Timeline for gigging?

[Silas Martinez]

I know the initial response for this is, it varies between bands...

That being said, how long does it take to get a band ready for gigging? What factors affect this, and what can be done to speed the process up?

I'm in on the ground floor with a couple of pretty good players, a guitarist who isn't a guitard, and a drummer with a decent kit who's been playing for quite a while.

The plan is to do originals, but over the past few practices, it seems like there are a couple of rough drafts of songs that the guitarist brought in, a few ideas I've brought to the table, and a whole lot of jamming. While the jamming is fun, it doesn't get us any closer to gigging out, which is what I primarily enjoy.

Last practice, our third, we got things set up to record practices. Additionally, I'm planning on meeting with the guitarist outside of our weekly 'regular' practice to do a bit of songwriting, try and get some basic forms settled out.

What I'm wondering now is if there are any other things we should be doing to speed up the process? Would messing with some covers slow the process of getting songs written and gig-ready, or would it help us focus on 'not just jamming'?

I know, some of you would probably say, just talk to them about it. I have.... We talk about it quite a bit. I guess what I'm looking for is advice from folks who have been through the formative stages of an original band before.

Thanks!

[ric1312]

I've found that the thing that slows down getting to the point of having a full set is players that refuse to master covers at home first, and think that practice is for learning the covers.

If everyone one in the band says we are doing covers xyz and has a few days before the next practice, then they should be able to play those songs if they are within their skill level. That way you can just rehearse them to tighten them up and work out bugs, and move on to writing songs together.

Nothing pisses me off more than telling a player to have a song ready for a practice that is a full week away, and they don't even work on the song until practice. And then what usually happens is that they can't figure it out or have it wrong and say they will work on it later and never do.

In short you won't gig out if the band is fully of lazy guys that refuse to do any homework.

[Jimbob Jones]

There's no rush in getting a first gig. Firstly I'd say that in the writing process, much more time is taken listening to music for inspiration (unless you are after a very specific style, recomendations are The Dark Side Of The Moon (Pink Floyd), Abbey Road (The Beatles) and Absolution (Muse)) Then a rush of inspiration will grab you, and a chord progression, verse or chorus will be created, then when you feel that the moment has passed, don't try to force ideas out, because all that will be produced is second-rate songs that won't get the croud going.

As far as gigging is concerned, again, don't try to make it happen because if the whole band aren't confident with the set, then the chances are you'll grind to a halt.

The most important thing to remember is that these things take time, and if you're with the right bunch of people, one day, you'll all feel ready and you can get a 10 minute slot at an open-mike night at a pub, knock 'em dead, then take it from there!

Most importantly, have fun!

Good luck and all the best

JBJ

[Phalex]

If it were up to me, we'd still be in the basement polishing stuff. As soon as you can play enough tunes all the way through to get you through a gig, go for it. You won't think you're ready until you get out and do it. Besides the arrangements all seem to come together so much better after you've played them live a few times.

[PalaNIN]

I'm beginning to envy all you cover bands - my band can get almost nothing done away from rehearsals due to the nature of the music, it's all too complex and needs a full collaboration.

The guitarist and drummer have been together for a year (I joined about 6 months ago), and we're just starting to look for open mic nights and supporting gigs now.

[Baird6869]

Originally Posted by ric1312

If everyone one in the band says we are doing covers xyz and has a few days before the next practice, then they should be able to play those songs if they are within their skill level. That way you can just rehearse them to tighten them up and work out bugs, and move on to writing songs together.

Nothing pisses me off more than telling a player to have a song ready for a practice that is a full week away, and they don't even work on the song until practice. And then what usually happens is that they can't figure it out or have it wrong and say they will work on it later and never do.

In short you won't gig out if the band is fully of lazy guys that refuse to do any homework.

+1

Practice is not for learning covers from scratch, it is for tightening them up and deciding if they can be performed live. The bands I am in decide on 3 or 3 new cover songs to learn each week and we show up with at least a good understanding of how to play them in their entirity.

[Juniorkimbrough]

In my main gigging band after about 2 months we were out gigging 2 or more times a month but everybody was very serious and we busted our tails to get down a song list. Now we are playing anywhere from 4 to 10 gigs a month. It's hard work when you have a day job but it's a lot of fun.

[Eilif]

In my first band, I joined them and a month later (weekly practices) we played four origional tunes for a battle of the bands. Which we won! Within a month we were ready for the standard Chicago opening band rock set of 50 minutes.
These were, however almsot all origional tunes that the band already knew, I just had to learn them.

In my current band, we are taking about four months to learn 40-50 songs for our first gig of 2 hours. Two of the bandmembers played these tunes a year or so ago, but the rest of us are learning them for the first time.

If your guitarrist can get tracks (even rough demo tracks for origionals) of songs emailed or posted online for the band to learn, it could really help to get the rest of the band to learn the tracks. That's how we have been doing it, and it has worked well.

[brianrost]

With original material, the deciding factor is how quickly you can write enough songs and get them polished.

Covers are a totally different story since you can just copy the recordings. A seasoned band should be able to work up 30-40 tunes in a month or two, even less if most of the members already know some or all of the tunes.

[mcbassdude]

Book the gig.
Nothing gets a band ready quicker than an impending gig date.

In my expereince if you don't have a gig booked some people are complacent and will be happy playing for the garage door.

The thought of muffing in front of strangers has a way of getting people to get of their arse and get 'er done.

[monkeeeee]

+1

Also, gigging is the best way to get better live (bit obvious I know) but some bands spend forever practicing for their first gig. Just book the bugger, do it, learn from it and move on!