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Ever have a practice that just really pissed you off?
- Thread starter SMILEYSIXX
- Start date
The only band I'm in that practices is my church worship band, and some of those nights I've really come home in a bad mood (ask my wife). People not having done their homework, lack of basic musical talent and/or awareness, lack of leadership in the rehearsal session itself, tech issues, etc.
It's not as bad as it used to be though and I think I've re-calibrated my mindset somewhat too to help me cope in that particular environment.
It's not as bad as it used to be though and I think I've re-calibrated my mindset somewhat too to help me cope in that particular environment.
Yep, I had a practice that just pissed me off a few weeks ago. We got everyone together for a Saturday session to run thru our setlist. We started at 2:30 & by 4:30 we'd only gone thru 10 songs. Sure we needed to work on them, but the drummer & singer wasted 10 - 15 minutes every time we stopped for any reason.
I was ready to duct tape some mouths shut!!
I was ready to duct tape some mouths shut!!
Man I just had one of these this past Tuesday. We are literally just starting out, and working on getting the foundation of our songs into place one at a time. We are pretty much original metal (yeah I know how original huh) and comprised of; singer, drummer, keys, guitar, and bass. Typically it starts with the drummer laying down a beat and I follow with some bass that sounds good in place with the drums. The guitar then follows me and comes up with something.
The problem we have had lately is that the guitar player keeps wanting to play exactly what I am playing note for note ... Ive been trying to get it into his head that as the sole guitar player I need him to more play the chord progression (expect for solo's or fills where I think it sounds better for us to mirror) and let me provide the movement while keeping in sync with the drums. Every time I play a section that he thinks sounds cool, he will end up changing what he is playing and start playing with me note for note ....
ugh drove me nuts last practice ... gotta try and figure out how to get it into his head that as the lone guitar player we need him to lay down and keep the progression.
Aaron
The problem we have had lately is that the guitar player keeps wanting to play exactly what I am playing note for note ... Ive been trying to get it into his head that as the sole guitar player I need him to more play the chord progression (expect for solo's or fills where I think it sounds better for us to mirror) and let me provide the movement while keeping in sync with the drums. Every time I play a section that he thinks sounds cool, he will end up changing what he is playing and start playing with me note for note ....
ugh drove me nuts last practice ... gotta try and figure out how to get it into his head that as the lone guitar player we need him to lay down and keep the progression.
Aaron
I remember the first big fight with my first band.
We were rehearsing the last time before a gig. Wanted to make sure everything is 100% rehearsed. Played through our setlist. Then the singer said "ok, we're done". I insisted doing the set another time. He said "what, we got it, everythings fine" - enraged me so much that I thoughtlessly said "Well, piss off then".
Not good hehe.
There are always good and bad practices. You need to keep balanced, even when things don't go too well. Next practice will go better, unless there are really profound dissonances to be adressed in the band.
Aaron: You are right, with only one guitar, you should only double when the song calls for it. It's perfectly fine when guitar and bass play diffrent things. Sadly, our fellow 6-string musicians often see bass as only the bass boost to their sound.
We were rehearsing the last time before a gig. Wanted to make sure everything is 100% rehearsed. Played through our setlist. Then the singer said "ok, we're done". I insisted doing the set another time. He said "what, we got it, everythings fine" - enraged me so much that I thoughtlessly said "Well, piss off then".
Not good hehe.
There are always good and bad practices. You need to keep balanced, even when things don't go too well. Next practice will go better, unless there are really profound dissonances to be adressed in the band.
Aaron: You are right, with only one guitar, you should only double when the song calls for it. It's perfectly fine when guitar and bass play diffrent things. Sadly, our fellow 6-string musicians often see bass as only the bass boost to their sound.
I am on the verge of leaving the band I am currently with. The rhythm guitarist just doesn't learn the songs... he plods along from practice to practice, not really working out the songs on his own time, instead, waiting until we get together to start fiddling with a tune. He likes to practice over and over the set list we have, playing the tunes we know well already. I leave many practices feeling frustrated and angry that the reason we are not advancing steadily is because he has not done his homework. We have not really confronted the issue, instead, I have just started looking for other opportunities. My thoughts are that even with talking it out, it probably will not change much about his lazy approach to learning songs.
baileyboy, you'll never know until you actually talk things out. Before leaving, you could try to adress your discomfort with your guitarist's work ethic. It's always bad to let steam build up in a band, one day it might trigger an explosion...
Thanks man, Im actually quite relieved to hear another bass player say that. Ive only been playing about four years now, so the majority of my observations dont come from experience but what sounds and feels right to me. And all through practice it just didnt sound or feel right to me when he would do that. Now for a couple bar quick fills when transitioning between parts of the song it worked great but for the main verse and chorus sections it sounded very rough and muddy ...
Aaron
The drummer and I are great friends so we worked out whatever was between us and it's going good. Our guitarist is on top of everything and it's working out there.
BUT, after practice last night, as the drummer and I are packing his gear into his garage, he turns to me and says, "Dude... is it me or do we need a new singer?" Thank God I'm not the only one thinking it. Later today, we're talking to the guitarist about a new singer, the guy just can't get it right at all. Spending 45 minutes on a song because the singer can't comprehend that his vocals are following the melody of the bass is absolutely ridiculous.
BUT, after practice last night, as the drummer and I are packing his gear into his garage, he turns to me and says, "Dude... is it me or do we need a new singer?" Thank God I'm not the only one thinking it. Later today, we're talking to the guitarist about a new singer, the guy just can't get it right at all. Spending 45 minutes on a song because the singer can't comprehend that his vocals are following the melody of the bass is absolutely ridiculous.
Just to break ranks, I had a great practice the other day! That is, practice by myself, not rehearsal with the band. I had a riff in mind for a song, but just hadn't been able to nail it physically. This has been going on for a couple of months at least, & it's been frustrating. What I've been playing has been OK, & I doubt that anybody other than myself would really notice the difference, or care much. However, it's just something that I want to do differently & haven't been able to make it work.
I finally nailed it Tues., & played it again Wed. just to be sure. A new set of heavier-gauge strings may have helped, but I'd like to think that I just may have gotten a little bit better, myself! Gig tomorrow, & the song is on the set list, so we'll see how it goes. Right now, I'm pretty pleased with myself!
I finally nailed it Tues., & played it again Wed. just to be sure. A new set of heavier-gauge strings may have helped, but I'd like to think that I just may have gotten a little bit better, myself! Gig tomorrow, & the song is on the set list, so we'll see how it goes. Right now, I'm pretty pleased with myself!
Just had a fight with the singer because he couldn't handle me criticizing his vocals. I'd say this band's just about done for me.
Oh, band fights. So, SO many stories to tell. I'd suggest finding a time to talk to everyone and just letting everyone speak how they feel about what's going on. If there's tension in the room, I'm sure everyone is feeling it and not liking it. Also, try to eliminate any disrespect issues; especially if they're with only a couple of members. That's their beef, not the bands.
