Rehearsing and playing gigs as a new bandRehearsalFirst, make rehearsal times as business like as possible. I have been involved with so many bands that couldn't get anywhere because rehearsal became just one big party and jam session.In the initial stages of your new band, you're going to be coming up with tunes to play. Hopefully, some originals but probably more covers. Come up with a play list and rehearse that as much as possible. Many new bands when playing live for the first few times, make a huge production of changing from song to song. Working out the kinks of your performance is what rehearsal is all about. Once you have your play list, play the list all the way through, no matter if mistakes are made or not. You don't get the chance to stop and start when playing live, so it is better to learn how to cover up mistakes as quickly as possible. I can't stress this point enough, play during rehearsal like you were playing for an audience. Believe me, no matter how much you practice, you are going to make mistakes as a new band. You'll, of course, have time to work on the songs one by one, it is a must. In my current band we work things like this: So, that probably doesn't seem like a great deal of fun, but the music is what makes it fun for the band. We all love what we are doing and our reward is becoming a top notch jazz band. A four hour practice once a week is all we have other than gigs and personal practice time, the time must be used effectively. This brings me to my next point. Try and find band members that will work on the tunes during their own time too. Easier said than done, I realize. I went through 3 different drummers when forming my current band because I couldn't find a drummer that would practice our tunes away from rehearsal. The new song practice, as you see, is only 30 minutes. When we add a new song, every member is expected to practice these on their own time. Once everyone knows their parts, we start playing them as a band as eventually add them to the set. Playing LiveThe first thing you'll need to do is get as high of a quality recording of your new band as possible. Don't bother with CD's at this point, they're too expensive and you'll go through quite a few. Put about 5 songs on the tape and record up tempo songs if you have them in you repertoire. The slow songs are great for certain times in the show, but for catching prospective gigs, I have always found the up tempo songs to be better. Next, rather than beating the pavement trying to hold down your own gig, go out to local clubs and bars that you would like to play. Start asking bands that are headlining shows if they wouldn't mind an opening act. You will impress these bands if you have a high quality tape on hand to give them. Most headlining bands, even in bars, really appreciate a good opening act. It gets the crowd pumped and gets the vibe going.When the time comes and you're ready for your own show, you'll have a little more work to do. I am not familiar with bars or clubs in your area so I'll just draw on my experience here in Columbus, Ohio. We have a pretty fantastic music scene here and playing your own show is not an easy gig to get. Again, it will all be in your approach. The way I handle it is by making a resume of my band. I include places we have played, bands that we have opened for, as well as another high quality tape or CD. Here, the CD isn't a bad idea depending on the type of gig you're trying to get. It's sales when you're trying to get a headlining gig, there's no doubt about it. That's how managers make a living at it, it isn't easy work. You have to understand that a bar or club manager isn't interested at all in your career or you music. What you want to impress upon these folks is that you're a band with playing experience. That you can draw a crowd and make people want to stay and spend money is what the bar owners/managers are interested in. So, keep playing, keep practicing, try to stay as serious as you can about playing in a band and you will do well. Send feedback. Back to all guitar, bass, drum articles
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