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Band Practice

#21
bands are different, one band I'm in we don't rehearse at all - and we sound really good. All pros coming prepared and we watch each other like hawks. TBH those gigs are, by far, the funnest I do (and lately the most $$)

another band I'm in is the opposite - everything planned out and done in rehearsal and it's still a train wreck come show time.

It's all about the level of musicianship - not saying rehearsing is a bad thing by any stretch, but if people are motivated and communicate well (both on-stage and off) that's more important than physically being in the same room . . .imo, ymmv
 
#23
My band meets maybe once, or twice a week. Sometimes we just run through the setlist and then work on any rough spots, and other times we only focus on two or three songs and getting those down tight. If we have a show we may do a third rehearsal but usually two are enough. Just make sure that you have a plan for what you want to do and not just jam or goof off. Unless jamming is how you write new songs....
 
#24
I guess it also matters if you are in a cover band or original band...

My original band meets twice a week. Mondays and Wednesdays Sometimes 3 times a week if we have a serious gig coming up and we're under rehearsed, like on a Saturday afternoon or something.

The thing is, I really love going to band practice. My mates are all fun, hilarious dudes.
I feel crappy if I only do one a week if someone has to call of sick or something.
 
#25
1) Have a rehearsal agenda that includes:
- Start time (end time)
- Songs to have ready to cover
2) Email next week's agenda the day after rehearsal so if you go on Tues. send out next week's plan Wed.
3) Show up prepared - let people settle in - then say, "OK, song 1... 1, 2, 3..." Run the song. If it's good, see if anyone wants to run it again, move on...

I've found people respond VERY positively to active leadership - not megalomanic BS. They also respond to seeing progress and if you do the agenda thing, progress will happen very quickly! A 2 1/2 hour rehearsal session can cover dozens of songs when your list will support it. Also - rehearsals should not be 'practice' sessions where people are learning their parts. There's nothing wrong with slapping on a recording and everyone taking a whack at it, but if it's on the agenda, people should learn it on their time and be ready to play it on the band's time.

Positive, forward motion with a focus on goals. By sending out the agenda in advance, everyone has a plenty of time to get their end together. If more that less do, then the slackers will feel the pressure and up their game. You don't have to be a slave driver or task master - just be organized and simple.
 
#28
Ibanez Bassist said:
Well this is the thing first its a new project so I think we should be spending more time together just for now.. and Second sometimes they are not doing what they should at home so it does not take up the slack..
Click to expand...

If they ain't doing what they need to be doing now, they won't doing what they need to be doing six months from now. Keep them until you find someone more reliable.

We do one practice a week for 4 hours, we all come prepared, and that's that. There's a minimal amount of bs'ing and we get the job done.

One more thing, don't nag people into coming to practice. If you're way more serious about the thing than everyone else, then you need to find a more serious gig.
 
#31
electracoyote said:
This.

I'm the agenda guy in my band. And my band respects that. I always have a short to-do list. Even if it's just tightening intros and outros, we always get something accomplished and are a better band for it. Once a week does it for us.

I also think band members need to spend quality time at home or private practice learning material. Coming to rehearsal unprepared is another big waste of time.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. Practice at home...our weekly get-together is rehearsal where we smooth out / refine the arrangements. Nothing worse than a member showing up unprepared.

Material is important but not so much as execution.

Riis
 
#32
The three-piece I play with meets once/week, with an occasional extra thrown in if there's a big gig coming up or if we have to fine-tune a couple things. The set is 60% originals, 40% covers. Our rehearsals tend to go pretty smoothly, though it's not a written agenda per se (if it was a cover band, or more than a 3-piece, I think it'd be a good idea), largely because we all do our homework.

One thing that's helped with adding tunes quickly, is, if a new cover song is being brought to the table for possible addition to the set list, whoever brings it provides a road map of the song structure as well as a chord outline. We listen to the recording, following along the road map, and make tweaks as needed to allow for our habit of making songs "our own" (we'll do some strict to the original, but we like to change things up a bit as well if it makes sense musicially to flow with the rest of the set). Bringing the road map and chords I've found helps get a feel for the song quickly as well as facilitate home practice. Plus, if we want to experiment with a couple different "feels" to tweak it into a medley, it helps as well.
 
#34
How often you practice depends on how long you have been playing and what you are preparing for. I have played in gigging bands that rehearsed rarely and I have played in newly formed bands that rehearsed twice a week. A pro band preparing for a tour may rehearse daily for a month or 2. The band that I play in currently rehearses a few times a month.

I generally play my bass every day.
 
#36
Ric5 said:
How often you practice depends on how long you have been playing and what you are preparing for. I have played in gigging bands that rehearsed rarely and I have played in newly formed bands that rehearsed twice a week.
Click to expand...

I was in my last band for 15 years and gigged on a regular basis, no less than two weekends a month. In all those years, I can only recall having two rehearsals.
 
#37
tZer said:
1) Have a rehearsal agenda that includes:
- Start time (end time)
- Songs to have ready to cover
2) Email next week's agenda the day after rehearsal so if you go on Tues. send out next week's plan Wed.
3) Show up prepared - let people settle in - then say, "OK, song 1... 1, 2, 3..." Run the song. If it's good, see if anyone wants to run it again, move on...

I've found people respond VERY positively to active leadership - not megalomanic BS. They also respond to seeing progress and if you do the agenda thing, progress will happen very quickly! A 2 1/2 hour rehearsal session can cover dozens of songs when your list will support it. Also - rehearsals should not be 'practice' sessions where people are learning their parts. There's nothing wrong with slapping on a recording and everyone taking a whack at it, but if it's on the agenda, people should learn it on their time and be ready to play it on the band's time.

Positive, forward motion with a focus on goals. By sending out the agenda in advance, everyone has a plenty of time to get their end together. If more that less do, then the slackers will feel the pressure and up their game. You don't have to be a slave driver or task master - just be organized and simple.
Click to expand...

^ Exactly this- I have found that Band members respond well to diplomatic guidance (Guitards hate to think on their own;) )
In addition to doing things this way, I always send out a critique on our gigs, and it encourages constructive discussion within the band.
 
#38
We always critique our gigs, and the guitar player/singer/bandleader has a small digital recorder he uses to record every gig that we listen to afterwards at the next get togethers - if something went really well, we listen to see what it was, if we felt something was off, we check the recording to help diagnose and fix the issues. If only he'd get a new cable to dump it to his PC so he could burn cds for us all (I don't know the brand of recorder, but it's not a standard USB connection)
 

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