General Music Chat

Whats up, this is my first post and I hope this forum is more open minded than others, where they get off by bashing each other and stirring up shi*.

I just want to ask everyone how they keep their bands spark alive. How do you play 2 and 3 year old original songs and still get into to it. How do you get everyone to practice even though they think they're all good enough....which they're not.

Hey man !! Your just about 10 miles down the freakin road here. LOL
Dude we love bashing each other whole sale and stirring the shyt.
But you can also get some real good info and critique (bloody honest critique) from various level of musicicans all over the US Canada & the UK.

Now to the questions:
If your band has to have some type of outside motivation. Perhaps it's just a bunch of guys with instruments, and not a band at all ?
It takes more than 11 guys in pads to make a football team. Ya know what I mean.

Are ya'll getting out and giging? Do you actively seek out critique from other musicians.

We constantly write new and inovate our original music. Though 4 of the 5 of us would qualify as amiture level musicians. Though we too suffer an occasional humdrum day.
We all have a comon goal, and we BELIEVE in what we are doing, and each other.

Have you sat down and mapped out what it is you want to accomplish as a band. Does each and every member contribute to the musical content.
Do you all actively seek out gigs?

At any rate, welcome to Bandmix.

Thanks for your FIRST post. You're a brave man. I tend to not bash people and give them sh*t unless they deserve it.
It is a good topic for sure. One thing every band should remember is that every time you perform you are usually playing to people who have never heard you before. Songs may become stale to you, but they are almost always new to someone listening. There's also always room to change a song. If something starts sounding stale try speeding it up or slowing it down or adding a bridge. Do SOMETHING to change up the song. As far as rehearsals, you just got to establish from day one that rehearsals are MANDATORY unless everybody agrees they are not. Who's the leader in your band? Who sets the guidelines? Do you have a marketing strategy? What do you want to do with your music? Unless you have a business plan (RhythmMan started a great thread a while back on this very topic) then you are probably going to languish and grow bored with what you're doing. IMO rehearsals should be a part of a band's business plan. We are in the BUSINESS of making listeners happy, getting them up on the dance floor, KEEPING them at venues, MAKING the cash registers ring, bringing a PROFIT to the venue owners. All of this SHOULD require some rehearsals. How many rehearsals depends on the consensus of the band and there should be a leader to make BUSINESS suggestions. How are you going to improve WITHOUT rehearsals? Are you going to EXPERIMENT live a gigs? Some bands do this, and do it well. Most bands don't have experienced enough personel to pull it off. You have to be the judge on rehearsals. It depends on the bands make-up and also the genre(s) you perform.
Again, welcome to the Forum. (Please don't mention anything about boobs here though)

Thanks for the great feedback!
My band has a few gigs lined up, and we have been playing gigs for almost 2 years, at least 2 a month. It's just starting to feel like we're getting worse even though we practice twice a week. We just changed bass players and he's really not up to snuff, but it feels like there's a deeper problem with the guys not realizing how loose we are. Maybe I'm just a perfectionist, but I practice EVERY day, why can't they?

I'll try sitting down with them and mapping out our future, but somethings gotta change.

One of the things that kept the band going for many years was our fixed rehearsal room. Walk in, plug and play. We video taped almost every show and spent some time at each rehearsal viewing the old shows and watching other acts on their stage presence. Every rehearsal, someone would bring in something new to the table, whether it be a new idea to a song or a stage prop. The first thing at every rehearsal was to play a song that was tape to the entry door, "no talking bs just come in, tune up and play the song first off". It seemed from that point on the rehearsal was a party and a lot "A LOT" got done with good feelings. When we got on stage gig night it was a fixed song list and everyone was on the same page. (We controlled the crowd)

One of the things.

Your doing originals right ?
When was the last time you introduced something new.
When was the last time you stepped out of the comfort zone of your genre'.
When was the last time you said, ok guys, that really was loose.
Lets take a week off and think about what we're doing and why.

Not bustin on ya understand.
Just trying to stimulate a little out of the box thought process.

Good luck.

Thanks for the great feedback!
My band has a few gigs lined up, and we have been playing gigs for almost 2 years, at least 2 a month. It's just starting to feel like we're getting worse even though we practice twice a week. We just changed bass players and he's really not up to snuff, but it feels like there's a deeper problem with the guys not realizing how loose we are. Maybe I'm just a perfectionist, but I practice EVERY day, why can't they?

I'll try sitting down with them and mapping out our future, but somethings gotta change.

Hey welcome to the forum.

Here a few tips I have to offer-

You say you guys practice twice a week- I'd recommend dropping that down to once a week. The reason is simple- I was in a band that did twice a week, and what would happen is that we would have so little downtime since the last practice, that nobody really had enough time to work on their parts, and then came to every practice less prepared than desired.

So, by fate alone, we happened to switch to once per week practice, and the difference was amazing, we all came better prepared and the practices were MUCH more constructive than the two previous ones combined. I realize you said you practice every day, but you have to cut other guys some slack, especially those with families or other social obligations.. not everyone has the luxury of playing daily.

Other than that, as far as original music goes - I'd say this is where the creativity and passion of the band comes in... all I can really say is that my band constantly looks to improve the originals, with a fill here, or and adlib there, a change in the percussion somewhere, speed up or slow down, etc... Our songs have changed so much even from a year ago, and we still have fun playing them.

If you are having major issues with people not being motivated, I'd say that's just another reason to switch to once-per-week rehearsals - if they come to the rehearsals with the same lack of motivation, or even less motivated... well then you know, it's time to get someone fresh in that spot... it only takes one sour puss to kill morale and ruin the band for everyone. Never let that happen. But don't brow-beat either, all of it takes a certain degree of finese and sometimes swallowing your pride and lowering your personal standards a little.

Whoever writes the song has the final say on its presentation. Not to say they have total control over every note played (unless they've written it out in notation), but they may certainly point the way for the song to go, in feeling. "This section gets real quiet...there's where you need a blistering lead...drums go all crazy here..."

The band needs to come together to provide the composer's vision if it's going to play someone's original tune. It's simple respect. If you don't have that, you either have a band that isn't interested in the tune, or a band that lacks respect...

After years of butting heads with musicians who didn't want to practice, rehearse, write songs or try to improve the band I have come to the conclusion that the only way to change people is to change people. Literally. If that's not practicle just accept people for who they are (much like a marriage).

How much rehearsal does it take to do a few songs.

2 times a week after 3 years of playing. The best thing I could say is take a little break. Just drop out for a month and hopefully everyone will get the fire again.

This is a hard one for me cause the cover stuff I do. We really dont practice stuff we agree to play something give each other cds. At the next gig I ask before everyone starts drinking if they are ready to do the new song then we jsut do it. Ussually that first run thru is the best. Thats my cover band/

As far as originals I tend to write stuff, record and then just leave it. For me its just a reflection of a moment in time for me.

Good Luck, but maybe take a real break from it.

My cover band years ago we woodshedded fro about 3 years. We had everything set up in a central location, as was said come in and play. We had 2 nights a week and then if everyone wanted to get together we would get together on fridays and save sats for gigs. This period really really developed my playing. SOmewhere in you r life to be really good you have to put the time in. As Jimmy said, if someone doesnt fit and isnt putting the time in, then maybe a replacement is in order. New Blood can fire up a band to get kicking.

Your answer may be right there. Take a break fire the one thats not doing thier part find a replacement and dont look back, just move on.

After years of butting heads with musicians who didn't want to practice, rehearse, write songs or try to improve the band I have come to the conclusion that the only way to change people is to change people. Literally. If that's not practicle just accept people for who they are (much like a marriage).

I have to disagree. My philosophy in life has become "Once and asshole, always an asshole". I've never seen anyone have a TV-style enlightening experience that changed who they are.

In fact, every guy I ever knew who was a jerk 20 years ago is still a jerk today. Every chick I knew who was a cheating lying whore 20 years ago, is on her 4+th marriage now and still a cheating lying whore.

People don't change, they only appear to, in an effort to either shut someone else up, or in a lot of cases, they really do want to change, but are fooling themselves as much as anyone else, because you just can't change who you are.

I'd personally like to be much less compassionate .. I feel bad when I do wrong, especially to other people, which basically makes me a HORRIBLE business-man (bad with making hordes of money, anyways). I've tried to change that about myslef, but I can't follow through on screwing ppl out of their money.

Sorry for the off-topic rant lol, now back to our regularly scheduled program....

Kramer you missed my double-entendre for "change people". I meant replace.

As far as keeping it the music fresh ...

I think Krammerguy hit the nail on the head

Other than that, as far as original music goes - I'd say this is where the creativity and passion of the band comes in... all I can really say is that my band constantly looks to improve the originals, with a fill here, or and adlib there, a change in the percussion somewhere, speed up or slow down, etc...

We rarely play a song exactly the same everytime. It usually starts and end the same but we'll change up the groove or adib something and a whole lot of interaction starts happening between the players ... and big smiles start happening ..

As far as getting player to improve their playing and come prepared ... well again I have to agree with Krammerguy ...

Musicians are a lazy bunch and for most but not all "good enough is good enough" ... and you will never get them to change. If you want to sound "SMOKIN'" then you will have to go out and find some smokin' players, and you will find that they are prepared, can adlib on the drop of a hat .. ect. ... you will also find that they are in demand.

Sounds like the guys I played with . The same set of problems arose after a while. The songs mostly originals with a few covers just seemed to get worse over a period of time. I wanted to blame one player, the so called leader in our group, but after a while came to realize it was probably mostly me for letting it get that way. You can't be quiet about situations like these or they will tear down a lot of bridges. Speak up and tell them what youve told us. If that does'nt light a fire under their ass then you might have to do whats right for you. I'm at that point now and after letting it go for years finally decided to move on and take care of my wants and feelings. If what your doing makes you happy then everyone hearing you will knpw it. Good luck , and welcome to Bandmix.

To another day in Paradise !!!!

Kramer you missed my double-entendre for "change people". I meant replace.

doh, thats what I get for gigging last night, getting to bed at 2am and getting back up at 5...