EDIT: Ignore my cheekiness, he already answered
Australia?
I see "Kangaroos" and "KMH"...both aren't here stateside as far as I know lol
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Band advice needed
- Thread starter DRBassist
- Start date
Australia?
I see "Kangaroos" and "KMH"...both aren't here stateside as far as I know lol
That would be a big NO THANKS for me, but if you think it's worth it.......go for it.
I used to have a weekly drive that was normally 90 minutes on the way and about an hour on the way back. It was a really great band and the drive was totally worth it. We played new material every month, so it was three rehearsals then the gig (big band doing some pretty challenging charts).
In the beginning the drive was kind of a drag, then I started listening to podcast (A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs was a favorite) or just enjoyed the quiet drive on the way home after dark. Sometimes I kind of miss that weekly drive, it was a great way to clear my head.
I just had to evaluate if the juice was worth the squeeze, and for me it was.
In the beginning the drive was kind of a drag, then I started listening to podcast (A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs was a favorite) or just enjoyed the quiet drive on the way home after dark. Sometimes I kind of miss that weekly drive, it was a great way to clear my head.
I just had to evaluate if the juice was worth the squeeze, and for me it was.
I did similar for about 5 years; rehearsals were about 1.5 hours away. We rehearsed on Sundays, and after rehearsing we would hit a local pub for open mic. Ended up being about a 6 hour rehearsal plus jam, which made the drive worth it. I only quit when I arrived for rehearsal one afternoon and the guitarist packed up his axe after about 15 mins saying he didnt feel like rehearsing. The drive that day was almost 2 hours due to rain. I drive home very frustrated (another 2 hours in the rain) and ended up calling it shortly after.
well, i sure wouldn't give up on a "PERFECT fit." you really need to be brainstorming with your bandmates. search for understanding, accommodations, and compromises.
- biting the bullet, at first, to 'front-load', isn't a radical idea.
- longer, less frequent rehearsal sessions are a no-brainer for long-term maintenance.
sounds like everyone involved wants this to happen --- congrats! --- good luck!
One of my bands .. all gigs and rehearsals are 120 miles away from me...always 2+hrs each way. I've been with them for many yrs now cause the players are awesome and the gigs are fun! For me it's well worth it but I don't recommend it for everyone. Often band mates will give me their tips or toss me a 20 to help pay for gas but not always and thats ok
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I live in a small city, 14,000 people. There are a few musicians but no local scene. My cover band rehearsals are 75 minutes to the west to a larger city. We rehearse on average two times per month. Plus gigs. MY originals band is 60 minutes to the east to the biggest city in our province. We rehearse once per week. But it's not just rehearsing it is also writing new music. If I want to play there are no options locally. I know the caliber of musicians I need/want to play with. I do a lot of driving. lol
My advice comes down to limiting rehearsals if it is a cover band. If you enjoy the hang then go with it! Hopefully there are some gigs to make up for the driving.
My advice comes down to limiting rehearsals if it is a cover band. If you enjoy the hang then go with it! Hopefully there are some gigs to make up for the driving.
I was annoyed just having to go to the other side of my relatively small town for rehearsal so that drive would be a deal-breaker for me. However, I do know the pain of moving to a new place and having trouble finding people to play with so my sympathies are with you.
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I drive a little over an hour for one of the bands I'm in. I'd drive an hour and half for that band, but in 4 years, we've probably averaged 4 rehearsals a year. A couple for new material, a couple to learn Christmas songs.
I wouldn't do it every week for a long time. As others have said, if it's a cover band, you shouldn't have unending rehearsals to get ready and once you're gigging regularly, you'll only need them for new material.
I wouldn't do it every week for a long time. As others have said, if it's a cover band, you shouldn't have unending rehearsals to get ready and once you're gigging regularly, you'll only need them for new material.
I was in a band that rehearsed, in a studio, every week, an hour away. I did that for 9 months but I wouldn't do it again. Another part of the problem was that it wasn't just the rehearsals...the gigs were also an hour or more away.
I actually like rehearsals, productive rehearsals, when songs are chosen ahead of time and everyone is prepared. However, there always seems to be that one guy who "guys, I didn't get a chance to work on the songs this week" or "I didn't get to THAT one" after you've spent the time yourself to learn it and drove an hour to rehearse.
Online live realtime music services:
Online Jamming: 7 Ways to Play Music Together Online
Given your proximity to them latency should be pretty low. I have friends who rehearse their band this way: bassist in Atlanta, GA, everyone else in a room together in Central VA. The latency is tough but better than not rehearsing. Note they are technically further away than the max distance the service supports. Atlanta is an ~8 hrs drive.
Being about 60 - 70 miles apart you should get some pretty low latency, hopefully.
Online Jamming: 7 Ways to Play Music Together Online
Given your proximity to them latency should be pretty low. I have friends who rehearse their band this way: bassist in Atlanta, GA, everyone else in a room together in Central VA. The latency is tough but better than not rehearsing. Note they are technically further away than the max distance the service supports. Atlanta is an ~8 hrs drive.
Being about 60 - 70 miles apart you should get some pretty low latency, hopefully.
During the lockdown I tried so many different options with my quartet. I think we tried all those listed.
The one we had best luck with was SonoBus and it had some awesome features built in. However being at the mercy of an internet connection is weird. The drummer and I live 45 miles apart, we had the best latency with an average of around 20ms... not great, but it was workable. Our piano player (who lived two blocks away from the drummer) never got a latency below 65ms and it was almost impossible for him to play with us. The guitar player had the worst internet ever so he didn't play with us, but it was a great alternative to Zoom and we frequently used it for a weekly hang to just chat with each other.
Ironically, some of our best jam sessions were with Jamulus involving a couple of blues guitarists in Northern California (we're in Texas). Had so much fun playing with them. We also had a few good sessions with guys in Philly.
I've been an out of state member of a band since 2012. Before that I was only about 1 1/2 hours away for 11 years. I'm now only 8 1/2 hours away LOL!!
Seriously, we rehearse two to three times a year usually a day or two before a gig. Rehearsals are very structured efficient, and new material is learned BEFORE rehearsals.
We need way more information:
- how frequent are the rehearsals?
- rehearsing for what?
- are you working out arrangements for a recording project or rehearsing a live show play list?
- if for live shows, how many are realistically expected in the next year and at what level of pay?
- the expected geographic area for live shows.
- etc.
- how frequent are the rehearsals?
- rehearsing for what?
- are you working out arrangements for a recording project or rehearsing a live show play list?
- if for live shows, how many are realistically expected in the next year and at what level of pay?
- the expected geographic area for live shows.
- etc.
This would also be a major thing to consider IMO. If gigs are further out, getting home at 3 am might get old quick. I drive just under 30 minutes and thats about as far as I want too go these days.
I drive 1 hr each way to band practice right now. It is not a perfect fit, I am just desperate to be in a band and they are the best prospect I have found so far.
Worth it to me l.
Worth it to me l.
Honestly, if you are that inspired to play in a band, and you actually found a good fit elsewhere, I'd say go for it. When I was in my old band, I drove about an hour and a half to jam every week. I got so used to it it really didn't even bother me or feel like it was that long of a drive. FF>> to a little over a year ago. That band broke up like 7 years ago but the guitarist and the drummer wanted to start back up. I was excited and said hell yes. But my drive and inspiration had waned quite a bit between our first band and the one we are today. It's still about an hour and a half drive, and I kinda hate it most times now. I've actually considered bowing out because of it. I didn't. We are still going.
Point is, I'd base your decision off of your desire to want to still play in a band and play out and so forth. Sounds like they do have a killer jam spot. If your heart is still in it (playing and jamming in a band) then I wouldn't hesitate to go ahead. But if your heart isn't 100% in it, I could see that drive weighing on you over time. Just my exp...
