Okay, now you have a band and hopefully you have a room to rehearse in. Try to be aware of other people when you rehearse. The guy next door is unlikely to drop $10 on your first CD if you’ve been keeping him awake until 3am for the past six months!
Rehearsal space can be more tricky to find than you realize at first. If a band member has a basement, this can be very helpful. Being underground, basements are much more soundproof. Be aware, however, that dampness is not good for musical intruments or equipment. If the basement in question is damp, try purchasing a dehumidifier to fix the problem. If it doesn’t help enough, either rehearse there and then move your equipment after rehearsal or look for another room. I’ve seen bands rehearse in member’s workplaces afterhours. Maybe you work in a gas station and your boss will let you come in and rehearse after closing. Garages also make good rehearsal rooms. Tell your wife to park her car on the street! Hee hee.
The ultimate rehearsal room should be permanent. A room where you can set up a small sound system and leave it. You can soundproof the walls, ceiling and floor with soundproof material or carpet. A recording rig is also a must in any rehearsal location. If you can afford a nice digital multi-track setup, PERFECT! You can also record your CDs here. But, at the least, you should have a jam-box or small digital recorder to record your rehearsals. You need a way of playing back material to be learned as well if you’re going to be doing any cover material.For a first rehearsal, you may just want to talk and jam on some tunes. This will give you a feel of the other members talents. Actually, even bands that have been together for many years can benefit from jam sessions. Try to identify weak areas that need working and also look for your strong points.

I feel that one of the most important elements in a band are vocals. No matter what category of music you play (except instrumental, of course) vocals tend to be a focal point for most listeners. Try to let everyone sing a song or two and have everyone listen objectively. Record your rehearsal if possible. It doesn’t have to be a great recording. Just good enough to hear all the parts.

I should stress an important point here. Make sure everyone in the group understands that their performance will be analyzed and critiqued. This doesn’t mean to throw a drum stick at your lead singer and scream “You’re horrible!”. I’m talking constructive criticism. Everyone in your band should be able to give it AS WELL AS receive it. Try to keep an open mind. It is a natural human response to think that you’re always doing your part correctly. However, if all the other members of the band say ‘no’ then maybe you should listen more closely. The better you handle criticism, the faster you’ll grow as a performer. If you’re doing cover music, listen to the parts carefully on the original recording. Don’t just use the old line “My uncle showed me this song. It goes like this!” Guess what? Maybe your Uncle didn’t know the song. There’s no law that says you have to play a cover song note for note. My band regularly comes up with its own arrangements of cover tunes. Just use your good judgement here.

Another common rehearsal mistake is to play your instrument while someone else is trying to learn a part. During the learning process, some member of the band is inevitably going to have to sit down and go over a section by themselves a few times to ‘get it up to speed’. You should refrain from playing while they’re trying to learn their part. It only adds to the confusion. If it looks like it’s going to take them a while, either take a break or suggest they learn that part later at home.

Make sure all your instruments and vocal mics are mixed so you can hear everything. Don’t get into volume wars with the bass player. Save that for the stage. Also, I would suggest keeping rehearsals limited to band members. It’s okay if friends drop by now and then, but it usually detracts from the process in one way or another.

Finally, if you or the band decide that you’re not good in a particular area, don’t worry about it. If you can sing screaming rock songs, but can’t sing soft and pretty oohs and ahs, let someone else do it. As a musician, you will inevitably run into songs that you just can’t do well. That doesn’t mean you’re not talented. Either let someone else do it, or skip it. There are WAY too many songs out there to be doing songs you’re not suited for.

Always keep an open mind. One of my favorite bands is The Eagles. In a recent rehearsal, my band learned an Eagles tune that I have been playing my whole life. My bass player had never heard it before. I gave him the chord structure and after a few listens and trial runs, he told me that one of the chords I had given him was wrong. Of course, my initial reaction was I had worked out and played the song since 1978 and he had only just heard it. Although we didn’t get angry with each other (he’s MUCH too cool of a guy to be angry with) I was sure I was right because I had been playing and listening to the song forever. He was just as convinced that I was wrong. And guess what folks? He was right. By keeping an open mind I continued to listen to the part over and over and after careful consideration, I realized he was right and I was wrong.

Music can be very tricky. Our ears can play tricks on us. I believe I read once where we only remember sounds for a very short period of time. We retain the basic sound memory in our head, but it is rarely close to what we actually heard after some time passes. Had I been close minded and arrogant, I would have simply told my bass player that he had only just heard the song and I had been listening to it forever and we would STILL be playing it wrong. But because he had the talent and ear to listen to the song from a fresh point of view and I kept an open mind, we now play it correctly. Although, PLEASE don’t tell him I said he had talent and a good ear. You KNOW how bass players are! Hahaha.

In the next installment, I’ll deal with booking the band.

Thanks for reading.