Cover bands: How much time do you spend rehearsing?

[Joe Nerve]

Doing your own take indeed. And I think that is an important part of the conversation. If you and your mates are okay with re-writing parts, leaving out harmonies, changing chord progressions, etc., and if your audience is okay with it, then more power to you. There is little reason to rehearse.

That was just that particular band, which was an original band (not cover), doing a cover. I actually think doing that is something that needs rehearsal more than when people are doing straight covers. We were able to pull that off with a certain degree of tightness because we both (the drummer and I) have done that cover with him before, but with different musicians. We pretty much knew what the guitar/singer was going to be doing.

Doing straight covers, I disagree. If everyone commits to their parts, there's no need to rehearse. If people can't commit to playing like on the recording, or you don't trust them to, well then that's a different story.

As far as backing vocals and harmonies go, most of that can be pulled off too without a rehearsal. A discussion, or bedroom rehearsal can take care of it. If it's a beach boys tribute, then that too would also be a different story. At least until the band got it all down.

 

[Roland GR 88]

A good cover band will sound like they wrote the material, a mediocre one will sound like they learned it. The difference is practice and the confidence that comes from more practice. Any band will improve the more they play together and the only limitation is the perception you have of your own skills.

 

[Gearhead17]

Again, maybe I underestimate my own experience, but what you describe here makes it even more fun for me. Yes, drummers will add their own feel and fills at times (often actually), but if you're practiced at listening and feeling, it becomes like a dance. Teamwork. Making music together. The first live video I posted a few pages back was a perfect example. It was a slow tune where I had to pickup on what the drummer was doing in order to make my fills work with his. In the beginning of the song we're not entirely matched up, yet we stay simple and tight. By the final third we both started picking up on each other.

I understand your view point a bit more now. For me, I like to play the song in the structure and feel we already rehearsed. My cover band never did songs as a "jam", so I missed many chances to "think on my feet". I got better over time to adjusting with different drummers, but I honestly don't feel good constantly watching and feeling the drummer to find out what in the heck he is doing. You lose out on making eye contact with the crowd or making movements to certain parts of the songs. Of course it is important to make eye contact with your drummer periodically, but when you do it so much that you can't focus on anything else, then you have a bigger problem.

 

[rogerbmiller]

My band rehearses 3 hours every Monday night. On occasion we will do another 3 hour night in the same week.

The rest of my "practice" consists of listening to the songs we are playing. That is as useful as playing through the songs for me.

 

[electracoyote]

Doing straight covers, I disagree. If everyone commits to their parts, there's no need to rehearse. If people can't commit to playing like on the recording, or you don't trust them to, well then that's a different story.

In every cover band I have played, even those filled with some seriously talented and experienced musicians, there is often at least one person who didn't hear the original as it is, or decided to take a short-cut, or do a re-write, or put their own creative spin on their part. That usually creates an awkward feel to the song. When you have three or four people who are nailing it faithfully to the original, and one person who re-wrote their part for whatever reason, and it's causing dissonance, it needs to be addressed. That's what rehearsals are for.

If you're in a cover band where everyone nails their part just like the original (or whatever version has been decided upon), and shows up to a gig playing the song that well with no rehearsal, that is pretty impressive, and rare IME.

By your own admission, when you start polishing things (like adding harmonies) it does take at least a little rehearsing to pick out parts. And the amount of rehearsal it takes to polish things to everyone's expectations and satisfaction varies wildly from group to group.

Usually, when bands don't rehearse, or "nailing it" isn't the standard, the result is what you showed us in the "Ticket To Ride" video. Good in its own way, but far from what I would call "faithful." And I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just saying that, in the final analysis, we're talking about different standards in place for the band members, the product, and the audience. There's no "right or wrong" here.

 

[Joe Nerve]

The rest of my "practice" consists of listening to the songs we are playing. That is as useful as playing through the songs for me.

There was a thread a few years back regarding practicing without your instrument. Some argued that it couldn't be done. I absolutely can, and often do go over songs while driving, while at the gym, at work, etc. I've even begun going over songs without having the music with me. I visualize the changes, fingering, notes... As if I'm playing the tunes. This is sometimes even the best practice for me as it alerts me to the spots that I need to hone up on. It's become an invaluable method of practice for me.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Usually, when bands don't rehearse, or "nailing it" isn't the standard, the result is what you showed us in the "Ticket To Ride" video. Good in its own way, but far from what I would call "faithful." And I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just saying that, in the final analysis, we're talking about different standards in place for the band members, the product, and the audience. There's no "right or wrong" here.

That ticket to ride thing isn't what I'm talking about in the OP. It's intentionally not faithful to the original. Tthat's not the way I do songs in any of the cover bands I play in, or am talking about here. We're not talking about different standards. I just posted a video that seems to be confusing things a bit.

I could only go on faith that the drummer and guitarist were going to play Red Barchetta as it was recorded last week. They told me they were, I believed them, and they followed through. If they hadn't, it could have gotten ugly but I'm guessing we'd have survived. As complicated as that song is, if people truly do their homework (which for me on that song took many hours), it can be performed, tightly, without rehearsal. And I don't believe that rehearsing it for 2 months prior will make any difference. It can sometimes actually make things worse as people sometimes get overly confident, and start improvising more at times if they start getting bored with the material.

 

[Liam Wald]

On the rare occasion that I play with a cover band, I do all of my practice at home using You Tube.
I know the songs and absolutely expect the other players to know them as well so that when the band gets together each song needs to be played once... maybe twice and it is good to go. No more than one or two rehearsals before the gig.

 

[electracoyote]

On the rare occasion that I play with a cover band, I do all of my practice at home using You Tube.
I know the songs and absolutely expect the other players to know them as well so that when the band gets together each song needs to be played once... maybe twice and it is good to go. No more than one or two rehearsals before the gig.

I could only go on faith that the drummer and guitarist were going to play Red Barchetta as it was recorded last week. They told me they were, I believed them, and they followed through. If they hadn't, it could have gotten ugly but I'm guessing we'd have survived. As complicated as that song is, if people truly do their homework (which for me on that song took many hours), it can be performed, tightly, without rehearsal.

Well, that's the ideal, and I could easily thrive in that situation and rehearse far less.

I envy you guys for landing in that situation, because cover band musicians who believe this, have both the ear and the chops for it, and give the effort preparing at home (and getting it right) are very rare in my experience. There always seems to be at least one guy or gal who needs a second pair of ears or a motivational boost.

 

[Liam Wald]

Of course there are more factors than how often you rehearse, but if you think that how often you rehearse has no bearing on how tight a band is, you are fooling yourself. If you are playing a couple times a week, or on tour playing every night, that's a different story.

If you think you can pick up every nuance of every member of the band in a rehearsal or two, then either you are the most phenomenal player in history or you and I have very different definitions of what constitutes 'tight.' I vote for the latter.

I just don't get why people ask for opinions and then start arguing when they don't get the opinions they want.

I agree with this. The more you play the tighter you will be.
But I will not rehearse with a band two nights a week for two months to go play a gig.
If everyone knows the songs and is a proficient musician the band can put in the time to get REALLY tight by gigging.
I have worked in Casino Cabaret bands that rehearsed twice and then gigged five nights a week for months on end and by the end of the first week the band was very tight indeed. I am firmly of the belief that one gig is equal to ten studio practice sessions.

 

[rogerbmiller]

There was a thread a few years back regarding practicing without your instrument. Some argued that it couldn't be done. I absolutely can, and often do go over songs while driving, while at the gym, at work, etc. I've even begun going over songs without having the music with me. I visualize the changes, fingering, notes... As if I'm playing the tunes. This is sometimes even the best practice for me as it alerts me to the spots that I need to hone up on. It's become an invaluable method of practice for me.

Exactly! To me it's most important to hear and know the song if you are playing it in a cover band. Unless you are just doing your own arrangement etc. I find that listening is the most productive form of practice for covers though playing them certainly helps as well!

 

[lfmn16]

I agree with this. The more you play the tighter you will be.
But I will not rehearse with a band two nights a week for two months to go play a gig.
If everyone knows the songs and is a proficient musician the band can put in the time to get REALLY tight by gigging.
I have worked in Casino Cabaret bands that rehearsed twice and then gigged five nights a week for months on end and by the end of the first week the band was very tight indeed. I am firmly of the belief that one gig is equal to ten studio practice sessions.

I agree completely with what you are saying. Some people are setting up a false dichotomy between either not practicing or practicing 4 times a week. There is a lot of middle ground and the more you gig, the less you need to rehearse. Maybe a better way of putting it is what you are saying - that to get really tight you need to play together a lot (although I'm sure someone will argue with this too).

My original post also mentioned that I think how much you practice depends on your goals. Some bands can sound perfectly fine without rehearsal and some people can all show up the night of the gig and sound fine. What I call BS on is that you can be really tight right off the bat with no rehearsal. In a rehearsal or two, you can't get to know what all of the other people are going to play. You can't know that in a certain situation, the drummer is going to do this kind of fill or that kind of fill. How do you work out all the harmonies without a single rehearsal? And I don't care how prepared everyone is, you aren't going to play a night of material with one or two rehearsals and not have people looking at each other for some beginnings, endings or cues.

All I'm trying to say that there is more than one way to approach this.

 

[AndyLES]

Late to this thread, but my two cents is:

Do your homework, and you won't need to rehearse as much.

 

[gregbackstrom]

My "cover band" rehearses every Sunday for three hours. We're all former full-time, pro-level musicians who (in this band) play about 18 - 20 gigs a year. We're a seven piece band with three female lead singers, and our stuff is highly-choreographed. All of us sing except the drummer. We bill ourselves as a "Show Band" and we're pretty expensive, so we make sure that the client gets a first-tier product for their money. Our song list is, by now, probably 500 songs long, including lots of swing, rock, disco, country, soul and every current hit that's relevant to our lineup.

For me, rehearsing = being tight. We're all good enough to wing a gig without mistakes, and I doubt anyone in our audience would notice any lack of precision if we rehearsed less. But our goal is to be "perfect," both for our audiences and ourselves. Rehearsal gives us an opportunity to tweak our songs, transitions, pacing, MC'ing, etc. and try to raise our game a little more. I like the rehearsals almost as much as the gigs.

BTW, I'm a lousy golfer, so that's not a distraction!

(I forgot to mention that the girls also rehearse for three-or-so hours on Wednesday evenings, to get the choreography and harmonies tight. The results are fun to listen to, and even more fun to watch!)

Cordially,
Greg

 

[Liam Wald]

My original post also mentioned that I think how much you practice depends on your goals.

Thank you for making this very important point. For a large percentage of musicians the goal is to simply get together with friends to play music, do an occasional party or local club date, and have a good time. Playing music for the sheer joy of it is great. Not everyone has the luxury of dedicating a great deal of time to music in which case it is probably more fun to use that limited time to play with others whatever the result may be.

 

[electracoyote]

How do you work out all the harmonies without a single rehearsal? And I don't care how prepared everyone is, you aren't going to play a night of material with one or two rehearsals and not have people looking at each other for some beginnings, endings or cues.

Yep, those are two very important details that I'd rather not work out in front of a live audience at a paying gig.

 

[DwaynieAD]

I have just as much fun at rehearsals as I do at gigs. Sometimes more fun. Totally different kind of fun at that.

Some dudes are in it for money so for art some for hanging out and some for groupies. There are probably a million other reasons why people do the band thing.

No one is wrong for doing it there way. Congratulations on finding dudes that share your idea of the way to do it.

 

[Joe Nerve]

What I call BS on is that you can be really tight right off the bat with no rehearsal. In a rehearsal or two, you can't get to know what all of the other people are going to play. You can't know that in a certain situation, the drummer is going to do this kind of fill or that kind of fill. How do you work out all the harmonies without a single rehearsal? And I don't care how prepared everyone is, you aren't going to play a night of material with one or two rehearsals and not have people looking at each other for some beginnings, endings or cues.

All I'm trying to say that there is more than one approach to this

You hurt my feelings again by calling BS, so I have to come back with telling you that you can call all the BS you like, it won't change reality. Maybe you're very schooled, yet don't have the live experience necessary to do this? I don't know? Why do you think you have to know every single thing everyone is going to do in order to play tightly? If you work like that, I sure hope nobody ever effs up during one of your gigs.

As for the last part of your post above, what exactly is wrong with looking at other musicians for beginnings, endings, and cues? If you do it like a deer in the headlights, yeah, that could be a problem, but I consider communicating with others on stage a good, not bad thing. They're who I'm playing with.

I agree that there's more than one approach to this, but that's not all you're trying to say - as you state. You're saying it can't be done any other way than the way you do it. If you look closely, I never said anything like that. Sorry if this post hurts your feelings - but you promised you wouldn't hurt mine anymore . You lied. I'm very sensitive, ya know.

 

[lfmn16]

Thank you for making this very important point. For a large percentage of musicians the goal is to simply get together with friends to play music, do an occasional party or local club date, and have a good time. Playing music for the sheer joy of it is great. Not everyone has the luxury of dedicating a great deal of time to music in which case it is probably more fun to use that limited time to play with others whatever the result may be.

+1

Also, if you are playing in a cover band, sometimes sounding good is good enough. I never tried to get to the point I'm at with my current band when we were just playing covers. In other bands if we played all of the changes right, all of the signature licks right, harmonies sounded good and we got through it with minimal and unnoticeable mistakes, we were all happy. With my current band I know what fills the drummer will play on what songs and 99% of the time I can tell just by feel which fill he's going to play. Not every situation is worth the effort it takes to get to that level.

 

[tbz]

There was a thread a few years back regarding practicing without your instrument. Some argued that it couldn't be done. I absolutely can, and often do go over songs while driving, while at the gym, at work, etc. I've even begun going over songs without having the music with me. I visualize the changes, fingering, notes... As if I'm playing the tunes. This is sometimes even the best practice for me as it alerts me to the spots that I need to hone up on. It's become an invaluable method of practice for me.

I had to learn Stinkfist Friday for a cover band I'm starting to work with.

Listened to it 8-10 times that day; glanced at 4 versions of the tab, practiced it for ~30 minutes. Everyone else complimented me on how tight everything sounded on my end.

Those 8-10 listens did more good than the 30 minutes of actual practice, to be sure.