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Making IT Work Part 3 – Getting better at what you do.

Once you establish the type of band you are in, and the types of songs that you are going to play, the next step is going to be a big one, putting it all together and getting better at it! Some bands are going to be gig-ready very quickly. These bands will usually consist of members who all have a lot of experience and a strong discipline for learning and rehearsing. Other bands are going to need to work really hard to put together a show. These bands tend to be younger, less experienced bands. Part of the “show” aspect of what we do is how you look onstage. This goes far beyond what you are wearing, and is more of a confidence/attitude type of thing. As long as the drive, and the will to observe, is there, both bands can become cohesive, tight units with a great show.

As a young band starting out, you are going to have to pace yourselves and feel out how each of you learns songs. Some folks take time to really get into the flow or groove of a song; others can pick it up right away. Rushing through a long list of new material is a quick way to make some of the members feel inadequate or frustrated. In most situations that I’ve been in, we were always willing to play songs/parts over and over again, so that the one or two members who weren’t feeling so sure about the changes could really get it locked in. I think this is a very important step in building your band as a team, a family, instead of being just a group of folks who play together.

Once you get into the gig-ready world, you will start to learn a lot more about your band as a whole, and how each of the members do under pressure. I highly recommend videotaping a few rehearsals, set up as if on stage, and see how the songs go. Beyond noticing parts that need help/work (vocals, guitar leads, etc…) you will be able to see how the band looks, which is more important than most folks think it should be. Once you have identified the obvious issues (groove/timing, pitch issues, arrangements that weren’t hit right on) with the musical performance, step back and look at the movement/stage presence. While a lot of harder music will prompt a certain ‘persona’ or attitude that is expected from the performers (head banging, foot-on-the-monitor rawkin’ out, etc…), those moves will look silly or forced if you are playing palatable cover tunes (while there are heavy metal cover bands, the most commonly requested/hired bands play pop/rock music from the past 4 decades. Thrashing around and banging your head is going to seem very theatrical.)

Discussions about what needs to be ‘fixed’ can be a touchy subject. I don’t know a lot of people who really enjoy being told they are doing something wrong. With video from a serious rehearsal or gig, the proof is in the pudding, so-to-speak, and issues should be pretty apparent to all who are reviewing the tape. The “How you stand there” talk can be a little more personal, and really needs to be met with an open mind by all members. We all have our own way to rock out, and there is no “right way”, but the extremes on either end (standing like a tree, staring at your fingerboard on the light end and Slamming yourself around and thrashing your head/jumping around a little too much {which I’ve seen all too often} on the heavier end…) can make a good band look bad.

The next step is easy: experience. Playing with the same group of musicians will lead to a familiar and comfortable band environment. After a while, you’ll learn to read each other, and you can interact and improvise together. It’s a really cool feeling when you can slam some un-planned hits or create a dynamic change in the feel of a song all together, without a single word uttered.

Every band finds its own way to produce a good product. Between rehearsal regimens and attention to details, there is a way to make your band a very marketable cover band that can enjoy a good time for all, and a little extra money on the side.

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