Band rehearsal method

May 31, 2006 4:54 PM

We need advice on how to structure our band practice sessions. We've been jamming together monthly for years and have just decided to start a band and have weekly rehearsals. What's the best way to organize our practice sessions?

We play acoustic guitar, ukulele, standup bass and the occasional lead instrument. And we sing. Pop, jazz, swing, folk. We've been playing from written lead sheets and we'd like to start memorizing songs. Any tips on how to effectively organize our weekly rehearsals for best results?

posted by richg to media & arts (9 comments total)

Nothing makes you better faster than playing actual gigs.

If you aren't ready for that, or can't scare one up, rehearse as if you're playing a gig. One song at a time. Count it off. Start together. Make sure everyone knows the intro and ending. Repeat until you know the stuff.

(Then get a gig.)
posted by nonmyopicdave at 6:01 PM on May 31, 2006

Dissect the songs and practice the components before putting it all together -- rhythm section first, just the main riffs until they're dialed. Then the breaks or other parts of the tune.

Assuming the vocal parts have harmonies, practice them separately from the instruments until they're dialed. Don't put the whole song together until its parts are mastered as an ensemble. (though its ok to just rip through a couple of times to start with and get a feel for it).

Most importantly, go into the practice session with an agreed-upon plan and agenda, written down if possible. Which tune are you going to practice first? How are you going to practice it? Which parts first, etc?

It's also a good idea to designate someone in the group as the leader of the rehearsal. Trust me, it's much smoother if you do this. Make sure everyone's on board with that. One think I've done sometimes is designate a different person to lead the group on each tune, which splits up the work, keeps everyone engaged, and doesn't build or hurt egos. Democracy and suggestions are good, and you should communicate openly, but only one person should have authority on any given tune to count off, decide which part to practice next, tell everyone to stop playing when it sounds awful, etc. If you're playing originals, the person who wrote the original is usually the natural leader for that tune.

The most important parts of rehearsal are a) preparation b) organization c) communication between the players d) setting aside egos for the good of the group and e) leadership.

Know how much time you have to rehearse and what you want to accomplish during that time. Make sure everyone's on the same page, and stick to your schedule and agenda. Oh, and show up ready to play, in tune as much as possible, and don't goof around during practice (including noodling while people are talking).
posted by JekPorkins at 6:17 PM on May 31, 2006

Every single band I've played in has done it the same way - collectively pick about 5 tunes or so from your setlist (or even just songs you want to try out), everyone go away and learn their parts individually, then you come together and run through them and see what works and what doesn't.

Generally speaking, you'll pretty much nail 2 or 3 of the 5 and maybe the other couple will need tweaking, so then you add a couple of new ones to learn, and go on like that till you've got a set.

Having said that, I second nonmyopicdave's comment that nothing makes you better faster than playing actual gigs. I've been in my current band for 18 months gigging 2 or 3 times a week, and we've done roughly 2 rehearsals in that time, and the current repertoire stands at about 70 songs. Learning 'on the road' is the best way - it proves to you that you don't really have to stress that much. As long as no-one in the band is a nazi who'll instantly jump on any mistakes you'll be fine.

Oh and never be afraid to take 'silly sheets' to a gig with you, I carry about 10 for songs we don't play that often or for songs we've just added to the set. These are usually just a note of the arrangement, maybe the chords, or the tonality for any solos, and if one of those songs comes up I just put the relevant sheet by my pedalboard. No-one notices, and more to the point no-one cares.

Another thing I will recommend is carrying an mp3 player with the songs from your set on, I've found this indispensable when we've had stand-in musicans at the last minute who aren't familiar with a couple of the tunes, so they can listen to them and make their own notes on the journey to the gig, or maybe if you get a request for a tune you haven't done for a while you can listen to it again on the break.

Not totally what you asked but I hope it's of some use. Go and book yourself a couple of small gigs for a couple of month's time so you've got something to aim for... I've over-rehearsed things in the past and by the time you get to gigging it you're sick of it.
posted by chrissyboy at 7:17 PM on May 31, 2006

and don't goof around during practice (including noodling while people are talking).

God yeah, that used to drive me insane, even when I caught myself doing it. Good point =)
posted by chrissyboy at 7:25 PM on May 31, 2006

My basic formula is this:

1) Agree on a set of songs you want to learn
2) Make a mix CD/send out mp3s, etc. Everyone is responsible for learning his or her part.
3) Get together and take them one at a time. Break the songs into parts. For example, run the intro and the verse. Then try verse + chorus. Keep it up until you can get all the way through it without a train wreck. Then do it once more just for good measure.
4) Rinse and repeat.

Don't spend too long on any one song. Some songs won't work for you no matter how much you try to force them to. At the end of the session, take some time to evaluate what did and didn't work and to (if necessary) pick out new material for the next practice.

If you're trying to learn originals, it'll be different. Essentially, the author will have to sing/play the song to the rest of the band and you'll each have to write your part on the fly. But working up the various parts is the same: break it down into parts and work a few parts at a time. Expand until you have the whole thing.
posted by wheat at 8:26 PM on May 31, 2006

My band's practice sessions go as follows.

1. For each song, I write the guitar part, vocal melodies, screamy bits etc.
2. The bass player and I get together and work out a bass part for the song.
3. The bass player promises to practice his part and then doesn't.
4. Me, the bass player and drummer get together. We play through the songs we can already play. Then we play the new song together, section by section. The drummer works out his part during these sessions.
5. We goof around a fair amount, crack jokes, go into random jams.
6. Sometimes the song structure changes a little bit during these sessions as a result of suggestions from the drummer and bassist.
7. Once we can play each section of a song, we start practicing it all the way through.
8. We decide who is singing where, go away and each write lyrics, then practice with the lyrics at the next practice.

This process works pretty well for us, but I don't understand how anyone can say that practice shouldn't have any goofing around. Perhaps it's just because my bassist is super irritable, but I don't think our band would be possible if we weren't able to let off steam with a few jokes and some dossing around.

So, the key bits of advice:
* Allow goofing (but obviously you still have to do *some* practicing).
* Try and make sure everyone can play the part for their instrument before you come together for a group practice.
* Some members (in my case, our drummer) will write their parts during group practice. This is fine, but they have to be pretty good. A handy benchmark is whether they can keep going with the song whilst writing their part. If they can't, the constant stops are going to be frustrating for the rest of the band. In this case, send a key band member away with them and they can write the part together.
posted by pollystark at 5:25 AM on June 1, 2006

Record every practice that you can and distribute mp3s afterwards. That way everyone can can be aware of what needs working on and you might get a few decent demos out of it.
posted by dobie at 6:35 AM on June 1, 2006

drink less beer - that's really worked for us.
posted by soplerfo at 3:18 PM on June 1, 2006

I'm with nonmyopicdave on this one. If you've been playing together for that long, you should really focus on and nail a few songs and then perform them. And practice to that end/goal.

If booking a gig seems too weighty right now, then take your friends and go a'busking. Most parks won't kick you out and even if they do all you need is a permit which might be easier to get than a booking. I'm sure you've played in front of friends or neighbors, now go play for some strangers and have fun.
posted by snsranch at 5:23 PM on June 1, 2006