I'm frustrated and need to type. Warning: long ramble.
Last year, an old friend who I hadn't seen in years, we'll call him RG, contacts me about a gig he's got. It's covers, and it's him on acoustic, myself, and RG's friend on cajon. Low key, outdoor, and given two rehearsals, went incredibly well. RG had learned some chords wrong, but we fixed them.
Fast forward to this year, and we've got some time to rehearse. He wants a drummer and a lead guitarist too. The lead guitarist was easy: I called up my buddy, we'll call him LG, from my last band. He was in and couldn't wait to jam again. I drum too, so it was a little bit of a choice. Do I learn the drum parts and call up some bass-player friends that could nail the tunes in 5-6 weeks? Do I play bass and hope he can find a drummer? Hmm.
The second option is what happened. He knew a drummer. I was immediately suspect when I'm informed that he doesn't own a kit and would need to borrow one. (Well that's interesting; he doesn't ever play or practice on his own). The next thing I hear is, "Can he borrow yours?" Now, I'm not a snob. However, my cymbals are brand new, and really thin. My kit was bought secondhand last year. I don't know the drummer or how he plays, so no, I'm not too keen on loaning out my stuff to a stranger, and having him store it in his garage for a month.
First rehearsal, he hasn't touched the kit since we got the setlist four weeks ago. He "listened to the songs". He struggles to keep steady time and misses most of the transitions and sections (verse/chorus/hihat/ride/etc). Last rehearsal, he asked me, "Is that a bass?" I remained diplomatic. "Yes, sometimes basses have 5 strings." Whatever, that doesn't really matter.
Meanwhile, RG has unlearned all the correct versions of the songs, and we're rehashing chords with two rehearsals remaining. A few of the songs have changed key mid-rehearsal. Song roadmap is almost completely gone. It's not consistent from one run-through to another. "I'm not getting that chord." "I skip the solo section when I practice." "What are you playing during the solo section ?" "Ab minor? How do I play that?" Bar chords. "I don't know bar chords."
LG and I are having a great time playing with each other again. Past that, it's frustrating to see people using band rehearsal time as personal practice, especially with so little time to rehearse. The drummer has not played on his own time at all. The chords are on the internet. The song has been played and heard for 20-40 years. The crowd knows how it goes. It's frustrating. I can adapt to key changes, not instantly, but it takes a verse or two to "re-hear" it. But the leader and everyone else needs to be prepared. I stopped one song because RG was not even close to singing the correct melody on a well-known song, and the drummer was missing every last hit and detail, just plodding along out of style. And it's not like we're covering Rush.
I foresee a trainwreck, and there's not much I can do about it. I'm really frustrated with the whole situation.
), with a forgiving audience. those events aren't the most musically satisfying, but they can be rewarding in other ways, nonetheless.
