I hope my last blog was of some help to you. A quick review, please manage your time because in the entertainment business you have to hurry up and wait!
OK with that said on to the next subject; the art of rehearsal. Yes it is an art of sorts because the time you put in equals what you get out of it. If you practice and practice and nothing sounds better, it's time to examine your technique. It can be a vocal part, a guitar lick, a set (of songs) for a performance, or pre-production for the studio. When I start to work with a band in preparation for a recording project I start with a few easy ways to help the band understand and hear their own material. I have the band turn down the volume. Most singers have to scream to be heard at rehearsal. Guitar player is too loud so the bass turns up, the drummer is already pounding as hard as possible so where does that leave the singer let alone any attempt at background vocals.
With the band volume down I mic the kick drum so the bass player and drummer get tight. The key to any great sounding band is a tight rhythm section hopefully we all know that!! When the band is turned down the players can hear each other and most importantly the singer, what a concept!! Most bands like to rehearse standing as they would on stage and that's cool once the music is tight, but before that I put the players in a circle so they have easy eye contact and can communicate their ideas quickly. Try to keep (mostly guitar players) the noodling down while people are trying to speak, you'll get more done and if your paying for rehearsal time save money. Try to make sure everyone knows the lyrics, but can also play the songs without any vocals at all. Have section rehearsals i.e. drums and bass only, guitar and drums only, keep mixing it up so everyone is aware of everyone's parts. When all the above has been completed then stand there like you would on stage, in front of mirrors so you can check yourselves out (dump the bad moves and keep the good ones) and always record your rehearsals so all of you can review your progress. These simple suggestions work. I have worked with bands for many years prepping for major concerts, industry show cases and recording. It's how successful artists do it. Hope this helps, see you next Sunday.
man! I have to send this to my drummer. Every time we stop to work out a riff he just jams over us talking or when we finish the song..It's sort of a punch line with us now.
ReplyDeleteStage moves.. this is a hard one for me because I hear music with my ears not my eyes.
I probably have the worst presence on stage. I really need to work on that.. Plus the whole "METAL STANCE" cramps my legs..lol Looking forward to some tips on how to recognize a "cool stage move".