You know, Churches are the best place to practice...

[Brendan]

I practice with my band (and used to with my very first of three bands). Great place. Quiet, no interruptions, built for acustics. And, for some reason, really relaxing, and easy feeling (as opposed to houses and garages). Not to mention the people are nice, and if you stay there long enough, you can gig for the congregation (I haven't, my friend had). Can I get an amen? (That's a joke, I'm just a slacker who goes to church maybe once a year on Christmas)

Mine (well, my friends) Curch is one of those real musical ones, so they have a killer PA system. 2 floor monitors, 6 mics, 8 speakser, a very decent mixer, with recording capability, a drum kit, piano and keyboard. Decent pad to throw down tunes. Only thing is, no real swearing (F and S are out, but other than that,) and no blaspheme.

Where do you/did you practice at? I always wanted that warehouse the struggling bands hole up in in the VH1 Behind the Musics. But the Church is a pretty sweet deal.

[amebassplaya]

Well ...
Churches with good acoustics are. I play a LOT of Churches and can tell you, some of them are just echo chambers. For those, I just set a comfortable volume and groove to myself.

Later, and leave something in the collection plate -)

[Stingray5]

I used to play wedding ceremonies on trumpet. Those old churches with the high dome ceilings, God.. I mean.. gosh, it made you sound great!

[Reg]

Well, i must say churches are a great place to practice

I one used this church that had ausome PA. The sorta thing that has a 50 channel mixer, 6 monitors on stage and 2 in the pit. 2 15" subs, 4 horns, and 4 main speakers. not to mention a whole assortment of rack effects and compressors. And the whole place was acoustically tuned!!! (And a beautiful peavy bass amp to play with)

All over this was the BEST place to practice apart fromthe fact it was a church. And when no one in your band is anywhere near relgious apart from a mate of the drummer, then the minister and the religious leaders get kinda angry when you start cranking out marylin manson riffs and metallica songs.

All over we used the place about ten times before the finally kicked us out. Good while it lasted.

[Mark Steel]

A church would be a cool place to practice.
My former band practiced in the loft of a barn for awhile--great space, nice acoustics, fresh air (sometimes)...but once I came to practice and my speaker cabinet looked like a dalmation because some pigeons had taken up roost in the rafters...

[Bruce Lindfield]

Well I can imagine that a church would be a good place to practice trumpet - but bass no way! Bass is made really boomy in a large acoustic and is a nightmare to control. Give me a small room with a low celing any day.

The bands I rehearse with, rehearse in a rehearsal room!

[IPLAYLOUD]

We practice in a LARGE church on Wednesday nights for the Sunday 5PM Mass. Some jazz, light rock, traditional Christian, and some pop songs (Celine Dion, Kathy Matea, Leanne Rymes..even 10,000 Maniacs!!)
More than a few times, we have hopped into One Way Out, Immigrant Song, Dave Matthews, and some cool I-IV-V jams!! The sound is GREAT!!!
One week, while playing guitar, the Communion song wasn't long enough...so instead of having the keys just play something "religious" as a fill, I played SRV "Riviera Paradise" solo using some subtle trem bends and a whole lotta feeling!! Many people came up to me after and asked what the song was......I smiled and said "It's an old standard by Stevie Ray." I guess they thought he was a guy in the Bible and just smiled!!