Chatter at rehearsal!

I went to check out an upstart band project in need of a guitar player last week. Nice bunch of guys. Maybe too nice.

All they did was waffle on and on and on about trivial BS! When they'd ask me what I thought, I'd say, "I think it's time to paly some more music."

Now, I'm not ALL business at rehearsal but man, it was a good 6 to 8 minutes between songs and I was getting bored.

Do you guys take a long time between songs at rehearsal? Or do you get to work and get it done?

Get 'er done. In my last real band, we practiced 7:00 to 9:00, and having a time limit helped keep things going.

I like to get it done, but I've been in bands where rehearsal is partly a social thing, too.

Smash it, then have a beer and a chat.

Agreed. I enjoy the social aspects of rehearsal. But I like to play and then socialize. Or get the socializing done first and then get down to business. Too many breaks in the action ruin the flow!

Yeah, I like to get the work done as efficiently as possible! I also strongly prefer that we keep focused on the parts that need tightening, and not get too carried away with solos and jamming. Just like socializing, jamming has nothing to do with working on material, and everything to do with having fun, and fun comes AFTER the work gets done!

Tim

You gotta work before you can play...:lol:

Oddly, or maybe not so oddly ... the bands with the better players that generally don't really need too much rehearsal, tend to be the ones who rehearse the most efficiently :idea:.

In the groups that I do rehearse with we run the tunes that need work, isolate the $hitty parts and fix those and/or work on new tunes. Or, in the 'showcase' / 1-set bands - we 'run the set', take a long break, ask each other what we might need to work on (individually or collectively) and go from there.

I saw a recent interview with Pete Townsend. He complained that when the Who recorded in a studio, a lot of time was spent reminiscing about antics on past tours and hotel rooms.

Work first, chatter later.

Stay loose... there aren't any rules. But, making music is the task at hand.

The tough thing is at the start of any new band,you are trying to get to know each other as musicians as well as friends. So chatting between songs is going to happen. Now as long as that is about music and not BS such as the local politics(much like the TDPRI) the bands rehearsals might flow smoothly. Leave the hang out time for after or when you are out on the gig. Nothing like the band that hangs out together between sets,joking and chilling with fans.
I practiced with a project, we ran through our song and stopped to address our issues with said song. Replay the song. If we still had issues we did not stress it and move on to the next. Leave it up to the individual player to then go back and fix his/her issue in private practice.
Band rehearsal does not always mean all members. Sometime its best to have a guitars only day,where the two guitarist sit and figure out there interplay and distinct parts. A ryhthm section day,with drummer and bassist getting the groove down.
And finally a voacl only day. Sit back with just an acoustic guitar and figure out vocal harmonies and individual vocal parts.
It all come down to being prepared when the full band gets together.

The only thing worse than that is when they do that during a gig. It drives me nuts. Just shut up and play and let your music do the talking.

The only thing worse than that is when they do that during a gig. It drives me nuts. Just shut up and play and let your music do the talking.

The two singers I play with have the worst stage banter, jokes, etc... I have ever heard anyone utter. I get embarrassed for them.

Like to have no rules but definitely be productive for sure.

I just finished a 7 year stretch with a very tight band that didn't rehearse more than twice a year. When we did get together, we would just be there to put the finishing touches on 10 or 15 new songs WE HAD ALL LEARNED THOROUGHLY AT HOME before even setting foot in the room!

This new group and other I have sampled recently seem to have a very poor work ethic. I could care less about the load of mulch you just had delivered, or the last time you saw the Shriners ride their mini-bikes in a parade!

I don't mean to be unpleasant but c'mon guys, I have to get up at 5:00 am.

I could care less about the load of mulch you just had delivered, or the last time you saw the Shriners ride their mini-bikes in a parade!

:confused: But.....


I thought you loved parades.






:twisted:

:wink:

Enough is enough.
You want to be known for getting the songs down or just talking?

If we have a big gig coming up we'll be pretty businesslike, but if there's nothing on the horizon for a few weeks, we'll tend to waste more time, especially if a few of us are tired.

The bands I play in are pretty social but we do that part after rehearsal. People pretty much plug in and start playing as they show up and then we get going on that nights music. Afterwards we hang out and people leave as they see fit.

I did play a few years in a band with a female singer. She wanted to just come in a relive that day or the past week and we'd be standing around yakking for 1/2 hour. I would have to say, "what do you want to start with" 3-4 times to get everyone going. But once we started it was song after song.

we get through all 4 sets sometimes....or we'll do at least two full sets as if its a gig...then work on new stuff....we go from about 5 to 9 once a week. I find the more boring a song gets (because we know it inside n out) the more I can improvise better on little fills within the rythm playing. Then the song takes on new life for me and is no longer boring......go figure that one out!:cool: the three of us will polish a 6 pack per practice......2 beers max just enough to loosen up a bit. :lol: we also laugh a lot! Rock n Roll isnt serious biz but the music iz.
cheers ce24

Find musicians who have the same expectations you do. Otherwise you'll find yourself starting more threads like this one. :wink:

The two singers I play with have the worst stage banter, jokes, etc... I have ever heard anyone utter. I get embarrassed for them.

You've never heard us...our drummer even refuses to do rim shots.

Someone posted an idea that was a real aha moment for me. Let's face it, people are in bands for 3 different reasons. Usually folks can pick 2 of the 3 that are most important. Here's the idea,

#1, to have fun

#2, for the artistic fullfilment

#3, to make money

I can't see anything wrong with any of these reasons to be in a band. I'm in a band and one project band. Personally, I'd have to say, artistic fullfilment, and then to make money. I'd classify fun as getting both of these out of one band.

We chat a bit but I'm pretty quick to say 'OK let's try Heartbreak Hotel again' or whatever to keep us on track. At a two hour session we generally take five with 45 minutes to go. Any other chat gets done while we are setting up or packing away.

Spending much more time talking COULD be an indication that people aren't really committed, or confident in their ability. Me? I love to play, so I don't want to do much else when we are together.

I guess it's like anything else. Different circumstances call for different measures.

Personally, I like to play.

#1, to have fun

#2, for the artistic fullfilment

#3, to make money


Everyone in our band is in the #1+#2 catagory, we really only play at band family events right now. That probably makes the chatter worse, but the real problem is indecision, there's no gabbing when we are working on a song, it all happens between songs because no one will pick the next song to work on.

If someone takes charge and announces the next song to work on we go right into it. That's often me, but last practice I wanted to see what other people wanted to work on and hung back and waited, it took a bit longer between songs but eventually a song was picked and we worked on it.

I'm all buisness, except after every few songs I have to do my Pilates and knock out my two 40's. If the other guys don't like like it, well they can find another contortionist that ALSO PLAYS THE GUITAR WHILE ON FIRE.

Seriously, quick chat, hard work, break with a brief chat, more hard work, chat going out the door. If actually writing brand new songs, talk a bunch, laugh, seems to help the creative process.

Yeah, I like to get the work done as efficiently as possible! I also strongly prefer that we keep focused on the parts that need tightening, and not get too carried away with solos and jamming. Just like socializing, jamming has nothing to do with working on material, and everything to do with having fun, and fun comes AFTER the work gets done!

Tim

************************************************** *****
Exactly how I feel with the above statement.

I think the OP said there will be 5 min between songs:shock::shock: Thats not focused at all..unless..they have it all down and are truly that good :wink:

It pisses me off also, when others come to practice and haven't learned the song..do they think practice is the time to start learning the song:roll:

We've made it out..so we as a band have done something right...but it's not always easy to keep it going :cool:

Rehearsal should have rules, as anything else. You arrive 10 minutes or so before time to start, you start on time, you end on time. During rehearsal the only discussions should be pertinent to the songs.

Once rehearsal is over, if someone wants to sit around drink a beer or have a barbecue, or discuss world peace, that's fine.

One of my best friends is a notorious yak-meister at rehearsals. This guy will tell stories that last at least 15 minutes. One time we had a rehearsal where we played three songs and then he yakked for a half hour and then cut out to go home.

I love the guy, but sometimes, it tests the limits of my patience. Other bands I have been in, if you're all good friends, you should expect some yakking and jokes and ribbing between tunes, thats a good thing. I'm usually the guy to say "OK lets play this" to get us back on track.

#1, to have fun

#2, for the artistic fullfilment

#3, to make money


This is basically how I decide if I want to be involved in a band or music project. At least one of these things has to be true or there is no point. My translation would be:

#1: The band is really good and/or plays really good gigs so I will enjoy it.

#2: I have significant input on what is being done in the band as far as song choice, arrangements, and overall sound and direction of the band.

#3: I am making some decent money with the band.

Right now I'm involved in a band where only #3 is happening.

Regardless of what's going on at rehearsals and/or gigs if at least one of these things is not true there is no reason to stick around. If one or more of these is true then it could be worth trying to work on issues like making rehearsals run more efficiently.

To me being in a band is more hanging out with the boys, and nailing chicks. Though I'm no slouch. As long as their skill level is up to snuff, and they show up prepared to rehearsal, I can dig it.

My band's like family. We've been together 10+ years. Last night at practice we spent at least a half an hour yaking it up before we played a single tune. The bass player and I were playing background music as we talked. But once we got down to business, we got a lot done.

What's funny is we just had lunch together the day before after attending a friend's son's memorial service. You'd think we wouldn't have anything else to talk about. I think a lot of it is we trust each other and can talk to each other about things we might not be able to talk about around others. And we have the same sick sense of humor...

To me being in a band is more hanging out with the boys, and nailing chicks. Though I'm no slouch. As long as their skill level is up to snuff, and they show up prepared to rehearsal, I can dig it.

Are you a Poultry Carpenter? :cool:

Are you a Poultry Carpenter? :cool:

I LOL'd.

I couldn't/wouldn't play in a band that pissed away time like that. I could be doing other things elsewhere or I could stand here and listen about your political views. Don't do it at a gig unless you have something real funny or entertaining to say. The other thing that I can't stand is noodling on your instrument between songs when people are trying to work out parts or whatever.
To me noodling or yacking between songs spells amature.

I couldn't/wouldn't play in a band that pissed away time like that. I could be doing other things elsewhere or I could stand here and listen about your political views. Don't do it at a gig unless you have something real funny or entertaining to say. The other thing that I can't stand is noodling on your instrument between songs when people are trying to work out parts or whatever.
To me noodling or yacking between songs spells amature.

I agree that noodling/telegraphing should be avoided in an ideal situation, but I'd rather hear someone noodle than hear them blow the part when they're actually playing the song. Ditto for adjusting your pedals. If it helps you get it right in the actual song, then, by all means, fiddle away.

I couldn't/wouldn't play in a band that pissed away time like that. I could be doing other things elsewhere or I could stand here and listen about your political views. Don't do it at a gig unless you have something real funny or entertaining to say. The other thing that I can't stand is noodling on your instrument between songs when people are trying to work out parts or whatever.
To me noodling or yacking between songs spells amature.

Spells what? :wink:

To me being in a band is more hanging out with the boys, and nailing chicks. Though I'm no slouch. As long as their skill level is up to snuff, and they show up prepared to rehearsal, I can dig it.
Here too. It's the unity of the group itself that brings the enjoyment. We usually get really wasted and party all night. Some mornings you wake up with the female singer, just because you have the only bed and she's grown tired of falling out of the chair trying to sleep. Her husband, the drummer, passed out on the couch.

Can't count how many hours we've just hung out, outside, looking up at the stars. I have a ladder to get on top of my garage. We also shoot out the yard light with a pellet gun on occasion so they're easier to see. Then there's the obligatory 9:45pm beer run. They stop selling alcohol at 10pm here in Minnesota, though you can still drink in bars after that time.

None of us 4 have real jobs so there's not much need to go home early for anything. It wouldn't be any fun for me with all the rules many have posted about here. I quit a good 6-figure job to have this life and it's been wonderful!

Spells what? :wink:

spells... amateur

You got me:oops:

It's all about motivations.
Some folks don't play music to get famous, make money, or to try to impress anyone.
They play music because they enjoy the camaraderie.
Those people have no motivation to "hurry up" and get to work.
They're quite happy just having a good time in a mediocre band.
There's nothing wrong with that... they're having fun.

You're wasting your time with these guys.
You need to find another band whose motivations mirror your own.

it's a two headed monster, if the guys in the band that you practiced with are all buds, then this is normal, the band could be a social thing as well as a music thing, early in life ( teen) I was hanging out with 4 other guys , the 5 of us did everything together as well as have a band.The band was just as important as the hanging out all together. We did this for probably 3 or 4 years straight.

Today's band is pretty much music and no social although we are all good friends. I dare say that if we were not playing music we probably would still be distant friends but not have all that much contact.

SO, our rehearsals are work with limited talk...

two headed monster, it's not amateur if the band is about friendship as well as music...you can have it both ways...

Spells what? :wink:

The thingy on an electric motor what goes around and around. I think they used them on old amps before tubes were invented.:cool:

The thingy on an electric motor what goes around and around. I think they used them on old amps before tubes were invented.:cool:

And ditto on noodling/telegraphing/chattering at a gig. Sounds so uh. . .UNPROFESSIONAL ! :mrgreen:

I read only some of the responses.

To me...practice is practice....not a BS social event...it's a mission.
Work gets done first then the BS, recap the session over a Sam Adams (or two).
But...it's a matter of surrounding ones self with musicians that are on the same page for the band to endure.
A two part marriage has only a 50/50 success rate so a 4 or 5 part marriage (as in a band) is a daunting challenge to say the least.

Given my experiences in live bands that's my take on it.
Best of luck to all forming a band and making it work.

Carry on...

I just finished a 7 year stretch with a very tight band that didn't rehearse more than twice a year. When we did get together, we would just be there to put the finishing touches on 10 or 15 new songs WE HAD ALL LEARNED THOROUGHLY AT HOME before even setting foot in the room!

This new group and other I have sampled recently seem to have a very poor work ethic. I could care less about the load of mulch you just had delivered, or the last time you saw the Shriners ride their mini-bikes in a parade!

I don't mean to be unpleasant but c'mon guys, I have to get up at 5:00 am.
It's been a long time since I've actually had a real band practice, but the above in bolded type is IMHO the way it should be. Nobody should be coming to band practice to LEARN any song, period. Everyone should have done their homework long before that time. They should know the songs, and their part in them, before practice begins. Then it's just a simple matter of learning to play them together as a band, getting them tight, working on intros and endings, etc. If it's done that way, there's also more room for a little extra "banter", since you won't be as pressed for time trying to "learn" everything. MHO.

gitlvr.....the bold you emphasized I missed somehow.

Excellent point.
If band members are doing the homework prior to band practice that tells how serious they are and makes the band practice far more productive.
Same as going into the recording studio.
One should have the chops down as studio time should not digress into an expensive rehearsal.

Carry on....

My last band, each practice we would have an open space in the evening where members could say "Hey, thought about this as a track to learn"... pass some lyrics chord sheets out, play an MP3....jam it, click/no click.... take it away for next practice.

Look deep into your past, back to when you were a young Padawan...

I'm about to hire a drummer.
I gave short 30 minute auditions.
The best candidate spent too much time wanting to talk and BS when we were trying to hear him as much as possible and assess his abilities.
I offered the gig to the second-place guy who got down to business.

I'm about to hire a drummer.
I gave short 30 minute auditions.
The best candidate spent too much time wanting to talk and BS when we were trying to hear him as much as possible and assess his abilities.
I offered the gig to the second-place guy who got down to business.

+1
There's wisdom here, folks!

I dont like playing with musicians. I have always played with friends that happened to be good with and instrument. I played with a guy once(just once) who considered himself a musician and its was a total joykill. My rockstar dream is long gone and to me it is all about fun and writing new stuff with old friends. We play when we can, and never do it without an open beer close by. We get off track every once and a while and usually end up having a good laugh out of it. We have been playing off and on so long together that we already know where and what eachother should be doing.

Dont get me wrong I hate wasting time. But if you are playing and having a laugh with friends it is hardly a waste of time.

I worked in this house band for about ten years where almost every week the bandleader showed up late, without his charts, mostly not even having heard the songs we were supposed to rehearse.
Once he showed up 45 minutes late with no charts, not even having heard that weeks songs, then made us sit there while he wrote the words down and learned the gtr parts to a song HE was supposed to sing!!!!!!!
Makes you wanna show yer A$$!!!! (But the job paid just a little too good)

And ditto on noodling/telegraphing/chattering at a gig. Sounds so uh. . .UNPROFESSIONAL ! :mrgreen:

I worked for a guy once that charged $25 everytime you noodled or talked on stage while he was trying to talk to the audience... that pretty much fixed the noodling/talking problem after some guys played 2-3 nights for free due to their bad habits!!!!!

Noodling between songs at rehearsal deserves its own thread. Its my pet hate. Used to play with a drummer who was hopeless at it, between every song he'd be bashing away on his own thing, practising his fills and whatever, at full volume. Incredibly rude and inconsiderate. It got to the stage where I'd put my hands over my ears and grimace and look straight at him but he never got the hint. So we sacked him. What a happy day that was when I never had to put up with that anymore.

The other guitarist in our band is pretty hopeless at it too. The rest of us will be discussing how part of a song should be played and he'll just start blasting away on his own thing at terrifyingly loud volume. We use to ask him nicely to stop. Now we just yell at him to shut up. But sure enough, end of the next song it starts up again. He doesn't seem capable of not doing it, like a version of tourettes or something.

Unfortunatley I have only a few friends that play.. I have had may bands and when we rehearse it generally git er done.. we all have familys and we come with our homework done and rehearsal is just polish.. We will have a beer after and listen to few tunes..

I played in live bands from 1970-1980.
After the 1980 endeavor I was totally fried and had no desire to fight it anymore.
I've worked solo since then just writing/recording my own material in my quite adequate setup.
I haven't had any musicians locally to jam with in quite some time so I end up doing all my own tracks which has it's benefits.
Lead axe is my weakness but I can pull them off in my own simple fashion.

As stated, I only do it for fun and at my leisure.
No more facing another band talk or baby-sitting a flaky member.

But...for the record....IMO....there is NO drug in the world like playing live to a receptive audience.
To those trying to start a band I certainly understand the zeal and drive when trying to make a band endeavor work.

That's my take on it....carry on.

I like the talking, and it's almost always about the music anyway. Stage banter's cool too, just don't take a third of the gig to talk. If you answer your phone during rehearsals, I'll take it and stash it somewhere, though. It's one thing if it's a quick important call, but my singer doesn't like to get the the point and hang up. Same goes with bringing friends to rehearsal, unless they're there to jam. They derail everything.

I've been with a band of friends for about two months. Saturday is our first gig and the singer has only been back in town for one practice. Last night we get together to run the set one time and get an elapsed time. Good grief, between each song we're talking about the NFL playoffs, what the singer was working on in Colorado, who's wife is coming to the gig. After about the seventh song the harp player goes to the bathroom and the drummer steps out for a cigarette. Saturday will be interesting.

We rehearse 6-9pm, and try and keep the chatter on the music until we are picking up. We can't play a minute after 9pm due to the neighborhood, so time is of the essence.

I HATE it when people bring girlfriends, friends, "special friends" etc. to rehearsals. In my experience it always turns into "play something for me!" or "why do you keep playing the same song"

Work first, chatter later.

My thoughts EXACTLY!!!

- Jagg

My only rule regarding rehearsal: "Practice" is what you do on your own time. Show up knowing your ****, and if one or more member doesn't have the song down, we shelve it for the next session.

Once you establish that rule firmly enough, rehearsal sessions can be a lot more loosey-goosey and still allow you to accomplish everything you need to.