Realistic Goals and expectations..

[glocke]

After years/decades of doing this off and on, I've come to the conclusion that there are two things that are sure to kill my interest in a project.


The second is people showing up at rehearsals not having practiced or even listened to tunes...My main project is incredibly guilty of this, to the point I almost dread when they want to rehearse as I know it means spending in some cases 30-45 minutes discussing the structure of a relatively simple song.  In almost every case they haven't listened to the song in awhile so they are going off memory (often incorrect) of how it should go.  Even when I suspect (or know for a fact that they are wrong) I just roll with their version as ultimately it's easier than getting them to listen to a recorded version and having them play it the way it should be.  In other cases they haven't listened to it at all and rely on others to them how it should go...Amazingly we are able to pull off most of these fairly well live, but in some cases there are absolute train wrecks due to things not being practiced/rehearsed properly.


The first is basically adding more and more tunes on top of tunes that already aren't getting played all that well.    Right now Im enrolled in a 10 week jazz workshop with a guitar player and KB player (drummer is the guy running the workshop)...At week four the tunes we already have on the list aren't getting played nearly as well, (and we haven't even played everything thats on the list ) as they could or should be and they keep wanting to add more songs.


One was this one

there isn't even a chart for it other than a piano transcription out there that looks like it has this piece in B sharp...


The other is Giant Steps...Fair enough on that one, but still a challenging piece and I can easily see us spending an entire 2 hour session on this one which means the other stuff on the agenda probably won't get played..


At first I thought it may be me being lazy, but than I thought about other workshops Im taking in Manhattan where the teacher running that imposes a 5 song limit for the eight week sessions that runs.  In that one, often times we will just end up focusing on one tune for half the session.


I see this with my rock and roll buddies as well...One of them wanted me to record some bass tracks for some originals he wrote.  His goal was eight tunes. In one session..both the recording engineer and I spent a considerable amount of time explaining how that just wasn't realistic and we were finally able to talk him down from 8 to 3.

[jazzyvee]

That is a beautiful track, what's it called?

[StefanieJones]

I think almost every group I've played with has shown up unprepared. It's very annoying. At least know the structure, come on. Maybe listen to the song a few times? I don't know. Everyone wants to play but not many want to put in the work to make actually happen. What is really annoying is, "Don't worry Stef can teach it to you."  -__-;

[glocke]

That is a beautiful track, what's it called?

"Saturdays Morning"

KB player in this ensemble workshop wants to do it, but I just think its too ambitious for this (and like I said his background is more jamband oriented so he's probably thinking just find a key and jam on it despite there being some movements in there that are clearly timed and arranged beforehand).  None the less I am trying to locate a chart for it...so far I've only found this

https://www.scribd.com/doc/295097827/Ahmad-Jamal-Saturdays-Morning

which is the piano transcription and not very useful.  It's also in C# Major lol...what an odd key.

If I had all the time in the world I'd sit down with the tune and work out whats going on harmonically, which is probably a good exercise anyway, but frankly I just don't have that much time.
It doesn't sound like a complicated progression, but at the end of the day time is time..

[gtrguy]

That is annoying and I see it a lot, too. I also hate how gigging bands I have been in that get tight will discard great songs for new ones that we then have to work up till they sound good.

I know sometimes not having good charts will slow down the song learning process. I also have seen how not having strong leadership can allow this to happen. I think having to play out will force the issue and make people learn stuff.

[lbpesq]

I think having to play out will force the issue and make people learn stuff.

I have long maintained that one hour practicing with others = 10 hours of practicing alone, and one hour of playing before an audience = 10 hours of reheasal in the studio.

One thing I tend to do when we're working up a new song is to find a version I like on youtube and email the link out to everyone in advance of our next rehearsal.  Another thing that helps in my situation is that I do a lot of the lead vocals.  In my experience, if the lead vocalist knows the tune, it is easier for others to follow.  If the lead vocalist isn't solid with the arrangement, the hesitency will often infect the band.

Bill, tgo

[lembic76450]

I agree with Bill that when learning a cover song, everyone should be listening to the same arrangement of it.
Links are key to at least get everyone on the same page.  One of the bands I am in the singer/acoustic
player will usually do a simple chart, like how the breaks may fall in different places after each chorus or bridge.
It really cuts down on listening to tunes at rehearsal.  I am pretty lucky in that both bands I am in come
well prepared.

[lbpesq]

Of course, it's also true that a lot of my playing is with other "Dead" players ... and we all know the tunes!

Bill, tgo

[pauldo]

Interpersonal relationships in a band are interesting. 

 I worked with a drummer who would “rehearse” by only listening to the songs... amazingly enough he knew the arrangements quite well, but the physicality of playing his kit sometimes wasn’t as desirable.  I also have worked with a guitarist whom (often times in live situations) when he didn’t know what he was doing he would just turn up his volume. 

Then that thing about too many leaders... been there done that and even left a very talented band because it was far to straining for me... I am a bass player, the glue that binds, I take directions very well, in fact I like being told what, where and how there is stability in that, but when you are being told to go in multiple directions - that is when the crazy sets in.  I short circuited after a gig and quit via e-mail, in hindsight it was immature on my part but when it isn’t fun anymore then it is time to move on.

The curse of any art form is that the most brilliant artists often times are the one with baggage- and perhaps it IS the baggage that makes them so creative.  Finding a balance can be tricky.

[David Houck]

The Ahmad Jamal tune was nice!

[edwin]

Everyone should go see Ahmad Jamal. While we still can. He's amazing.