Rehearsals - making them pay

[TimR]

We play modern pop/rock but we just have singer/guitar/bass/drums. No brass, strings, keys etc.

 

So we have to be very creative with the arrangements and usually just keep the chord structure, form and signature parts. It means that often the guitar and bass aren't playing what's on the reference recording. 

 

So initially we will listen to the reference and pick out what we think will work and the first few band practices will be just jamming round the chords to see what works.

 

It's not feasable to learn the parts or practice them at home and then hope what you have learned fits what the rest of the band are playing. 

 

Rehearsals are different to practices. They're when we have nailed the parts and are ready to gig them.

 

A gig is worth a thousand rehearsals. 

 

I have played in bands where everyone has gone away and 'learned' their part from the 'orginal recording' and it's been a very frustrating experience, espescially if one member insists other players aren't playing it right, or I've spent hours learning something exactly as per the record only for it to just not work with the band and be shelved. 

 

 

[TimR]

11 hours ago, chris_b said:

 

That's a*rse about face.

 

Come up with a set list, learn it at home and play it all at the rehearsal. Then everything has been dealt with and nothing needs "revisiting".

 

Until you rehearse something, you don't know what needs work. That's the whole object of a rehearsal. 

[peteb]

At this point, the bands that I am in only ever rehearse if there is a point, i.e. if we need to learn new material, or if we've got gigs coming up and we haven't played together for a while. No regular rehearsals or anything like that.

 

If somebody wants to get together for a jam session, then I'm happy to do that (depending on who it is) as long as it is understood that is what we will be doing. 

 

Edited 23 hours ago by peteb

[Stub Mandrel]

10 hours ago, TimR said:

 

Until you rehearse something, you don't know what needs work. That's the whole object of a rehearsal. 

 

Rehearsal is about arrangements and fluency. 

 

Even the originals band, we share stripped down versions to learn new songs, although there is experimenting. So last night we mostly were sorting out where to put stops, how many repeats etc., but on one song we made some rhythm changes that affected what I play.

[ian61]

I'll always remember the moment I went playing in pub bands to joining a semi-pro function band. The difference in prep was huge. With horns, two keys and everyone singing backing vox I was terrified of not knowing what I was doing so worked like mad prior to the first rehearsal which for them was a just a refresh before an important event. It was really satisfying playing with guys who were note perfect.

[thebrig]

On 27/10/2025 at 00:57, chris_b said:

IMO rehearsals are not for learning songs, but getting the arrangements right and topping and tailing the songs. If you're paying for a studio the band has to turn up knowing the material.

 

Play with guys who don't need to be told.

Agree totally!

 

I've had so many frustratingly bad experiences of band members having not learn't the songs so now in all my ads I state:

 

"I'm prepared to learn the songs properly at home beforehand, so I'm fully prepared for rehearsals and gigs"

 

Five years down the line, I still can't find a band, so I guess that statement might scare a lot of musicians off? 🤔

Edited 10 hours ago by thebrig

[TimR]

8 minutes ago, thebrig said:

Five years down the line, I still can't find a band, so I guess that statement might scare a lot of musicians off? 🤔

 

It's unrealistic. Every band I've been in that's tried that comes unstruck rapidly and I've been playing in bands for 40+ years. Even depping you will come pretty unstuck if you've learned the tunes off rote and expect to play the line you learned at home, or played in a previous band. 

 

See my post above. 

 

It's why live music is so much better than recordings. 

Edited 10 hours ago by TimR

[TimR]

42 minutes ago, ian61 said:

I'll always remember the moment I went playing in pub bands to joining a semi-pro function band. The difference in prep was huge. With horns, two keys and everyone singing backing vox I was terrified of not knowing what I was doing so worked like mad prior to the first rehearsal which for them was a just a refresh before an important event. It was really satisfying playing with guys who were note perfect.

 

Were you coming along to a band where the arrangements were already sorted? Did they give you charts or a recording of the band playing their versions? 

[chris_b]

13 minutes ago, TimR said:

 

. . . .  Even depping you will come pretty unstuck if you've learned the tunes off rote and expect to play the line you learned at home, or played in a previous band. 

 

 

Why on earth would you race off and start practising songs that you played in a previous band?

 

If you're doing this properly you don't leave anything to chance. You don't start your homework until you get a set list, keys, YouTube videos, MP3's or verbal information regarding the source material and the arrangements of every song. It's unprofessional to turn up to a rehearsal without knowing all of those things.

 

In my experience an unprofessional rehearsal means an unprofessional band and for me that puts the whole gig in doubt.

[TimR]

5 minutes ago, chris_b said:

 

Why on earth would you race off and start practising songs that you played in a previous band?

 

If you're doing this properly you don't leave anything to chance. You don't start your homework until you get a set list, keys, YouTube videos, MP3's or verbal information regarding the source material and the arrangements of every song. It's unprofessional to turn up to a rehearsal without knowing all of those things.

 

In my experience an unprofessional rehearsal means an unprofessional band and for me that puts the whole gig in doubt.

 

Often you'll get a call in the morning to play the gig that evening. You're not getting a rehearsal, you'll be lucky to get a set list. 

 

If the band says "We do this exactly as the original,", nine times out of ten, you'll have played it with a band before who also play it "exactly as the original", and neither bands will. 

[ian61]

30 minutes ago, TimR said:

Were you coming along to a band where the arrangements were already sorted? Did they give you charts or a recording of the band playing their versions? 

Yep all sorted and I was simply asked, 'do you know this stuff'. As for "arrangements"? We played everything as per the recording unless there was an obvious vamp where you could have fun.  Back in the 80's there was only ever one version of a tune unlike today when you look online and are bombarded by a thousand different versions. Plus if your all good you can now and again change things in the studio, tho I don't really remember it happening much.

[tauzero]

Both bands primarily rehearse new material, although if a song goes wrong at a gig we'll decide whether it was a one-off or if we need to rehearse it.

 

I'll upload the version of the song to work on to Dropbox for one band so we've got a single reference.

 

For the other band, we have song name and artist name and the arrangements will get rejigged if there's a gob-iron solo (soloes tend to be gob-iron followed by guitar, rinse and repeat). There aren't many complex arrangements, it's mainly Dr Feelgood or old time rock'n'roll with the odd outlier. Where there are more complex arrangements, we follow the original.

[Stub Mandrel]

5 hours ago, thebrig said:

Agree totally!

 

I've had so many frustratingly bad experiences of band members having not learn't the songs so now in all my ads I state:

 

"I'm prepared to learn the songs properly at home beforehand, so I'm fully prepared for rehearsals and gigs"

 

Five years down the line, I still can't find a band, so I guess that statement might scare a lot of musicians off? 🤔

 

If you can dep, you know how to prep!

[Stub Mandrel]

5 hours ago, TimR said:

It's unrealistic. Every band I've been in that's tried that comes unstruck rapidly and I've been playing in bands for 40+ years. Even depping you will come pretty unstuck if you've learned the tunes off rote and expect to play the line you learned at home, or played in a previous band. 

 

The art of depping is to learn the songs, but be able to deal with key changes or structure differences on the hoof. The first takes discipline, the second is a skill best developed by joining in at jam sessions.

[chris_b]

4 hours ago, TimR said:

 

Often you'll get a call in the morning to play the gig that evening. You're not getting a rehearsal, you'll be lucky to get a set list.

 

OK so it's a last minute emergency, why wouldn't I get a set list?

 

I don't often get a call on the day of the gig, but when I do I expect the set list to be part of that call. I've never been told you can't have a set list! IME that doesn't happen. You are obviously associating with the wrong people.

[Stub Mandrel]

Snippet from our band chat. 'nuff said?

 

[Sean]

19 hours ago, TimR said:

I have played in bands where everyone has gone away and 'learned' their part from the 'orginal recording' and it's been a very frustrating experience, espescially if one member insists other players aren't playing it right, or I've spent hours learning something exactly as per the record only for it to just not work with the band and be shelved. 

 

 

This really chimed with me. 

This came up last weekend, where I was told that the part I've played in one of the songs needs to be changed. I've played it the same way, as per the record about a dozen or more times, but they've never liked it. We don't rehearse and no one is able to articulate what they'd like me to play instead. 

This is the sort of thing that could be worked out at rehearsal. Sadly it's not going to happen and I'll be in a different band very soon. 

[Sean]

47 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Snippet from our band chat. 'nuff said?

 

A lot of it is sliced off. I can't see it all.