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The Golden Rules On How To Rehearse Or Lead A Band


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A great new article from Cheryl Hodge providing some rules and guidelines on how to best rehearse or lead a band from the perspective of a vocalist and songwriter.

The Golden Rules on How To Rehearse or Lead A Band

If you have any comments or feedback, or would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this article please feel free to do so in this topic!

Cheers

John

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  • 7 months later...

Very good and comprehensive article. In relation to rule #8, it might be worth adding that it's a huge advantage if you can find band members who can learn music by ear. Aside from the obvious perk that you don't have to spend time finding or writing out chord sheets, it means you can bring a new tune to rehearsal and stand a chance of the band being able to jam it, and especially if you find you have to transpose a song for the singer's voice then there's a much better chance of being able to do it on the spot. I've also found that people who can link the sound to the notes automatically tend to memorize music more firmly than people who work off paper. Hope that's useful.:-)

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Hm - I find myself disagreeing to quite a lot in this article. It is very focused about the lead performer, and I guess if it's a band backing a solo artist these rules could apply. However, in a rock band there are often a whole different set of dynamics, and I would say rules #1 and #3 are terribly wrong. Also, in a rock band you frequently point microphones to speakers - guitar speakers, or leslie cabinets.

Also the article proposes a very top-down management (typical American, I would say). Instead it is more important to guide rather than lead. Give praise when it's good, suggest alternatives when it's bad - instead of telling them they did it bad. Make sure it is fun. If the musicians drift off - take a break!

Thats my 10 øre.

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I must say I tend to agree with Finn Arild here.

As i see it the number one rule in a performing band is:

When on stage, the drummer is the undisputable boss!

Edited by Tambarskjelve
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Let's not push it, Tambarskjelve :D

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... but in a way it is true, actually - the drummer sets the most important frame around a rock song - the beat. On that the drummer really can be the indisputable boss. If the drummer can't do this good, the only help is if the bassplayer is so good he can guide the drummer by "kicking" or "butting" (translated from Norwegian ("tuppe", "butte") - I am unsure what English terms apply here - it means being a bit in front or being a bit behind).

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I don't believe genre has anything to do with it.

But I would not personally be using the term "lead performer" in this context.

Doesn't matter who the "lead performer" may be at any point - it's always the band-leader who is boss - otherwise the other players very quickly have no gig - like a drummer who thinks he's in charge, for example.

The article to me suggests that its writing was driven by a good deal of frustration from somewhere (maybe her vocal students).

They aren't my golden rules, though.

.

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The most important - and difficult - is to get the whole band to listen to each-other and the whole thing, and work together to make the end result something bigger than the sum of the individuals. It is very challenging and there are many ways to do this - sometimes a tightly knit band of musicians has this already, but many times it takes a "coach" or "manager" to encourage this. I think you can draw many analogies to how a sportsteam or a company is lead. I think very few of these "rules" are relevant in this challenge.

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  • Noob

As a "lead singer" I have to agree with some of what she says - and many of her rules apply to jazz singers. In jazz, the lead instrument counts off the tunes and calls the tunes and usually puts together the band they want for the night. However I think she misses the mark when it comes to taking ownership of your own actions and your own preparation beforehand.

Some of the things I've done to prevent some of the confusion during gigs are to:

1. have a printed copy of a set list for everyone at the gig and then STICK TO IT instead of bouncing all around the book!

2. make notes for yourself about tempos and any quirky things the musicians need to know before you start the song, so you remain consistent

3. remember that as the leader, you set the tone of the gig or rehearsal and people will follow your example. If you're not focused, they won't be either.

As a singer, I took a lot of pride in the past about knowing all my songs by memory. I have all my lyrics locked down tight and can work a crowd well, but I've also learned that if I don't have notes in front of me, either taped to the floor or on a music stand, I will count a song one way the first night and a different way the 2nd night. I'll forget to tell my musicians about "surprises" until they almost come up on them in the middle of the chart. Things like that.

All I'm saying is, I'm learning that good leadership starts with inward reflection and correct preparation so you have as few surprises for YOURSELF as possible. That will help you remain calm and in control.

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  • 4 years later...
  • Noob

Well, I am a singer and one of the reasons I usually have arguments, is that many musicians I've met want to be rockstars and they are too loud, or they try to do things without considering the vocalist. We can be as idealistic as we want about it, but except for one or two bands in the industry, in most bands either the vocalist alone, or the vocalist and one more musician are the leaders, and the rest need to understand the person who is the face of the band, and the person getting along with the audience has certain needs, and you can't change your vocal chords as a guitar player changes the strings of his guitar, so they need to follow you, and not the other way round. This is especially important when musicians are being too loud, like I said, or when they want to play a very aggressive, loud tune, and then play a romantic one, and they expect your vocal chords to magically relax, or they expect you to sing fot 5 hours in a row in a rehearsal without getting tired just because they didn't study their songs beforehand and they need to repeat a part of a song again and again. It sucks and it's not the type of environment I enjoy. I also hate it when musicans expect singers to magically be ready to sing without warming up.   

Edited by JaguarStar
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 in most bands either the vocalist alone, or the vocalist and one more musician are the leaders, and the rest need to understand the person who is the face of the band,

We understand them ok. They need constant reassurance that they really are more important then everybody else.

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  • 1 month later...

I didn't even know this part of Songstuff was here... I'm browsing whilst taking a break.

I love this part -

"In a first time situation I will only say this to the band once; after handing out my books. I usually say it like: "Great to play with you! We're gonna have fun. Just to let you know, some of my cues are a little weird, so you're probably gonna have to watch me; especially on the end of my tunes!"

Try 'handing out your books' and saying that to a rock band in Manchester and see how it goes down ;) I'm imagining the looks going round between the band members as 'books' are handed out...and then thrown back.

Oh and... don't shove your mic up to a speaker.... if you need an article to tell you that then you're definitely not at the stage in your career where you can start bossing a band around and treating them as your backing band.

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I hear ya. Loads more new articles and info coming. More on point too. Lol

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Probably the biggest detractor in rehearsals is excessive partying! I know, I know, "all the big rock stars did it" - at least that is the myth. If a band can't go a couple of hours without recreational chemistry gumming up the works then the prospects of the band are generally not good. While a little bit of ganja may not hurt, drinking and gravity bongs do not bode well for practice.

Peace,

TC

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Haha I hear ya TC. 

 

In some ways, I'm glad that a lot of us can't afford to have our own place to jam. That would call for excessive slacking if not handled properly. 

We go to jam pads that charge by the hourly basis. So every minute of the couple of hours every other day helps to focus completely on the music. 

 

Doesn't mean we don't have any other problems but it helps nonetheless. 

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  • 6 months later...
On ‎8‎/‎18‎/‎2010 at 4:57 AM, john said:

Hey

 

A great new article from Cheryl Hodge providing some rules and guidelines on how to best rehearse or lead a band from the perspective of a vocalist and songwriter.

 

 

The Golden Rules on How To Rehearse or Lead A Band

 

If you have any comments or feedback, or would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this article please feel free to do so in this topic!

 

Cheers

 

John

 

I have to say I liked how she said "The singer is the painter and the band are the paints."  I haven't lead a band, but my goal is to be a performing artist and hire a backup band.  I would imagine in that case I would want the band to follow my lead with louds, softs, and cutoffs, so the performance can come out how I envision it.  A rock band that is a collective project is probably different though.

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Quote

"The singer is the painter and the band are the paints."

Well Ive heard worse abuse towards musicians. But anyone who says that has serious ego issues.

 

Once after a gig we were divying out the money and a girl nosey-ed in and said of the singer "He should get more than you, because he's the one with the talent". What a kick in the cogs that was to the other six of us!

 

From then on, when beginning the 2nd set,  I made a point of announcing "Will the musicians and the singer please return to the stage".

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On 5/19/2016 at 9:32 PM, tunesmithth said:

In my humble opinion, if you intend to "Lead a Band" rather than be part of one, you'll need....

  • an exquisite amount of talent / ability to have even a hope of getting skilled players interested in working FOR you
  • to be willing & able to pay your band members VERY well
  • to provide / guarantee steady work for YOUR members
  • to provide, or pay-for the material to be performed / recorded
  • performance equipment (PA, mics, stands, monitors, board, etc) and the ability to transport them wherever needed 

..and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

 

Word-up to anyone who's never played in a band....being part of band & having a back-up band (Leading a band) are NOT the same thing!

"Leading" a band is like running a business. The responsibility for success or failure rests entirely with you...no one else! Sound like fun? ;)

 

Tom

 

Not quite...

 

Many bands have a natural leader. If we think of bands the way most bands begin (generally a bit green and crappy)...then to be a natural leader you mainly need to be a natural leader... some people are just made that way...full of energy and charisma... not necessarily more musical ability than the rest of the band, or more equipment, or money... If you happen to have that natural gift PLUS a shed load of talent and vision then you're on track to being something special. If you have the very rare blend of that gift PLUS amazing talent and vision PLUS a really talented band then you're on track to be massive... 

 

If you're paying the band yourself and absolutely dictating rather than leading, then you're not a band leader.... you're a solo artist with some session musicians. And if you're paying well and providing the equipment then you don't even need any talent...until the money runs out.

 

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