So fed up!

[Guest aDx]

I just quit a band i got into before covid... so thats a year wasted!

 

the reason being that they dont want to rehearse !  

 

and they moaned because first gig was a bit rusty

 

for me rehearsals are part of being in a band....  and what makes a band good

 

am i wrong?

 

 

 

[ead]

No 

[Trueno]

Also no.

Here’s how it works for me…

Everyone practises their stuff at home until they absolutely nail it.

Then we get together rehearse until the band nails it.

Then we gig.

 

Does that always happen? No… but you can always hope.

I joined a band just before covid and spent 18 months “nailing it”. Now the band seems to have morphed into some sort of social club. 

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Trueno

[Guest aDx]

I have just got the perfect setup too!

 

wireless, cort bass and markbass = my favourite sounds!

 

and now no band!!!

 

all i want to do is play with a band!!!    why is it so difficult!!

[ezbass]

Why do they think big name professionals go into rehearsals for weeks on end before a tour? The mind boggles! They plainly want to do jam nights under the guise of being in a band. You’ve walked away, a sensible move IMO, you are not wrong in your thinking process.

[Muzz]

It kinda depends what level everyone's at and what sort of music it is; my originals bands rehearse when we can (but there's no real impetus behind these; they're more a 'nice to be in it' band), but the pub/function trio band hasn't rehearsed since 2018; we just get a text and a YouTube link for new songs from the BL, learn them and then play them (the drummer reads anyway, so it's only me who can pink torpedo things up). We tend to only rehearse when we change tech (new PA/digital mixer, moving to in-ears, etc, etc).

 

I should add we're not playing particularly testing music; just the standard pub/function fare, really...

[Saul Panzer]

30 minutes ago, aDx said:

for me rehearsals are part of being in a band....  and what makes a band good

I'm not in a band but always assumed that is a big part of being "tight" when everyone's doing their thing on stage.
But what do I know.

[alyctes]

6 minutes ago, Saul Panzer said:

I'm not in a band but always assumed that is a big part of being "tight" when everyone's doing their thing on stage.
But what do I know.

You're not wrong  

There is a big difference between learning your own part and playing with the whole band.

[Muzz]

I think I should add that the non-rehearsing trio band has been the three of us for at least a decade...we finish each other's sentences these days... 😁

[Muzz]

19 minutes ago, Muzz said:

I think I should add that the non-rehearsing trio band has been the three of us for at least a decade...we finish each other's sentences these days... 😁

...and I've been invited to join a new Rawk Covers band, with people I haven't played with much...we'll be rehearsing...at least to start with... 🙂

Edited October 25, 2021 by Muzz

[uk_lefty]

Rehearsal is absolutely essential. I get it when people have varying levels of commitment and different expectations but that's why you almost have to "interview" everyone before agreeing the line up. That's not to say it won't change over time but if everyone is honest that's step 1 done, getting everyone on the same page. Then for step 2 see who is just talking it up Vs who is doing the work, learning the songs, can play their instrument, etc. Sadly I've met so many people who talk the talk but really they just want to do a show and tell of their expensive gear instead of learning songs properly, then criticise others for not being able to rehearse because they're on holiday in two weeks' time.

 

I've just joined a very good covers band. The "interview" on the phone lasted an hour, they got sent video and recordings then I did an audition, then a few weeks later an extended practice including learning a new song and some in different keys, waited another week for them to see others, then got the gig four or five weeks after the first phone call. I've got a set list for a gig on 10th December, each song with notes on whether it's in original key or of its a different version of the song, and I'm going to track my progress against these so we can plan what to practice. There's no way I'm turning up to busk through songs or try to figure it out in the room. Pressure is on, but I like the organisation of this outfit.

Edited October 25, 2021 by uk_lefty

[chris_b]

55 minutes ago, aDx said:

I just quit a band i got into before covid... so thats a year wasted!

the reason being that they dont want to rehearse !  

and they moaned because first gig was a bit rusty

for me rehearsals are part of being in a band....  and what makes a band good

am i wrong?

 

Depends. I generally don't rehearse in the bands I play in and for. Depends on the songs and how good you are at playing your instrument. If I can learn them at home then that's what I prefer. The only rehearsals I've done in the last 20 years was for the benefit of one or more of the other band members. What "makes a band good" is getting the gigs under their belt.

 

Every gig I've done since the lockdowns ended has had one or more people commenting that they are rusty. Sometimes you can tell, sometimes you can't. I doubt the audience knew.

 

IMO rehearsals are a means to an end and it's the gigs that make the band. So, leaving a gigging band because they don't rehearse is cutting your nose off to spite your face.

 

YMMV

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[neepheid]

In my experience, weekly rehearsals are vital for staying sharp and tight.  No amount of solo swotting can make up for the feel of how things hang together when we all play together.  But then again I'm not gigging every week, so maybe that's why I feel the benefit of it.

 

I find a lot of these types of conversations gravitate towards cover bands, where it is wholly feasible to simply learn your parts on your own and rock up to the gig and hope that everyone has been as diligent as you.  Speaking for originals bands, I say that time spent playing together outside of gigs, either playing the songs we already do to keep them fresh or jamming out new ideas is necessary - I don't think I could come up with new songs if the only time we got together was gigs.  Yes, some people might say that jamming out new songs is not the same thing as a rehearsal.  But it's all just words - and I reserve the right to interpret the word "rehearsal" as "time spent playing as a band which isn't a gig", especially when it comes to the originals band.

[Barking Spiders]

 I like performing but don't  enjoy rehearsals so whatever can be done to reduce rehearsal time the better. If that means nailing it while playing along to songs at home and then seeing if it all comes together and a first rehearsal that's fine. I was recently asked to join a band but turned them down as a. I don't want a 50 mile round trip to the  rehearsal space and b. they do a lot of Oasis and other Britpop covers, so that's even more of a no-no.

[zbd1960]

Most of my experience is with much bigger groups (orchestras etc) where a big part of the purpose of the rehearsal is to understand how your part fits in with the other parts

[Skybone]

3 hours ago, aDx said:

all i want to do is play with a band!!!    why is it so difficult!!

 

Because you're dealing with other musicians.  

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[SteveXFR]

I really enjoy rehearsal. Group of like minded people in a room playing music. What's not to like?

My band mates are good people, we get on well, take the fosters, jam around some punk riffs to warm up and have fun with it.

You can learn the parts.  individually at home but you need to practice together to get used to each others playing and get your sound working together and get things wrong without an audience. 

[Mickyk]

6 hours ago, Muzz said:

I think I should add that the non-rehearsing trio band has been the three of us for at least a decade...we finish each other's sentences these days... 😁

Duran Duran Esqu

[bluedoughboy]

Rehearsal is important early on. My old band was together just under ten years and the tightest we ever were was a couple of years in. We had a good set down but were adding to it all the time so were often in the practice room and that showed in our gigs. For the rest of the time we played great gigs and went along just fine, but we never had that last couple percent as we did before we got comfortable. Maybe this was just in my head, but that’s how it felt. 

But people who don’t want to practice from the off? Better off without them. I’ll do dep/pick-up gigs learning things off the record and not meet up with the band beforehand, but when you’re putting something together and people can’t be arsed-ditch them. 

And the OP is right-it shouldn’t be this hard to find a band. It’s a ball ache when your favourite thing to do relies on other people. 

[Newfoundfreedom]

I don't get band who don't want to rehearse.

 

I like rehearsing more than gigging. But for me, in an originals band, that's where the magic happens. I much prefer the creative process of creating music, than actually playing it in front of a crowd. 

 

Some people see rehearsing as a necessary evil at best, and something they just have to put up with. I feel pretty much the same way about gigging. 

[Doddy]

I've found that all the bands that I've been in that insist on weekly rehearsals seem to be as much (or more) about the hang, as they are about being out and playing shows.

The bands that have been consistently working have had very few, if any, rehearsals. In fact, I haven't done one rehearsal with the couple of shows who I'm currently busiest with.

[Paul S]

I like all aspects of making music.  I enjoy recording, I enjoy gigging.  And I enjoy rehearsing, always have done.  I really like it when the band decides on a song, we all learn our bit at home then put it together in a rehearsal.  Particularly with my blues rock trio, we will usually put our own touches to a song.  More of an interpretation than a cover, if you like, and one of the joys of the genre imo.  We'll decide on a new song, listen to and learn a particular version so we know the structure then work out our own arrangement at rehearsal.  But, personally, if I am going off piste with stuff I need to either rehearse it regularly to keep the changes in my mind or be gigging lots, which we aren't.  My memory isn't what it used to be  

 

 

Edited October 26, 2021 by Paul S

[Nail Soup]

19 hours ago, Saul Panzer said:

I'm not in a band but always assumed that is a big part of being "tight" when everyone's doing their thing on stage.
But what do I know.

True for many,but there are some bands who are tight by gigging so don't need rehearsals to get tight. (Note: I have never been part of such a band!).

I think they just learn new songs individually, quick run through at an occasional rehearsal and they're good to go.