Bands Shouldn’t Practice. They Should Rehearse.
When you are a touring musician, going to practice and rehearsing seem like the same thing but its not. How do you know that you are getting the most out of your time to fine tune your skills as a musician in a band?
When you are on the road, there are many things you have to do to create a good live music experience for your fans. While the amateur musician thinks that gathering their band mates to go over the songs in the setlist is all that it takes, they are mistaken. As a musician, you have to make sure that your personal craft is constantly being honed. In addition, you have to make sure that the skills you learn on your own enhance your band's overall sound and performance. In this article, Simon Tam explains how there is a big difference between "practicing" and "rehearsing"
When you practice, it is a solo effort to make sure that you are always staying sharp on your skills. While it may be tempting to work out personal kinks during your time with the band, you can lose precious time on things that can be achieved alone. Rehearsal, on the other hand, is dedicated and focused time designed to do all of the things needed to make the next show go smoothly. Making sure the music is perfect is only one aspect to this process, and most bands do not often account for all of the other small details that go into their show during rehearsal. Learn how to maximize your efficiency for your next band rehearsal by checking out Simon Tam's article on MusicThinkTank.com.
"A few years ago, I met with a marketing executive who used to work with bands who’d perform for audiences of 10,000+. They should set those bands up in a room with footage of a fake audience, then teach them how to talk to an audience. While you don’t need to plan out every word that is said on stage, it’s definitely helpful to rehearse those moments as well."
