NWB - Community Blog

i like playing/rehearsing/jamming but love playing live ..... its the closest i get to having any ego really ..its a "look what i can do vaguely in tune and vaguely in time".... all i require is a nod of approval from my peers, a round of appleause from an audience and the odd pair of wobbly jubblies flashed in my face...

I do love rehearsing a song as it goes from 'not too shabby' to 'fucking hell thats giggable'...... i dont think at this stage of my life i could rehearse just for the sake of it though ..... a musician only becomes that when the music he plays is being performed for others to critique...

Thats my slant anyhow

appleause???? dunno WTF that means

I just love live music, whether playing or listening / supporting.

I feel very fortunate to have the chance to play in top venues, who on the whole, seem to like what we deliver with the rebookings confirming this. As you know Mick, I came into this very, very late in life and I'm so glad I did.
Always great to get to rehearsals and nail a few songs on the night, I sometimes get a bigger buz from that than some gigs, if I'm honest,

Rick.

We do what we do. And we love it.

Frankie

Good blog mick,
Kingpin has been around for about 7 years now, we still play stuff live we practiced from the outset, these days I really look forward to learning new tunes, getting them to rehearsal standard and then me and the boys taking them to the next level. It takes time , some work some don't, but I really get a buzz the very first time we gig them even if , in the end some of them don't work.

Bit like rick above I came into this relatively late in life so it's all a bonus to me as i'm not a "natural" player and have to work at it. I still remember the day I really got back into it after a 16 year break, trip to the music live exhibition in Birmingham and came back with a very nice palm bay guitar.

Daft thing is the last guitar I had was a original USA 72 tele custom, worth a fortune now- I sold it to buy a washing machine when we first got married, for £109! Ultimate sacrifice eh?

While we on the subject, I tend to Learn my stuff playing through pc speakers in front of the pc via a boss gt6 I have had for ages, and still I am in search of the tone live I get using the "tube stack" patch in that fx unit.

At the end of the day it's a great feeling playing to a busy venue when folk re up dancing and really into what you are doing and I can honestly say never a Crossed word with a great bunch of guys

Not much to add to Rick's and Kingpin's comments except a twinge of jealousy - we (call me diva) get together sporadically (although with Paul's shoulder we're doing nothing at all at the moment) and usually simply to run through the set when we've not gigged for a week or so. It's amazing how often we each end up playing differnt tunes at the same time after more then 5 days off, or maybe not... :-)

Most bands I've been in in the past have had me and at least one other, for want of a better terrm and accepting I'm using it in its broadest context, songwriter who would get together far more often to mess about with ideas which we could then take to rehearsals and bash into yea or nay shape. I must admit I do miss that. - the tinterweb collaborations I do don't even come close!

I thnk that practice is important in any group ,the stones still do it or any other famous band you can think off ,it makes you tight as a band ,a little musical army so to speak ,we"ve been lazy for the last year & learning songs at home .sound checking them & good enough to play them off the cuff .
But now we are back in a practice situation & it brings you right back to dirt level ,right back to the begining ,to where you came from ,to when you 1st wanted to gig for fuck all money just for the thought of playing to an audience ,i"m enjoying it ,its like making friends again with the people that you"ve just stood at the side of for years and played songs every weekend & said "see you next week" ...just something to bear in mind ...i think i may blog this ,just for the younger bands ......andy@the stories.

Yeah, Kingkin Keith, I also have to work at this very hard and next time, any chance of a capital "R" for Rick, pmsl, only Joking keith, lol,

Wick.

Good blog mick
Personally I've been unhappy gigging for a few years now ... not been able to find much enthusiasm for it, but miss it like mad (if that makes sense) Some of this down to the sheer physicality of it, some of it down to song choices, band members etc etc
What I've decided to do for the next year at least, is to forget the notion of being in a band and become a musician. Me and a mate are going to embark on a series of projects, which will culminate in either a recording,a one off gig, or both, or possibly in some cases, nothing!
Project 1 is currently in motion ...... Watch this space (but not for a while yet)

@Willow, ''watch this space'' lol, never a dull moment with ya buddy, waitin with eager anticipation now ffs

Rick no chance at all mate, but seeing as we are grammar checking there are 2 Z'sin "buzz" mate pmsl.

i'm in one of those bands at present who are quite content to learn songs. just for the hell of it. as to kingpins statement. i also came into this relativelly late in life. as this is my first band unlike the guys i play with i'm keen to get out there. but without the regular rehearsal for me personaly. i could not achieve that.

pete,

@8rounds, yeah Pete, I suppose personal circumstances dictate what we all can or can't do

All of it!!

:-)

AYP

Personally, I like to be rehearsed as much as possible before performing a song.
I feel more comfortable that way and experience a liberty that allows my soul to dance.

There have been occasions where someone has shouted out a song that I have partially rehearsed if I end up doing it, it's usually right at the end of the night and I let my audience know that it hasn't been completely rehearsed and therefore they will have to accept the "busker's version.

I sometimes really enjoy rehearsal; other times I hate it. It's good to see progress when you first begin learning a new song to the final outcome but like I say I have a golden rule (must be comfortable otherwise the soul aint dancing !)

There are also times when, if in a group of friends, someone asks me to play and I do, I enjoy it. I have a friend who comes around every now and again and we jam out songs for the pure fun of it and it's great fun.

Steve.

We always try to have one proper practice session a week and use open mic and jam nights to 'road test' new tunes to make sure they're gig ready for the weekend. We've been learning a lot more covers lately because thats where most of our gigs are coming from but we do still take the time to hammer out original stuff as often as we can. We don't really do a run through of a set at practice (we have such a wide variety and each set is tailored for each venue - often as we're playing) but we warm up on a few of the tunes we can play with our hands tied behind our backs (not literally of course ;) ) before jumping into new tunes and tunes that were perhaps problematic at the last gig. This approach seems to do us good. Admitedly there are times that one or all of us can't be arsed with a practice and would rather lounge about in front of the telly but by the time we get going its always a good time. Just playing for the hell of it is great but playing in front of an audience (especially an appreciative one) is something else entirely!

I like playing, gigging and writing. I used to love the whole band thing, rehearsing etc but I must admit that rehearsing has become to feel a bit of a chore, playing the same songs week in, week out, though I have to admit, a lot of that is down to material, if that makes sense. I think it's different if you're playing a song you are truly passionate about, in that case I could play it every session!

I still write songs although I have not played in an originals band for 20 years, no idea why I do it - I don't put it on line; I don't share it in any way and I never try and get a band together to play it live!!!

Applesauce? whats all that about!

:0)

Bands should rehearse and get new tunes in the set, it keeps things fresh, we get together a least twice a month to brush up on our set and bring new numbers in. Helps you keep your eye in.

Different for a tribute band I know BUT

In FV we used to learn the songs..... Then practise them until we felt they were as close as we could get to the original..... Then we would go and listen to the songs again.....Then we would come back to the rehearsal rooms and play them again....Then record the results...... Then listen to the songs again.........Then play them.

To be fair, I am a stickler for accuracy in a tribute band...Anal in the extreme I know ;-)

Best wishes

John

I love everything about our rehearsal time from the run down crappy room to the hum of amps and the smell of the equipment to trying out new stuff, reworking old stuff and tinkering with cheeky snippets to smuggle into the set. I can't imagine not practising, we're not really a jam band, although we do jam stuff out in practice but more to figure out new ways of doing things and when writing original stuff.

Are there bands out there that don't practice?

@steve, good point you make there, you can practice all you like to backing tracks at home or playing along to the songs, we will then maybe rehearse it a few times in one evening and say "right, that's gig ready" but when you get to the gig and actually think about playing it, a small amount of trepidation finds itself into your head. It's not until they are locked into long term memory before you can feel "free" when you play them