Band Practice (and how they shud go)

wild_eyed

can everyone here give me the general idea of how there band practices go, i.e. how many per week, how long they last and what they do during the practice.

bombidol

The 20 Bulls Each Guide to band practice

we usually try to practice for about 3 hours once or twice a week, more if possible. Im of the opinion that if a band wants to be good enough to gig and record to a certain level they should be practicing at LEAST twice a week if not more.

-Get there about 10 mins before the rehearsal room is due to open for your session.
-Get your mics, cables and stands from reception
- Set up the mics, kit and amps
-Tune up
- Try and get a decent sound from your amps and PA
- Play a song you all know to try and get decent levels so you can all hear what you need to hear.
- Make sure no one is hogging the levels, the lead guitarist shouldnt be much louder than the rhythem guitarist etc.
- When levels are set try and bang out a few songs that you want to already know for about half the session
- Use the remaining time to work on new stuff.
- its always a good idea when trying new songs to meet up with the other guitarists/bassist in yer house for an hour or so a day before the practice so they have a rough idea how it goes. This saves loads of time when in the rehearsal studio.

Electric Mole

I'm in a rock band, not an accountancy firm. As many or as few times a week as we want or as circumstances allow. We take about an hour to get drums, amps, mics and the PA set up. We play Paranoid Android by Radiohead as a ritual, to limber up so to speak. Then we play until we're finished or annoyed with each other. Somewhere between two and four hours of full volume playing, maybe two of writing at with brushes and low volume guitars and no PA (not in order). We are fortunate in that we can come and go whenever we want.

Giblet

What we do is meet up at our bassists house and jam there every saturday. Play until we get tired and go home.

Songs will happen or they will not, but if theres a gig, we go through the set a few times and make adjustments, and work on our improv skills.

Antisocialiser

my band usually practise the day of the gig and when we realise we suck we go on drunk. Yeh! \m/

Stifler

if you want to make it then try to invest in a cheap sound proof room in town and be playing at least 4 days a week. that's what my bro's band do and that's what my band will be doing when we leave school

seamus

I would advise renting a rehearsal room at least half of the time, if not more. If you're practising in someone's house, there are distraction, the time to prick about, and you may also be restricited, i.e. "Keep the noise down yis punk kids". If you're paying for a dedicated room, and have limited time, you'll get much more done, with less arsing about.

Giblet

Seamus....pfft

Nah the sticks area great place to live, no neighbours and big garages!

ferdi

Originally posted by seamus
"Keep the noise down yis punk kids".

yeah, i hate when 'the man' does this, i just wanna play some music without these nark - squares on my back.

our practices are so fycked up, we really need to pratices to be more regular - thats our main problem,

where is the best place to rent for practices for a band with:

all 4 members in college
2 with part-time jobs
its own PA etc.


see we cant practice in our gaffs too regularly so we need a place.

we're only a pissy little band but thats all we'll ever be if we dont get this sorted.

help./

wild_eyed

im from the country, and we are not surrounded by any neighbours, we practice in my old house, with heating. i was talking about more of how do u rehearse the songs you have didnt to cover, or original tunes.

ferdi

Originally posted by wild_eyed
how do u rehearse the songs you have didnt to cover, or original tunes.

man, your obviously wasted.

wild_eyed

im an idiot, insane

Doctor J

We're still in the formative stages, just writing stuff. We jam once a week for about 4 hours. We run through the three songs we've already written, then switch on the dictaphone and improvise. Then Dabhoys sorts that out and puts it on a CD if he knows what's good for him

For us, practicing twice a week would kill off the fun side of it (as we found out last Wednesday) - we don't have enough material to fill a four hour rehearsal (especially twice a week) so we just work on things at home individually. So far, so good.

I've done a few sessions for a friends blues band recently, in that case it was one rehearsal in the afternoon (making sure to write down the key the song s were in) and then gig that evening (and a couple of other gis after that) but only the one rehearsal.

projectmayhem

meet up when possible, set up somewhere appropriate (i.e. don't all meet in one guys house if it's out of reach for anyone in the band) and just jam. be relaxed, get some food and drink in and songs will write themselves.

robbie1876

Get your drummer to play with Hot Rods or brushes. If there are acoustic instruments such as sax or acoustic guitar, don't mic them up! Make everyone turn down to the acoustic level.

I've done too many rehearsals where nobody can hear anything, and nothing gets done. The most productive rehearsals are always the quiet ones where everybody can be heard clearly. You are there to rehearse music, not to see how loud you can play.

Rehearse like there's a baby sleeping in the next room (or better still, bring one along!)

Töpher

Originally posted by robbie1876
Get your drummer to play with Hot Rods or brushes.

Not always technically a good idea! I'd be proper pissed off if I was told to play with brushes or hot rods! But, I know that won't happen, *COUGH*, so I don't have to worry. It all depends on the style of music.

robbie1876

Yeah, fair enough point, some drummers either have diffuculty playing with rods or just pure don't like them. But surely when you are just writing songs or jamming our ideas for new tunes there shouldn't be a problem using Hot Rods.

Then once the songs are complete and you start rehearsing before a gig, that would be wise for a drumemr to play the songs using sticks, get used to the feel, and see if there are any technical problems.

The rest of the band can invest in musicians earplugs (best €250 I ever spent )

Doctor J

Originally posted by robbie1876
Rehearse like there's a baby sleeping in the next room (or better still, bring one along!)

I haven't got one of my own, can I borrow yours?

wild_eyed

RENT-a baby.

Dr. Loon

Originally posted by robbie1876
Get your drummer to play with Hot Rods or brushes. If there are acoustic instruments such as sax or acoustic guitar, don't mic them up! Make everyone turn down to the acoustic level.

I've done too many rehearsals where nobody can hear anything, and nothing gets done. The most productive rehearsals are always the quiet ones where everybody can be heard clearly. You are there to rehearse music, not to see how loud you can play.

Rehearse like there's a baby sleeping in the next room (or better still, bring one along!)

As a drummer, I say this is a rediculous idea. The feel of a song changes when using brushes, it changes again when using hot rods and again when using sticks. You should rehearse the way you intend to play the song, and for me that means playing exactly as it's going to be played, whether that be live, in studios or whatever. You're going to lose the whole feel of the song playing with a different "tool". Play with the "tool" the song requires.

If it's an acoustic jam, then I play the drums acoustic stlye, i.e - hot rods, or else bongos.

Of course, you don't have to hit hard like you're playing a gig. Although I do know of a good few drummers who can't exercise control over their sticking and can only beat the shít out of a kit. Still, all the more reason a drummer should play with sticks. Learn control. You don't have to blast everyone away with heavy hitting.

Just my 2C!

Töpher

Originally posted by Dr. Loon
As a drummer, I say this is a rediculous idea. The feel of a song changes when using brushes, it changes again when using hot rods and again when using sticks. You should rehearse the way you intend to play the song, and for me that means playing exactly as it's going to be played, whether that be live, in studios or whatever. You're going to lose the whole feel of the song playing with a different "tool". Play with the "tool" the song requires.

Exactly the point I was trying to make! Tho my inability to complete sentences like a human being probably obscurred that!

robbie1876

Fair points lads. I'm a keyboard player, but when we are writing new songs or trying out arrangements of chord structures, I always play out ideas on piano. If I can write a good sounding tune on piano, it will definitely sound good once the full band are playing it, and I'm playing Rhodes, Hammond, Synth or whatever in that song.

I think the same is true of drumming - you should in theory be able to write rhythm lines using a set of hot rods, with a view to practicing with proper sticks once you have the basic song structure down.

This is how we write and rehearse anyhow, and it works really well for us. Your point about some drummers who can't control their sticking is so true, and I'd never try to force somebody to play with rods if they weren't comfortable.

Robbie
www.newcoloursoul.com

Giblet

Jam like your playing a gig. Don't prissy around with brushes if you ain't gonna use them live.

We play our levels according to the drums, as they can't be turned down and have the same dynamics.

robbie1876

As an aside, I was rehearsing in Temple Lane Studios a while back with a band. The band in the studio next door were so loud that we practically had to shout to each other to have a conversation. It's an easy trap to fall into, turning everything up and up at rehearsals.

A trick is to set the level on the PA master faders to about 30% and keep them at that level. Everybody wants to hear the vocals, so people will naturally keep their own volume (be it drums or guitars) to an acceptable level below the vocal level.

(god, I sound like such a mother....)

Töpher

Originally posted by robbie1876
I think the same is true of drumming - you should in theory be able to write rhythm lines using a set of hot rods, with a view to practicing with proper sticks once you have the basic song structure down.

Travis-esque bands maybe, anyone with decency, no. If you wanna try a heavy double kick fueled drum line with hot rods or brushes and keep it sounding good be my guest. It should be practiced the way you will play it live, in my opinion anyways. Otherwise you will just end up re-writing pieces to fit accordingly.

Anyways, playing softer/heavier gives a much different tone from the drums, as does just using different sticking tools, so thats another reason to practice how you would play it live. It drastically alters the sound of the drums, and thus the whole feel of a song.

herbie747

We (3) just do a big bong and play jazz for a few hours - I have a studio set up on the entire top floor of my house. Pink Floyd/Steely Dan influenced. All original - covers are for losers and amateur nu-metal spas. Trippy & funkay is what yo want peeps, dig it?
I've been through the whole jamming with a "rawk" band since I was 15 - you kind of grow out of it (25 now), and realise that there is so much more to music than a rock riff with fast drums and a fast pentatonic solo, and a bassist who is only playing bass because he's a sh*te guitarist (and he plays bass with a plec)....SOO much more to music than that.
Now I just enjoy making music that I want to listen to (see how interesting I can make a song - extra nuances, changing time signatures, switching between modes, etc), as opposed to writing rock songs, playing gigs to 100 people who are just your mates and the other band's mates, and never going to get anywhere with the state of the ponsy music scene nowadays - even rock doesn't rock like it used to; Guns N' Roses have been replaced with Limp Bizkit, Soundgarden have been replaced with Linken Park, Blind Melon replaced with Puddle of Mudd, Alice in Chains replaced with The poxy Darkness, and Metallica replaced with Gay Metallica.

Sorry for the rant......music today is just a lot shallower than it used to be; not that everything has to be profound, but at least a bit of talent wouldn't go astray. Blink 182 & Sum 41??? These aren't "fun bands who are just havin' a laugh" - Zappa was fun!





.......................I'll get my coat..............

wild_eyed

i hate doing covers , buts its a money game, we use the money from covers to pay for studio equipment

we have an excellent original set, but covers keeps cash rolling in.

robbie1876

herbie, I hear ya loud and clear brother...! Good rant, points well made and all seconded by me.

By the way, do you have anything recorded/downloadable? Any band that are Steely Dan influenced will make me take notice.

wild_eyed, there is absolutely nothing wrong with covers, I never understand why people get ashamed to say they play in 'just a covers band'. There's 3 types of covers: 1) Cover the song note for note as it is on the record - this requires work and is to be respected 2) Perform your own interpretation of the cover - also to be respected 3) Song sounds nothing like either the original or an interpretation, because of lack of talent/effort/imagination - this sort of covers band make up 99% of the scene and they are usually very poor.

Personally, I enjoy playing with covers bands, and play a mix of type 1 and 2 songs above (hopefully rarely a 3..!). I do prefer performing orginal material, be it mine or with another band, but this is weighed up by the fact that I get paid for covers. And paid well enough to be full time at it.

Best of luck,

Robbie

herbie747

Originally posted by robbie1876
herbie, I hear ya loud and clear brother...! Good rant, points well made and all seconded by me.

By the way, do you have anything recorded/downloadable? Any band that are Steely Dan influenced will make me take notice.

We're actually mixing a few things today, so I'll upload a few tunes next week if you want.

PersonalJesus

This is gonna make me seem like an arse... but if you's are any good and your playing covers you should be able to bluff the set as long as ppl know the tunes.

ive played in covers bands where we jsut turned up and played and the live performance was all the better for it. if you sound like 95% of the bands out there and rehearse what i consider to be too much then you losse the raw energy which rock n roll is about, and ppl wont remember you.

IMO i think that too many bands take themselves too serioiusly and have too much emphasis on being 'tight'. If ure enjoying it etc then feck the ppl who say one off your changes was off or you drummers messed up a roll. It happens. If you have to be regimented you loose the soul.

In my current band which is an original band we reheased once a week for 3 months and then started gigging. We only tend to rehearse when we are writing again or somebody has bought a new instrument.

End rant.

danemac

get your feet looked at

robbie1876

PersonalJesus, I agree with you mostly. Most gigs I do with covers bands (I do a lot of freelance stuff with loads of different bands) are unrehearsed. Usually I'm given a setlist before the night, and anything I don't know I learn myself. We turn up, do the gig, some songs are tight, others are quite messy, thats the way it goes.

I think too it depends on the band you are playing with. If for instance its a Stevie Wonder tribute band, you need to rehearse tons, to get the whole band as tight sounding as people will expect on the night. If on the other hand its a bog standard pub covers band playing 'Brown Eyed Girl' and 'Sweet Caroline' etc, people will not be bothered if the band isn't so tight.

In contrast to your style of rehearsing in your original band, the original band i'm with New Colour Soul try to rehearse at least 2-3 times a week, whether we have a gig coming up or not. But that is because the sound we are going for is super-tight ass funk. The work we put in in the studio comes across at our gigs and is appreciated by the crowds.

So different folks for different strokes! Do whatever feels right for your band!