Practice / Rehearsal Tips thead

[AceFireForce117]

Hey everyone !

I thought it would be cool if everyone could lay their tips or discoveries to make our practicing hours more enjoyable and efficient ! (i've done tons of searching and couldn't find any or at least one with a ton of info gathered).

Everyone knows how much a crappy or wasted practice is annoying as hell !
(when there's just that one member who hasn't learned that one song )

basically, our only place to practice is at the drummer's/other guitarist's place (brothers). It suits us because it's in the middle of nowhere, in the countryside and the parents are totally tolerant with that.
We've been thinking to pay to practice in a studio but the cost in gaz would be huge (also, don't have a car yet).

It's a crappy room, not meant for band practice at all but what the hell, it's cool to chill and we have video games & beer (can become annoying if one is always attached to those things

Enough with my life intro,
So our only pa is a fender passport pro (300 i think). We're always trying to find better ways to make our practices more efficient.
And so just now i've thought to mic the kick and one of the guitars or bass for the drummer DERp.

One annoying thing though, when we run a click through the fender passport so the drummer has a click in his headphones, it's only on one side.
How can we make it stereo or centered ? I've tried everything and even checked if the cable adaptor was stereo.. Don't know why we can only hear the click on side...

Another thing : we don't know how good the fender passport is compared to other pa systems, surely there's better but is it worth keeping ? Or should I go onto something else like a mackie vlz table mixer and new monitors ? (any ideas for monitors ? thinking of 2 mackie srm 450 and a mackie 1642 VLZ3 mixer for drum recording aswell).

One last thing : have you got any good ideas, tips (non expensive prefered) for treating a room quickly but we don't wish like to change the whole room it's not our house. If this isn't possible then forget that part

That's about all, i hope we'll get good information exchanged here !

Til then ,

AceFireForce117

PS : finally finished all my exams : i'm fucking free from all school slavery !!

 

[TesticleMilkshake]

The most basic tip would be to practice as much as you can, as frequently as you can. For guitar, it'll help with muscle memory and build some strength up in your fingers. Your goal should be to perfect technique, while finding a sound or a style that suits you, that gives you a melodic identity that separates you from other guitarists. As a guitarist, you want your instruments to have the warmth and agility of the human voice. I'm a singer, so I look for my voice to have the tonal perfection of an instrument. As a singer, I have a tendency to get incredibly self-conscious about my sound, so I find it best to go into a practice with a clear head, clear mind; non-judgmental of whatever sound you produce, because you are, ultimately, JUST practicing. However, goal setting is what will help you to progress as a guitarist and, overall as a musician. Make a list of songs or solos you'd like to play, or other guitarists you'd like to emulate (including what aspects you'd like to take from them) This is something that has not only helped me in pop singing, but in classical voice. Actually breaking down the procress can feel very rudimental, sterile and depersonalizing, but it's the ability to focus with passion you'll find in these exercises that will make it fufilling as well as extremely rewarding in the long term. Hope this helps! I just find it amazing how much of th classical world seems to cross into metal quite interesting

 

[AceFireForce117]

oh yeah metal partly comes from classical imo. As a guitarist i'm already doing this ! i'm always playing, i can't believe i still managed to pass my exams ok

We're just starting to practice frequently because we were studying at the same time but our drummer still has one more year which sucks.

I also sing ! Well scream
i do it while playing guitar. i've learned to master that quite easily and quickly, something less to care about.

the dvd Zen of screaming is my bible : props to Melissa Cross !

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

If you are old like me, you need to stretch first. 5 minutes of stretching will double the effectiveness of my practicing. Also, eating fruit beforehand seems to make me play better.

*It should be noted that I still suck.

 

[AceFireForce117]

i prefer stretching a bit aswell it does help !

 

[Manifesto]

my advice would be: Learn the songs and do not allow girlfriends.

So you sing in your band, any tips about warming up before rehearsals?
Warming up at home it's easy. I usually do those baritone warm ups from ZoS and then sing along with phill collins, but i can't do that in front of my band, that would be ridiculus and very time consuming.

 

[Trevoire520]

do not allow girlfriends.

^THIS!^

No matter what anyone in the band says, NO ONE likes it when one of the other band members brings their gf to practice. No matter how much they like the music/hang out with the band/come to shows etc, practice is for the band and the band only.

 

[TesticleMilkshake]

I agree with you guys; unless you are dating someone who is actively part of the band, no girlfriends. If she truly knows the genre, maybe, but keep band shit separate from relationship shit. No Yoko Onos please (although there was a tremendous amount of douchebaggery occuring within the group.)

 

[Sloan]

Get your shit together before you decide to 'practice'
No drugs, no alcohol, no food, no friends, no intimate partners. Nothing but the band focusing on the work you have to do.
If your not writing or discussing band administration issues, then make sure everyone has practiced and worked out their parts in their own time. That way, when you all meet up, your not having to wait on each other to learn their parts.

Plan how much time you are going to dedicate to practice and block it out. TURN YOUR GODDAMN PHONES OFF.

 

[AceFireForce117]

TURN YOUR GODDAMN PHONES OFF.

100000 TIMES THIS !!

How many fucking times did i tell the other assholes in my band to turn them off when practicing and tracking !!

So you sing in your band, any tips about warming up before rehearsals?
Warming up at home it's easy. I usually do those baritone warm ups from ZoS and then sing along with phill collins, but i can't do that in front of my band, that would be ridiculus and very time consuming.

When it comes to vocal practice you HAVE to get into : "I don't give a fuck" mode.
it's the only way when you have to warm up for gigs.
you'll just have to do it. No other way, it will help you in the end. Singing is really psychological imo

The bass player in my band has a gf who lives in the usa so when she comes over we let her in our lair. She doesn't bother us at all she just sits there while we headbang
Oh and girls and their cameras... What's up with that ? 99999999 photos just in one practice

 

[HCL]

Be a cunt about being tight. Seriously, practice is work not play. If someone's not pulling their weight don't put up with it because they're holding you and everyone else back and shitting on all the time and effort you've all put into the band.

 

[Skadsson]

Ban the booze from the practice space. I know lots of people just wanna be rock n roll and get hammered like Slash and Axl in their heyday and feel awesome. But the fact is: they are not. Despite the fact that most musicians aren't as awesome as they think they are in the first place, it just steals time and destroys the effort of that session pretty much. You can party after practice all you want, steven tyler.

Also: time your cigarette breaks. It's pretty damn annoying waiting on some nicotine enthusiast half of the time. Practice is work, be a bitch about your time and about the work you want to get done, even to the risk of others getting pissed at you. In the end it will pay off, and if it doesn't then you weren't in the right band to start with anyway.

Edit: Just realized I said a couple of things that were already stated in the post above... oh well... some advice just needs to be repeated an infinite number of times.

 

[AceFireForce117]

everything you've all said is so true !

Getting a job this summer to afford the mackie monitors and mackie mixer (wondering if i should get RCF italy monitors instead of searching used srm450 v1...)

If someone could help me out with that click and quick treatment problem i would be oh so grateful

 

[Trevoire520]

Not sure about the click, sounds like a broken cable or something. Does it do the same thing when you plug in an ipod?

 

[colonel kurtz]

along with banning the girlfriends, and keeping the beer/weed to a minimum, be VERY rigid in start/stop times for practice, and let it be known to everyone that the time is to be used for practice ONLY...unless you're a bunch of kids who have nothing better to do all day. i've been in situations where people liked to show up an hour after practice was supposed to start...then practices run way over, which fucks up other things for people beyond their band. if someone isn't pulling their weight/taking things seriously, tell them straight up that they aren't getting it done, and that they're on the way out if they don't get it together.

 

[TravisW]

It partially depends on the purpose of the practice. If you're working up new material, make sure everybody has learned the song, make sure everybody can hear the things they need to hear, and if possible set up something to record the song with (a lot of good has come from boombox recordings). Be meticulous about keeping every section as tight as you want it to sound - the tape will help you figure out if it's flowing the way it should.

If you're running sets for a gig, practice like you're at the gig. In my mind, it makes no sense to get adjusted to a pristine in-ear mix and no alcohol and then go to a gig with a lousy monitor mix and a few beers in your belly. If you're going to have a couple beers when you play, it doesn't hurt to have a couple when you practice. If you're going to have 12 beers at the gig, you should probably reexamine why you do what you do.

I'm also a firm believer in the vast majority of rehearsals being closed to anybody not in the band - this means girlfriends, friends, etc. Rehearsal should be a place where the band can just be comfortable, without having anybody there to show off to or be worried about screwing up in front of.

The final thing with smoke breaks - if you have a smoker in the band, take a 15 minute break after every 45 minutes to an hour of rehearsal. That gives the smoker time to puff away and everybody else time to de-sweat a little bit.

 

[AceFireForce117]

Not sure about the click, sounds like a broken cable or something. Does it do the same thing when you plug in an ipod?

no not at all ! It's only through the headphones plugged in the pa.
click is plugged in the pa aswell

 

[Plendakor]

I have a problem with my band and it's enough for me to think about leaving.
Some dude coming over, he's cool and just watches us, but smokes 5 cigarettes an hour. He's a friend of the drummer and well, we jam at the drummer's place + he built some kind of air extractor (which is not sufficient).

Also, +1 for no girlfriends. Had that in another band and miss acted like a little manager. lol

 

[TesticleMilkshake]

Soooo many good tips in here. +1 with keeping the substances to a min. and turning cell phones off. Ultimately, you just need to hook up with band members who are on the same page as you in terms of goals and outlooks. Serious people work well with other like-minded, serious people, essentially the "getting shit together" factor

 

[AceFireForce117]

Not beeing extremely tight is the biggest flaw in my band.
I'm the one getting all the shit together (worked like hell to track & mix our demo, always motivating the others to rehearse etc.) But there's a strong musicianship between us and it's something rare these days.
I understand we can't all work on our playing because of all our studies (especially in France eating up a LOT of our free time). I'm proud to see how good we've become put i just hope we could practice more and be more serious about it since we've finished our studies (starting a jazz school in october). Except for our drummer who still has one year left before the "Bac" : french final exams after completing your "main" studies.
It's just irritating you know ?

Also, +1 for no girlfriends. Had that in another band and miss acted like a little manager. lol

I'd bitch slap her
Air extractor ? For what ?