Feeling ready and prepared for band practice is the basis of having a successful band practice. Once you find a routine, it becomes a habit and a lifestyle. Let’s have a look at the things to do so that you are prepared physically and mentally for your next big band practice.
Set up a checklist of the things you need every time, confirm the time and venue with your band members, revise the previously practised music, and have your charts ready and noted. Once you have all of these components prepared and ready, you can attend your practice with full confidence.
It also depends on whether you are only a member or if you are the leader of the band that takes on some more responsibilities. I am a big fan of sharing responsibilities so that each member has a few things to take care of. Let’s look at some of these tasks in some finer detail.
Confirm the Practice Space and Time
If you have a booking at a practice venue, make sure that it’s confirmed. Double-check again on the internet and make sure it’s all still in order. You don’t want members to carry all their equipment all the way to a venue that made a double booking.
What equipment is already at the venue? You will save your band members plenty of effort if there’s already hardware to borrow. Make sure about what they do or don’t need to bring.
Does your practice venue cost money? Try to find out how you will need to pay. Paypal is a great method of collecting money in a group, but will you also be able to pay electronically? If not, then all the members would need to know that they need to bring the cash along to practice. That’s if the cash kitty is dried out.
Do you have a plan B? As important as it is to have a practice venue, you should also have a plan B. Even if it’s a smaller room where only acoustic practices can take place. Have the card in your pocket if there’s an emergency.
Communicating the Schedule with the Rest of the Band
How do you find a meeting time that works for everyone? It is challenging to check in with each member or to find a practice time on WhatsApp, therefore we try to use alternative apps or websites:
- Needtomeet.com is a good option where one can set some options and all the other members can agree on their times.
- Doodle is very similar. I know that they use a paid-for version now that is a bit more advanced than required for arranging a meetup.
- Xoyondo is similar too. Here you can also use smaller fractions of the time. A free website.
Once there is stability and routine within the band and you just stick to the time slot during the week that fits all of the members, a quick check-in and reminder will do. We also have different types of band practices for different occasions. Don’t miss the article I wrote on What is a Band Rehearsal to learn more about the different types of practices to fit your schedule best.
Set Up a Check List for Yourself
There’s plenty of gear that gets set up and moved around from practice to performance, back to practice etc. Having a checklist helps you to keep track of your belongings. So often we borrow out cables, tuners and plugs, that we tend to lose track of all the equipment being around.
Having your checklist on your phone or a piece of paper in your guitar case or symbol bag is perfectly fine and will get the job done.
It goes the same for setting up the practice room and making sure that all the members help during the alpha & omega process. If everyone helps out with the same routine, it gets easier the more you do it and in the end, you save plenty of time.
Practising the Content
Make sure that what was covered during the previous practices, is becoming easier for you and that you know the song structures and chords. If something is really tough and challenging, practice every day and don’t give up. Sometimes, it’s as if your fingers learn these chords overnight. It’s wonderful what overnight rest can do.
Use the travel way there to listen to any recordings and visualise yourself singing and performing already. This is also a chance to warm your voice while you drive there. Test your vocal range and warm your voice with the lyrics and a few vocal exercises.
Have your Charts Ready and Revised
Whether you keep your music in a file on paper or on tablature, make sure you have it with you. It is also normal that some changes may take place in the song arrangements, so having it handy to apply and follow up on these changes helps you to stay up to date.
If you happen to be a drummer that needs to learn plenty of new songs at once, check out this fantastic video below on how to chart your songs and be able to perform with little or no practice beforehand.
To be prepared for your band practices is also being mentally ready. Everybody needs something else. You need to discover what helps you in being ready to turn on your rehearsal mode. Job sharing is key, so check if there are some responsibilities that other members can take over to balance out the stress.
Once you found this rhythm and routine, you might want to read the article I wrote about 7 Tips for Productive Band Practices. It might help you and your band in optimising your time a little more together and in the end, look better on stage.
Until next time, give it your all!