Steel Notes Magazine
December 2016
Bandleader It’s More
Work Than I Thought
– A Place to Practice
by Daniel Diefenderfer -- Bandleader for Dutch’s
Basement Blues Band
What I really mean is a place to rehearse. Technically
practice is what each band member should be doing on
their own to learn their part in the ensemble. That can
be done anywhere from sitting on the porch to sitting
on the…you get the idea. Rehearsal is when the band
gets together to learn how to play their parts together as an ensemble. This is when the show is created,
developed, and learned. Each player comes away from
a rehearsal with what they should practice individually.
Notice I did not say polished or tightened that actually
evolves from playing out.
Ok enough semantics what you need is a space that the
whole band can play in on a regular basis. This can easily
be the hardest piece of the puzzle and one of the most important. If one member of the band has a home studio that
may be the practice space you need. A space in someone’s
home is certainly the best solution even if it isn’t a studio
because it is free and at least one person doesn’t have to
haul gear. Since you are the bandleader you should seriously consider it being your house if you have one. Clean
out all that stuff you’ve been storing in the basement or
garage forever and you will find that you have more space
than a lot of venues offer your band to perform in.
Other options include renting a space; many studios
will rent you practice space or just find a space for rent.
This is the least desirable option because of the overhead
involved. Your band hasn’t even begun earning money yet
and may not for a while. Try to avoid this expense there
will be plenty of others you will need to deal with without
worrying about meeting the rent. You can beg a space by
finding someone who has space but doesn’t use it during
certain times or doesn’t mind a band coming in and
making loud music in the space they use for something
else like storage or a compatible business. Try to find a
warehouse, garage, green house etc. owner who is a music
lover. Social engineer a bar owner, coffee shop manager,
theater operator or the like into letting you rehearse in
their place or back room during slow times. Use your
imagination and social skills and you should be able to
acquire a space to rehearse your act.
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It
still needs to satisfy certain criteria: Is it conveniently located for the other members
of the band to get there? If you make people travel too far,
fight traffic, jump through hoops to park, or enter perilous
areas they are not going to be eager to show up regularly.
Is it available on a regular basis? Weekly at best, practicing
once a week is optimal. That means the band members must
make themselves available too. Long term availability must
also be considered. You don’t want to have the rug pulled out
from under you just as things get going.
Does it accommodate your sound level? I’m trying to avoid
the word noise but a band practicing with drums and instruments at performance levels makes a lot of it. And retakes and
mistakes get irritating to non-band people. That includes significant others, neighbors, pets, and any humans in earshot.
Can you store stuff there? Keeping the PA, Drums, and Amps
etc. set up or at least stored on the premises saves valuable
setup time for rehearsing. Convenience also makes it more
likely the band members will reliably show up. Don’t forget to
arrange something to record your sessions, this is essential to
recall past rehearsal points and to let you hear what your band
really sounds like.
Amenities: least important but the more comfortable a place
is the better. Room temperature, Bio breaks, refreshments,
pleasant surroundings. The coolness factor has its benefits.
More work than you thought huh? A lot goes into having a
place to rehearse but it is one of the most important things
that will enable you to put a band together, develop a professional show, and keep the band together and performing over
time. Next time: Gear