Band practice etiquette

Posted: 3 March 2020

The unwritten rules of having a productive rehearsal.

Read time - 3 mins

It’s an important time in any musician’s journey. You’ve pulled together some friends and taken the first step towards playing shows by arranging a band practice. Whether you call it a ‘jam’, ‘rehearsal’ or a ‘practice’ the methodology stays the same. We’ve gone through some of the most important factors to keep in mind, whether it’s your first ever rehearsal or you’re a seasoned touring musician.

Fail to prepare – Prepare to fail

Everyone is guilty of being forgetful at times, but preparation is key to avoiding issues that can derail the entire rehearsal. If you’ve got some song ideas that you want to share with the band, it might be worth recording them at home and sharing with other members before the rehearsal so you’re not going in cold. (Find out more about home recording here) You could even throw some other instrumentation on to get your point across! Even just a video from your phone sent over to the other members will help.

A great way to have a band working like a well-oiled machine is by starting a Whatsapp or Facebook group where all of the members can contribute and share ideas back and forth (this is also a god send for arranging rehearsal times with busy band mates!) You could also create a Google Calendar and add in any holiday dates/gig dates, so everything is visible.

Now you’ve got the other members in a group chat and you’re sharing ideas and making plans, you’ll need to prepare your gear.

Here’s a handy checklist for guitarists to look over before heading to rehearsal:

Guitar
Guitar strap
Set of spare strings
Guitar cables (Bring more than you think you’ll need)
Multi-tool (for changing strings)
Plectrums (Always take more than two, you will lose them!)
Drumsticks
Any drum extras (Stick holders, additional cymbals, cowbell!)
Paper and pen
Duct tape
Ear Plugs
A clip-on tuner/tuner pedal
Bottled water/snacks
iPhone charger
Cloth to wipe down strings after rehearsal

Additional extras would be a spare Kettle lead and XLR cables. Some rehearsal rooms can get trashed and relying on the provided backline can be dangerous. You may want to take an aux cable too so you can show some ideas to the rest of the band.

Listen, Listen, Listen

It’s easy to be distracted in a rehearsal environment but nothing ruins a good thing more than a lack of communication. It’s super important to listen in a rehearsal environment. If your vocalist is trying to figure out a line - don’t shred non-stop for 20 minutes, if the rest of the band are trying to work through a part - don’t sit on your phone. It’s never easy dealing with different egos but listen, be patient and work through ideas collaboratively and you’ll finish the rehearsal with a smile on your face.

Band practice etiquette

Fail to prepare – Prepare to fail

Listen, Listen, Listen

Have Fun

More in this series...

Where next?