I have been a rehearsal studio owner now for 15 years. I have seen countless bands and artists come through the doors here at Loaded Bomb Studios. I have rehearsed myself and been in bands for 2/3rds of my life. 

It is not easy to be in a band and it never has but here are a few tips I can pass along from my 30+ years of rehearsing and 15 years of seeing things from the other side. These are not in any particular order by the way.

1. Arrive to rehearsal on time

Your band members are taking time out of their schedules just like you so care enough about each other to arrive on time. This especially goes if you are using a rehearsal studio. You are paying for the time you book and don't need to be throwing money away because you are starting rehearsal 20 minutes late and it sure is not fair to the band booked after you because you have not vacated the room on time and our now invading on their time and in most of these instances, that band behind you is all present and on time. You also put us (the studio) in the spot of having to go into the room and let you know that you're taking up time from the band after you and we prefer not to have to hound you on this.

2. Be prepared

I have seen this one over the years too many times...be prepared and “practice” on your own because when you are with the band it is time to “rehearse”. If the band has to keep stopping so the bass player can show the guitar player how a part goes, you are not being very efficient with your time. Practicing on your own is extremely important to accomplishing your goals as a band and of course becoming the best player you can be. Practice beforehand so you can have the best rehearsal when it comes time to rehearse as a unit.

3. Goals 

Set Goals as a band. It can be as simple as deciding how many rehearsals you will be having a month and what those rehearsals will entail: IE: (Tour planning or how many shows you would like to play the next 6 months. When to enter the recording studio or whether to record an EP or Full Length. Social Media posts). All of these things are goals you should be setting for yourselves. Nothing is going to fall in your lap.

4. Control your levels

Whether you are in the garage or a rehearsal studio, keeping your sound at a reasonable level will allow everyone to hear each other better. Creativity will flow easier, and your ears will thank you. We all know that one guy who you have to scream at to get through to him. You don’t want to be him. Louder doesn’t mean better. Super loud levels can fatigue you really fast. You want your energy up for the full rehearsal.

5. Leave your friends at home

Friends and girlfriends/boyfriends don’t belong at band rehearsals. You don’t need any outside distractions keeping you from being productive. If you keep inviting friends to rehearsals for free you will find they tend to not show up and support (pay) at your shows (funny how that works). There are a ton of other reasons why they shouldn’t be there, from causing friction between members, being disruptive, wanting to party…which brings us to the next one.

6. Rehearsal is not a party

You can hang out with each other or friends anywhere. Don’t waste your time and money goofing off and not getting anything done. I have seen a lot of bands who are talented and great players but spend 75% of their rehearsal wasting it by goofing off and over socializing. There is a time and place for that, and your rehearsal time is not it.

7. Take a break 

Everyone needs a break. Playing at loud levels for long periods of time is not good for the body and causes fatigue faster than you may think. Simply take a 15-minute break every 45 minutes. This is the time to grab a snack/drink, run to the bathroom, have a smoke break, grab some air and this should be the only time you check your phone. If you have your phone every second you stop playing, you may have a problem.

8. R-E-S-P-E-C-T 

Be respectful to your band mates. Don’t play a loud ass drum solo while the vocalists are trying to work on a harmony together. Don’t stand there with your guitar feeding back while members are discussing a part. Also be respectful to your fellow musicians at the studio and don’t put your gear blocking entryways/hallways and by vacating the room on time.

9. Practice makes perfect 

Don’t just run through a song once leaving mistakes or errors. Go back and fix the mistakes and make sure you are "all" playing the song correctly. I have had bands in the recording studio when they’re recording just then realizing someone has been playing a song incorrectly the whole time. Listen to each other, make sure everyone is on point and as tight as they can be. Play the song 10 times if you have to. That’s what rehearsal is for.

10. Rehearse for the stage 

It’s fine to face each other while practicing but it is a good idea to periodically face forward as if you are facing the audience and run through your set without eye contact as you would at a show. See how you handle mistakes as if it were a show. If you are a band that likes to move in unison, choreograph your moves, practice talking to the audience, ETC. Address all these ahead of time. Don’t wait till you hit the stage and have zero stage presence and draw awkward silence because no one is actually addressing the audience, and you are all facing each other.

11. Try to be flexible (this one goes to eleven).

This one irks me like crazy. Try to be a little flexible. I take at least 4-5 calls a month where someone may want a 7-9pm spot and all I have is an 8-10pm spot and they won’t take it because they only practice 7-9pm so they rather not practice. I have overheard bands that will not play before 10pm or after midnight but complain that no one books them and haven’t played a show in over 2 years. We do this because we love it (well most of us) and we make sacrifices to do what we love.

Honorable mention
You all have phones so use them in a useful way and record your rehearsal so you can watch and listen to yourselves (not during rehearsal but later…have you learned nothing yet?) so you can see what needs improving. It is not always easy to listen to everyone else when you’re rehearsing so being able to review your rehearsal later is a big plus. The memo recorder on your phone is also the perfect way to capture ideas so you don’t forget them.

An ideal 3-hour rehearsal would look something like this:

• Perform your current full set (45-60 minutes)
• Take a 15-minute break (get some air, have a snack, smoke break, check your phone, ETC)
• Spend the next 30 minutes revisiting songs that may need another go or tightening
• Spend the next 30 minutes working on new material/ideas
• Take a 15-minute break (get some air, have a snack, smoke break, check your phone, ETC)
• Spend the final 30 minutes winding down and going over what you want to accomplish for the week/month/ETC (shows/bookings, social media, promo, ETC)

There you have it people. These are my tips that a lot of you can benefit from. I see a fair amount of bands that come through here that have great work ethic but unfortunately, I see way too many who don’t. Try to implement these into your rehearsals and grow as a band.

See you on the stage!
-Larry