Part 1 The Secret to Effective Band Practice
Even the most famous of bands stick to a rigorous practice schedule in order to fine tune their playing skills and keep their chemistry and communication as a band dynamic and strong. The more connected band members are with each other, the better music they'll make. Optimizing practice time with your band will help you to enhance your sound and improve the quality of your musicianship, note for note? Here's how to encourage musical-and relationship- harmony amongst you and your fellow band members:
Have a Practice Plan. Practice sessions should be more formulaic than just jam sessions with your bandmates. Go through the verses of songs and their choruses separately... this will give you time to practice the memory and timing of a song-- for performance purposes you'll all need to be familiar with playing a song the same way and be comfortable with it before you're confident enough in your togetherness as a band to add in riffs and jam sequences.
Communicate! Whether you have to use a talking stick (where only the person holding the stick is allowed to speak) or raise your hand and wait on the band leader to grant you the permission to speak. Good communication skills are key in making sure your band doesn't fall prey to egos.
Reserve the Right to Take Breaks. If dozens of times practicing playing through the bridge is still leaving the drummer's performance something to be desired, tension and frustration can mount... at times like this, it's best to take a few minutes to grab a drink of water, take a short walk outside, and leave the drummer to practice on his own before you all reunite and trying it again. Sometimes the best thing to do in stressful situations is to remember to breathe, relax, and regroup... stressing out about it will only make the situation worse.