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Do your bandmates practice material?

How would you handle it?

  • Comment about it openly at rehearsal?

    Votes: 28 56.0%

  • Backchannel the concern?

    Votes: 6 12.0%

  • @ 50 years old, some folks ain't gonna change.

    Votes: 16 32.0%
  • Total voters
    50
P. Aaron

P. Aaron

Supporting Member
Sep 16, 2002
14,296
9,840
Livin’ on a slab in Plano, TX
#1
If there is any one thing that sticks in my craw it's learning the songs at rehearsal. Most of the band shows up having learned the material we agreed to learn...except one person who says; "...just show me." Once in a while, fine. But it gets old when it's every week, and stuff we're supposed to have down I hear him adjusting: slidin' into a change, rather than knowing what comes next.

Needles to say, it hinders progress. To the point I'm shouting "major, minor" changes...walking on the singer. 1-4-5 tunes no less.:rollno:

Since I am the newbie there, I am going to have to back-channel my concern. Heck, I've learned 40 songs I never played before since April, & a senior member can't lock it in?

If it can't be resolved, I may have to bail. I don't wanna tell adults how or what to practice.
 
#3
I'm in an originals band that is starting to do a few covers here and there. No matter what the song is, we all make it a point to be as prepared as we can when we come into rehearsal. It doesn't have to be flawless, but for the most part each person has to do their homework and know the song we're doing.
 
#4
I'm still not sure how we get by, but we do. Here's our process:
* bandleader charts the tune and posts it on band member website (the problem here is he doesn't have a great ear and is somewhat lazy, so it's not 100%)
* I'll run through it on my own (with recording if possible) before hand
* at practice - vocalists are reading lyrics, bandleader hasn't revisited the song since he charted it, horns are sight reading, drummer hasn't done squat, guitar player sight reads
* somehow eventually we pull it off - but it ends up take weeks instead of one evening
 
#6
My band do occasionally all end up learning songs at rehearsal. Most of the time i run through it a few times at home to get the general jist, and then take the tab with me to band and use it if i need to. Our singer uses sometimes lyric sheets at rehearsals, but he always has his guitar parts down so he isnt looking at tabs for that. We can all learn songs quite fast even if we havent looked at it beforehand, i learnt one inbetween soundcheck and playing before now, which went flawlessly.

Liam
 
#7
I bailed on a project last year largely because of that. The lead guitarist (who, by his own admission, was a better rhythm guitarist, but he was decent on lead) couldn't be bothered learning material. "Hey, I gotta job -- I do this for fun" was his regular response when we suggested he actually learn the stuff before showing up at rehearsals. Then he would hunt around the fretboard while playing, or we'd have to run through the changes for him, which would usually be forgotten by next rehearsal. Drove me and the missus nuts.

I really hate having my time wasted, and I'm enormously sensitive to showing up at rehearsal when I don't have my parts down. This is a fundamental issue, and it probably won't ever be fixed. Play with them as long as it's fun, and accept the frustration. Meanwhile, actively or passively look for something else that will make you happier.

-jb
 
#10
Learning songs on the fly at rehearsal is something that is generally frowned upon in my band. Everyone is aware of the "learn it at home" policy. We even decide on a version in advance and I'll send out MP3s of exactly which version we should be learning.

Ocassionally, if we're bored or we've accomplished our goal for the rehearsal, we'll spontaneously try something or use the down time to listen to the original and give it a crack. We actually learn a song together only rarely, as there is almost always someone who needs some extra time to learn their part.
 
#11
Learning at rehearsal is garage band mentality - members should be prepared.

The leader and I create the lead sheets and send them out with MP3s of the songs at least a couple of weeks before they are rehearsed, and everyone is expected to have at least a passing knowledge of the new tunes. However, our keyboardist has a very demanding job, and we do let him skate on this from time to time, and he picks it up very fast.
 
#12
I was in a project where only me and the guitarist would show up knowing the material. The second guitarist, singer, and drummer would just improve their parts on the spot and call it 'good enough'. I eventually told them I wasn't showing up to any rehearsal unless they guaranteed me they had learned all the songs beforehand because I wasn't wasting any of my time on their nonsense. They told me I was a whiny *****. I left and formed a new band with the good guitarist that was playing two gigs a weekend and was pulling in at least $80 a member a night. The other guys haven't been in a working band since then.
 
#13
There's no right answer, if you're in a band that noodles around learning stuff at rehearsal, and don't mind it, no problem. If you are trying to learn songs and everyone else shows up prepared, you better too.

Its all about communicating and having similar goals.

Personally, call a song at the last rehearsal, know it at this rehearsal is my preferred method.

No point wasting everyone elses time if they know it and you don't. No point getting on their case if nobody knows it but you, they aren't going to change.

Just get with the right guys with similar goals, and its all good.

Randy
 
#14
They HAVE to, and MUST show progress at each practice or else they get the boot (it's happened before - we've canned people who slacked off and found people who don't).

Practice, and consequent progress is NON-NEGOTIABLE and REQUIRED for EVERYONE, myself included. I practice nearly everyday, and sometimes twice a day if I can (never ever go more than 4 days without practicing), and I've been at it for nearly 34 years.

A band is only as good as the weakest link... sorry to sound Draconian, but it's GOT to be either practice or the door.
 
#15
We are trying to start a cover band and we only have Bass, drums, and a lead singer. We have 20 songs we've been playing for 2 months but every time we audition a lead guitarist the singer forgets when the changes come and I have to tell them no, or signal to them. Two months and they still don't know the songs! Lazy Noobs! I tell them practice is not for learning the songs but refining backup vocals, endings, etc. It's embarassing to audition a good guitarists and have my bandmates make mistakes cuz they haven't practiced. The last time that happened I told them that I'm not auditioning anyone else till they learn the songs. Haven't gotten any reply to that email yet. Good. Time to look for an established band. Too old and musically experienced to put up with that $*/ #. Actually a few of the guitarists told me later they'd like to start a different band with me.
 
#16
I hear you... Happens all the time. Come to rehearsal and one particular member doesn't know what's going on. We'll try to guide him, but he always says: I''ll work on it at home". Then repeat situation... needless to say, if he's not prepared come August, he's out.
 
#17
P. Aaron said:
If there is any one thing that sticks in my craw it's learning the songs at rehearsal. Most of the band shows up having learned the material we agreed to learn...except one person who says; "...just show me." Once in a while, fine. But it gets old when it's every week, and stuff we're supposed to have down I hear him adjusting: slidin' into a change, rather than knowing what comes next.

Needles to say, it hinders progress. To the point I'm shouting "major, minor" changes...walking on the singer. 1-4-5 tunes no less.:rollno:

Since I am the newbie there, I am going to have to back-channel my concern. Heck, I've learned 40 songs I never played before since April, & a senior member can't lock it in?

If it can't be resolved, I may have to bail. I don't wanna tell adults how or what to practice.
Click to expand...

Wow! Your situation sounds so much like mine, its scary. In my band, my guitar player is 50, and hes good but doesn't work on the tunes.....I have to nag to get any progress and even at that, its minimal. My keyboard player freelances in several groups, but he is good enough to pick up most everything after hearing it once......wish I had that kind of ear. I learned their entire 40 song playlist....quickly because they had a gig coming up, that was in March, since then it has been a struggle to learn new stuff, and even maintaining the old material is a challange.
 
#18
It drives me mental when I make the effort to pack my gear, drive out to someone's house, set everything up, tune, then have an extended discussion about how a song starts or what key it is in. It's my number one factor of 'checking out' at a practice.

Having said that, I have my lax times. When I work a 70 hour week I (a) am exhausted by the weekend and (b) have not had time to practice at home. What I do to help is listen to the playlist over and over, which helps me remember patterns and how the song properly goes so I can at least play it without making a complete idiot of myself.

Some people don't get it. There are gray areas because not all of us can dedicate 4-6 hours a week outside of rehearsal, but everyone in the band should be doing their part and be prepared to the best of their ability so the band can progress past weekend hack status, unless that's what you're aiming for...
 
#19
Gio S said:
The leader and I create the lead sheets and send them out with MP3s of the songs at least a couple of weeks before they are rehearsed
Click to expand...
Yeah, that helps a lot. Though we use youtube links instead of MP3s... there might be pretty girls in the videos and that will motivate people to listen to the song a few times, heh.
 
#20
This thread is exactly what I'm going through with our singer. You know you're in trouble when the singer comes in early or late after you start the intro. For the life of me I can't understand what's so difficult for the singer to remember she comes in AFTER the little Bass rift on Black Velvet? Also, the problem is when someone (for example) skips a verse and goes into the bridge early, it throws off people who thought they knew the order of the song and then how many times does another member do the same thing at the next gig. I chart out every arrangement and the usual suspect argues that I'm mistaken. So we have to waste time listening to the song and if course I'm right. Also, when people chronically don't practice, I figure what's the use of me practicing and the whole band stops being fun.
 

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