the band or not - keep practicing, The joy of playing  an instrument is much more than getting in a band Keep Playing!