church rehearsals, charts and files

[LAG]

Church players, what day of the week does your team rehearse? Wednesday, Thursday or?

Also, when do you get your files and charts for Sunday, at the day of rehearsal, the day before, or?

We get ours electronically, usually the day before rehearsal. However, sooner would always be better to give one more time to immerse and practice BEFORE rehearsal. Unfortunately, every week, we have musicians show up and try to figure out their parts during rehearsal, instead of having it nailed ahead of time.

I am wondering what works best for others..

[pedroims]

Welcome to my world !!!

We have two leaders, one will send the list of the songs Friday night and will call for rehearsal Sunday 9 am, he wont send lead sheet or anything, just the list, he will change keys on Sunday and try to play a new ''version'' of the song

The other lady will send the list with lead sheets Sunday night ( per my request) .. She will ask when we can have rehearsal , it can be any day, we will have another rehearsal on Sunday 9 am.

I am on the same boat, NOBODY will even listen to the songs , forget about practice their instruments and learn their parts, the drummer is the worst because he will create his own versions without listen the original songs and everybody will follow him, it drive me nuts because I do my best to learn my parts and practice everyday from 5 am to 6:30 am just to find that I need to improvise a bass line that can fit the new drummer rhythm patter , by the way , he would never keep the same pattern for more than 4 bars, I never know what he is going to hit on beat 2 , 3 and 4

[Craigster]

I've had it both ways. I leader would send us the charts at the end of the month for the next months songs. And another sometimes never sent me the charts so I would come 1 1/2 hrs B4 service not knowing what to play (and then he would be 1/2 hr late on top of it!) Him I told if I don't have the charts on the tues B4 service I was picking the songs and sending him them on wens (which 1/2 the time I have to do)

[RosieB]

We rehearse on Monday evenings. We get our set list around noon - pulled from a pool of about 70 songs we've worked up. We get a new song every few weeks on average. Set list is e-mailed along with chart & mp3 for any new song.

If it's a new song week, we are supposed to look/listen to it on our own ahead of time, then we meet as a group, listen to the track (lift parts), and talk through the specifics of our parts for the first 15 min of rehearsal, then we play it and work out the rest. New songs get played in worship for about 3 weeks in a row for the congregation (& us) to get familiar with them.

If we have any last minute song changes, they come from this same music pool so we already know them, just perhaps put of practice with them. Key signatures don't change on any song from the time we are e-mailed the chart.

Personally, at the very least, I look all music over on Monday before rehearsal (and lift my part/make notes if there is a new song), and again Saturday evening to prepare for worship on Sunday. Not all do, judging by missed repeats/signs/etc. (My pet peeve.) I would prefer to have rehearsal later in the week, but Monday was the day that worked for the majority. I just have to practice more during the week to remember what I play on those new songs. At least, I like to think I practice more during the week...

[RosieB]

I guess I've really got it good. Don't think I could handle what you guys go through.

[whisper14072]

We get ours well ahead of time... sometimes like 2 weeks ahead. Like right now I know I am playing through the end of may and I think just the last 2 weeks of May don't have the songs up yet on the site.

As far as rehearsal... We actually do it like a couple hours before services on Sunday. The goup of musicians that play at my church are all consummate musicians. They have been playing their instrument all their lives and been in numerous bands, so it is very easy for us to lock it down in a couple hours. I think i am the only one with under 20 years experience that plays at our church.... and I praise God for that all the time cause playing with these guys has made my skills and knowledge grow IMMENSELY!!

[markob]

We get our music Wed. in PDF format. Rehearse Thursday night for an hour and a half. Go over the set prior to service at 10:00 Sunday morning. 5-6 songs are picked by our Worship leader that pertain to the message and we go with it. We have a pool of 100-150 songs to choose from. The best gig I've ever had

[mikezimmerman]

We rehearse on Wednesday nights, but most of the time my band is also practicing that night, so I can't usually make it. I'd be happy to get charts and song lists in advance, but most of the time I don't get anything or even know what we're playing until I get there at 8am for the 9:15 service (we also play the same music at 10:30). These days I just bring the fretted 6 and the fretless 5 so I can pick which one to use after seeing the song list.

It's not quite as bad as it sounds--I've been playing there for a long time, so there are generally no more than one or two new songs at the most, and the arrangements are pretty loose most of the time. If there's something the MD really thinks I need to see in advance, he'll make sure to get it to me.

[Stacey1461]

Rehearsal on Tues evening after choir rehearsal. We get a text on which new music we will work on that day. Music and charts by Thursday or Friday for Sunday Service. All charts and songs are uploaded to Church website.

[ChrisPbass]

Sunday morning...we rarely rehearse anymore and only to learn new songs. However, we've been playing together for years.

[Fretless1!]

We get charts Thursday night at rehearsal. 1 hour rehearsal and run through them again Sunday morning. That's it.

Occasionally we'll get a cd or youtube link earlier in the week but not often. Sometimes we repeat songs but 80 percent is new material.

I fill in at other churches sometimes and it's very refreshing to get charts and cds two weeks in advance. Then they want two or three rehearsals. It almost feels like cheating.

[RustyAxe]

And what you have here is the reason why I played with my last church group for just four weeks. It truly was the last church group I'll play with.

[TL5]

I get an email, typically on Thursday or Friday that notifies me the song list has been posted to a website. I log-in to the site and have access to the chart/score (various) and most of the time there's an mp3 of the song to listen to as reference. The ref song may or may not match the charted arrangement.

We then meet at 8:30 AM Sunday for a once through on the songs to played later that morning.

[ccbass71]

That sounds like my church. MP3s and charts on the church website and Sunday morning 7:30am practice.

[Jhengsman]

Sometime during the week I can expect an email with a link to YouTube of the songs for Sunday. Not that we are going to do it in the same style or with the same signiture licks as that recording, but its a start. Normally the song will already be in our book in our key. If not then we search the net for chords and tabs.

On Sunday we see if the key we have will work or adjust. If there is no chord sheet the piano or guitar player figures out a chord progression. We then adjust and start building parts normaly piano and guitar with the keyboard laying down a pad while I figure out what I'm going to do. I normally already had a rythmn in mind. If any signiture lick is outside of a players comfort level it is dropped and a work around is improvised.

[MNAirHead]

I do tons of church fill ins.. and am a WL.

I'm to the point that if a WL leader doesn't send them out a week in advance, I start riding them.

CCLI charts suck really bad.. the ones they mark up are usually worse.

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For my group (core of 3 + visitors)

Practice Friday morning....
MP3s Uploaded to PlanningCenterONline by Wednesday

If someone is not from the "core" group (sub or fill in)... material (mp3s and charts) will be available by the prior Sunday.

I kind of flex with my guys as the primary vocalist/lead singer has the tenure to weave in and out.. the other guy is a drummer.. I can fake it.

When I fill in, I'm always amazed at the lack of management most paid leaders give... it kills their product greatly.


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We used to have a higher production team (keys, hot guitar etc) the more people involved, the more time and prep it takes...

[gnjpowell]

We reh Thu pm. Music selection usually done by WL on Wed with charts & some mp3s posted via Planning Center | Worship Planning & Volunteer Scheduling a nice worship mgmnt site. Quick reh Sun 8 - 8:30 am before 9:00 am 1st svc of 2 svcs. Works well.

[bound'n'blocked]

I usually get a text or email telling me the songs/artist on Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll Youtube the songs to get an idea for how they go, then get the charts at rehearsal on Thursday evening. Run through them on Thursday night for an hour and a half or so and then once more on Sunday morning before service. Give me a chart and let me hear a song once or twice and I'll play it. We've gotten a new WL and he sends stuff in advance. Before, we'd learn it on Sunday morning, but it was alot of standard stuff and hymns. Not so much now.

BnB

[Mike M.]

Our church generally has the recordings of songs and chord charts on a Saturday. We then practice the following Wednesday for next Sunday's service.

All the players are good, but I feel we need more time to get better aquainted with the songs. But you know how this thing called "life" can get in the way even with the best of intentions. As a result things don't sound as together as what they shoud be. It's not that anybody is lazy, but **** happens and it's happened to me as well. I wish we could have at least two rehearsals before the actual service.

[MNAirHead]

Mike M...

You just hit my standard complaint...

Many Worship Leaders do not gig.. never really been in a band... commonly will have nothing on the schedule except the next service.

Unfortunatley anyone good on Sunday monring was loading gear out on at 2:00 a.m... probably spend the prior day prepping and learning material.

Tim