How long do you actually spend rehearsing?

[Roger2611]

I have a music computer in the spare room, used only for recording and rehearsing with, I use the media player and as one of the columns I use the play counter and another the track length....so today I am playing through the set for tonight and looking at the ever escalating play count....so I though "just how long have I rehearsed tonight's set?".....the answer 9.45 days of solid playing....and this takes into account some newer numbers that have not been rehearsed nearly as much...if we were doing our most experienced set tonight the total rehearsal time for me would have been 18 days give or take a couple of hours......I should get out more!!

[blue]

I usually practice at home a few hours a day. Band rehearsal, we gig 2-3 times a week. We rarely rehearse can't remember the last time we rehearsed.

Blue

[JTUK]

I just get in the right frame to be able to play.... I know the songs...it is how I will shape this bit of that bit and how I will gell
with the rest of the guys.
We don't play by numbers so I favour an organic approach.
If you can carry it off...it means the band will have 3,4 or 5 gears, and the trick is that 2nd gear
should be perfectly acceptable. 4th and 5th gears are just magical.
I prepare for that...but actual hours on a song...?? no idea.

[discreet]

I usually play bass about three or four hours a day. But I don't necessarily play our set. I suspect the band only play through the set when we're at rehearsal, which is at most once a week. This explains why someone always forgets something in every number.

I find this very frustrating of course. My solution used to be to have a couple of beers before rehearsals so I would play down to their level, or at least not care when they fecked it up. They countered this by turning up drunk as well, so it became a race to the bottom.

But now I've given up the booze I can't do that any more. So I've started looking for other work. I used to mock 'wanted' ads which said 'no people with booze or drug problems', but now absolutely agree with them. So many people I've played with in the past see rehearsal not only as a social event (which is wrong anyway imho), but as an opportunity to get pissed-up or stoned speechless. Then they can't play and/or can't remember what they're doing, or worse, they have to be in the same state they were when they learnt the material.

Up with this I cannot put!
/RANT

Edit: Audition tomorrow evening, wish me luck...

Edited August 15, 2015 by discreet

[JapanAxe]

PRACTICE - I spend some time almost every day on one or more of the three kinds of practising that I do:
- Transcription - of bass (or guitar) parts into music notation;
- Skills - working on material I won't necessarily play live, but which stretches my abilities; and
- Performance - learning whole songs to play live, typically not completed until a few days before the gig.

REHEARSAL - How much and how often depends entirely on the band I will be playing with. There may be no rehearsal, or 1 or 2, lasting anything from 2 hours to 6 hours!

Note the distinction - practice is an individual activity, rehearsal is what a band does.

[Lozz196]

I probably play bass at least 30 mins to an hour each day, however unless I`m learning songs or writing songs, I very play actual songs, and even rare play my bands material. I just play bits of songs that I know and like, and try different riffs if writing. I only really rehearse the bands songs with the band, as they are played at such an intensity for one it`s difficult to get that at home, and secondly, I have to be considerate of the neighbours. I`ve always been the same really, I really only learn songs properly in a band situation. I`ll get the hang of them at home, but need to rehearse with a band to nail them.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1439661784' post='2844816']
I have a music computer in the spare room, used only for recording and rehearsing with, I use the media player and as one of the columns I use the play counter and another the track length....so today I am playing through the set for tonight and looking at the ever escalating play count....so I though "just how long have I rehearsed tonight's set?".....the answer 9.45 days of solid playing....and this takes into account some newer numbers that have not been rehearsed nearly as much...if we were doing our most experienced set tonight the total rehearsal time for me would have been 18 days give or take a couple of hours......I should get out more!!
[/quote]

Not that I would want to encourage anyone to practice less but ... running through your entire set in real time is not necessarily the most effective use of your practice time. What I've done in the past is to create condensed versions of the songs where I play each distinct progression/riff/break once only which in my experience add up to about 3-5 mins of stuff for a typical 2 hour covers set if your fairly ruthless.

[blue]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1439664689' post='2844853']
I usually play bass about three or four hours a day. But I don't necessarily play our set. I suspect the band only play through the set when we're at rehearsal, which is at most once a week. This explains why someone always forgets something in every number.

I find this very frustrating of course. My solution used to be to have a couple of beers before rehearsals so I would play down to their level, or at least not care when they fecked it up. They countered this by turning up drunk as well, so it became a race to the bottom.

But now I've given up the booze I can't do that any more. So I've started looking for other work. I used to mock 'wanted' ads which said 'no people with booze or drug problems', but now absolutely agree with them. So many people I've played with in the past see rehearsal not only as a social event (which is wrong anyway imho), but as an opportunity to get pissed-up or stoned speechless. Then they can't play and/or can't remember what they're doing, or worse, they have to be in the same state they were when they learnt the material.

Up with this I cannot put!
/RANT

Edit: Audition tomorrow evening, wish me luck...
[/quote]

Agreed, I stopped using anything that could impair me when I was 23. I'm 61,so that's over 30 years of no drinking or substances. Everything is always crystal clear.And I mean everything in life. It might not be pretty, but it's accurate.

Blue

[FinnDave]

I rarely play at home, the band rehearses about once every two weeks, less if we are gigging a lot. Totally agree about drink and 'smokes'. I certainly like a drink, but not when we're playing. Have delivered the lecture a few times about our drummer losing his (usually excellent) timing after a between sets smoke. The message seems to getting through

[discreet]

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1439675865' post='2844965']
Totally agree about drink and 'smokes'. I certainly like a drink, but not when we're playing.
[/quote]

Don't get me wrong, I think chemical assistance has its place in the perception of music and in its generation, by which I mean ideas. Just not when rehearsing or gigging or otherwise attempting to be professional.

[FinnDave]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1439677637' post='2844990']
Don't get me wrong, I think chemical assistance has its place in the perception of music and in its generation, by which I mean ideas. Just not when rehearsing or gigging or otherwise attempting to be professional.
[/quote]

Absolutely, nothing to disagree with there.

[dadofsix]

Personally, I dislike practicing (which I define simply as a means to a predetermined goal) though I try to do it for several hours every week. I much prefer picking up a random instrument (whether an acoustic or electric guitar, a mandolin, a bass, or maybe just sitting down at a piano) and seeing what the hands are playing thereby losing myself to the music. I much prefer creating when I'm going to be playing an instrument. YMMV

<><Peace

[Bilbo]

I practice a little most days but almost never rehearse unless a specific gig calls for it e.g. a show.

[Marvin]

I don't rehearse at the moment as I'm not in a band. It also curtails my practising as if I'm not in a band I'm not that fussed about sitting at home playing

[gjones]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1439664689' post='2844853']
I usually play bass about three or four hours a day. But I don't necessarily play our set. I suspect the band only play through the set when we're at rehearsal, which is at most once a week. This explains why someone always forgets something in every number.

I find this very frustrating of course. My solution used to be to have a couple of beers before rehearsals so I would play down to their level, or at least not care when they fecked it up. They countered this by turning up drunk as well, so it became a race to the bottom.

But now I've given up the booze I can't do that any more. So I've started looking for other work. I used to mock 'wanted' ads which said 'no people with booze or drug problems', but now absolutely agree with them. So many people I've played with in the past see rehearsal not only as a social event (which is wrong anyway imho), but as an opportunity to get pissed-up or stoned speechless. Then they can't play and/or can't remember what they're doing, or worse, they have to be in the same state they were when they learnt the material.

Up with this I cannot put!
/RANT

Edit: Audition tomorrow evening, wish me luck...
[/quote]

Your band sound like a bunch of feckless, wasters. I have depped for bands like this, who use the money from gigs to merely get pished. One band I was in would set up a tab at the bar and at the end of the night the band owed the bar money, instead of the other way around.

Dump em!

Edited August 16, 2015 by gjones

[BigRedX]

Rehearse?

With the full band 2-3 hours a week. Split between tightening up any dodgy bits at the last gig, trying out new running orders for the songs and transitions between them, and then the rest of the time is spent working on new songs with the full band.

Practice?

TBH I don't really practice. Most of the time when I pick up a guitar or bass, it is to write new songs. That depends on how the mood takes me. I mostly work from home, so sometimes if I'm musically inspired and work is slow I'll spend most of the day playing, other times I won't pick up an instrument for a couple of days. The only times I do practice is when my brain comes up with something my fingers can't do, so I'll work at it until I can. Occasionally when I find myself making the same mistakes in a particular song, I'll work at it on my own until I can consistently play through it without making those mistakes.

[discreet]

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1439715521' post='2845114']
Dump em!
[/quote]

In any other circumstance I would, but they are otherwise very great friends and I've known them all for at least forty years. I have various other projects on the go anyway, but I've decided to deal with it by looking for a proper band who take things a bit more seriously, are prepared to commit, put the effort in and take it as far as it will go - but I'll continue to rehearse with me old mates say, once a fortnight - and regard it as a social event like they do, where we hook up and play a few numbers just for the hell of it. They're obviously not bothered about gigging anyway, so I'll never be double-booked. Getting them to do anything is like herding cats, so I won't bother in future... but I really think it would be churlish of me to fall out with them over this.

Just having a typical forum vent really, so apologies for that.

Edited August 16, 2015 by discreet

[tauzero]

We rehearse for two hours a week and I practice a bit at home, mainly when learning new material. As we've got a surfeit of songs, some don't get played for a few gigs, so those get brushed up at rehearsal.

[Lord Sausage]

If you can't have a drink n smoke and still play then you need to practice more. I don't mean getting proper wasted but nicely buzzed. One maybe two beers n a doob. No doob on gig day tho. Though you do need control to keep it at that level. I don't always do it but when do I don't play worse. If anything I play better. I understand if people are getting twatted then it is a problem.

When I was at music college a lecturer who was a pro muso and had been for 40 odd yrs, played on the strip in Hamburg same time as the Beatles and all said to me and others. "Go home have a smoke and a beer and practice your ass off. There will come times when you have to gig in that state. Better be ready."
Best homework ever. We all did.

[Subbeh]

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1439745220' post='2845428']When I was at music college a lecturer who was a pro muso and had been for 40 odd yrs, played on the strip in Hamburg same time as the Beatles and all said to me and others. "Go home have a smoke and a beer and practice your ass off. [b]There will come times when you have to gig in that state[/b]. Better be ready."
Best homework ever. We all did.
[/quote]

Hopefully most music colleges can do better for their students than burned out old potheads giving piss poor advice.
The bit in bold is one of the single most ludicrous things I've ever read .

For us it's generally a three hour rehearsal but it's a startup and were trying to put a solid set together as well as getting used
to playing with one another.
I practice anywhere from an hour to three a day depending on how much time I can spare. Learning new stuff, polishing stuff I already know and
playing just for the fun of it.

[BottomE]

Band rehearsals are pretty rare after being the same core unit for over 8 years and building up a catalogue of stuff. Probably about one full band rehearsal every 2/3 months. We do about 80/90 gigs a year.

Practice pretty much every night at home often on material for other projects/writing/bass jam tracks etc.

Cubase, some good headphones and a great little Focuswrite soundcard have been a revolution in terms of the flexibility afforded for different types of practice.

[Si600]

Hardly any time at all, my longest sessions are our get together every other Thursday with the band, probably explains why we're not really making progress. It gets us out and it's fun, none of us want to be rock stars after all. At home, especially as it's holidays, the little ones curtail any practice time.

[Lord Sausage]

[quote name='Subbeh' timestamp='1439752026' post='2845499']
Hopefully most music colleges can do better for their students than burned out old potheads giving piss poor advice.
The bit in bold is one of the single most ludicrous things I've ever read .

For us it's generally a three hour rehearsal but it's a startup and were trying to put a solid set together as well as getting used
to playing with one another.
I practice anywhere from an hour to three a day depending on how much time I can spare. Learning new stuff, polishing stuff I already know and
playing just for the fun of it.
[/quote]
Ha ha.

I've played the Hackney Empire doing a show where the guitarist was on coke, drinking vodka and tonic from a mineral water bottle. He was excellent. All over it. The stories he told me about pro musos on pro tours make a pint and a spliff look tee total.

The guy who gave me the piss poor advice was a genius. Dead now suprisingly. He taught me proper composition and arrangement for jazz big bands. Writing and arranging and scoring for all the instruments. He taught us the Berklee college music theory course. I went on to get a degree in music from York from what i learned of that burned out pothead. I learned next to f*** all a uni!

[Bassnut62]

I picked up my guitar for first time in about 3 weeks today and feel guilty for practicing so little recently; but the band has no gigs coming up and I feel proper burnt out at the moment for numerous work/chore/band-management reasons.

[Subbeh]

Yeah that probably was a bit toolish of me but telling kids to practice getting stoned and drunk to help with their playing is a best pretty dubious!