Conference napalm::guitar

       The first thing you might consider is to express your feelings 
    to the band, there's nothing more imprtant(besides practice) than 
    keeping an open communication with your musical peers. Let them know 
    how you feel as to how productive things are.
       One thing to watch out for is being too rigid- you might just want
    to have practices where occasionally you simply jam for the fun of it.
    Another thing is to have all your material practiced on at home- so  
    when you get to rehearsal, you are ready.
    
    
    Good luck,
    
       John

    Our rehersals are really loose...sometimes *too* loose for our own 
    good!  I like having structuredrehearsals myself.

    If you want "instant structured" rehearsals, you might want to
    investigate a technique I've found useful.
    
    I was in a T-40 band that seemed to spend forever in my basement.
    People weren't learning parts, a lot of screwin' around, etc. etc.
    
    The drummer (an old pro and former "in-house" drummer for Motown)
    and I were getting fed up.
    
    Based on the "sink or swim" principle, he and I decided to go out
    and book a gig with only two weeks to get in shape.
    
    Well, the initial reaction was almost violent.  The other guitarist
    was literally panic-stricken.  But you know, things started coming
    together a lot faster and practice time was maximized to the hilt.
    
    The gig went ok, not great, and admittedly a lot of it was improvised,
    repeated songs, or me reading from a fake book with the rest of the
    band sorta following.
    
    The people who booked us told us we were "great".
    
    It's a technique worth considering.
    
    	db

    
    Most bands I've been in have had pretty loose rehearsals.  The only
    exception was one where it was a leader/sideman type of band, we just
    showed up and the leader ran down the songs with us.
    
    My current band is *real* loose at rehearsing, but our setup is
    basically, each guy throws out a new tune or two he wants to work on,
    we play the record, listen for the parts then sort of steamroll right
    through all the nuances  8^)  8^).  
    
    When we royally screw up a number live, it usually ends up getting
    worked on in the next rehearsal, and every six months or so we do a
    "Beginning/end" rehearsal where we play just the intro, maybe one
    verse, and the ending of *every* song on our list (talk about weird
    ways to practice) since it's usually these parts of the arrangements
    that get forgotten.
    
    Now, what would be ideal?  Actually, a structured setting where we know
    what we're going to do *before* we show up.  Someone in the band has to
    organize it, of course.  I.e. let everyone know what will be worked on,
    etc.  Seperate sessions for just vocals, just bass and drums, etc. have
    wroked out well in top 40 bands I've played in where real precision
    arrangements were of upmost importance (as opposed to C&W bands where
    noone knew what an arrangement was  8^)  8^)).
    
    I dunno, if I was doing this full time, or working in a band where
    sloppiness wasn't a virtue  8^)  8^) then I'd probably be more into
    getting 100% of the rehearsal constructive.
    
    								Brian
    
    

    
  
    I'll agree with DB.  My current band (startup) was learning songs at 
    a pretty good rate, but there was no drive to get arrangements tight
    and really learn the tunes.
    
    So, we booked a 3-night gig that gave us about 1 month to get ready.
    Now, it's sink or swim time.
    
    That first night will be touch and go, but the 3rd night should be a
    lot easier.
         
    
    Kevin

    
    
    
     I have different experiences......'from the ground-up', and  'just getting
    back into it' situations to 'joining an existing band'. They weren't the
    same probably because the personalities were different.
    
     There are some who like just hangin' loose, just lettin' it happen,
    eh, que pasa?, you know? I'm not one of those types because without
    focus it becomes another DEC meeting 8-)! Sorry, couldn't resist.
    
     I acknowledge the 'book a gig' method. I found it scary (just happened 
    in the band I'm in), lots of pressure, and lots of compromises for the 
    sake of schedule (sounds familiar ;-)). I didn't find it fun and I LOVE
    to play. You also need to be able to accurately judge the bands ability 
    to progress (know your band mates well). If you book too soon (we did)
    it can be a bit embarassing (it was).
    
     I like to use a practical approach. Where do I want to be in the end?
    What do I need to do to get there? How long will it take? Yea, so it's not 
    real artsy but it has worked for me.
    
     Discussing an agenda for next time ( what tunes?, who has the sheets,
    tapes, etc.) sets up expectations and keeps the communication open
    (everyone is involved).
    
     Making notes from the gig of tunes that need work (and what parts) is
    helpful.
     
     When we were rehearsing in the 'from the ground-up' band, I used to
    check off things we practiced. We found that we 'forgot' to go over
    some tunes, we had a tendency to practice the same tunes rehearsal to
    rehearsal. Some tunes need constant work and some need brushing up
    once in a while. I'm not sure how this could happen unless you keep
    track.
    
     The difficulty is the balance between being too regimented and not 
    regimented enough. Some jammin', etc can be good to clear the mind.
    On the other hand, too much leaves things undone.
    
     First and foremost, the band needs to agree. It only takes one to
    slow things down.  
      
    
      Bob Tassinari 
     
     

	There's a lot on info on how to handle this in the MUSIC notes
	at note #65.

	The past 2 months I've been working with an ever shifting cast
	of characters trying to get a band off the ground and the
	following things appear to be working:

	o Have an agenda - and agree what it is
	o Come prepared to work
	o Rehearse known material for warm up
	o Work in a new piece
	o Jam for dessert. This is a good technique for learning to listen

	o spend 1/2 talking over the rehearsal and planning the next one

	o Oh.... noise hangovers suck, cut to impulse power if possible (new!)

	We are in the process of generating charts and tapes for the stuff
	we do. Chart readers can start cold on the first time in, tape folk
	can listen and come in solid second time.

	Now to find Yet Another Bass Player.

	Charlie B

      ...I've been through the rut where a few guys in the band just
    want to bang away in the cellar until everything is PERFECT. I say
    f*ck that! You might get tight, but I think that's how tensions rise
    and the band will disperse without anything to show for all those
    basement hours. Set a reasonable deadline, do frequent rehearsals
    until your sets are complete, polish the rough spots, and go out
    and play a gig. After you've got a feel for what market the band
    is geared toward, then make the refinements that will improve the
    band.
      I'm happy with my rehearsal situation. We rely heavily on everyone
    learning songs off a tape, so all we normally have to spend any
    significant amounts of time on are endings and vocal harmonies.
    
    						-BoOm-

Yeah the Sink Or Swim method works...But it is scary...  Nobody wants 
to be on stage when there is a boo-boo...  ;)

RnR practices started out under pressure, because from the first gig 
we played we've been playing nearly every weekend.  We basically threw together
4 sets of material so we could start working... We didn't pay much attention
to dynamics, stage presense etc... Just structure, chords and notes.

Now that we've been together for a while (wow, coming up on 5 months!), we've
started to really 'pull together as a team' (can you tell the other guys in RnR
are reading this ?? 8^0 )... We're being more fussy about what we're doing, the 
dynamics are coming together, we're working up guitar harmonies etc...

To me being in a band must be like being married...Because there is lot work
involved in communication (in our case 5 times more work than just having 1 
spouse).  You have to understand everyones needs, and be willing to compromise
too...Which is the tuffest part.  Communication is the key to it.

The schedules and agendas work well, if you stick by them...But you have to
follow tangents sometimes (especially if you do any original material!) too.

jc (1/5 of RnR)

    My band practiced 1 time - everything clicked pretty good, then
    our frontman/bass player booked a gig !  Granted, the tunes we were
    gonna do were mostly oldies which had been etched in our brains
    for years, but the pressure to perform (kinda like a honeymoon)
    was on.  1st gig went great, got rebooked at the same place for
    more money, blah, blah, blah.  
    
    But for rehearsal, we usually jam on one of our current songs, then
    get down to the business of learning new stuff.  Recently we've
    just been bouncing ideas off eachother and usually 2 out of the
    3 of us will know it and away we go.  I highly suggest jamming every
    practice.  Not a 20 minute version of "Cocaine" but a brief tune
    that will allow each player room to "express" their style.  You
    can learn a lot about what type of tunes the group will handle well
    by listening to the band's ingredients seperately.
    
    Having a song list of tunes you know is crucial too.  I hate wondering
    what tunes you know (aggaga .... we know *so* many !).
    
    It has to be fun though .... if it's TOO structured it'll be like
    work.  I don't unwind well at work, do you ?
    
    
    				Scary

    Back when I had *my* band, rehearsals ran like the Third Reich!  Now,
    I am in a band where things are looser, and that is not always to our
    advantage!

    I agree with a lot of the things said in .7. I've been in bands that
    had just about every style of "practice" imagineable, from "let's jam
    from 9-2", to "here's the list of stuff we're doing tonight". I think a
    lot of people have been suggesting some middle ground. What my current
    group does:
    
    	- Warm up on some familiar stuff. If you've got a lot of stuff in
    your repertoire and don't gig all the time, it's good to go over stuff
    just to keep it fresh in your memory.
    
    	- Do some more serious work on things that need it. One of our
    members keeps careful track of the status of everything we are doing,
    so we can quickly conjure up a list of what needs work. We usually do
    this the week before, or communicate it sometime prior to practice. If
    we haven't, we usually sit down at the beginning of practice and
    discuss what needs work that night, then follow the agenda.
    
    	- Allow time for "having fun". If you're into jamming, fine. For us
    it's doing some number that we all enjoy, usually something fairly new
    that we aren't bored with yet.
    
    A final suggestion - replace all of the band members with MIDI
    sequences :-)  This makes things go much smoother.
    
    	- Ram

	Of course, you could take my approach. It's been years since my
	MIDI duo has had a practice, I tend to sequence all of the keyboard
	players parts & set the volume loud until he learns his parts
	(a cheat sheet is provided). Once he learns them, I set the
	CC7 MIDI controller (Volume) low. We add about 1 new song every
	2 weeks & play practically every weekend.

	Before we were a MIDI duo, I carted around a TEAC portastudio &
	used it in the same fashion as I do the MIDI stuff.

	I enjoy keeping the 'band' to manageable numbers & never have to
	worry about replacing either the Bass player or Drummer (they
	are both rack mounted at the moment, or someone showing up late.

	As for myself, I only work out songs that I like. The keyboard
	player does the same (we each have sequencers & access to the same
	gear). Cheat Sheets/fake books are all it takes. I'd rather be out
	earning money. Since I know the songs & set up the arrangements,
	there is limited need for rehearsal, at least on my part. Usually
	by the 3rd time we've played anything, it sounds pretty tight.

	By the way, it takes 2 to 6 hours to sequence a song (on the average),
	so I guess that you could call this rehearsal of sorts.

							Jens

    
    Structure practices?  Boy, you guys sound serious! ;-)
    
    The band that I am involved in has been together since New Year Eve 
    and we get together 2 days a week, anywhere from 3 to 6 hours a day.
    And so far, we've got around 17 presentable materials.  We don't 
    have structured practices, we are SERIOUS about practicing; no booz nor
    drugs during practice! and most of all, we have alot of fun.
    
    To me, all business and no fun makes our band a dull band.
    You need motivation behind your work and if it's too structured, it
    would feel like job, and not something I enjoy doing.  I realize that
    there is a fine line that needs to be drawn, but either extreme can
    break up a band!  I think this applies to everything in life, actually!
    
    Well, this is MHO...
    
    J.

    
    	Band practice is my favourite passtime.  We work hard & play hard
    ie if we feel we deserve it we crack open the beer later if not we go &
    sulk.  Our band is bunch of real jokers, we have at least one collapse
    into uncontrollable laughter per session often & the drummers expense.
    
    	What I want to ask is do any of you have experience of the good
    reheasal = bad gig syndrome?
    
    	I've noticed in just about every band I've played in that if we
    rehears real well the gig flops by comparison.  If the rehearsal flops
    the gig goes down a storm.  Maybe my imagination but I've heard lots of
    people mention this, hows about you guys.
    
    Cheers
    	Pete.

    I just quit my band last night...the reason?  Their abhorable practice
    etiquettes got the best of me.  I don't wanna play in a band that runs
    sloppy "it's good enuff, the audience won't know the difference"
    rehearsals...where do you think that midset translats to...exactly,
    poor gigs!
    
    Buck, who says "who said practice was supposed to be `fun'?"

    Re: .15, .16
    
    I think it's a psychological problem.  You have a great rehearsal and
    then when something goes weird at the gig, you get nervous and uptight,
    etc.  Then when you have a messy rehearsal, you go to the gig and play
    just as messy but since the audience gets into it, you get psyched and
    start really stretching. 
    
    A lot of the time the audience *doesn't* have any idea how well you're
    playing.  I have a bad habit of responding to compliments from the
    audience with "Oh, you should see us when we're playing well, etc."
    instead of just saying "Thank you."  It's as if I'm more embarassed
    about being complimented after I screwed up.
    
    I want to digress a bit and mention that there seems to be a concept
    that sloppiness is a virtue in certain styles of music.  Punk rock, for
    example.  Or even the band I'm in now 8^)  8^).  I live with it, I'm
    having fun but I see it as detrimental in the long run.  My band has
    played for three and a half years and yet we can't get through a night
    without at least one major screw-up.  As a result we'll never be
    anything more than what we are now, a bar band.  I think that's *why*
    we've been together so long, it gives everybody a chance to let their
    hair down (I'm the only one who isn't doing this band as a side
    project) and cut loose.
    
    							Brian

    .17
    
    You made some good points, but I don't think, in my mind, that
    general disinterest in putting some 'hard work' into your music
    should be used as a crutch for an "everybody makes mistakes/we're
    only human" excuse.

Well, IMHO we are all human, and we  are ALL gonna make mistakes...
The problems occur when you make continual mistakes and don't
work to correct them.  It's when forward motion ceases to exist that
I get bent out of shape... 

jc (Who makes enough mistakes for all of you... :---)

Oh, I forgot...

When I used to race dirt bikes, a friend of mine used to coach me...
He said if I didn't fall off once in a while, I wasn't trying hard enough...

See the connection ??

jc 

    
    Re: .17
    
    Huh?
    
    I'm not sure what you're responding to but I *don't* believe in using
    the virtues of sloppiness as an excuse for laziness.  That's why I
    used the word "detrimental".   And I'm also not suggesting that when
    you play a messy set but are able to infuse it with life that that's
    preferable to breathing life into an orderly set. 
    
    For example:  When I first saw the Del Fuegos they had accumulated a
    lot of hype about being a real down-to-earth, "normal guys" type of
    band.  What I heard was an intense drummer, a bassist who could crank
    alongside him and a front man who couldn't sing, couldn't play guitar
    or write songs.  I didn't like them at all. Eventually, the Fuegos
    *did* learn to play their instruments, write songs, etc. and as soon as
    they did, a lot of their fans deserted them because they had "lost"
    their sound.  I have a similar problem with the Dead (yeah, I know,
    I've gotta go to a show, OK, OK) where I think their audience lets them
    get away with poor shows just so they can have the "freedom" to hit one
    of their soaring peaks.  Hey, I've heard enough so that I know they can
    play well.  It's just that often they don't, and I can't accept that
    when I'm expected to fork over $$$ for tickets.
    
    There's a big difference between John Lee Hooker who has no technical
    chops but plays with an emotional power and someone who also has no
    technical chops but also no idea of how to infuse his emotions into his
    playing.   
    
    						     Brian
    					Closer_to_the_latter_than_the_former

    Well after reading all these replys I had to add my 2cents. Let face
    it, bottom line, use your practice time as a valued time, not a place
    to have a night out away from the wife or girlfriend. I have a goal to 
    be in a band in which everyone eats sleeps and thinks like a pro. Why
    you ask, because I have been in many bands that practice, practice, and
    then practice somemore and end up doing a few gigs and then one guy
    leaves or the whole band breaks up. I want to be part of a band in
    which every member has the same goal, treat it like you would a
    business, lets face it if you what to get signed someday you need good
    music, good common goals, and most of all a well rehersed show. Not
    just four guys on stage playing music. Put time into what your trying
    to sell to the public and most of all the record companys, I read
    somewhere that Boston has something like 5,000 original bands, one
    being just like the next. So use your practice wisly, don't screw
    around until the end of the night, treat practice like part of the job,
    "hard work does pay off"
    
        What if you had to give a presentation at Digital on the Vax 9000,
    would you screw around for a week , work on the material off and on,
    and just say to yourself, "I know this stuff I don't need to go over
    it". (I don't think so)
    
    
             This is IMO and most likely won't apply 100% to a cover band.
    
    Mike___

    
    
    I've been in bands that have had totally opposite ways of
    rehearsing.  My last band spent more time joking around,
    drinking beers, and waiting for the other guitarist to
    show up (and it was HIS house we rehearsed at!)  I found
    myself just as guilty of the bad habits as the other guys
    but couldn't see a way out of it, so I left.  Rehearsing
    songs consisted mainly of running through the song once or
    twice...no work on arrangments, dynamics, our show etc.
    The band lasted only 6 months.
    
    The two bands I was in before that were ruled, as Buck would
    say, like the Third Reich!  The former by one of the other
    guys and the latter band by myself.  Both bands had members
    who knew what was expected of them and agreed to the structured
    rehearsals and meetings (yes, this is a BUSINESS...you've got
    to have business meetings aside from rehearsals!)  The results?
    Both bands gigged alot!  The second band gigged all over the 
    northeast and had dialogues going with record companys.  That
    band stayed together for a few years.  If we'd had the business
    maturity that we individualy have now, we'd still be together
    and maybe even signed.
    
    It all depends on what you're in it for....if its just for
    fun, then have a blast!!  If its for a career, then you
    have to structure things and take alot of $hit!
    
    JMHO
    
    Ralph
    
    

    
      We are all human and it is that human-ness that allows us to find
    excuses for everything.
    
      I would much rather stay 'hard at it' than to allow myself the luxury
    of the 'Im only human' excuses. All mistakes are fixable should you
    want to.
    
      Excellent point about moving forward. There's  no standing still,
    you're either improving or sliding backwards.
    
      Considering the money I've spent on equipment and the leisure 
    time I put to rehearsing (BOTH of which get taken away from other
    thing..there's only so much time and money), I owe it to myself 
    (and others) to be the best I can be. I can tell you that sometimes 
    I'm the only guy in the band doing that and it is very discouraging. 
    Most times I think it's better than sitting at home waiting for the 
    perfect band.
    
      I'm not looking to be 'make-it really big' but I'd like to feel
    that I gave it everything I had. Our limitations are in our own minds.
    You CAN do anything you set your mind to.....if you have the desire
    and dedication to do what's necessary to get there.
    
    
      It takes guts to stop accepting the situation and walk....it's a shame 
    though because I find that an awful lot of investment (especially 
    emotionally) has been made.
       
    
       Bob

    
    Re.16 Sorry to hear that Buck, I know what you mean though.  I was
    looking around for a new band a while back & I found no end of
    no-gooders who were prepared to get smashed make a noise, total
    anarchy.
    
    Although I said we have a laugh we do not compromise standards.  We have a 
    long way to go on a lot of our material esp getting dynamics ( ie NOT 300 
    db all night).  We plug away chipping off the rough bits & it gets
    better all the time.  AT present we're in a major line up change so we
    have an opportunity to be ruthless & cut stuff which doesn't work & set
    a higher pace of learning/perfecting introduced.  The formulea for
    practice will remain similar.  Get there on time, set up, tune up
    loosen up with a straight jam around a number just to get juices
    flowing.  Stop! Talk through what people regard as problems or dislikes
    & look at a few ideas to mend them.  Run the set.  Extract the problems
    & work them.  Stop! have a slug of Coke (the drink!!!) discuss new
    matereial.  Work new material.  Run through new material as if live
    noting mistakes. Work mistakes.  This has soaked up a good 3-4 hours.
    Go to local village pub appologise for being such a pain in rehearsals
    but it's for our own good. Buy beer.  Go home & practise so that you
    aint' the one being shouted at next week.  Seems to work, we get better
    every time we play & some of our stuff is real knockout.
    
    Right! Andy The Keys & Andy The Other Guitar, now rip me to bits!
    
    Cheers
    		Pete.

The best adivce has already been given.

Sometimes, the most productive rehersal time is spent not playing a note...

Like many of the other noters here, I've been doing bands for a real long
time too, (Since i was like 15..) I've seen many bands, come and go over
the most ridicolous reasons..  The band I work in now has the best inter
personal dynamics you could ever find...

Here's how we have evolved into doing things..


1. Talk about things.  Wether it's about one member, or, the entire
auora of whats going on.  (real important, : Good inter dynamics)
Up front, out in the open, no emotions,,,,  problem, complaint, what
ever..  If your all adults, then it'll work

2. Know your parts BEFORE everyone gets together.  then it's like
puttin a puzzle together once the borders are done.  Everything falls
into place, depending on the complexities of the song alot smoother then
shooting from your hip.  (I don't know bout some of you other guys,
but if I'm not comfortable with a vocal, I can't do it.)

3. Define who will do what when a new song(s) is picked.  The person
singing, is responsible for the words (period) the people doing the
harmonies, should know basically where they are, and what the approximate
flavor is.  Given that sometimes you just can't dupe some harmonies...
(Real common sense stuff, but you'd be surprise to find out how many
times the person supposed to be singing a tune, never got the words
for it..  That wastes a lot of productive time..)

It's not necessary to learn the solos note for note if your axe men
are good at improv.  Leave it up to the guitar player doing the solo
to decide how he wants to run that part of the song.  Sometimes, I'll
copy, sometimes, I'll do my own thing.  What ever is appropriate, leave
up to eh guy doing it. (Unless you really have a burning desire, then
again,, talk it out.)

4. DONT PALY WHEN OTHERS ARE TRYING TO TALK, OR WORK SOMEHTING OUT.
(nuff said,, lots and lots of time can get wasted by the solo-diddlers.)

5. Plan the rehersals (the agenda thing...)


As a final comment, I can't emphasise enough how important it is to keep
all the communication lines open...  Talk about things with each other.

DO NOT wait till you get home, pick up the phone, and tee off on the bass 
player with the drummer.  This sets a precidence, and it sets an undertone that
eventually wreck the morale.  Keep it cool, keep it light, but make
sure you've set goals for each rehersla (or for as many as necessary)

It's much better to walk out of a rehersal knowing you got soemthing
accomplished, then to go into a rehersal not know what you're working
on.

    
    
    In our band,we work from tapes. Each of us have a tape with our songs
    on it. New songs are introduced and the person introducing it is
    required to provide the tape. we work on our parts at home,and,use
    practice sessions to tie it together. We have seperate sessions for
    vocals only. We do a couple of songs to warm up,work on new songs,go
    over problems with other songs,like openings or  parts we need to
    improve our timing on,etc.
    
    Mike
    

    Thanks for all the input fellas. I guess I'll try some of these tips
    out tonight like turn up with a proper schedule and see what happens.
    
    Richard

    
    You'll probably get lynched:-)
    
    Pete.

    My band has three basic modes of practice:
    
    1) Discuss Business
    2) Rehearse Material
    3) Rehearse Vocals
    
    We do mostly #2 and do not allow anyone to stop in the middle of a
    tune. If you screw up a part, you find your way back pronto. No one
    really runs the show, everyone knows what's expected of him.
    
    I joined this band 2 weeks before our first gig, and I think gigging as
    soon as possible in some out of the way place is the best medicine.
    The name of the game is grace under pressure and I can't think of
    anything worse than practicing six months with musicians who choke.
    You always perform under adverse conditions. No sense playing material
    that you can't play solid.
    
    And yes, you CAN be diciplined AND have fun at the same time.
    
    							John.

    For five years I have had a standing obligation to front a band for a
    large party (300 guests) on the first Friday  after May 31st. This is
    not a real band in the sense of working together regularly--we just get
    together each year for this one gig. Since the audience is pretty much
    the same every year, we have one standing rule: no repeat material. We
    also don't want to invest too much time for a one-shot, so we try to
    get by with as little rehearsal as possible. On the other hand, we
    don't plan to make fools of ourselves. 
    
     We have three female and one male singer, bass, drums, keyboard and
    guitar. All the members have extensive band experience (but not
    together) and are old pro's at this type of gig. We have had mostly the
    same members, though the drum seat has changesd a few times. At the
    beginning of April I distribute a list of about 60 songs to each of the
    members. At the end of the month, we have a get together for the
    purpose of "claiming" songs and to select keys. Usually, we just use
    guitar for this meeting.  Everyone is expected to learn their parts on
    their own, immediately. Sheet music, fake books and recorded music are
    used to assist at this.
    
    We then have a couple of two hour evening sessions with anyone who can
    attend except the drummer. Leaving out the drums makes it possible to
    have the early practices without a sound system and with minimum setup.
    We work out arrangements, develop harmonies, pick tempos and work over
    rough spots. We might also squeeze in some lunchtime sessions with just
    guitar or keyboard and the vocalists to tighten up the ensemble parts.
    We continue to shorten the list. Sometimes, the dropped songs are just
    not coming together quickly enough and will wind up on next year's
    list. Some of the songs are dropped because we decide they suck :-). By
    mid-May, we have a playlist of two, 15-song sets. 
    
    The strategy for our practice sessions is that we do each song once
    through until we've done them all, then we start again from the top. We
    do this until we feel we could get throught two sets without looking
    completely stupid, at which point we start working on the details. 
    
    One week before the gig, we do our first rehearsal with everyone, and
    then we have a dress rehearsal a couple of nights before the gig.
    That's it. Typically, we've had 4-6 practices and two rehearsals and
    we're ready. We aren't going to be great, but we do a better show than
    many working bands.
    
    The audience has a wide range of ages, and our playlist covers a lot of
    ground. We tend not to use recent songs, but we try to avoid the
    standard bar band repertoire.  At number of the tunes each year will be
    reasonably complex. The party is a cold sober, sit-down luncheon with
    no dancing and we are the only entertainment, so we have to keep
    everyone's interest. 
    
    To make it easier to find songs, we've mined a couple of lodes rather
    heavily. One of the singers does Ronstadt well, so we do a couple of
    Linda's covers each year. Another does well with Carole King tunes, so
    we do a few of those. We usually do something by The Beatles, The
    Beachboys, The Pretenders, The Impressions, some Motown, a couple of
    standards, and something outrageous. This year we are doing "Wave",
    "She Bop", "Goodbye To You", "Satin Doll" and "Moondance" in our first
    set, eclectic if not catholic. We sometimes have guest singers: this
    year we have a Japanese visitor who will sing  "Ue O Mui Te Aruko",
    which, of course, was a number 1 hit in the US in 1963.
    
    I know a number of fine musicians who have been rehearsing bands
    forever without doing any gigs. They think they are "not ready", I
    think they have terminal stage fright. If we were doing a straight
    instrumental jazz gig, I wouldn't hesitate to do it cold, without any
    rehearsals. The first one or two gigs are a better learning experience
    for a band than 100 rehearsals. I wish we could do a few gigs with this
    group, but we only get one shot at it. Tomorrow.
    
    Danny W.