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How much practice before you perform?
- Thread starter WestyBassBob
- Start date
More like becoming familiar with the tune in a sense that you internalise it up to the point where you can express yourself and your playing in the most unobstructed way possible.
Time? I dunno. Number of times through it? Depends like everyone else. 5x to 15x maybe?
Hey, I like being prepared. But I've also learned 30 songs in 3 days and surprised myself.
Now if I have to sing it while playing, well, for lead vocals 30 to 50 reps before I'm comfortable. I know. I'm old. Maybe a dozen times if I get an easy harmony part instead, more if it's the tougher one, and I'm ready to sing the bass vocal parts after once through; those just make sense to me. We always try to do the songs with harmony together in a practice at least once before playing it out.
Edit:I'm working on one of those solo bass arrangements where you play the bass line and a higher, more melodic line. And sing. About 40 hours so far and there's a long way to go yet! It's hard!!!
Hey, I like being prepared. But I've also learned 30 songs in 3 days and surprised myself.
Now if I have to sing it while playing, well, for lead vocals 30 to 50 reps before I'm comfortable. I know. I'm old. Maybe a dozen times if I get an easy harmony part instead, more if it's the tougher one, and I'm ready to sing the bass vocal parts after once through; those just make sense to me. We always try to do the songs with harmony together in a practice at least once before playing it out.
Edit:I'm working on one of those solo bass arrangements where you play the bass line and a higher, more melodic line. And sing. About 40 hours so far and there's a long way to go yet! It's hard!!!
Last edited:
- Oct 7, 2000
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I hear you, and I feel for you.
As much as I like to fancy myself a competent player, I have to admit to having to put a LOT of time into Somebody Told Me. The choruses in that song go up and down the neck like no other song I ever played, and to get it down I had to play it slowly, over and over, for hours. First time we did that I had about 4 days to learn it, and it was getting done with NO rehearsal at all (they had already played it before). To top things off, a Talkbasser showed up at the gig (who I'd never met) the night we did, and we opened a set with it. I have to look good for a fellow Talkbasser
.Yeah... it rattled me.
I don't really have any problem playing it anymore, its now kinda on auto-pilot, but honestly - I don't like playing that song. The Killers bass player is excellent, without a doubt, but his parts aren't fun to play. Not for me, anyhow.
I've literally played songs at gigs where I'm told "this is a 1 4 5 in G", usually with it not being a 1 4 5 exactly, and sometimes not actually in G... and those, I probably shag up a couple times, but they're simple blues-style stuff in the low end so I figure it out by the end. Stressful but sure gets the ear working.
Others I've spent months on. Mainly this was when I was newer to the instrument and had something where I had to learn to play pick on a line, and do it fast and well, or had something way faster than I was used to. One song by a local singer had me working for a month straight, taping my fingers due to blistering or attempts to prevent blisters, and once I learned it, I could jump strings and frets at a far quicker pace than I could before.
Now, if it's not too complicated, I can pick a song up in a day. What helps is running it, doing something else, coming back to it, wash rinse repeat. Then if I have the chance, do that several more days lol and then I've really got it.
One thing that changes the approach is if it's something I feel I need to sketch out on paper to get a real handle on. For the simple stuff, maybe I'll just listen and commit to memory, but for anything with real form, I'm breaking down each section and studying that sucker. It takes time to get it where you KNOW an arrangement no matter how good you are.
Others I've spent months on. Mainly this was when I was newer to the instrument and had something where I had to learn to play pick on a line, and do it fast and well, or had something way faster than I was used to. One song by a local singer had me working for a month straight, taping my fingers due to blistering or attempts to prevent blisters, and once I learned it, I could jump strings and frets at a far quicker pace than I could before.
Now, if it's not too complicated, I can pick a song up in a day. What helps is running it, doing something else, coming back to it, wash rinse repeat. Then if I have the chance, do that several more days lol and then I've really got it.
One thing that changes the approach is if it's something I feel I need to sketch out on paper to get a real handle on. For the simple stuff, maybe I'll just listen and commit to memory, but for anything with real form, I'm breaking down each section and studying that sucker. It takes time to get it where you KNOW an arrangement no matter how good you are.
I have been playing bass in bands since the early 80s and can learn most of the classic rock tunes we do in a few minutes. With some of the easy tunes i have most of it in one listen of the song.
We were doing some country a few years back and our girl singer gave everybody a CD with new tunes to learn including "Chainsaw" by The Band Perry. I didn't have time to practice so I listened to the CD while I was painting one of my rental apartments. I printed the lyric/chord sheet. At practice I said play the recording of the song once so I can review it. I had no trouble with it and nobody in the band had a clue I had never played it before.
We were doing some country a few years back and our girl singer gave everybody a CD with new tunes to learn including "Chainsaw" by The Band Perry. I didn't have time to practice so I listened to the CD while I was painting one of my rental apartments. I printed the lyric/chord sheet. At practice I said play the recording of the song once so I can review it. I had no trouble with it and nobody in the band had a clue I had never played it before.
Ya, good luck with that
I still clam the crap out of songs I've been playing since the 70's.
If I like the song, I will work towards memorising it, however long that takes.
Otherwise, a look through the chart before I play it (on the gig), if I have time.
Obviously that depends on what type of music you're playing, I'm referring to Jazz/Latin, where it's
somewhat open to interpretation. If it's heavy notated parts, that's another matter, entirely.
Have the song 'down' as much as possible before rehearsal, but for me, rehearsals are very very rare,
as rare as gigs are, now
Otherwise, a look through the chart before I play it (on the gig), if I have time.
Obviously that depends on what type of music you're playing, I'm referring to Jazz/Latin, where it's
somewhat open to interpretation. If it's heavy notated parts, that's another matter, entirely.
Have the song 'down' as much as possible before rehearsal, but for me, rehearsals are very very rare,
as rare as gigs are, now
I'm glad you asked. My answer would be different if it weren't for the fateful day I got a call to fill in for a bass player that had to leave mid evening so I would be playing out the remaining 15 or 16 songs. The band leader sent me their entire song list and asked me to pick the songs I was most comfortable with. I knew that if I picked my choice it would be assumed that I couldn't play the other songs. I said "I'm familiar with all the songs on your list, you tell me what songs we will be playing and I will make sure to brush up on those songs". I guess I didn't read the list as close as I thought I did. When I received my list of songs it was Thursday evening. I had 24 hours to study and rehearse the songs. One rule I had made for myself was never play Zeppelin songs. I have seldom heard any band cover them with anything close to an accurate rendition but there it was. Good Times Bad Times from their first album. I decided it was time for me to apply myself because I had no intention of making a fool of myself. I listened to the song five times with headphones so there would be no distractions. Then I started playing along. I didn't take the headphones off until I was confident that I had a decent understanding of the structure of the song. One thing I will share with you about music theory in hope that it will motivate you to study theory: when a song goes to a bridge that isn't the same as the rest of the song, it's the Circle of Fifths. It was four solid hours of studying that one short song by one of the greatest bassists ever and it was worth it. I used the remaining 16 hours to learn the other songs and I played it again a couple times before loading my equipment and getting to the gig before the other band members. They were impressed with my punctuality at first but at the end of the night they high fived me for my playing.
Takes me about 15-20 hours for 3 songs. I really like getting it perfect. Finger placement, note position, fills, 1/4 or 1/8, where should I match the drum groove, how can I accent the drummer's fills, effects, and I memorize it.
Case one: Someone in the band suggests a song. A majority agrees. Everyone starts practising.
The song is hard, especially for me. I woodshed for about an hour a day and it takes three weeks until we can make it work in rehearsal. Five or six band rehearsals in the span of four weeks with continuous practice in between rehearsals later and it starts grooving.
Case two: The frontman on stage turns towards me and says: 'Now you don't know the next one, but it is mostly G and C. Watch out for the F in the chorus' followed by four clicks of the drumsticks.
The song is hard, especially for me. I woodshed for about an hour a day and it takes three weeks until we can make it work in rehearsal. Five or six band rehearsals in the span of four weeks with continuous practice in between rehearsals later and it starts grooving.
Case two: The frontman on stage turns towards me and says: 'Now you don't know the next one, but it is mostly G and C. Watch out for the F in the chorus' followed by four clicks of the drumsticks.
I say no because I have no way to factor in the endless number of times I have heard some of the songs I might be asked to play in the future and will therefore never need to sit down to learn
Ha, that's a great point!
If I wrote the song myself, I would be ready as soon as the band is ready. In my current band two of us write all of the songs, so the repetition of teaching it to the other guys is enough to cement it for me.
It could also depend on the gig itself. For that musical, I wanted every note to be perfect, because so many other people were depending on me, and I wanted to give the actors the best support possible.
When my buddy asks me to play a couple songs at an open mic, or my band played out first few shows to bartenders and wives? I didn't stress those as much.
There are those who believe a professional treats every gig as the most important gig. And they're not wrong. But that's an aspiration held by professionals. If you're just getting started, it's perfectly fine to spend some of your mental energy on stage just learning to be comfortable on stage. So if the song isn't 100% perfect, whatever. Yes, proper preparation goes a long way toward making you comfortable, but there's no substitute for experience.
To paraphrase an aphorism I heard applied to a slightly different subject, "It takes about ten years to look like you've been doing it for a decade."
Something my first teacher told me, has really stuck with me through the years:
If I can't learn a song in one half-hour practice session, then it's too difficult for my current ability. Set it aside, and come back to it later, when I have more skill. Don't spend multiple days (or weeks, or even months) banging my head against a song that's too hard for me right now!
Being able to learn at least 1 song per practice session, is a huge confidence-builder, that gives a big sense of forward progress and accomplishment.
A more advanced goal, is to try to learn the song before the end of the song. So for example, learn a 4 minute song in 2 or 3 minutes. While that might sound crazy to a beginner, it's really not as impossible as it sounds, and doesn't require professional-level abilities. Songs have structures and patterns, and once you learn these structures and patterns, new songs just magically start to "make sense." Each and every song that you learn, makes learning the next song that much easier.
Another thing to keep in mind is that many TalkBassers have the skill set, to play a gig where they've never heard the songs before, and maybe never even met the other musicians on stage! They can accomplish this through various skill-sets, such as beeing good sight-readers, having a great ear, being skilled in improvisation, or just being really experienced.
If I can't learn a song in one half-hour practice session, then it's too difficult for my current ability. Set it aside, and come back to it later, when I have more skill. Don't spend multiple days (or weeks, or even months) banging my head against a song that's too hard for me right now!
Being able to learn at least 1 song per practice session, is a huge confidence-builder, that gives a big sense of forward progress and accomplishment.
A more advanced goal, is to try to learn the song before the end of the song. So for example, learn a 4 minute song in 2 or 3 minutes. While that might sound crazy to a beginner, it's really not as impossible as it sounds, and doesn't require professional-level abilities. Songs have structures and patterns, and once you learn these structures and patterns, new songs just magically start to "make sense." Each and every song that you learn, makes learning the next song that much easier.
Another thing to keep in mind is that many TalkBassers have the skill set, to play a gig where they've never heard the songs before, and maybe never even met the other musicians on stage! They can accomplish this through various skill-sets, such as beeing good sight-readers, having a great ear, being skilled in improvisation, or just being really experienced.
I've read that hear a couple times. "The Pros treat every gig this or that way." The "Pros" learn in more detail. The Pros learn until they can't screw up.
1st, They were all amateurs at one time. Their work ethic elevated them. The songs I learned yesterday, 5 of em, I learned em in as great a detail as I would any tune for any gig, any jam, any lesson. And I'll never perform these tunes. That's how I work. Folk know this. It's why I get short notice calls. Why I get many calls. If you wanna be a pro, it starts long before you actually become one.
2nd, the 5 tunes I learned yestrrday I checked live videos. All the pros screwed up, changed their own lines or arrangements, missed vocal cues or changes, put a lick in a different measure, changed licks, changed melodies. My tribute bands are closer in accuracy. Pros screw up. They just don't make the SAME mistakes each night. Three guys I'll mention with the worst screw ups? Paul Stanley, Nuno Bettencourt, Mike Portnoy... And there are plenty more. Not to mention all the super bands that do altered versions of classic tunes. What's a mistake? What is "correct"? I just do me.
3rd, I consider myself a pro. Most of my income is from gigs or lessons or workin on bass guitars. I'm just not famous or well known. I don't care bout that. At all. But that does NOT change the way I work. At all. With work, with intent, I can play any line written. And if I choose to add a song, even if it will never be performed, I learn it HARD. With intent. I may never become Famous. Who cares? My jobs, skills, are as important to me as the pros' are to them. My acts, my friends, are important to me, too.
When I first joined my main act 6 years ago, they were all over the place with arrangements, keys, et al. They'd followed an acoustic guitarist/singer leader who'd changed lots to fit his solo acoustic shows. No solo sections, key changes that made no sense, skipped modulations. They were playin Kashmir in straight 4/4, fer gosh sakes. Over time, my work ethic rubbed off. We cured a ton of "mistakes". Which really weren't, cuz they got hired a lot and still worked. But, with some of my ethic, we turned into a pretty good band. The audiences grew, more calls came in. More tunes were added. It was a cycle. Fed upon itself. We coulda just said we aren't "Pros". Nope. We gave a darn. And are havin fun together today.
Just sayin that if pros are how we measure ourselves? Then do what they do. And that goal is attainable. Even if ya don't become famous for it.
And, none of my work is a chore fer me. It's my Zen. My Fun. My education. It's my job. And I love my job.
I did not cast a vote because you didn't have my option... I practice consistently every day for 20-30 minutes, going through my binder of gig songs. But I'm not a pro, just an average bass player with a good work ethic.
Depends... I'm in two groups, one prog and the other is more of a classic rock band. IMO, both have really good musicians.
I going out on a limb to say I/we have practiced way more in the prog band than in the rock band. Definitely took a lot longer to get things right in the former.
Motivated, or not, you have to practice like there's a gig, tomorrow. When we get back together with our bandmates, we'll be ready to go...
... I can only hope each and every one of them is on the same page... I'd rather not reboot a 'square one' scenario.
I going out on a limb to say I/we have practiced way more in the prog band than in the rock band. Definitely took a lot longer to get things right in the former.
Motivated, or not, you have to practice like there's a gig, tomorrow. When we get back together with our bandmates, we'll be ready to go...
... I can only hope each and every one of them is on the same page... I'd rather not reboot a 'square one' scenario.
