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Texting before every Band Rehearsal...why?
- Thread starter 51PRI
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Because ADD is real. Just reply yes and hope they don't forget between texting and rehearsal.
I have rehearsals at my house all the time. I really NEED to know if someone can't make it so that I can make other plans. Yesterday at 1:30 I texted the bandleader to ask if we are still on. He checked with everyone else, turns out the drummer had a gig. On a Monday. Go figure.
I'd much rather someone follow up than be sitting there waiting for people who don't show up. Why did the drummer forget he had a practice scheduled that day? I don't know. I do know that everyone's going to prioritize that over rehearsal, and not everyone is well organized.
These are the same people, by the way, that people somehow believe will keep a band calendar updated with their availability. Uh, sure. Like that works in real life.
For some groups, it works, more or less. For others, it's an exercise in frustration. The best way to keep the frustration to a minimum is to communicate when the need arises. I NEED to know if people are descending on my house as I am planning for. It's weird that this ruins someone's day but I'm not apologizing for it.
I'd much rather someone follow up than be sitting there waiting for people who don't show up. Why did the drummer forget he had a practice scheduled that day? I don't know. I do know that everyone's going to prioritize that over rehearsal, and not everyone is well organized.
These are the same people, by the way, that people somehow believe will keep a band calendar updated with their availability. Uh, sure. Like that works in real life.
For some groups, it works, more or less. For others, it's an exercise in frustration. The best way to keep the frustration to a minimum is to communicate when the need arises. I NEED to know if people are descending on my house as I am planning for. It's weird that this ruins someone's day but I'm not apologizing for it.
Ding, Ding, Ding! Yes indeedy my good fellows.
Also today’s modern electronics aren’t infallible. The BL could have attempted a text saying so and it didn’t go through or he got sidetracked and didn’t send one.
I’ve texted a request for confirmation prior to practice many times without causing any problems with my band mates.
A few times, I was really glad I did. They were canceled and no initial messages were sent out.
My band did this all the time. We had a set day, but with everyone’s day jobs it was no guarantee everyone would make it. The best with the singer/keys. If practice started at 6pm he would text at 6:15pm telling us he was going to be late. Eventually the gentleman’s agreement was that the person who was late showed up with nice beverages. But again, try not to let it get to you, in the grand scheme of everything this doesn’t seem horrible.
Life is too short to even worry about that. If that's the worst problem you have in a band, consider yourself blessed.
My band has been going for 10+ years and we still do the same thing. Sometimes guys will say they aren't into it that night and we will bail after that text. Sometimes one person knows that another won't be there and forgets to tell others. It's really not a big deal. Just reply yep and see ya'll in a while.
You're lucky. However, many of us have been burned time and time again by this, so in my view it's a useful proactive habit to double check that nothing has come up with anyone on the day of. In one group, most times it's fine. Now and then someone flakes or forgets to tell us they're out of town, or has picked up a last minute gig, and my group text serves to remind them that there's something they need to tell us.
I'd say the odds of having five people in a group who all are flawless at this are very small. And it only take that one time that someone forgets to send someone into major inconvenience.
My main band is always chattering in texts. And even though we’ve kept a pretty regular rehearsal schedule for more than a decade, there are always exceptions and variations. It’s good to talk amongst ourselves, even if we’re just being goofy. OP. I’d be more worried about ambivalence than a willingness to engage.
I recall being pegged a fuddy-duddy. I'm not sure I've recovered yet.
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Better that than one member we had who was told many many times that we practice every Monday. When he didn't show up (often) we would call him and ask "Where are you - you should be here". He would say "Are we practising tonight? Someone should have texted me". He was a great singer but one of the stupidest people I have ever met. The BL called him "a waste of space". We put up with him for about 2 years because he was such a good singer, but after that time it was too high a price to pay.
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