Bands that don't practice

[Subthumper]

Hi all, I was just wondering if anyone else is in a band that pretty much doesn't practice. I recently joined but am now leaving a cover band. It's classic rock stuff, some of it slightly tricky some of it difficult. They gave a list of about 45 songs to learn and we had one run through quietly at someone's house with electronic kit etc, and then straight into gigs. I've felt like I'm constantly depping at short notice, always playing catch up. I'm used to bands that rehearse their arses off so they can perform not just play. It seems to suck the passion out of playing. I've played very well in some great bands over the years and done hundreds of gigs, both cover and original but I'm genuinely struggling here. I've been through and through the songs but find having no full rehearsals makes it very difficult to get a feel for how the band play it. Has anyone else had this experience?
Thanks for reading.
Cheers

[warwickhunt]

I'm seeing/doing both sides of this. Band A - One gig in a year and an average of one rehearsal per week. Band B - Initially meant to be a dep, 0 rehearsals and yet I'm now full time bassist and 4 gigs under the belt in 2 weeks!
I find the 'B' option to be more fun and less onerous (not that 'A' isn't enjoyable), I get a text saying track x y or z is new for next gig and the expectation is that all band members will know it!

[chris_b]

If you're gigging what is the point of "rehearsing your arse off"?

If you are well prepared and have done your homework you shouldn't need rehearsals at all.

[Phil Starr]

This is a sore point for me. There is clearly a balance between personal practice,rehearsal and gigging. If you are the new guy you'd expect to put in a lot of work on your own. If you are an established band gigging a set you've done a hundred times then there is no need to rehearse stuff you already know.If you've a new band member you aren't an established band any more, performing with no rehearsal is a bit of a lottery. Youmight get away with it but it's just not a professional attitude to risk it. If you are all readers it might be OK I guess but symphony orchestras rehearse, lots.

IMO to perform without rehearsal shows contempt for the audience, or at least a lack of care about what you do. Bands who busk it or who talk about playing it their own way without rehearsal and thought are rarely as good as they think they are. I saw an interview with Keith Richards where he said the Stones rehearsed for three months before their last tour, how often must they have played those songs?

I'm probably bitter, I fell out with my last band because of this. We made the same mistakes in the same places every gig but there was a reluctance to sort the problems and half the band thought they were so good it wasn't an issue. It's frustrating when you've been playing a set for years when someone leaves and you have to rehearse the new person in but if you care it has to be done. If you don't care why are you playing music?

[chris_b]

If they haven't fired you then you must be doing a good job.

Are you running through the songs at home?

To walk away now doesn't seem like the right thing to do

[ambient]

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1487639068' post='3241479']

IMO to perform without rehearsal shows contempt for the audience, or at least a lack of care about what you do. Bands who busk it or who talk about playing it their own way without rehearsal and thought are rarely as good as they think they are. I saw an interview with Keith Richards where he said the Stones rehearsed for three months before their last tour, how often must they have played those songs?

[/quote]

I disagree, it totally depends what you're playing and I guess how good you are.

Neither of my two bands rehearse. The one is part of a collective, so who you go out with depends on who's available. Everything is written out, we just read it. A mix of notation and lead sheets.

The Stones would rehearse not necessarily the playing of the songs, there's an awful lot of technical stuff that goes on in shows that they have to get right. Cues and ends, lighting and projection etc.

[blue]

I think most bands need to rehearse.At least at my level of play, US Midwestern bar band. Not to be confused with pub bands.

Did you ask about the bands position on rehearsals and how often they rehears?

We talk so much on bass chat about important questions to ask before accepting an offer to join a band.

Blue

[blue]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1487634570' post='3241460']
If you're gigging what is the point of "rehearsing your arse off"?

If you are well prepared and have done your homework you shouldn't need rehearsals at all.
[/quote]

Maybe, and the key here is how often a band gigs. If your out there doing 3 gig weekends, yeah, you'll get up to speed fast. But if a band gigs once a month, no way. I doubt that will work.

Blue

[bazzbass]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1487634570' post='3241460']
If you're gigging what is the point of "rehearsing your arse off"?

If you are well prepared and have done your homework you shouldn't need rehearsals at all.
[/quote]

assuming the drummer is good. If he isn't , no amount of practising at home alone is gonna reveal that until a gig.

The rhythm section need to jam together to gel, it's ridiculous to jam seperately and expect to be tight at a gig. I'm dumbfounded by some of the answers. I assume they are talking about pros, but in reality, most of us are not.

[chris_b]

As Ambient says, depends how good you are and what you're playing.

It's very easy to lock with a good drummer on the first gig. . . if you've both done your homework, can listen to each other and can play. If you can't do that then please don't assume that no one else can.

The OP has to fit in to a working band. They don't have to fit to him, so the onus is on him to join in and get himself up to speed. These guys seem to be willing to hold the fort until he does this, but instead of doing that he's throwing in the towel, giving up! That's sad, because he's throwing away the best confidence building and learning situation he'll ever be in. Don't walk away, use the patience that these guys are obviously showing and get on this accelerated rock bass learning curve. Gigging with these guys is worth more than every rehearsal put end to end.

As I said earlier, unless we haven't been told all the facts, he must be better than he thinks he is or they'd have fired him already.

[TimR]

I'd make a list of all the songs and take it to the next gig. Every time you get through a song and are happy then cross it off, any song you're unhappy with put a mark next to it.

Go home practice the songs you've marked and work out whether you know them or whether the band are doing something odd.

With a new band I wouldn't be happy until I'd played each song four or five times with them. Whether rehearsing or on the fly at a gig.

[spectoremg]

I don't think it's very professional either and shows a contempt for the punters. Besides which a covers band should always be introducing new stuff.
On a side note I've always found that most bands aren't very prepared for a new member - 'oh we don't do that version' 'well why didn't you tell me that beforehand?!'

[stingrayPete1977]

I've been in bands that practice every week that make the same mistakes at the gigs and I've been in bands that rarely practice that were much tighter so I don't think it's a hard and fast rule.

I couldn't be bothered with the weekly practice bi annual gig bands anymore but my current band needs to practice more tbh.

[uk_lefty]

It doesn't matter how many times you jam along to a CD or listen to songs in your car, you need the whole band rehearsal for nailing the structure and feel of songs. My band practices every week, gig once a month most of the year, more often in summer. We mix up the rehearsal to bring in new songs but songs we've played every set since day 1 still get rehearsed where there's odd length verses and bridges in irregular places, it has to be done!

[gapiro]

I play in a function band of professional musicians that doesn't rehearse, and we do a different set every gig with different musicians - sometimes two in a weekend with a different lineup each night.
It works, we're all very good - you have to put the work in before and are expected to be right on the night - some guys can't hack it, some guys can - I have a repertoire of about 400 songs from ipad for chord progressions but generally know all the basslines.
The biggest issues come from singers who write stuff like " Song X in C#"
Some singers mean it is in C#, some mean the first chord is C# etc - commnunication is key!

Edited February 21, 2017 by gapiro

[Lozz196]

We rehearse every week, gigs or not. And one of the main comments we get is how tight we are. Fail to practice, practice to fail.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Subthumper' timestamp='1487633100' post='3241453']
Hi all, I was just wondering if anyone else is in a band that pretty much doesn't practice. I recently joined but am now leaving a cover band. It's classic rock stuff, some of it slightly tricky some of it difficult. They gave a list of about 45 songs to learn and we had one run through quietly at someone's house with electronic kit etc, and then straight into gigs. I've felt like I'm constantly depping at short notice, always playing catch up. I'm used to bands that rehearse their arses off so they can perform not just play. It seems to suck the passion out of playing. I've played very well in some great bands over the years and done hundreds of gigs, both cover and original but I'm genuinely struggling here. I've been through and through the songs but find having no full rehearsals makes it very difficult to get a feel for how the band play it. Has anyone else had this experience?
Thanks for reading.
Cheers
[/quote]

You're kind of describing my ideal arrangement for a covers band: just give me a list of songs (making sure what version/key we're on) and I'll learn them, have one or two practices depending on how long the set is just to ensure we're all on the same page especially with regards to any special stops, or starts/ends... and just gig. I think some bands like to rehearse way too much beyond the point where anything is gained. I don't have unlimited amounts of time and I'd rather do something else than playing the same song for a 100th time.

I am involved in a RATM covers band. We only gig about once a month. The guitarist and myself have been in this for about 5 years now. The drummer joined a year ago, and the singer 18 months ago. So, with new members I expected a few extra rehearsals. Fine. But the guys just want to continue rehearsing even if the list of songs has not changed whatsoever. We don't need a weekly practice together. It's fun, sure, but that's not the point. I insisted about cutting down and we agreed to a max of 2 a month. In reality it's more like once a month, which I can do, fine... but it really does nothing. If we at least added a handful of the songs that we don't yet cover (there are only a few left), but no, we just go through the same songs. What's the point? When we haven't gigged or rehearsed for a couple of months it's useful as a reminder... but that's something everybody can do on their own.
I just don't get why some people just want to keep rehearsing over and over when playing covers...

I can't imagine any typical songs that a covers band would do that are particularly difficult. If it's difficult technically, then it's a matter for the individual players to do their homework to ensure they can play it. Once everybody has done that, play it together. If you have difficulties then it's generally because one or more players are not ready and the rehearsal is just a vehicle for them to catch up. That's not what rehearsals are for. Learn your parts properly in advance and ensure you can play them. If a song has a tricky arrangement, that's when rehearsals are useful. But how many would you really need?

For originals bands it's a bit different, at least in my experience, because the 'rehearsal' time is used for many things. We don't just go over the 'set list' if we had one... we go over songs that we're working on, they often evolve quite a bit before they are set... so at each rehearsal there may be someone trying something here or there... or we may decide to add/remove bits or rearrange. There's also a degree of jamming from which new tunes may arise... and people bringing in some new ideas which may lead us to work a bit on them etc... But just get together regularly to play songs that we already know and whose structure etc is already established? Sounds like a waste of time from a 'productivity' point of view. Of course it can be fun, and in that case knock yourself out. But I tend to find rehearsals a little less fun if it's on a Monday night where I have to leave work at 7, drive to the studio and grab a quick bite from a shop next door... tired, make noise 8-10pm... then I get home at 10.45pm... and I barely have a couple of hours before I have to start thinking about going to bed.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1487639068' post='3241479']
I'm probably bitter, I fell out with my last band because of this. We made the same mistakes in the same places every gig
[/quote]

was it a matter of people not being sure of the structure/arrangement of the song, or was it technical issues for one or more players?

if the latter: they need their own homework and I don't see how rehearsals would help, unless you just want to make the rehearsal for their benefit. It's an option, but I expect everybody to take responsibility of their own things. I would not dream of making the band sit with me while I go over and over a tricky bit. That's personal homework time. When I am ok I will know it, and then we can do it together to be sure.

if it's a matter of not being sure about the arrangement... and gig after gig it's not fixed... to me that doesn't indicate that the problem is no rehearsing enough. To me that indicates the band doesn't care. If it happens a couple of times it is clear there is an issue, and it gets addressed with or without rehearsal. You decide what the arrangement is (whether at rehearsal, or by someone saying "right, it goes like this") and... what more do you need?

I have used a little recorder for as long as these small digital units have been available. When writing new songs things are often unclear for a while as the song's arrangement evolves... and if we decide we want to play it at next gig, we usually have a recording for reference. It may end up being very different, but at least for this coming gig, this is how we'll play it. Everybody does their homework and it works.
It doesn't work if you have one or two lazy people in the band... which is what I have endured (not saying that's your case, I am only talking from my personal experiences)

[xgsjx]

If it's a covers band that stick to the same formula as the original, then you can get all the practice you need at home.

I'm in 2 bands. The first is an originals band. We practice 1-2 times per month & are soon to do our first gigs (songs are finished). I practice my parts at home as well.

The 2nd band is a church worship band, where I play about 1-2 times a month (there's 4 bassists that rotate & with me being 45 miles away, they don't call on me for every 4th bassist).
There's a team night once a month where they spend the whole night running over a new song & talking about the arrangement. The only practice I get is at home & often he songs are in a different key from the original (so in to Logic the song goes & I pitch shift).
2-3 days before the service we find out what songs we're playing & what key they're in (1/2 of which I've probably never heard) & every now & again I'll get a text during service to say something like "let's play xxxxx in Bm to close the service". Last time it was a song I'd never heard before, but they WhatsApp'd me a chord chart & they played just the chords on keys whilst the Pastor was closing (let me hear the tempo & feel).
Playing in the worship team is a lot of fun. They're all great musicians & the challenge of learning songs very quickly is awesome.

[dmccombe7]

I auditioned for a Glam Rock covers band and was given the job and asked to learn a set list of 34 songs in 3weeks for first 2 gigs on the Fr & Sat.
The plan was to have a couple of rehearsals but unfortunately singer Dad passed away and we just couldn't fit it in.
He still wanted to go ahead with his commitments and we did the gigs no rehearsals. We talked thru the songs after first week on phone and found they were playing in different keys from actual songs. Had to relearn several songs in their key.
Gigs went really well and i was complimented both by the band and audience and organisers both as a bassist and band. All great i thought.

Then the following week he decided to change the set list and wanted me to learn another 20 songs for 10days time for another gig.
I had to apologize but this was a bit too much for me and couldn't keep this level of commitment.
We parted on very good terms but it did explain why they had been thru 17 bassists in their history.

The 2 gigs i did play with them fealt more like a basic jam session than being part of a band. They had been together for approx 8-10 yrs.
They had the attitude that because they play every week and usually 2 gigs every week they didn't need to rehearse which was ok for them as they already knew all the songs. I had never played any of the songs before.

Current band rehearse every week altho its more for fun and social gathering of mates than anything else. They don't want to play every week either.

Dave

[mcnach]

[quote name='Subthumper' timestamp='1487633100' post='3241453']
Hi all, I was just wondering if anyone else is in a band that pretty much doesn't practice. I recently joined but am now leaving a cover band. It's classic rock stuff, some of it slightly tricky some of it difficult. They gave a list of about 45 songs to learn and we had one run through quietly at someone's house with electronic kit etc, and then straight into gigs. I've felt like I'm constantly depping at short notice, always playing catch up. I'm used to bands that rehearse their arses off so they can perform not just play. It seems to suck the passion out of playing. I've played very well in some great bands over the years and done hundreds of gigs, both cover and original but I'm genuinely struggling here. I've been through and through the songs but find having no full rehearsals makes it very difficult to get a feel for how the band play it. Has anyone else had this experience?
Thanks for reading.
Cheers
[/quote]


I recently kind of joined a band that mixes originals with a few covers. They needed someone for a few gigs and we knew eachother... I got a list (and recordings and sheets of lyrics with chords on top, what key each song was in etc) of 30-35 songs.
First gig was just a 45min set. I got the songs on Monday morning, rehearsal on Tuesday night, and gig on Sunday afternoon (outdoor summer festival thingy).

The rehearsal was purely to ensure we got the ends/starts right, and where some songs blend into others etc... I didn't know all the songs at that time as I had only had about a couple of hours the night before... so I kind of jammed it, recorded everything to make sure the structures were correct... And did my homework. The gig went just fine. We did one more practice the week after for the rest of the songs... and that was it. Quite a few gigs took care of the rest... and HOMEWORK.

Yes, the first few times I felt a bit nervous, especially a couple of times where the sound wasn't great onstage. At home everything sounds ok and you feel comfortable... then you get bad sound and you realise just how much you depended on certain vocal cues that you can barely hear now... eeek! But the band knew, of course, that I was new to the songs... and I'd be watching them and one of them would give me a look, a nod, something, when we approached a particular tricky change or something which helped me a lot. But that was extra, and when we had deps in other bands we also help them that way... still, there's no substitute for your homework.
When you join a band that's already gigging, you can't really expect them to throw a bunch of rehearsals so that you can learn to play the songs. You'll be expected to put in a lot of work to catch up, it's part of the deal. I'm sure if there's a problem with a particular song, they'll be helpful and agree to a rehearsal to go over those tricky ones and ensure you're all good. But that would be an exception and not something normally needed if you prepare.

If you do your homework, and it sounds like you are doing that... you'll catch up. The first few gigs you may be a bit more nervous than you wished... but then it's just cruising. I think you've already put on most of the work needed and it'd be a waste to quit now.

[mcnach]

[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1487649031' post='3241495']
assuming the drummer is good. If he isn't , no amount of practising at home alone is gonna reveal that until a gig.

The rhythm section need to jam together to gel, it's ridiculous to jam seperately and expect to be tight at a gig. I'm dumbfounded by some of the answers. I assume they are talking about pros, but in reality, most of us are not.
[/quote]


You don't get a band forming and going to the next gig without having played together... there are exceptions, of course, by generally a band is not really set until you've got all members in, and part of the member selection involves playing together: if the drummer is not good, then he won't be in the band. At least not in a band aiming to gig anytime soon... we all had 'practice bands' before reaching that point.

You don't need to be a pro. You just need to have an ear for things and a minimum of ability, both of which I assume you have if you are so much into music that you're in a band and playing live to people. Yes, it's nice when you get a lot of hours together. There's a reason why in two of the trhee bands I'm currently involved we use the same drummer... and it used to be 3 out of 4! There's a lot of comfort working with a drummer you know well. But it's not an absolute requirement. If you all know your parts, and you do listen to the band while playing, not just to yourself... it'll work. If it doesn't then one of you guys probably need more personal practice.

[mcnach]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1487660306' post='3241507']
As Ambient says, depends how good you are and what you're playing.

It's very easy to lock with a good drummer on the first gig. . . if you've both done your homework, can listen to each other and can play. If you can't do that then please don't assume that no one else can.

The OP has to fit in to a working band. They don't have to fit to him, so the onus is on him to join in and get himself up to speed. These guys seem to be willing to hold the fort until he does this, but instead of doing that he's throwing in the towel, giving up! That's sad, because he's throwing away the best confidence building and learning situation he'll ever be in. Don't walk away, use the patience that these guys are obviously showing and get on this accelerated rock bass learning curve. Gigging with these guys is worth more than every rehearsal put end to end.

As I said earlier, unless we haven't been told all the facts, he must be better than he thinks he is or they'd have fired him already.
[/quote]


+1 to everything. very good post

[mcnach]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1487662802' post='3241519']
I don't think it's very professional either and shows a contempt for the punters. Besides which a covers band should always be introducing new stuff.
On a side note I've always found that most bands aren't very prepared for a new member - 'oh we don't do that version' 'well why didn't you tell me that beforehand?!'
[/quote]

contempt for the punters? where do you get that from???

the band has chosen the OP to play bass for them, and they are clearly happy he can do the job. Where you assume contempt there may just be confidence on their part that the OP is doing a good job. The OP may have doubts about his own ability, and feel a bit under pressure, understandably... and having self-doubts is not a bad thing if it makes you work harder to make sure you're prepared.

"oh we don't do that version"... yeah it happens... but that's a different matter altogether and not what we have here.

[RockfordStone]

i have always believed it is important to practice to create a tight working unit, however the frequency at which you do it depends on the band and it's commitments.

i had one band and we would go through periods where would practice twice a week, writing and perfecting our perfomances and when we would have a run of regular gigs we didn't need to practice, so we would cut down to 1 a month

if you have been brought into a band and expected to learn a full set, i'd expect some practices, firstly to ensure you are playing what they are playing, secondly to see if you gel.