band rehearsal help

bassboy89 · #1 04-22-2005, 08:06 PM

hey guys latly me and my band have been having a hard time rehearsing. we just seem to have problems with getting organised and knowing what we are doin . any helpful tips would be great

DaftCat · #2 04-22-2005, 08:45 PM

Walk into rehearsal KNOWING the material to be rehearsed.
Those who walk in with excuses(I didn't have time, dog ate my tab, etc.) are bothersome.

Make sure everyone is ON TIME.

Don't noodle. Take some breaks. Go over parts until it feels right. Go over it again if one of you are still unconvinced it don't feel right.

I am sure others will be along with more helpful tips.

PunkerTrav · #3 04-22-2005, 08:49 PM

Also, try and work otu some sort of routine and stick to it. Maybe choose a few songs to warm up with. Then designate time for maintenance of older tunes, working out new ones, etc...

If you all go in to the practice with an expectation of how much work you are going to do on certain tasks, I find those things tend to get done.

That was a really long sentence

::::BASSIST:::: · #4 04-23-2005, 12:23 AM

all band members have to prioritize. if the band is important it will be a priority. if members dont have their heart in it, it will eventually unravel.

the best thing is for everyone to commit one night per week as designated practice nite. they tell this to their wife, boss, friends and everybody who makes requests of their time. when people see that you take the committment to the band seriously they will treat it with respect (hopefully).

Coutts_is_god · #5 04-23-2005, 10:00 AM

My band we always fool around and have a great time. Sometimes we don't get anywork done but we spend all night just jamming and having fun. When it comes to material. I'm always changing my parts in a song. They get mad at me because I can't stick with the same part for a song more then one time.

Syeknom · #6 04-23-2005, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TORIN

all band members have to prioritize. if the band is important it will be a priority. if members dont have their heart in it, it will eventually unravel.

the best thing is for everyone to commit one night per week as designated practice nite. they tell this to their wife, boss, friends and everybody who makes requests of their time. when people see that you take the committment to the band seriously they will treat it with respect (hopefully).

+1

Seriously, designate a night to practise and stick to that. Don't let people work, go out, etc that night unless it's an emergancy and just practise. That way, you won't have to worry about finding a time when everybody has nothing on.

Joe Nerve · #7 04-23-2005, 10:47 AM

can you tell al little more? what kind of band is it you've got? covers? originals? what are your goals? to get out and play? have fun? be rich and famous rock stars? earn a little extra money? be the greatest band in the world?

i'd start by trying to book a gig, however you can 2 months down the line. even if you're nowhere near ready. if you answer some of the above i can probably post a whole lotta other things that have worked for me. i've been in many unsuccesful bands, and many succesful ones so i have some experience with what works and what destroys. at least in my experience.

bassboy89 · #8 04-23-2005, 06:15 PM

we are a rock band and we started on covers and done a couple of gigs but now we want to make our own songs. it's for fun but we would like to get enough of our own songs to have our own set for gigs.

Intune · #9 04-23-2005, 08:41 PM

That's a hard one. I've been doing this a loooong time. Sometimes the drummer & I will start a goove (always tune up first & be ready to roll before the freakin' g#$%&r player(s)

You might be surprised about what comes with that first burst. Then do the band's strongest song. After that work on the tunes that have parts that need work. Add new tunes. This is not a formula that works everytime... It's how we seem to do it. Oh, and one more small tidbit... RECORD, RECORD, RECORD! I don't care if it's a boom box or off the mains. Can't tell you how many times we had a killer groove that was lost somewhere in the reefer files of '76 and two days later when you get back together that sucka is long gone. And you knew it was good too. Take it or leave it, that's my heads up on a night off.

WalterBush · #10 04-23-2005, 10:37 PM

I've always found that if there's no pressure, there's little work done, and too much screwin' around. Book a gig a month or two in advance, and decide you'll have some new material, whether cover or original, to debut. Even if it feels a little rough around the edges, play it. This kind of pressure keeps bands moving forward, in my experience. Also, even if someone can't make it, even if half the band can't make it, don't cancel the whole rehearsal. It's amazing what you can learn about each other musically when only 2 out of 5 guys can make it one night.