Question for those who don't rehearse:
Can I tell, if I go to your show?
Can I tell, if I go to your show?
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How often do you rehearse? (Vote! )
- Thread starter birminghambass
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Nope. It's not something that I would deal well with either if you could.
We all play on our own time. We've played together long enough that we know what each other is going to do, and we're very tight.
I voted rarely. I've been working pretty long term with 3 groups. 1 for 10 years, maybe done 2 or 3 rehearsals in that time just to break in a new drummer( we kinda burn through them). We gig 4-6 times per month.
Band 2, together about 8 yrs.,will rehearse with the full band once every 2 or 3 months, but the singer/guitarist and I hangout and play/drink beer often. I play 3-5 gigs per month with these guys.
Band 3 has been together about 3 years, We rehearsed quite a bit at the beginning but not at all anymore. We play 4 or 5 gigs a Month as well.
Most new music in all these band learned on stage, or I'll get a text from a BL saying learn song x in A, and we will play it at the next gig.
Band 2, together about 8 yrs.,will rehearse with the full band once every 2 or 3 months, but the singer/guitarist and I hangout and play/drink beer often. I play 3-5 gigs per month with these guys.
Band 3 has been together about 3 years, We rehearsed quite a bit at the beginning but not at all anymore. We play 4 or 5 gigs a Month as well.
Most new music in all these band learned on stage, or I'll get a text from a BL saying learn song x in A, and we will play it at the next gig.
MANY years ago, I remember listening to an interview with Maynard Ferguson. He said that if he took a day off from rehearsing with his band, he could tell it. If he took two days off from rehearsal, the band could tell. If he took three days off, the audience could tell. He was one of the greatest trumpet players to ever walk this Earth and he believed in rehearsing every day.
Cover band. When we started about a year an a half ago we got together once a week until we worked up three sets. Took about three months. Once we started gigging we switched to every other week and have only added another dozen songs. The guitarists and singer don't really get things together at home and it shows but the drummer and I won't do every week. We have pretty long drives and I'm not going to pay to listen to them practice/learn their parts. We haven't had a train wreck gig yet but I'm sure it's coming.
Our biggest issue is between songs. The singer has no rap at all and one guitarist thinks his jokes, that he recycles way too often, are funny. They're not. He also has to check every knob on his amp and pedal board between every song. The other guitarist needs to play a part of whatever song is next. Out loud. I don't think weekly rehearsals would help.
Our biggest issue is between songs. The singer has no rap at all and one guitarist thinks his jokes, that he recycles way too often, are funny. They're not. He also has to check every knob on his amp and pedal board between every song. The other guitarist needs to play a part of whatever song is next. Out loud. I don't think weekly rehearsals would help.
I play bass everyday. Concerning the afro-ska band, perhaps we would be tighter if we rehearsed 1 time per week. But the band is 15 years old. I'm far from rehearsals place ( more than 1 hour driving )Drummers and I have worked a lot on our side with recordings and the result is good (imho): audience like it and go crazy pretty quickly
Not the same story with jazz guys. Music is more complicated and we lost quickly if we don't rehearse 2 per month.
I came here for this. Rehearsals are more than just getting the songs right, they're about getting the show right. And the space between songs is very important. Everyone staring at each other in silence trying to figure out when (or even just taking too long) to start the next song gets a little awkward and looks really amateurish.
My new band has scheduled weekly rehearsals with the understanding that things are going to come up. We're all older um... "gentlemen" with kids and wives and careers so we end up actually rehearsing only about twice a month. We're still getting out setlist put together and this has been some of the most challenging music I've tried in a band yet. If we didn't rehearse these songs they would fall apart in a live setting.
I’ve had a few instances where this would come up. A classic rock band I was in a few years ago had this problem with the lead guitarist, who spent a considerable amount of time fiddling with his amp and guitar, not only because he was constantly adjusting his settings but also because his gear was garbage and he was too lazy to maintain it, so. It was discussed a few times but he didn’t think it was an issue. I was very happy when I quit that band.
My last band was (thankfully) different. I was the set list guru for the band, so I would take time to make the set list with an ear towards what happened between the songs as much as the pacing of the overall songs. Pauses were limited to a few seconds at most, with a couple of songs that would naturally roll together after a sustained note or very quick pause. There would be a couple significant spots for the singer to delve a little deeper into a song’s meaning and give props to the venue and any other bands on the bill, and she would rehearse what she was going to say at rehearsal so she didn’t waste time trying to pull her thoughts together. It kept us all on our toes, and limited knob fiddling.
My band practices once a week, and "regular" gigging is about once a month for us. We usually don't practice the same week as a show.
While it would be better if everyone could work on their parts at home, there is no way to make sure they are learning it right. If I wrote something, I can tell them what to play, but that doesn't mean what I told them will translate properly. Making sure everyone is on the same page with new material is important. What we don't have the time for is writing together during practice. Ideas need to be presented in their entirety. We just don't have the time to practice and write at the same time.
Practicing often gives us a chance to meld everything together. You don't want 5 separate instruments, you want 1 engine of music firing on all cylinders. If you don't play often together, at full volume, you can't get your tone and vibe straight. It also gives us the time to hammer out a set list and make sure the transitions between songs is right. Performance is just as importance as the technical execution of the music.
While it would be better if everyone could work on their parts at home, there is no way to make sure they are learning it right. If I wrote something, I can tell them what to play, but that doesn't mean what I told them will translate properly. Making sure everyone is on the same page with new material is important. What we don't have the time for is writing together during practice. Ideas need to be presented in their entirety. We just don't have the time to practice and write at the same time.
Practicing often gives us a chance to meld everything together. You don't want 5 separate instruments, you want 1 engine of music firing on all cylinders. If you don't play often together, at full volume, you can't get your tone and vibe straight. It also gives us the time to hammer out a set list and make sure the transitions between songs is right. Performance is just as importance as the technical execution of the music.
Once a week. Maybe an extra if we aren't feeling tight before one of our gigs.
Keep in mind, we all like each other and for a lot of us it is more an excuse to drink beers, hang out, and get away from the wives and kids for a few hours.
We could def. rehearse a bit less but it's fun for us. When we aren't facing a time crunch, most of "rehearsal" is actually chewing the fat and drinking Coors. We aren't the most polished act in the world. But that's all part of our charm. We teeter on the brink of spectacular failure most nights but bring it home ever time.
Keep in mind, we all like each other and for a lot of us it is more an excuse to drink beers, hang out, and get away from the wives and kids for a few hours.
We could def. rehearse a bit less but it's fun for us. When we aren't facing a time crunch, most of "rehearsal" is actually chewing the fat and drinking Coors. We aren't the most polished act in the world. But that's all part of our charm. We teeter on the brink of spectacular failure most nights but bring it home ever time.
Right now my only gig is at church. We rehearse once a week for a little over half an hour. We play different tunes each week. the same 3 musicians each week and the singers that rotate out each week. We have a total of about 120 songs that we rotate through.
The keyboard player and I are starting an outside project and we will be rehearsing covers once a week until we start gigging. A few months after that we will keep that schedule up as we work in originals that have already been written by the keyboard player. And yes, rehearsal is exactly that.....come with your homework done. Even on the originals, I'll get a scratch track and work out at least a basic bassline before rehearsal. We'll tweak it from there.
The keyboard player and I are starting an outside project and we will be rehearsing covers once a week until we start gigging. A few months after that we will keep that schedule up as we work in originals that have already been written by the keyboard player. And yes, rehearsal is exactly that.....come with your homework done. Even on the originals, I'll get a scratch track and work out at least a basic bassline before rehearsal. We'll tweak it from there.
Play gigs 2 times a month or so, depending on the month. I'm in two bands and have 2 young kids. I don't have the time to rehearse with the band, but if needed I'll play my basses at home a little. I play upright and electric and move between the two. I have tried doing the 4 hour gig thing on the upright and have decided I'm not into that, so sometime I rehearse with a different bass so I'm prepared.
This is really a subjective issue.
It depends on the particular collection of musicians. I have been in bands that rarely practiced and were fine and those that if we missed practicing 2 weeks in a row it was noticeable.
In my current band, we all have "regular" jobs. 2 of us are truck drivers and work long hours during the week. One of us is a municipal employee on the streets department and in winter months is on 24 hour call when snow is expected and the last is a warehouse worker who swings between second and third shift. There really isn't much time for any of us to practice at home so weekly band practice is pretty important.
Like I said......it depends on the musicians and their situations.
It depends on the particular collection of musicians. I have been in bands that rarely practiced and were fine and those that if we missed practicing 2 weeks in a row it was noticeable.
In my current band, we all have "regular" jobs. 2 of us are truck drivers and work long hours during the week. One of us is a municipal employee on the streets department and in winter months is on 24 hour call when snow is expected and the last is a warehouse worker who swings between second and third shift. There really isn't much time for any of us to practice at home so weekly band practice is pretty important.
Like I said......it depends on the musicians and their situations.
My band does 2-3 gigs a month. We do what we call a "Sound Check Challenge". We agree on 1-2 songs ahead of time. Who will sing lead and the key. Sometimes which recorded version as well. After we run through our 5 minute sound check (we use a Mackie DL1608 board the holds that last show in memory) we announce to the audience if there is one then that we are doing a SCC. We play the song once to see how it feels and then decide if we will do it live that night. We do the SCC at a very low volume. We all use ears so if need be I will shut down the fronts and the drummer plays real quiet. Audiences have always enjoyed the intimacy of hearing a band try a new song. We usually add the song to the sets that night.
My (cover) band only rehearse when we need to arrange new songs. We gig every weekend, usually Fri & Sat and sometimes Sunday arvo. If we have a few weeks with no gigs, the we get together to add new songs and stay in touch musically.
We’re tight. Wasting Tuesday nights that could be better spent helping my kids with their homework or making up for the lost weekend time with my wife, isn’t going to make us any tighter.
I used to play in a band that demanded rehearsals every Sunday, for 3-4 hours. Play the whole set-list. Gigged once in 2 years. Once bitten, twice shy. I’ll only rehearse with a band that has gigs lined up, 2 hours a week maximum and if a player doesn’t know the parts I’m going home until they do.
