Everyone is set up and ready to go. “Let’s try ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing’ first”.
You hear the band leader call out the instructions and move into action, bringing up the scoresheet for the named song and turning on the settings you have already prepared on your instrument.
This is how band practices properly begin. And the rest of it? We will cover the typical steps a band takes during the course of a band practice.
1) Warm-Up Round
The very first order of business is to run through all or a fixed number of songs in your setlist.
For example, if you have 4 songs in your setlist, you cans easily cover them quickly. However, if you happen to have 25 songs in your setlist, then it would be wise not to run through all of them at once.
Because most band practices are usually 1-2 hours long, the warm-up round should take no more than 20mins, which is enough for 3-4 songs.
During this round, the band will make their first attempts at reaching the finishing line of each song.
Even though individual players may be decent when practicing on their own, from experience, the music will not be polished on the first try as a band.
There will be bumps and bruises along the way, but the most important thing is picking yourself up if you fall.
Reason: When you first practise as a band, the warm-up round serves to establish the initial synergy of the band and do a quick check on everybody’s extent of practice.
You will know who is more practiced in which song, and how well the band can weave their parts together.
After 2 to 3 songs, the band can then start to have an idea of which song is more feasible and has a higher chance of success.
With this, everyone can make more well-informed deicisions on what song should be worked on first.
2) Work On The Best First
After the warm-up round, there should already be an imaginary list (or even a physical list) of songs arranged from strongest to weakest in terms of synergy.
There will then be a decision of which song should be scrutinized first.
There is actually no right or wrong answer here, and it depends on the band’s risk tolerance.
Some may argue that they should work on the best song first so that they have some level of stability, and that they can always replace poor-performing songs.
Others may argue that because the best ones are good enough to be ‘performance-ready’ and require less work, therefore the weaker songs need more attention.
My personal preference is to work on the stronger songs first.
Reason: Synergy plays a huge role in the success of a song. This involves pooling proficiencies of each individual musician into a single product.
We know that different musicians have varying levels of skills, some greater and some weaker than what is required by the song.
When a song is weak, it means that one or more of the band members are struggling to produce the desired level of musicality, be it due to lack of practice or abilities.
Therefore, it is often better to focus on the strengths of the band and find alternatives that can allow everyone to succeed.
Allocate songs per session
You don’t have to complete the whole setlist in one session, unless you really have to. If you have 20 songs, you will be stuck there in the studio the entire day.
Pick out an amount that is comfortable and feasible for the duration of the session.
For a 2-hour session, 3-4 songs is usually just enough to cover the length of time.
Allocate time per song
It is also optimal to designate a fixed amount of time to work on each song.
Time is frequently not on our side, and it can whiz past like a bullet very easily during practice.
It also plays to the previous point, that if a song is weaker and cannot be improved after a set period of time, it will be diminishing returns if you decide to beat a dead horse.
How much time you allocate depends on your practice session.
For a 2-hour rehearsal, you have ~100mins left of practice after warming up.
If you aim to work on 3 songs substantially, each song should take 20-25mins, saving some time at the end to consolidate and record your progress, which we will cover later.
3) Proper Take
You have decided on the song you want to work on. Great!
Now do one more with the intention of nailing every single note perfectly.
Now that you have undergone the warm-up, some muscle memory would have returned.
This is the best time to attempt the song once more, relying on the familiarity of the song from your individual practice.
Reason: This round of song will give the band a more accurate representation of the song’s status, when the band is playing at their best.
Like the warm-up round, it will not be perfect, and there will be friction. However, the minor pain points will be resolved and the major ones will be revealed.
Those are the issues that must be rectified ASAP, because they hinder the band from attaining a 100% completion of the song.
4) Identify Grit
It may be a high note that the singer cannot hit consistently, or an attack that has irregular and difficult rhythms.
Regardless, while you are running through the song, take note of the issues you are facing. That is primary. You will inevitably pick out on mistakes that other band members are making.
Problems relating to synergy will show up in the most obvious ways, ranging from a failed solo to downright song stoppage.
Keep them in the back of your mind. Everyone can help to keep tabs on these points, not just the band leader.
Once one iteration of the song is complete, discuss, discuss, discuss. Once again, ensure that the major brick walls are identified and properly prioritized before moving on.
5) Polishing
Now we have come to the fun part, where the real work gets done.
Once you have identified which segment of the song you want to work on, micro-focus on those few bars and repeat them until satisfactory.
There are 2 ways of working on a segment – start-stop and looping.
Start-Stop
A start-stop is a method of running a few bars and then stopping to discuss/revise.
This method allows breathing room to practice and fine-tune before making a decision, and is usually used to add new elements or alter the musicality of the song.
For example, you want to add a new sound in Verse 2 to make it different to Verse 1. You will then start the music with 1 sound, and stop to review if it sounds good.
If you want to continue experoimenting with different sounds, you will repeat the process again.
Looping
Similar to the start-stop method, looping will take you through a segment of the song.
The difference is that you will not stop after every iteration of the segment. Instead, you and the band will agree on the start and end points of the segment, then play it constantly without stopping.
This method is usually used in areas that require polish, instead of adding new elements to a song.
For example, if Verse 2 is not tight and coordinated, it would be a good idea to repeat that phrase constantly, giving everyone a chance to lock in and land their hits together.
Of course, the drummer must be locked in with the metronome for everyone to follow.
6) Simplifying
But what if you have already ran through a few iterations of the segment and have yet to make any improvements to the song?
This is when you have to make a decision to tune the music down instead of up.
Sometimes, less is more, and it may be beneficial to remove aspects of the music instead of accummulating too much.
Maybe the band has already started adding complex grooves to the bridge of the song, but it doesn’t seem to sound good despite trying different variations of it.
Or the keyboardist is struggling to play a riff that is iconic to the song.
Or the guitar’s tone does not fit into the overall musicality.
It is better to err on the side of caution to ensure that the music is still passable.
From experience, you would rather want a bogged-down version of a guitar solo than a completely thrashed guitar solo.
There are many ways to simplify a part, such as:
- Removing notes
- Lengthening the duration of notes
- Lowering the music’s intensity
Once you have picked your poison, than repeat the previous step with the new changes.
7) Aim For The Perfect Take
After everything has settled and the music is beginning to solidify, it is time to attempt one last take.
This is the take that will show you how far the song has a come, after the all the effort that was put in to beautify the music.
During this last take, everything that was added, altered, and removed, should be applied to show the latest iteration of the song.
Like before, commit 120% of your effort to it.
Recording
Before beginning, have someone whip out their phone and place it at a corner where everyone or most of the band can be seen.
Ideally, everyone’s sound should travel to the phone’s microphone so that you can be captured.
Why should you record your performance?
Well, how else will you be able to review yours and the band’s performance, and how the music sounds as a whole?
You will be able to spot any mistakes made during the run and know what to improve on the next time you attack this song.
8) Replacing Songs
There will be times when you have tried your utmost best to save a shoddy-sounding song, but the band can’t seem to do it justice.
You will need to make a decision (sometimes a tough one) to pull a song out of the setlist. Despite the time taken to practice individually and as a band.
Similar to the previous point, it is better to produce an average listening experience for the audience than give a less-than-stellar performance.
If your band has chosen a song that is way above their skill level, then it is definitely wise to try another one if it doesn’t work out immediately.
THere are plenty of ready-made songs that are easy to replicate, and they are good alternatives.
It is also a common practice to think up a few more songs than what is needed at the start when the band is still planning the setlist.
9) Repeat For Other Songs
First song down. Phew, that took a while! But you have a few more to go.
And this is part and parcel of band rehearsals.
Move on to the next song, repeat the process until you have nailed the song down, and then move on again.
This is the natural course of a practice session. The more you do it, the easier it gets, because you continue to polish your own technical and communicative skills.
A few things to take note:
Decisive
You will be making a ton of decisions in the process of improving your set. If you are going to stop and ponder on every single decision, it will be a huge time-waste.
Give yourself 2-3 chances to make the desired change. If it doesn’t work, move on quickly.
Anyone can make a call, but it is up to the band’s consensus to implement a change.
Grace
You must remember that everyone is coming from different musical backgrounds; some weaker; some stronger.
It is therefore important to forgiveteh shortcomings of your fellow band members when they are unable to deliver what the band needs.
I have heard many band members talk down at one another due to unsatisfactory performance.
That not only depletes the morale of that particular player but the band as a whole, leading to friction not in the music but in people.
Be kind and work on one another’s strengths to bring out the music.
10) Practise To Perform
At the end of everything, when you have every single song laid out perfectly in one neat line, with every single note perfectly planned and orchestrated, it is time to put the set to the test.
Most performances are spectacles for the audience to watch. They would expect a perfect show of song and dance.
Audiences are directly influenced by the band’s music and appearance. Therefore, the band must focus on both aspects to gain the audience’s respect.
On your final practice of every session, it should be executed with the intention of performing for the real thing. A reflection of what the actual performance will look, sound, and feel like.
Music
This goes without saying. As repeated again and again throughout this article, it is imperative that the music is of top-notch qualtiy.
Every note should travel out to the listeners with conviction. Every riff should wow the audience. Every kick and bass should shake the audience awake and get them moving.
A single wrong note can send poor signals to audiences, making them think, “hmm, maybe they are not as professional as I thought they would be.”
It’s funny how, while writing this post, I recall hearing a singer sing the word “sorry” as “sorwie” the day before, making me and my friend who was not to me cringe at the lyrics that were being blurted out.
We had to leave to prevent ourselves from cringing any further, and we don’t want that to happen to your band.
Appearance
How would you feel if you see the band being clearly nonchalant about the way they dress and look on stage?
If the singer and drummer are in slippers, the keyboardist’s shirt missing a button, or the guitarist’s fly is down?
Your impression of the band doesn’t only depend on the music. Performance is both aural and visual.
When the band gives off the impression that they do not care about how they dress, look, and behave on stage, audiences will start to wonder if the band cares about them.
Of course, some bands’ entire schtick may be to dress sloppily as a brand, but that will only work in their own niche and community.
When we are talking about typical performances such as bar gigs and events, then it is crucial to show your best self and don the appropriate attire as a form of respect to your audiences.
Showtime
You won’t be stuck in an endless loop of rehearsals, and the band has to eventually come out to perform.
The next step, then, is knowing what to expect when signing up for a show.