Chatter at rehearsal!

[Telenator]

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?

[Leon Grizzard]

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

[Agitator]

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

[Tonemonkey]

Smash it, then have a beer and a chat.

[Telenator]

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!

[Tim Armstrong]

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

[fezz parka]

You gotta work before you can play...

[klasaine]

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 .

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.

[Larry F]

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.

[TJNY]

Work first, chatter later.

[bingy]

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

[JCSouthpawtele]

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.

[Tommyboy]

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.

[McGlamRock]

Originally Posted by Tommyboy

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.

[tele-bastard]

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

[Telenator]

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.

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by Telenator

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!

But.....


I thought you loved parades.

[String Tree]

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

[Radspin]

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.

[sax4blues]

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.