Bands that never rehearse

[Slough Feg Bass]

depends on so many factors...
- are you writing music?
- are you arranging music?
- are you developing a stage show?

I think these things require rehearsal, as they are subjective to everyone agreeing to do the same thing at the same time.
if you are doing a popular cover band, then probably no need to rehearse. real book jazz stuff usually everyone knows the tunes and can jam along.

I play in a surf band, and we rehearse once in a while to work over new tunes, but also just because we like to hang out and listen to records and get inspiration! It does help to go over some of the intricate tunes to point things out that need refinement.

 

[fishdreams]

Definitely the ability/chops/ears to navigate the unexpected.

When I was in NYC, i never had more than 1 rehearsal, if any, (mostly original material). Being expected to be able to read is a big factor.

 

[longfinger]

Leaving aside issues of money and time..., and leaving out low pressure gigs being "rehearsals" for higher pressure gigs..
and giving the presupposition of solid musicianship and preparation of both camps..

>What other criteria do you think sperate bands that 'never rehearse' from those which do so regularly ?

- bands that don't rehearse thrive on the thrill of spontaneity
- bands that rehearse thrive on planned perfection

 

[chadds]

I wonder if there is any kind of prep you do for that? Are there ways to be better -as a band - at free improv?

Same criteria as mentioned above. Personal practice. Knowing your instrument and exercising the body so it does everything you want. Deep listening into multiple forms of music. Someone with the initials JP said practice is also done with the bass when you’re not holding it.

You said better as a band at free improv. Listen to each other. Turn off your thinking. Wait. Miles said if you don’t have anything to say don’t play. Space/silence demarcates sound so make it. Keep breathing.

 

[GWGuitar]

Cueing.

Yep. If there is a good leader and you know his signals, the band knows what to do. I once played with a jam band that did all kinds of stuff without rehearsing. When we went into the studio to record an album of originals, they put the drums in the big room and the rest of us were in isolation booths. We couldn’t see each other or the leader and it was like we couldn’t play. The engineer brought out the leader to sit by the drummer so we could see him. We basically recorded the whole album live,
then he went back and re-recorded his vocals and guitar without the drum bleed-over.

 

[funkmaster p]

The ability of a band member to telegraph the next move with a facial expression or body language.
The ability for the rest of the band to recognize this and respond accordingly.

 

[sid sonic]

or... you all are in the jam band world and rely totally on feeling the force, set the boundary key (s), eyes closed, its music after all and hot damn just simply amaze your dumbfounded self again and again, record everything so you cant deny what transpired then realize that you never played that before, will never play it again and on an on it goes to the next explosion, aka sid sonic and the no quarter necessary jam band of knuckleheads !...ps, the musicianship level acheived and skillset displayed never allow for the noodeling thing ever!...life outside the box...ss

 

[Snarf]

My band does not rehearse. We are one of the busiest bands in our market, so we just play a ton. We know each other's visual cues and can communicate easily. Everybody takes responsibility to run through new material on their own. Everybody with the exception of a couple singers is a full time musician.

At the same time as all of this, no one is expected to make every gig. We don't rehearse or audition subs, either. We bring someone on the gig, if they trainwreck they don't get called again.

The bandleader also commissions the keyboard player to chart every song in the repertoire and every special request. He also transcribes important parts for the instruments to hit. So a lot of these charts are 3-stavers. So there is something to lean on for the musicians, and the subs really benefit a lot from it.

 

[Blueinred]

In my old cover band, we would get to the gig early to add new songs (mostly weddings/private parties). We all were informed ahead of time of the new tunes and came in ready (usually). Most of the run throughs were to get the vocals/harmonies down. Never lasted more than 20-30 minutes.

 

[Carl Hillman]

What other criteria do you think sperate bands that 'never rehearse' from those which do so regularly ?

Everybody listens to everyone else in the band...all the time.

 

[ComeHomeShane]

@mambo4

Lots of great input so far. My 2 cents:

It depends on the experience and preparation of the members. Professional musicians typically can learn music much faster than amateurs or hobbyists. For example, look at current jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy... it's a collective of musicians that are winning Grammies left and right. But they're all spread out around the world. They admittedly don't rehearse the music until the day that they get together to record it. One time I saw them live and the band leader said , "we literally learned this song this morning," right before counting it off.

In the case of Vulfpeck. A. They've previously grinded a lot of their music in year previous. B. They're essential playing simple funk tunes with a lot of technicality tossed in, but the core theory of their music isn't that difficult. C. They're all strong musicians and know the music well enough that it doesn't take much to get back in that gear.

This is one of the reasons why real musicians are never content. They're constantly looking for the next challenge or unique musical experience that they need to work hard to find. All those vulfpeck guys have multiple other projects that rehearse regularly.

 

[Topkat13]

If you need to rehearse…if not don’t.

 

[pepj]

The material is either 'standard' so you'll make it work from the 1st measure,...once you've heard the drum groove.. and you get the key.
You might need to check what the first change interval is, but you have the song vaguely running through your head and you know the change is coming up...
or you chart it.
But it still needs trust that the guys have the same deal going.
It basically needs a lot of experience but someones version of thinking they can do this might be a lot different to what degree they actually can.

Ideally you avoid those people in the first place by having a list of people you know are sorted is really the key.
This is why outsiders initially might find it hard to break in.

If I had a date to cover scratch...I know who I'd draw from, and I know who I definitely wouldn't.

 

[misterCRUSH]

Practice.

Practice is different from rehearsal. If every member does their work it doesn’t take very much to combine them.

I absolutely agree with that. Practicing should be done alone. Rehearsal is for growing into a congruent group. I think that’s especially true with my jazz trios. We rehearse to know each other so well that when someone changes direction, we all move accordingly just like a school of fish. We’ve had lots of compliments about how well we change feel and direction. Be well, BASS

 

[manchego_eggo]

Like many have said, Vulf are all conservatory grads that have been together for a decade. also want to note that they all play in each others' side projects.

For covers, I think you can get away with it. To date, I have only played in bands with people with varying degrees of ability ranging on literal conservatory grads who've won awards down to local bar flies, and I think it just depends on how often people want to play, how much and often they want to intro new material, etc.

 

[Govner22]

There are “type A” bands where practice is done at home and little to no rehearsing is needed, and “type B” bands where the vibe is more casual and songs are worked out in rehearsal. Either type can work IF every member is on board with which type the band decides to be. I’m in three A bands and one B band and I needed to adjust my mindset for the B band to keep it fun.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

There isn’t a checkbox of criteria because each group is unique in both skill set and circumstance. If you can pull off a show without rehearsing, you don’t need to rehearse.

 

[bucephylus]

Depends entirely on the gig and material.

There are bands that never make it out of the rehearsal space.

There are bands that don’t rehearse their material properly and perform poorly.

Most gigs fall in between. Personal woodshedding cover material and eyes up on stage both help a lot.

Material is also dependent. Mustang Sally generally doesn’t need rehearsal. An adaptation of All You Need is Love may need rehearsal to sort out who is playing the parts covered by the studio orchestra in the recording. That kind of thing.

As usual, common sense applies; though I recognize that to be frequently a challenge.

 

[emal]

I have a buddy who does that, and as an amateur it blew my mind away! I mean they played songs for the first time at soundcheck!! I'm a jammer, and need that feedback, it amazes me how talented some of you and these musicians are!

 

[51PRI]

IF everyone does their homework, and IF you gig enough, it can work.

THIS

IF the individual members are good enough to, and willing to spend the time to, actually sit down and learn the songs and not rely on tabs or online chord charts. I mean actually learn the PARTS to the song.

...We're adding a new song tomorrow night. I'm sure it won't be perfect, but it won't be bad either. ...

May I ask what the song is and what the extent of preparation is? I'm curious as to what the complexity of songs can be learned at home and just played at the gig.

...

>What other criteria do you think sperate bands that 'never rehearse' from those which do so regularly ?

- bands that don't rehearse thrive on the thrill of spontaneity
- bands that rehearse thrive on planned perfection

If The Eagles is an example of a major act with "planned perfection" what would be an example of an big name act who makes it work on "the thrill of spontaneity?"