Music Rehearsal: A Userʼs Guide

Every musician, no matter what facet of the industry, will inevitably face the daunting specter of rehearsal.  Below you will find a set of guidelines to (hopefully) ease this process that to many can become the bane of the very existence of any working musician.  A lot of this probably seems pretty common sense, but this author remarkably lacks in such things and has had to learn some of it the hard way.

1.) Be prepared

Get your music as early as possible and actually look at it a little bit.  Score study can make all the difference when preparing for a rehearsal process.  I know that if you’re like me, procrastination can be your enemy when it comes to looking over your part.  The more face time you spend with the music, the more familiar you will be with the notes, rhythms, and road map of any musical endeavor.  If there is limited or no written music to learn, try to familiarize yourself with the style and intent of whatever you are going to rehearse.  You can do this by listening to recordings of the band you will be playing with,  bands with similar styles, or the actual tune, piece, or score when possible.

2.) Bring the right gear

Gather ye instruments.  Again, common sense dictates this, but you would be surprised.  If you’re not sure what you need, refer to the score, or ask whoever is leading the process what you will need to bring.  As a drummer/percussionist, I have a wide array of what instruments I will be needing for whatever the project is.  If I don’t own the instrument, I find out first if it is truly needed, second if something can be substituted for it, or third if I can borrow, rent, or buy it.  This can be sticky at times because who wants to drop $500 on a gong that you hit softly twice during a 2 hour production for which you’re making $50 a service?  Not this guy! And for the sake of all things holy, BRING A PENCIL!!

3.) Be flexible

Come in to the process prepared but flexible.  I know that that note says that its a C# but it doesn’t fit the chord.  Please change it!  As musicians, we are creatures of habit.  Unless you’re playing in a Sun Ra/Poison cover band (you lucky so and so), you’re probably going to need to read what they put in front of you.  However, conductors, musical directors, or band leaders are a fickle bunch and might have a different idea about the sound that they want.  Be flexible.  Be willing to adjust to meet the “vision” of the guy with the stick.  He or she might not be right, but guess what?  They are in charge and are paying for your 7-layer burrito on the car ride home from the gig.

4.) Be punctual

Be early!  A teacher of mine lived by the mantra of, “To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late!”  And he meant it.  Woe unto the percussionist who showed up at 11:00 for an 11:00 rehearsal.  Get there early, get set up, and leave yourself some time to glance over the music before you start.  If your reputation entails this kind of preparedness and timeliness, you will get more calls than the guy that rolls in at five ‘til with 4 horns to put together.  Time is money.  Other people’s time is other people’s money and you would be hard pressed to find a bigger divider on the bandstand.

5.) Jive with the vibe

Meet the band.  These are the people you are creating magic (or at least “Brickhouse”) with.  The better you are able to jive with other members, the better the cohesion of the group and the better the music and experience for everyone.  And if the gig blows, you have some people there in the trenches with you to be in loathe of what you are having to do to make payments on your ’93 Dodge Caravan.  (If you happen to be a bass player of course…..)

6.) Be professional

Finally, and most important!  Are you ready?  Maintain a modicum of rehearsal etiquette throughout the entire process.  There is nothing that makes a rehearsal longer than the guy who is talking all the time, playing while the conductor is talking, questioning the musical choices being made by the guy in charge, and nitpicking and questioning notes, rhythms, articulations, keys, dynamics, and every musical timbre and nuance to a result of looking and feeling smarter than the rest of the room.  Everyone knows these guys and nobody wants to work with them.  If you have questions, wait for the proper time to address them and then try not to put it in such a way that is going to belittle or demean the bossman.  Pay attention to the dynamic of the room.  Bands have collective personalities.  Some good some not so much.  Show respect to your bandmates and to your leader.  Even if you don’t particularly agree with whatever musical choice is being made.  If you still don’t feel like your issue has been fully addressed, wait until a break and then ask.  The less time wasted for everyone, the better the vibe.  The better the vibe, the better the music.  The better the music, the better and more frequent the paycheck.  Dig?

I’m sure that there are many more ideas out there about what makes a rehearsal process run smoothly.  Send me yours!  I’d love to hear them.  However, if you try to pay attention to some or all of the above, you will find yourself perhaps not enjoying rehearsal per se, but at least building your reputation as someone who can cut the gig with minimal hassle.  And your reputation can be and in most cases is more important than how well you play.  Then you can rock your fly-assed Caravan all the way to the bank.