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Band Rehearsal Frustration Rant....

#41
Russell L said:
I hate it when someone shows up at practice with an Internet chart of a song. They are invariably wrong. Drives me nuts.
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Many of us oldtimers have an advantage...we all had to learn songs by ear when we were young because there were no tabs. All 4 of us in our band (classic rock) are in our 40's and we learn most songs simply by listening to the recording a couple times...maybe hard songs take a few more listens, but for the most part, we will play along to a song at rehearsal and know 90% of it after hearing it twice.

We have even learned songs at soundcheck and played them that night.
 
#42
AQUANOVA said:
I just need to vent.

I play in a cover band twice a month.

We use email to decide what songs we will be learning each week and what keys the singers want them in.
Everyone learns their part and we show up before the show to go over things.
Everyone can play their parts ok, it's the structure of songs that always seems to be the problem.

When I suggest a song, I send a YouTube link of it to clarify which version.

Makes no difference.

Without fail someone learns the " extended live version" of a song
or a remake or some other obscure version and we spend the whole rehearsal
trying to nail down the structure to avoid a train wreck.

Is it too much to expect people to just learn the classic version?

It drives me crazy.

Does anyone else have this problem?
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Omg, we have this exact problem. It's becoming quite frustrating! I went to all the trouble of counting out 16 songs, sending them word docs etc, and do you think anyone listens? I'm about at my whits end and am going to let it become a train wreck if it does, and if somebody steps in to save it, great! If not, cest la vie and they can deal with it.
 
#44
Stinsok said:
YES! For instance, Led Zepplin's "Rock and Roll." We start to play it and it's awful. The offending member said "Well, I youtubed the Sheryl Crowe live version....."
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+1 I hate when we start playing a new song and it sounds completely wrong. Oh, we are playing the <insert extremely obscure cover of very famous song> version :atoz:
 
#45
I downloaded RealPlayer's package that includes a video downloader plug-in. Once the video is downloaded there is an option available to extract an MP3 from it and this is very handy.

What I have been doing lately is downloading videos of the versions of songs we have agreed on then I extract the MP3 from it. After that I write CDs for people with both the video and MP3 on them of the songs we are going to play. So far this has worked out well.
 
#46
Played with a guitard/BL who seemed like a frustrated songwriter, and would regularly change the arrangement of covers, add accents, stop/starts, not playing all the chords properly&#8230; and he&#8217;d even change things later after we&#8217;d already played it out a buncha times. Also every start was different, and a lot of these extra things to remember just invite mistakes on stage.

Quite embarrassing later going to play a song with someone else and play it differently.

New band, we lengthen some of the oldies that are really short, like Wooly Bully for instance, but at least we know what the original arrangement is.
 
#47
I think what we need are some proactive strategies, so i'll start with my one and only option!

1. Look after myself, do my own lyrics sheets (which i annotate): as long as i know my parts, everyone else can work on theirs. Of course, state that it's always the studio / album version first.

Actually, that's about it.
 
#48
We saw an 80's rock cover band the other night that played all their songs 'radio' version to the T. Like dead on to what people remember hearing on the radio in 1988. Long story short, crowd loved it and was able to sing along and dance to every song.

My band is more of a jam band at times. We learn the basic structure of the radio ver, but then start and end the songs our own way. We make the song our own and it is fun.
But, at the show, people have a harder time getting into a song when its not played how they remember it. Guess thats why we play the 4p slot and the 80s rock guys played the primetime 8p slot.


also- when learning songs, we will all take 5 min to listen to the song at practice together just to make sure we are on the same page.
 
#49
DataDan said:
also- when learning songs, we will all take 5 min to listen to the song at practice together just to make sure we are on the same page.
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Good idea for new songs, but you'd think that some members should know how many reps or choruses are in an outro. As I said, I mucked up last week, but am willing to admit it and move forward. This whole thing is becoming frustrating, I feel likeido all this work, create lyrics sheets, which sometimes get ignored, and when I try to raise issues with the band, they're all too busy tinkering around with their instruments.
 
#50
Here's a tip. Instead of venting to us, vent to YOUR BAND. Man, it seems as though many of you here think that your band mates are little fragile pieces of lace. Just stand in front of your band, with your spine fully upright, and TELL them what you just vented to us. If someone suggests a song, they should send a link (like you do). And if ANYONE wants to learn a different version, they need to TELL everyone else so that it can be hashed out BEFORE anyone spends a single minute of time working out the song. If your band mates can't grasp this concept, you jam with a bunch of dipsticks. Find a new bunch of dipsticks to jam with so that you can come back here and vent to us about THEIR problems rather than discussing it with THAT band too.

I'll offer you one more heads up as well (free of charge). More than likely your band mates didn't take the time to REALLY learn ANY version of the song. Claiming to have learned some other version is just a lame excuse for not really having the whole song down before showtime. I've been at this for a long time. I can smell a musician lie from a mile away (or from however far away your band is right now).

In advance I apologize for unloading on you. You hit on a hot button of mine. I can't tell you how many posts I have read here where guys feel as though they can't simply say whatever is on their mind in whatever band of little girls they currently play in. They are afraid someone will get offended and take their gear home forever. Whatever. If you are in a band like that, it must really suck.
 
#51
two fingers said:
Here's a tip. Instead of venting to us, vent to YOUR BAND. Man, it seems as though many of you here think that your band mates are little fragile pieces of lace. Just stand in front of your band, with your spine fully upright, and TELL them what you just vented to us. If someone suggests a song, they should send a link (like you do). And if ANYONE wants to learn a different version, they need to TELL everyone else so that it can be hashed out BEFORE anyone spends a single minute of time working out the song. If your band mates can't grasp this concept, you jam with a bunch of dipsticks. Find a new bunch of dipsticks to jam with so that you can come back here and vent to us about THEIR problems rather than discussing it with THAT band too.

I'll offer you one more heads up as well (free of charge). More than likely your band mates didn't take the time to REALLY learn ANY version of the song. Claiming to have learned some other version is just a lame excuse for not really having the whole song down before showtime. I've been at this for a long time. I can smell a musician lie from a mile away (or from however far away your band is right now).

In advance I apologize for unloading on you. You hit on a hot button of mine. I can't tell you how many posts I have read here where guys feel as though they can't simply say whatever is on their mind in whatever band of little girls they currently play in. They are afraid someone will get offended and take their gear home forever. Whatever. If you are in a band like that, it must really suck.
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Damn. Thank god somebody had the balls to post that. +1 for you bud.
 
#52
Most of the cover bands I've been in has done a good job of doing their homework and being on the same page except......this last band (which I'm soon to quit)!! No one does their homework! No one "listens" to the songs closely. I have supplied mp3's and even purchased sheet music. All wasted! Only one singer took all I gave and she quit a while back over the same BS. Result is we do the same tired songs gig after gig after gig!! (well, the keyboardist sucks too and is the main reason we haven't done much) We have become a laughing stock after creating a HUGE buzz when we first hit the scene! I'm so done! Time to move on!
 
#53
I'd punch somebody in the throat if they came in and consistently learned the wrong versions of songs. I would look at it as if they were doing it on purpose just to rile everyone else up. Punch in the throat, a swift kick in the nads, amp and guitar thrown out into the parking lot and possibly set on fire, 2 cut tires and a bunch of cussing and spitting going on the whole time. Just kidding but I would seriously ask them if they were friggin' stupid or is that just how their momma brought them up.
 
#55
FronTowardEnemy said:
I suggest using Dropbox. Put all the mp3s that need to be learned in there and have everyone be able to login and share. Problem solved.
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Very practical and useful advice. Just tell everyone to learn the version in dropbox and be done with it. If they want to learn another version, bring it up BEFORE everyone learns the dropbox version. If you don't bring it up until AFTER everyone has learned the song, then better luck next time.
 
#56
Octaves said:
Good idea for new songs, but you'd think that some members should know how many reps or choruses are in an outro. As I said, I mucked up last week, but am willing to admit it and move forward. This whole thing is becoming frustrating, I feel likeido all this work, create lyrics sheets, which sometimes get ignored, and when I try to raise issues with the band, they're all too busy tinkering around with their instruments.
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this drives me nuts and happens all the darn time.
 
#57
I think a great many cover bands suffer from this issue. I had always assumed that when you picked a song and identified the artist, the goal was to learn the radio-play version of it. My assumption was not the same as others I've played with. Different versions, different artists, different keys, etc.

So here's what we did to fix it;

First was to pick a song. In most cases it would be the radio play recording we would attempt to duplicate. If it wasn't, then we all agreed upon a different version ahead of time, before any work was put in or MP3's were sent out. The appropriate MP3 would be e-mailed to each member of the band with the song info (title, artist, key played in). In most cases we'd look at 2-4 songs per week. Nothing we play is overly difficult or complex.

We would try the song once. If it had promise, we decided to work on it. If structure was an issue, someone (usually me) would chart out the structure for everyone, and include a chord sheet. Nothing fancy, something along the lines of;

(For example only)
Intro- 8 measures
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Guitar Solo- 16 measures
Chorus X 2
Out- 8 measures

Usually the biggest problems in a cover song is getting everyone to stop and start at the same time.

And here's where there can be an issue.....lots of cover players do the whole "play by feel" thing. In other words, changes come when they "feel it", and often times they are wrong. Following a song chart will often require that the players be able to COUNT, and honestly, you'd think it would be something everyone does, but they don't.

Maybe this would help some?
 
#58
two fingers said:
Here's a tip. Instead of venting to us, vent to YOUR BAND. Man, it seems as though many of you here think that your band mates are little fragile pieces of lace. Just stand in front of your band, with your spine fully upright, and TELL them what you just vented to us. If someone suggests a song, they should send a link (like you do). And if ANYONE wants to learn a different version, they need to TELL everyone else so that it can be hashed out BEFORE anyone spends a single minute of time working out the song. If your band mates can't grasp this concept, you jam with a bunch of dipsticks. Find a new bunch of dipsticks to jam with so that you can come back here and vent to us about THEIR problems rather than discussing it with THAT band too.

I'll offer you one more heads up as well (free of charge). More than likely your band mates didn't take the time to REALLY learn ANY version of the song. Claiming to have learned some other version is just a lame excuse for not really having the whole song down before showtime. I've been at this for a long time. I can smell a musician lie from a mile away (or from however far away your band is right now).

In advance I apologize for unloading on you. You hit on a hot button of mine. I can't tell you how many posts I have read here where guys feel as though they can't simply say whatever is on their mind in whatever band of little girls they currently play in. They are afraid someone will get offended and take their gear home forever. Whatever. If you are in a band like that, it must really suck.
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This post should be sticky'd to the top of the Band Management sub forum. Love it.

As to the OP's problem, I have no clue how people find bands like this. Do you not say the artist's name or which version you're doing when you suggest a song? It seems like an obvious thing to do just to make sure everyone is on the same page. If you already do this and it's still an issue then you're just playing with idiots and probably need to find a new band.
 
#59
But when we do a song in the original key, I don't think I should have to be every ones mommy and send out an mp3 of it.[/QUOTE]

I haven't read everyone else's response past the first page of this thread but to avoid frustrations you may want to send out an mp3 of each song you folks want to work on. It may upset the guitarist because they can't play some extended solo of another version but it means he/she'll either listen or consider their options in staying with the band.
 

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