Rehearsal: Yay or Nay? Like? Dislike?

[la szum]

I am kind of a rehearsal/band practicve junkie. I have played with cats who hate it and it shows----
as they can't wait to get out of there and it is pulling teeth to get them to show up.

"Oh, I am getting my carpets cleaned next Tuesday."

"Really? I thought you had hardwood flooring when I was at your place."

"Oh. just the bedrooms and hallway."

"Uhmmm..... ok.... how about Thursday."

Me? I am usually the first one there and the last to leave. I am also the asshoole trying to
squeeze one more song out of everyone else.

I still feel like 16 year old me getting together with the guys to "jam," like tonight. It's just a
lot of damn fun---and seems to help the mental health, even if we do bump heads now and
again over song choice and what to work on.

How about you all? Love it? Hate it? Necessary evil? Or vital to the craft?

 

[JT]

Like it. Depends on the temperature of the rest of the room, though. If it's people who are all ALL-IN; I love it. If you have to manage one person who is either always cancelling or who has exacting standards on what you should and shouldn't be doing; it can be tough.

 

[TSJMajesty]

If I'm in a gigging band, I like the rehearsing to be mainly a means to an end: Getting things to the point where we're ready for gigs, and then back off rehearsals to the point of maybe 25% as often, for bringing in new material.

If I'm not gigging, I love the experience of simply playing music with others, jamming on someone's original ideas, playing around with different tones/sounds, and just the overall camaraderie of having a weekly "poker night."

For me, those 2 are pretty much mutually exclusive. If I'm rehearsing for gigs, I wanna get out of the garage as soon as possible, because I'd much rather be playing live. So if I'm allotting 5 hours a week, say for 3 weeks-a-month, for playing music with others, that's all the time I want to invest in it (other than the time it takes to move gear.)

That being said, at this point in my life, I'd probably have more fun just jamming with others, with the occasional open mic thing, as opposed to playing gigs. And I'd too be the first one there, which would mean the last one to leave, since I'd be blocked in. But seriously, yes, I've found myself many times wanting to do just one more song when others want to leave. Which is just another one of those things about bands that get old after a while.

 

[sleewell]

love it, look forward to it all week.

 

[TimOwens316]

I actually enjoy practice more than gigging. I think what I like more about practice is when we get into jam session mode where we just start jamming songs for the fun of it, songs that we would never play live.

 

[Sleezy E]

I agree with the consensus here.

I've always been a practice junky... it's always been about hanging with friends and playing music together.

The last group I was in the bass player was always loathing practice so much we just phased him out with me and the other guitarist trading bass duties week to week

If you're not having fun.. what's the point right?

 

[JT]

I agree with the consensus here.

I've always been a practice junky... it's always been about hanging with friends and playing music together.

The last group I was in the bass player was always loathing practice so much we just phased him out with me and the other guitarist trading bass duties week to week

If you're not having fun.. what's the point right?

Where it gets Tricky is when someone doesn't like it but good amounts of gigging $ is involved.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Where it gets Tricky is when someone doesn't like it but good amounts of gigging $ is involved.

But you won't tell me how much.

 

[Holden Afart]

Jamming/improv is awesome.

Rehearsal sucks. If everyone knows their parts then there is no need to practice the same old lame crap over and over again. By the day of the gig I'm so worn out on that crap I'm falling asleep on stage. Damn I hate rehearsal.

Also, I hate rehearsal.

Oh, did I mention that I hate rehearsal? Because I hate rehearsal.

 

[JT]

But you won't tell me how much.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Jamming/improv is awesome.

Rehearsal sucks. If everyone knows their parts then there is no need to practice

Great point!! I don't want to use rehearsals AT ALL to learn songs (originals excepted of course.) Do that on your own time!! Rehearsals, imho, are for dialing in the EQ of the band, getting the changes and such right, working up how we're going to string songs together, set lists, OA dynamics, getting harmonies sorted..., that sort of thing.

I can't stand it when I'm standing there, (and I have to be quiet), while someone else is playing the CD, while they're figuring out their shit. That's not fun.

 

[JT]

Great point!! I don't want to use rehearsals AT ALL to learn songs (originals excepted of course.) Do that on your own time!! Rehearsals, imho, are for dialing in the EQ of the band, getting the changes and such right, working up how we're going to string songs together, set lists, OA dynamics, getting harmonies sorted..., that sort of thing.

I can't stand it when I'm standing there, (and I have to be quiet), while someone else is playing the CD, while they're figuring out their s**t. That's not fun.

we just learned a shania twain song like this last week

 

[TubeStack]

I love it. Both working on songs/arrangements (covers or originals) and just messing around. The other band members are my friends and it's a super fun time. We have a nice big, great-sounding space with no volume restraints.

Also love getting to play my Electra Dyne half stack up at a good and loud volume. Literal sound of the gods. :)

 

[la szum]

Where it gets Tricky is when someone doesn't like it but good amounts of gigging $ is involved.

Yup. Played with others like that. Liked the money. Didn't like the work that went into
making the money.

You get on the 5thy round of merry-go-round phone calls trying to get them to commit
to an rehearsal date. Ugh!

"Yeah, I have to go trim my Mom's bushes Wednesday."

"In the evening? That's weird."

 

[la szum]

I love it. Both working on songs/arrangements (covers or originals) and just messing around. The other band members are my friends and it's a super fun time. We have a nice big, great-sounding space with no volume restraints.

Also love getting to play my Electra Dyne half stack up at a good and loud volume. Literal sound of the gods. :)

Hey... how are we going to the exact same place and have never met??
Feel exactly the same way. It's awesome!

 

[JT]

Yup. Played with others like that. Liked the money. Didn't like the work that went into
making the money.

You get on the 5thy round of merry-go-round phone calls trying to get them to commit
to an rehearsal date. Ugh!

"Yeah, I have to go trim my Mom's bushes Wednesday."

"In the evening? That's weird."

Or they simply don't need the level of work everyone else does. That's a really tough one.

 

[Bob Zaod]

I am kind of a rehearsal/band practicve junkie. I have played with cats who hate it and it shows----
as they can't wait to get out of there and it is pulling teeth to get them to show up.

"Oh, I am getting my carpets cleaned next Tuesday."

"Really? I thought you had hardwood flooring when I was at your place."

"Oh. just the bedrooms and hallway."

"Uhmmm..... ok.... how about Thursday."

Me? I am usually the first one there and the last to leave. I am also the asshoole trying to
squeeze one more song out of everyone else.

I still feel like 16 year old me getting together with the guys to "jam," like tonight. It's just a
lot of damn fun---and seems to help the mental health, even if we do bump heads now and
again over song choice and what to work on.

How about you all? Love it? Hate it? Necessary evil? Or vital to the craft?

It's a necessity. I don't care how good you are or how long you been doing it, rehearsals make you better, tighter, closer as a band. Frequency is another thing in and of itself. I love to play music with people so I'd have band rehearsal 7 days a week if I could. I came to realize it's not realistic for most folks so every other week or so is good for me and if we are pretty busy, get together to work out new material and that's it.

I know a few bands that don't rehearse at all and even if I didn't know them, I'd know from watching them play live that they don't. It's not just tightening things up. It's cues, and chemistry, and familiarity with each other, and also figuring out everyone's strengths and wekanesses and forming your sets to the strengths. That can only be developed with rehearsing together. I am talking productive rehearsals not passing a bowl and shot glass around while we bang out a few butchered Pink Floyd songs. I have been in those situations and it was about as fulfilling as a steak dinner without a steak.

If I am involved in a band I want it to be a good or great band. I don't use bands as a chance to party.

 

[itchyfingers]

I too prefer practice over gigging, but if we have three years of recordings of all our songs, or we play the tunes just like the originals, then you should be practicing alone at home. Getting together every week to watch the same band member repeatedly fuck up just reinforces that they never work on this shit unless we are forced to be in the same room together. Drives me crazy.

Oddly specific rant is oddly specific because it is my reality.

 

[DrewJD82]

I’ve got very mixed feelings about them and it depends on what I’m doing in the band.

I hate playing any songs repeatedly in a practice room, once they’re down well enough to play out, I’m fine not getting back to them unless there’s a need to. I suppose that depends on the song, because some songs are just fun to play, but I’ve gotten sick of originals that I’ve played too many times in rehearsal.

Being just the singer in a band blows ass. You spend 3/4’s a rehearsal listening to guitarists tweak and figure out their parts or everyone needs to rehearse a section over and over and it’s easier for them to hear if you’re not singing. It’s even worse when the band is writing and wants none of your input, because you’re just sitting there doing nothing. That’s a big part of why I quit singing in bands.

Writing in rehearsal, as a guitarist, I LOVE it. It’s my favorite part of being in a band, especially when legit progress is being made. But being in an original band and you’re only singing, while having the ability to play every instrument in the room at the same level as everyone else in the band….that was the worst musical period of my life. I’d be sitting in a practice space for 4 hours listening to people work out songs, suggestions weren’t taken into consideration at ALL and at most I’d get an idea for something, only for the band to change the section at the next practice. F*ck that.

I TOTALLY understand why Maynard doesn’t want any part of writing sessions until the band is done with the song. 100% agree with him there.

And yeah, people figuring out their parts for covers at practice can f*ck right off. My high school band instructor would tell us all the time “Practice on your own time, we’re here to play.”

 

[HotRats]

I love playing with people I get along with musically and that I don't dislike too much.
Playing loud rock and roll is pure joy for me. I don't care much if I do it on stage or not.

I've almost never been in pure gigging bands or tired to make a living playing live therefore rehearsals is where a good slice of the fun is and has been for me.

Don't get me wrong, gigs are awesome but not mandatory for me, not anymore.

When I was young and we played original music I loved the weekly rehearsals because were a fun and creative moment shared with great friends.