Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?

Subject: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 04:34 PM

I was curious how much time a lot of you were able to spend rehearsing - either solo or with your group ? Do you have a set time every day - every week ? Do you have any special trick you use to work out a song together ? How about metronomes - do you find them useful ?
Over the last few months the trio I work with has found that we are able to figure out songs a lot quicker than we used to - it seems we've found a groove. How about y'all ?

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 04:36 PM

rrr... rree... rrreeeehhh.... rrreeeehhear.... ssssss..... ssssaaaaaalll???

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: jimmyt
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 04:42 PM

good question, Wesley.

My group normally rehearses Monday nights for 2-4 hours. It is a great opportunity to learn some new music, mess with some old stuff to correct harmony issues, gossip drink wine, etc. We sound our best in my kitchen I think when we gather in a circle and listen to one another. It is not something we have to do but want to do. SOmetimes if we have no pressing gigs we invite some folks to sit in with us and just have a blast. I do music for the fun if it and this is about as fun as it gets for me. Tonight's rehearsal if anyone is in the area!

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 04:47 PM

That's another problem I forgot to mention. We practice in a circle too. But we've learned that if we don't spend some time working in a straight line we'll mess up big time when we get to the gig. We miss cues, our timing is off, we can't hear the harmonies, ect.

And Monday night is our night too. We get about two and a half hours.

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: jimmyt
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 04:57 PM

we play in a semi circle when we play gigs We do not do well if we can't see or hear each other well

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Kaleea
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 06:21 PM

What Clinton said! In my band, we actually do sometimes "practice" during which we figure out how we will arrange a particular song-old or new-and we often never play it that way again. Yes, we have tried writing it down. Then, one will say, "I liked it much better that way." Too much gray hair amoung us, I guess? Maybe we're using our psychodellic powers. Either that or we're always watching & paying attention to each other.

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: jimmyt
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 07:06 PM

well, I have been playing music for audiences for 45 years and I have to say I have never heard anyone over-rehearsed. SOmetimes I get the impression that some people here think they have it right and doing it one more time will ruin their interpretation or technique. I have yet to do that or see it done. I play music for fun but I would like to do it the best I can.

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 10:58 PM

Unlimited time - we meet in friend's homes.

Five minutes or less setup at gigs, we shoot for 90 seconds after the previous group has COMPLETELY cleared the area....NEVER move into another group's area to avoid, arguments, lost equipment, sabotage.

Sincerely,

Gargoyle

You are professionals, you should be as precise as the military.

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 11:10 PM

My group tries to practice once a week but between busy schedules and snow storms in the winter, it can get pretty erratic. For me, "rehearsal" is as much getting together and just enjoying singing and talking as it is serious practice.

When we practice, we move around in no particularly rigid formation. Each song seems to require being in a different setup.. particularly when we are working on a new song. Often two harmony lines that are close to each other turn out to be what needs the greatest problem so it's important that those two singers stand next to each other so they can hear what they're doing. We are fortunate in that all four of us have a really good ear for harmony and enjoy singing harmony as much as lead. We can usually find our parts pretty quickly after having sung together for 7 years. That wasn't the case in the first year or so as we went through two tenors who were accustomed to inging lead and couldn't hear harmony, or even be taught it.

When we run into a rough spot on harmonies, we end up suggesting other lines to each other. It's a great give and take relationship, with everyone enjoying the full sound without any ego getting in the way.

For us, if we're not enjoying singing together, there's no sense in doing it.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 11:15 PM

"we actually do sometimes "practice" during which we figure out how we will arrange a particular song-old or new-and we often never play it that way again"

I don't think we've ever played anything the exact same way twice ever!

LOL

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: greg stephens
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 05:15 AM

I play with the Boat Band, and we are all very much committed to the necessity of regular rehearsal. However, these desires come and go in individuals, and are very dependent on their moods, family commitments, physical or mental health, other musical projects etc. I have just done a survey on our rehearsals over the last six months, and I think the answer is: none.

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 05:57 AM

My chorus rehearses once/week for two hours (when the weather permits- we had to cancel last night and it's looking bad for tonight!!)

My duo, Seanma, tries to practice once/week for about 2 hours until it's getting close to a gig (like now- NEFFA's a month away!!) when we double the rehearsal time. Since we both work full-time and have families, it gets tricky. But we're managing!

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 08:27 AM

i get an e-mail alerting that a gig is imminent..
and the basic chords to any new songs the lead singer has written
since the last one..
if we [ band of 4 - 7 members ] get time for a soundcheck..
thats all we have to quickly to run through parts of new
and unfamiliar stuff.

as long as the singers know their words and melodies
the rest of us just have to busk as precisely as possible
to support them..

fortuneatly we have a 1st class experienced drummer
and some of us have been friends and played together
on and off for nearly 30 years.

sometimes.. it amazes us how we get away with it
and sound so tight and slick on stage..

pre gig farmhouse cider and strong european lager
probably helps that illusion

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 12:06 PM

Our four-piece group is pretty much gig-driven, and sometimes gigs are weeks apart. When we have secured a gig, the first thing we do is sit down and plan a set list, figuring 12 to 15 songs an hour.

Once the set list is agreed upon, we try to rehearse it at least three times in the two weeks before the gig. We often rehearse in a circle, but when it comes to playing we have a gentle semi-circle line-up - carefully chosen so we can see our lead singer's chord hand, and the bass player can harmonize with her hubby next to her, etc.

Slogging through rehearsals isn't always fun, but it lets you get into the auto-pilot mode when you get on stage.

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 01:22 PM

When i was in 'Fools Gold' - Three part harmony and multi instrumental accompaniment - we all had portable cassette recorders - Any Rehearsal was taped , so we had something to work on between the gigs and other times we were together !

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 01:53 PM

Portable tape recorders are the thang, Lead. I use one for both of the Male Choruses I sing in because we often just have two or three practices to learn a song before we perform it.

I also realize that the kind of a group you're in determines to some extent how much rehearsal you need. I play the only instrument in the Gospel Messengers, so I can pretty much "rehearse" by myself. All the guys really need to do is remember their harmonies and usually, just the words to the chorus unless it's a song they're singing the lead on. And, because we all have a good ear for harmony, most songs are a quick "learn." If we had a bass guitar, keyboard and drums, it would be a whole 'nother story.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Crane Driver
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 06:55 PM

Well, we (Baggyrinkle) meet every Friday (just about) in an upstairs room of a pub in Swansea and sing a lot. Amazingly enough, the more we sing together, the more together we sing - if you get my meaning. We sing in a semi-circle too - it helps us to hear each other. It's best if we practice in the same formation. Do we 'need' so much rehearsal? Don't know - but it's usually fun.

Andrew

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 07:34 PM

Subject: RE: Rehearsal time - how much do you get ?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 07:36 PM

OOPS !! What I intended to say was that Rehearsal does at least mean that IF the arrangement goes out of the window you do have at least the possibility of getting it back together before the audience notices !