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Original message:218 days 7 hours 21 minutes ago
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Member: Aaron Lee
34
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me and my new band just got together and started the band a couple days ago. we haven't practiced yet. if anybody has any advice on how often we should practice or anything like that please help.
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Reply:218 days 5 hours 8 minutes ago
Member: shanejohnson2002
    + 2  
1851
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You should always practice on your own. It's part of the responsibility of being in a performing group. As far as band practice, just as often as you guys can fit it into your schedule. If you're like me, you have a life outside of guitars (gasp!) and can't always have a practice every day at 630.

Concentrate on your own musicianship as much as possible, and make sure everyone else does the same. That's just carrying your own weight.
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Reply:218 days 2 hours 28 minutes ago
Member: Peter Robinson
    + 2  
12
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yeah i have to agree with shanejohnson2002, its nice to have a practice but its hard to fit everything in, especially when your a professional musician! all that matters is your own playing is perfectly tight, and as long as everyone else does the same then theoretically you will all be tight and sound great.

But one of the more important issues, make sure that everyone is 100% happy with the band, you will find that 2 people in the band will secretly begin to hate each other, as soon as a bad thought is set against a fellow band member your band is practically doomed, make sure you talk and be honest with each other, i find MSN to be a great tool in keeping in contact and as long as none of you start to be lazy, then things will be fine.

You should each respect and also be proud of each others abilities, one of you cant feel you are a better musician then the rest or again your band is doomed, you should each worship the ground each other stand on!! make sure that no-one's ideas are ignored and more importantly if you dislike someones ideas make sure you explain why you do and don't blurt out "nah thats a shite idea" - it creates harsh feelings, treat each other as musicians and make sure you work together as a team.
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www.myspace.com/peterobinson
Reply:218 days 1 hours 57 minutes ago
Member: bachmirage
    + 2  
1009
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have everyone in the band make a list of songs they would like to do.....take a few songs from each list to start with and work on them. this way everyone gets a voice in the band. start with the easiest songs on the lists. after about 6 weeks of playing you should have around 15 to 20 songs that you could possibly perform. at this point, book a gig.........any gig..........party.....bar......freinds house.......whatever..........this will inspire all to practice that much harder in order to prepare for the show........in other words, it will give you a goal. if you always have some kind of show coming up, everyone will stay on their toes about practice. this will keep practice from getting to be just a big bore.....pressure has a way of bringing the best out of people.....and of course,,,,have some fun with it.....try to avoid getting wasted during practice as well..........and again, practice at home on your parts as much as possible. there is NO such thing as being over-prepared.....
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Reply:217 days 21 hours ago
Member: Xarkzila
    + 1  
2675
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"It's nice to have a practice but it's hard to fit everything in, expecially when your(sic) a professional musician!"

That's another comment I don't understand.

If you're a pro, then all you do is practice, outside of playing gigs. If you're a pro, then playing is your life. The difference between a pro and an amature is how much they practice. I've been around music all my life and there is no comparrison to the guy who THINKS he's a pro and the guy who IS a pro, when it comes to "workout" habits. Sure some people are "naturals" to a point, but you can distinctly hear the professional difference.

Maybe a definition of "professional" would be in order?

A professional makes his day to day LIVING playing music. Anything less and you're not a professional. This doesn't mean you can't act professional, or present yourself professionally, or even give a professional performance, but if you're not making your living from playing/writing/singing/etc., music, then you're not a pro.
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"The music industry is a cruel and shallow money trench. A long plastic hallway where theives and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side..."
http://www.cleargravy.com
Reply:217 days 19 hours 35 minutes ago
Member: David5094
    + 1  
72
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With my band, we practice every Friday and we're always practicing at home on our own time. Our praxctice usually lasts for about 3 hours and then we jam for a little bit then go play some Halo 3 or football.

Myself and my friend are the main songwriters so we usually prepare a list of things to go over and thats what we do. When we're done with the list we go over what we want to cover or what others have made. After that we discuss what we think should be fixed in the music and the band. We work as a democracy.

I'd suggest you guys get a couple songs that you like and learn to p[lay them and eventually start writing your own stuff.

here's my band if you want to check us out:

www.myspace.com/lucidreamers

The songs that we have up are old from about a year ago and without drums. We have videos though from a couple months ago and a video from the talent show we played in.

Reply:217 days 18 hours 19 minutes ago
Member: Richey
    + 1  
1566
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Don't share girls or pass girls around. Women have a way of breaking bands up.
Don't let anyone get drunk/high/wired during practice or shows.
Do be punctual to all practices and gigs.
Give everyone a role, besides just playing. Everyoneone has stregths and weaknesses. Identify them for each person. Have so that drive the songwriting. Have someone that handles the business. Have someone that books the gigs, etc. Make sure everyone has a stake in this with their own time and effort.
When I had a band, we practiced 3 nights a week. We rented out a room in an old warhouse that rented out jam pads. It was great.
If you let others come watch you practice and they become a distraction, don't let them come back...this includes chicks!
Besides that, I agree with everything everyone else has said.
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Reply:217 days 17 hours 45 minutes ago
Member: Peter Robinson
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12
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xark i was meaning making a living, i find it hard to spend time with my band cause im always having to learn something else and spend time on things that i HAVE to learn in order to get paid and make ends meet! and then i have lessons and things to prepare which i take way more seriously then i need too. if you read the statements before hand and the rest of mine you will see i was referring to finding a definite slot in my schedule for band practice.
My gear recommendations:
  
www.myspace.com/peterobinson
Reply:217 days 17 hours 17 minutes ago
Member: Xarkzila
    + 1  
2675
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Language phraseology maybe... I still don't see anything that supports the reference, but I'll take your word for it.

I'll still say if you're a pro, then you find the time to make it work because it's your job. If you're a weekend player with another life to support, then it gets more difficult. It's not hard to find time, as a professional, for the things you absolutely have to do. If you committed to a band, then you have the time, because a pro wouldn't commit to playing if he doesn't have the time to do it. (Which leads to your other statements about all the band members being on the same page. It's just as unprofessional to commit to a group and then say you don't have time to practice as it is to engage in the typical infighting most groups get themselves involved in. Neither is professional.)

Not trying to diss you here. I just read this from a completely different perspective.
My gear recommendations:
  
"The music industry is a cruel and shallow money trench. A long plastic hallway where theives and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side..."
http://www.cleargravy.com
Reply:217 days 16 hours 28 minutes ago
Member: Peter Robinson
    0  
12
WebCred
yeah but im not saying i dont have time for my band, i do, but i dont have time in my schedule to have a definite practice slot. Perhaps im not phrasing myself properly, but either way it doesnt matter cause it is my business.




Edit: ok i realize i haven't really made a statement in relation to yours. this band in question, is a band just for kicks, and does not relate to my professional career, its a chance to unwind and play what we want to for a change, we do have a practice each week or as often as we can depending on how busy each of our schedules are. but since were all so busy we have one at a different time each week.

I'm not usually in liberty of explaining myself to someone over a forum, but i felt compelled to do so, i agree with all you have said above, but i must say in my own defense that i have met many people both in my amateur and professional existence who argue the point of whats a professional musician, i dont have time to argue with someone so compelled to try and prove that i am not. I am making a living being a professional musician, but isn't a fun occupation, especially when work is hard to find, a reputation is hard to build, and the rewards are very small. But i have done lots to ensure ive always got something to keep me occupied.
My gear recommendations:
  
www.myspace.com/peterobinson
Reply:209 days 10 hours 6 minutes ago
Member: sallan
    0  
830
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Pros get paid for practices AFAIK, therefore not an issue in the pro musician world. I lived in that world for a while. Fucking hated it. Hated the travel, hated the clubs, hated the hustle, and usually hated the music I was being paid to play.
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I hate your music and/or band
Reply:217 days 14 hours 6 minutes ago
Member: Aaron Lee
    + 1  
34
WebCred
we're serious and wanna get good. how often do we have to practice or should we?
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Reply:217 days 13 hours 49 minutes ago
Member: Xarkzila
    + 1  
2675
WebCred
If you're serious you can't practice enough. There is NO QUESTION that you SHOULD practice. You WILL NOT get any better if you don't.

Even the pros who come to the studio practice before hand. We had one female group who formed through email and other contacts. Met on a Saturday and practiced for 4 hours before heading into the studio on Sunday. These were PROS, no question, but even with YEARS of experience, and even though playing covers, it was clear they hadn't practiced together enough.

You can't practice too much. If you want to be good at something, then that's ALL you should be doing with every spare moment you have.

My gear recommendations:
  
"The music industry is a cruel and shallow money trench. A long plastic hallway where theives and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side..."
http://www.cleargravy.com
Reply:216 days 10 hours 54 minutes ago
Member: Zak
    + 1  
103
WebCred
Find a space where you can play together at a moment's notice, like (if your friends' parents/your parents are cool with it) a garage, a basement, or a shed. If you can, I recommend you jam a ton of mattresses and nice thick rugs into your practice space to soak up the sound, because nobody likes to hear a bunch of "dumb kids messing around while I'm trying to take a freaking bath". And if you store any of your gear in the practice space, leave a case or a sleeping bag or something in it overnight to make sure it's not ridiculously leaky or humid (cause that's not good for electrical appliances). Practice like crazy on your own, and any time that you and your band can get to your practice space at the same time, go! As for "booking gigs" and all that, I don't have any experience, but it looks like everyone else is covering that. So anyway, I hope that helped. Good luck with your band!
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Look at all the little piggies in their starched white shirts....
Reply:216 days 9 hours 39 minutes ago
Member: eds1275
    + 3