The guitar is a popular musical instrument classified as a string instrument with anywhere from 4 to 18 strings, usually having 6. The sound is projected either acoustically or through electrical amplification (for an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar, respectively). It is typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the right hand while fretting (or pressing against the fret) the strings with the left hand.
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Last September, Sheffield’s guitar-toting musical maverick Richard
Hawley released his eighth studio album, Hollow Meadows. The platter’s 11
superb cuts once again served to illustrate his untouchable genius both as a
singer and a songwriter.
As
ever, Hawley’s six-string playing is also absolutely top notch, from the
echo-drenched melodies of album opener I Still Want You through the
garage-psych stylings of Which Way right the way across to the gentle sweet
pickings of What Love Means.
When
we catch up with Richard on the phone to run through his top five tips for
guitarists, he’s enjoying a bit of downtime at home before launching into
another concert trek across the UK. His last British tour, towards the end of
the last year, was an experience he particularly savoured.
I just feel really
connected with the audiences and I don’t feel like a salmon swimming upstream
any more
“Generally,
I’m loving playing live more than I’ve ever done in my life,” he tells us. “I
just feel really relaxed and happy with playing the music. It’s very simple,
and getting to the simplicity of playing is the essence of what I’ve always
tried to do with me and the guys.
“I
just feel really connected with the audiences and I don’t feel like a salmon
swimming upstream any more. There’s some folks out there that actually get it
now! I’m enjoying whatever it is. I don’t really know what it is but whatever
it is, I hope there’s some more of it!”
The
European leg of the tour, however, was foreshadowed by November’s horrific
shootings in Paris. It was a matter of brave faces all round for Richard, his
band and his crew.
“The
flower seller gets his flowers out in the morning, the baker bakes his bread,
the café owners open up the café and they do what they do, and musicians turn
up and entertain people in the evening,” Hawley says.
“It
was really important to be part of that arc to the day and not kind of opt out
of that and run away. It was important to just simply do what you do and be
part of the whole thing.
“There
was a gentle bravery in it all from everyone concerned - the audiences, the
crew, the band, everyone. They all contributed and we just gently and quietly
got on with what we do rather than be defeated by mindless hatred.”
Did
Richard initially consider pulling out of the gigs altogether?
“No,
I personally didn’t,” he quips. “I’d have got onstage with a fucking scuba
outfit and a banjo… although, thankfully that didn’t come to pass!
“But
I did call all the band and all the crew and said, ‘Look, if anyone doesn’t
want to go, I completely understand’ But everybody - all the boys and all the
girls - just said, ‘No fucking way, we’re going!’ I was really proud of them
for that.”
We
gave Hawley a few days' pre-emptive warning on quizzing him about his top five
guitar tips, and it turns out he’s put quite a bit of thought into them.
At some point in your
life, you were just a wide-eyed kid and hopefully you’ll never really lose that
“I
think this kind of thing is really important, especially for younger readers
and players who are really wide-eyed about the whole thing,” enthuses Richard.
“It’s
important not to make it inaccessible. All of us, anyone who plays guitar,
whatever music you make - at some point in your life, you were just a wide-eyed
kid and hopefully you’ll never really lose that.
“I always like to try
and help out enthusiastic kids. There’s so many of them, and I need them and I
try to not be a dickhead or a rockstar… that’s horrible, that! You just realise
that whatever age you’re at, you’re still not that far away from that little
kid who was completely blown away by listening to the tunes, and I still am
amazed by listening to music. I hope these tips can inspire a few people.”
Dave Mustaine is in total control. There are no more compromises,
and he’s taking no prisoners with Megadeth’s latest album of ‘intellectual
speed metal’, ‘Dystopia’. We meet the boss, and new recruit Kiko Loureiro.
Dave
Mustaine is many things but a Yes man isn’t one of them. “Hey, Rick!” he yells
to a crew member who has poked his head in the door.
The Megadeth
frontman, guitarist and commander-in-chief seems in good spirits
“Will
you tell them to get this fucking song off? I’ve told them about this music.
This is not metal; this is Yes.” Rick, and sadly it’s not Rick Wakeman,
disappears, the door shuts and there’s a moment’s pause.
“Sorry,
I don’t get it,” he continues. “They were playing fucking Duran Duran the other
day. It’s like if you’re trying to be funny, you’re not funny. If this is the
kind of music you like, you’re on the wrong tour, buddy.”
Nothing
escapes Mustaine’s attention. The doors are open at SSE Wembley Arena. In a few
hours, Megadeth will be onstage, closing a bill featuring co-headliners Lamb Of
God, with support from Children Of Bodom and Sylosis.
The
Megadeth frontman, guitarist and commander-in-chief seems in good spirits. He’s
perched on a chair, talking at great pace (over 140 words-per-minute) about
Megadeth’s forthcoming album, Dystopia, and of a personnel switch that has seen
the core of Mustaine and bassist Dave ‘Junior’ Ellefson reenergized with a
transfusion of new blood.
Drummer Shawn Drover
departed after a 10-year stint and has been replaced by Lamb Of God’s Chris
Adler, with Kiko Loureiro of Brazilian power-metal quintet Angra taking over
from Chris Broderick on lead guitar.
The 21st century one-man band explains how he became 2016's most talked about new artist
Jack Garratt: "I couldn't accurately represent myself with just my guitar, so I had to come up with a way that I could do the shows and not stress about getting a band together."
There aren't many aspiring musicians in the UK today that wouldn't trade an essential organ to be in Jack Garratt's position.
The singer-songwriter from Buckinghamshire has recently completed a stint as main support on Mumford & Sons' arena mega tour, scooped the Brits Critics' Choice award and secured the BBC's much-vaunted Sound Of 2016 nod.
Armed with a mind-boggling array of gear he dubs "the desk of weirdness", the 21st century one-man band uses loops, beats, keyboards and guitar to construct a forward-thinking trip-hopping take on indie R&B. As you can tell, he's pretty hard to pigeon hole…
Now, ahead of the release of his debut album Phase on 19 February, we ask Garratt to cast his mind back to his youth, before he picked up the guitar, drum sticks and keyboard all at once, and explain how his singular artistic vision came to be.
What was the first record you heard that flicked that switch in your head and made you think about music?
"I remember listening to Songs In The Key Of Life as a kid. Stevie Wonder has an ability to manipulate pop into something globally obtainable. Anyone can listen and enjoy it, because there's something for everyone. That woke me up to the possibilities of pop music.
"I was a huge pop music fan as a kid, but the bands I was into were like 5ive and N-Sync. It was like watching a cartoon. There was so much going on and the production was so well mixed. Stevie Wonder was able to give you those melodies and production, but back it up with such creative integrity and real musicianship and artistry.
"I was a huge pop music fan as a kid, but the bands I was into were like 5ive and N-Sync. It was like watching a cartoon."
"There's a stigma attached to pop music, like it's a taboo word. It used to make my skin crawl when people said it and I'd say, 'I'm not a pop star! I want to be a respected musician!' But I think people have changed the way they think about it. 30 years ago, pop music was great. It was Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson and some of the greatest singers that have ever lived.
"[Take Motown, for instance] they were still manufacturing talent to make money, which is a thing that happens, but the difference is that in the last 20 years the importance of talent came second to the necessity to make money. Then the product is the last thing people think about, but it's the first thing they see. And that's such a weird way to run it."
You play live as a one-man act. Why did you make that decision?
"Well, I had gigs coming up and I couldn't accurately represent myself with just my guitar, so I had to come up with a way that I could do the shows and not stress about getting a band together. I knew I could play more than one thing at once. I knew I'd be able to play bass and drums at the same time, and I thought, 'Now if I can play piano on top of that and have a guitar - perfect. And I'll just sing over everything!' That was literally the process in my head, but then when I started to do the shows, I came to realise that apparently that's not normal!"
What gear do you use to make that happen then?"First I have a keyboard, a laptop and a pad controller - an Akai LPD8, because I saw Ryan Lott from Son Lux use one. Then I picked up Ableton because someone suggested that was what I was looking for. I only really use it as a loop section and I have it on my keyboard and my LPD8."The LPD8 has all my effects sounds and controls what I want to manipulate from the keyboard and then the pads are just loop triggers - my starts, my stops and my samples."Then my keyboard is split up into three different sections. I've got one octave at the bottom which is a big vibrating, disgusting, sick sawtooth synth sound, then a sub-bass sound for a couple of octaves above that and then the rest of the keyboard is piano. All of the samples and sounds I'm using are from Ableton. I haven't had the time to re-do anything, so I'm still essentially using the same rig that I first put together, but it sounds great. So that's everything on my left hand!"
And on the right hand?
"On my right had I've got my Roland SPD-SX [percussion sampling pad], of which I've gone through about six, because apparently I don't play them correctly and then they break a lot. It's an incredible bit of kit and really necessary for what I do.
"All of my audio for that is stored in the machine, not on Ableton. I feel like an old man when I'm uploading that. I'm building a new set at the moment for the album and I'm on page 50, so that's how many different drum samples I've got in there. All my foot pedals, all my hi-hats in their variations, all my snares and then preset loops from my productions that I trigger manually. Everything is done by my hands and nothing is done by click, so I have to be in time or nothing is in time."
What about your guitar setup?
"My guitar setup is inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan. I learnt all of my licks and how to feel when playing the guitar through him, so I've just switched to this American Strat that Fender very, very kindly put together and made for me. Then that's going through an Ibanez Tubescreamer and then I've got my Boss Super Octave OC-3, which I use for a couple of songs when I can't put my hand on the sub on the keyboard and the guitar at the same time.
"Everything is done by my hands and nothing is done by click, so I have to be in time or nothing is in time."
"Then I added the Moog MiniFooger Drive pedal, which never sounds the same twice and is absolutely crazy. That all runs through an Electro-Harmonix Hum Debugger, but I've come to notice recently that it delays the signal by like a millisecond and creates this really weird slap-back effect. It's the first thing in my guitar rig and I've just really come to love it, this happy little accident. And then that all runs through an Orange 50-watt Rockerverb."
Do you approach the writing process through that rig, or do you make everything on the laptop and then take it to the rig and think, 'How the hell am I going to do this?'
"I find the best approach is the latter! I always record, finish, mix and master first. Then I take all the samples and stems that I need and chop them up and stick them onto the pads. The pads have become the brain and if that's not right, nothing else will be. The piano and the sub are always the same, so what makes each song different is what I do with the drum pads."
It's a lot to think about live. Do you ever find the concentration element stunts the emotional element?
"It can be overwhelming. I create the issues in my head and get overwhelmed by the situation, because I'm doing a lot and it's a lot of work. But people are entertained by it and that's part of my job as an artist. I think the best thing to do when I walk on stage is blackout. I let my mind talk to my body and if I get in the way of that conversation shit starts to go wrong!"
Do you miss having someone to walk off stage with and high five after those big shows?
"I'm honestly never more depressed than in those moments! All you want to do is go, 'Oh my God that show was great! Do you remember that one bit?' etc. Instead I walk into my dressing room and there's literally no one there. But my family is my crew and there's a real feeling that we're all in it together. If I'm up behind my desk of weirdness and something goes wrong… Like, I have two drum sticks and I need instant access to them, so they just sit on my keyboard, but there have been times when they've fallen on the floor and if my stage tech didn't notice, then I'd be totally screwed for the remainder of the song, but that's just never happened. They're always on point.
"My guitar setup is inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan. I learnt all of my licks and how to feel when playing the guitar through him."
"My monitor engineer is an absolute genius, he built me this 'shout' system, so I have a pedal that I can click and it turns off the signal to front of house and goes straight to him. I can be halfway through a song, doing 27 things at once, and just push a button and scream 'drum stick!' before I go into the next part. On other occasions, because I don't want it to be obvious, I've had to put that button on and burp loudly into the microphone. It's a very useful bit of kit!"
Finally, you've had the Mumford tour, the Brits Critics' Choice nod and the BBC Sound Of 2016. The world is your oyster. What are you planning to do with that platform? Are you going to go full Bono?
"Haha! Well, I've already bought the sunglasses! These accolades when they come, it's just a very, very strange thing. I love the feeling that I've been validated by a group of my peers or people 'in the know', so to come out as someone those people think is worth keeping an eye on is an incredible compliment. But if I see it as anything more than a compliment, I'm going against the thing that I believe in. Music isn't a competition. I just hope that I can take this opportunity and make the most of it, not just for myself, but also for the people that have supported me."
Jack Garratt's debut album Phase is released on 19 February.
Guitar Essentials: Four Ways Lead Guitarists Can Support the Song—When They're Not Soloing
Every lead guitar player knows what to do when it’s time to solo: you crank up your ax and let ’er rip.
But what do you do when it’s not your turn in the spotlight? Sit on your hands? Solo behind the lead vocalist?
It seems a lot of players have no idea what’s the best approach and end up either doing too little or too much, and all to the detriment of the song.
Jim Lill offers four great tips for lead guitarists in his new video, “How to Play Lead Guitar (During the OTHER Parts of the Song).”
“What do you do for the three minutes of the three-minute-30-second song that you aren’t playing a solo?” he asks at the start of the video. Jim then goes on to tell and demonstrate four things you can do as a lead guitarist to make the song sound better.
We don’t want to give away any of the goods, so click the video below and start watching.
When you’re done, remember to check out Jim’s YouTube channel for more of his great videos, many of which we’ve featured here on GuitarPlayer.com. Be sure to give his videos a “like” and leave a nice comment on behalf of all his excellent work.
Match the Master Competition: John Petrucci Plays Dream Theater's "The Gift of Music"
Ernie Ball Music Man presents Match the Master with John Petrucci! It's your chance to win a private master class with John Petrucci, a VIP Dream Theater experience, gear from Ernie Ball Music Man, Mesa Boogie, Fractal Audio Systems, Sterling by Music Man, TC Electronic, Dunlop, DiMarzio and Ernie Ball.
In this video, Petrucci is playing "The Gift of Music," a track from Dream Theater's new album, The Astonishing.
To enter the Match the Master competition, upload a video of yourself attempting to match Petrucci's playing on one of the 10 provided clips (This is just the first one, gang). Petrucci will pick eight weekly winners, AND one winner will go home with the grand prize, which is valued at more than $10,000!
Here's more info about the competition:
Unsigned guitarists can visit music-man.com/matchthemaster to study exclusive videos of John Petrucci performing 10 signature riffs from the new Dream Theater album, The Astonishing. Contestants can then upload a video submission of their best solo impression.
Each week over a two-month period, one winner will be chosen to receive a weekly prize pack. At the end of the contest, one grand-prize winner will be selected to win the ultimate John Petrucci experience.
Weekly Winners will receive: • Sterling By Music Man: JP60 JP SBMM Guitar (Approximate Retail Value [ARV]: $649) • Dunlop: JP95 JP Signature Cry Baby Pedal, 427PJP Players Pack of JP Jazz III Guitar Picks (ARV: $205.62) • DiMarzio: Two (2) John Petrucci Signature Pickups, One (1) John Petrucci Signature Strap (ARV: $195) • TC Electronic: Dreamscape Pedal JP Signature Dreamscape Guitar Effects Pedal (ARV: $152.10) • Fractal: T-Shirt. Winner picks the size (ARV: $19.95) • Mesa/Boogie: Grid Slammer Pedal Grid Slammer Overdrive Pedal (ARV: $179) • Ernie Ball Gift Pack (ARV: $123.25)
Total ARV of each Weekly Prize is $1,524.
Grand Prize Winner will receive: • A trip for two (2) to see Dream Theater live (includes flight, hotel, and ground transportation to see Dream Theater in concert) (ARV: $2,500) • A Private Master Class with John Petrucci • Ernie Ball Music Man: John Petrucci Majesty Guitar (ARV: $2,650) • Fractal: AX8 Guitar Effects Pedal System (ARV: $1,399) • Mesa/Boogie: Mark V guitar head + 4 x 12" cabinet (ARV: $3,249) • Ernie Ball: One (1) Year supply of Ernie Ball strings (24 sets) (ARV: $250) • TC Electronic: Signed Triple Delay Pedal (signed by Dream Theater) (ARV: $299) • DiMarzio: Two (2) custom John Petrucci pickup covers (ARV: $398)
Total ARV of the Grand Prize is $10,745.
“As a guitar player, you never stop learning, never stop honing your skills,” Petrucci says. “Even now, I’m still pushing myself to improve, and feel passionate about encouraging others to do the same.
“This program celebrates the hard work musicians put in to following their passion. I’m grateful that as part of the Ernie Ball family, I’m able to connect with my fans in such a meaningful way and hopefully inspire guitar players to up their game!”
“Over the course of the past 15 years the Ball family and John Petrucci have celebrated a partnership that has resulted in some of the best-selling, most forward-thinking guitar designs in the world, as part of the Ernie Ball Music Man JP signature line,” says Ernie Ball CEO Sterling Ball. “His success as a guitarist, songwriter and instrument designer are the truest testament to his stature as one of the most influential guitar players of our time. It’s incredible that John prioritizes programs such as Match the Master that are designed to inspire and encourage young players to push the boundaries of guitar playing. We need guitar heroes. I’m honored John calls Ernie Ball home and am committed to developing opportunities for guitar players across world.”
Get started on your Match the Master entry today. Visit music-man.com/matchthemaster now for your chance to win. The Astonishing is available here.
Forgotten Guitar: Joe Satriani and Mick Jagger Play “Little Red Rooster” at a Bar in 1988 — Video
In the late Eighties, relations between the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Keith Richards weren’t exactly the best they'd ever been.
Jagger had refused to tour in support of the band’s 1986 album, Dirty Work.Instead, he recorded his second solo album, put together a new band (which included a Surfing with the Alien-era Joe Satriani) and took it on the road for a brief solo tour.
The touring schedule featured some huge arena dates in Asia and Australia. However, one night in October 1988, Jagger and his top-flight backing band paid a visit to the 700-capacity Corner Hotel in Melbourne for a now-legendary secret gig.
Playing under the name the Brothers of Sodom, Jagger and Satriani were joined on stage by bassist Doug Wimbish, guitarist Jimmy Rip and drummer Simon Phillips.
The clip below, which is from that night’s performance, features an impressive rendition of Willie Dixon's “Little Red Rooster."
Keep an ear out for Satch’s tasty phrasing throughout, and note that he's using a Fender Strat instead of his normally favored Ibanez. Usually reserved for Satch's studio takes, the vintage Strat seems perfectly suited to a set full of Rolling Stones classics.
Jonathan Graham is an ACM UK graduate based in London studying under the likes of Guthrie Govan and Pete Friesen. He is the creator of ForgottenGuitar.com, a classic-guitar media website, and is completing his debut album, Protagonist, due for release in 2016. Updates also can be found at Graham's YouTube channel.
Forgotten Guitar: An Inside Look at the Fender Factory in 1959
Have a look at the video clip below for some fantastic rare footage of the Fender guitar factory in the late 1950s.
The clip was shot inside Fender’s original Fullerton, California, home in 1959, according to the uploader, a film-restoration company called CinePost. It’s a unique look into the early days of the iconic American guitar maker, and it even features shots of Leo Fender, Freddie Taveres and Abigail Yabarra (who still wound pickups for the Fender Custom Shop until 2013;
Although Fender had around 100 employees at this point, and their guitars were in the hands of many of world’s most famous players, it was still a relatively small company when compared to the massive corporation it is today. The 8mm film also highlights the majority of work being carried out by hand and, at times, with some questionable health and safety measures.
Some say, “They don’t make them like this anymore.” In Fender’s defence, they probably wouldn’t even be allowed too.
Jonathan Graham is an ACM UK graduate based in London studying under the likes of Guthrie Govan and Pete Friesen. He is the creator of ForgottenGuitar.com, a classic-guitar media website, and is completing his debut album, Protagonist, due for release in 2016. Updates also can be found at Graham's YouTube channel.
-Collected.
Friday 5 February 2016
The genesis of the original PRS McCarty Model was a combination of input and acquired experience. We investigate…
The original McCarty Model’s advance product information document, dated 21 January 1994, paid tribute to Theodore ‘Ted’ McCarty and his landmark contributions to designs - such as Gibson’s Les Paul, the Jr, the Special, the ES-335, the SG, the Flying V, Explorer, the Firebird, the stopbar and tune-o-matic tailpiece and the humbucking PAF.
The McCarty is literally the guitar I special ordered when I was working with John Mellencamp - David Grissom
The document stated that one aim of the new guitar was “to pay tribute to
Ted McCarty with a guitar bearing his name” and how its different specification to, for example, the 24-fret Custom gave “the McCarty Model the sound and feel that exemplifies the magic conjured during his [Ted’s] tenure at Gibson”, from 1948 to 1966. Yet the release made no mention of guitarist David Grissom.
“The McCarty is literally the guitar I special ordered when I was working with John Mellencamp,” says David.
“I wanted more bottom end; I wanted more PAF tone. Really, I was going for Duane Allman’s sound on Live At The Fillmore, so I asked them to add an 1/8th of an inch more mahogany on the back of the body, to change the ratio of mahogany to maple, and to work on some different pickups and put covers on them and put Kluson-style tuners on. Beyond that, there wasn’t a whole lot that changed.
At the start of a very big year for Guns N' Roses, and as his other band Dead Daisies continues to prosper, we caught up with Richard Fortus to talk early Electras, Axl Rose's laid-back approach to timekeeping, dream mentors and more.
Got my first real six string...
"My first guitar was an Electra. It was $300. My father was one of the owners of the company so I worked all summer in his warehouse to be able to buy this guitar. It was a one-of-a-kind prototype. My cousin has that guitar now, so I know where it is. My second guitar was an Electra as well but that one was stolen from me, someone took it from my apartment in New York."
"I'm sure we were really late going on, but when everyone else is freaking out Axl just lays back"
Dream on...
"I've always wanted a '58 Burst, but I haven't managed to get one yet. I'm a big collector. I always keep my collection at around 100 guitars. I have a ton of amps too, all vintage. I have a studio at my house and I do most of my sessions there so I get to use my amps. I have my favourites that see steady action and then there's the speciality items. I wish I used more than I do but I get lazy and they are expensive to maintain."
White riot, I wanna riot...
"When Guns played at Download [in 2006] and people were throwing bottles at the stage, I remember Axl told me something Lemmy said to him when Guns was starting out. He said that you have a responsibility to every band that will walk on the stage after you, if somebody throws something, stop the show and issue a warning. Otherwise they will keep doing it. Axl does that, he says, 'I wanna have a good time, you might miss me and hit one of these fine gentlemen.' He always issues a warning, if someone throws something else we leave the stage. That can cause a lot of trouble, like in Dublin when we left the stage and there was a riot. Luckily we don't go on late any more."
Just a castaway, an island lost at sea...
"If I were stranded on a desert island I would take a guitar that has been with me for the last 25 years, it's a Les Paul Signature, which they made for two years, mine is a '73, a Goldtop. It looks like a combination of a 335 and a Les Paul. I've got two, but one of those would be my pick. When I was doing a lot of session work that was the guitar I'd bring. Tonally, it covers so much ground. Amp-wise, this changes, but I have a Kelly amp. Kelly was the chief designer at Selmer, who designed the Zodiac, and he left to start his own company. That amp is so musical. It's between that and a '73 Jose-modded Marshall that I bought from Mick Mars."
Live and dangerous...
"That Download gig with GN'R was one of my worst. That was a rough night and it wasn't Axl – it was our bass player Tommy. We were playing with Robin Finck at that time. That band lives on the edge of chaos and it was mayhem, it was insane. Tommy was angry because people were throwing stuff on stage. I'm sure we were probably really late on, but when everyone else is freaking out Axl just lays back. I remember Robin trying to pull over his guitar trunk and he broke five Les Pauls that night. It was one of those nights where things could get really bad. On stage it was like, 'Oh my god, are we going to get through this?'"
I want you to show me the way...
"I'd love to take a lesson with Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton or Jimi Hendrix. Those guys are just phenomenal players. I still listen to them and think, 'What the hell were they thinking? How did they approach it like that?' Jeff Beck is another one. I saw him two weeks ago, every time I see him he gets better and better. He's still breaking new ground. If I'm a guitar player I don't know what the hell he is. He's one of my all-time favourite musicians."
The Dead Daisies' album, Revolución, is available now.
The other day, I was reading a garden variety "how to make it in music" book that I picked up in a thrift store. Most of the advice featured was solid, if not revelatory, until I got to the section on band practice.
For bands serious about making it, the book recommended scheduling eight-hour practice sessions. Anything less, it stated, was insufficient time for writing and rehearsing.
You can sort of understand the logic. Eight hours is the length of a standard working day. If you're considering professional musician as a full-time career, then it makes sense to put full-time hours into it, right?
Wrong. I've been in bands where eight-hour practice sessions were the norm. And, in my experience at least, they were some of the least productive times I've spent writing and rehearsing music. Meandering and unfocused, we'd come out of the rehearsal room having accomplished little more than when we went in. Even worse, we'd be exhausted by the end of it, barely motivated to make it to the next marathon session.
These days, I'm a firm believer that rehearsals shouldn't be the length of a "Lord of the Rings" marathon. Actually, I've found that you can achieve more in a well planned three-hour session than you can in an unstructured eight-hour slog.
To get the most out of your shorter session, though, there are a few simple rules that you need to follow.
Record Ideas Before Rehearsals, Send Them to Your Bandmates
It's a familiar scenario. You show up to band practice with a killer new idea, only to spend the next two hours teaching the riffs and structure to the rest of your bandmates. By the end of the session, you're knackered and haven't made nearly as much progress as you'd have liked.
Time spent teaching riffs to your bandmates is time wasted. And, in the age of easy digital filesharing, there's no need for it. Buy yourselves digital recorders (if you're on a budget, you can use your cell phone or webcam) and document your ideas. Then, set up a cloud based shared folder and upload said ideas for the rest of your band to hear.
That way, everyone shows up to practice already au fait with everyone else's material. You don't have to faff around teaching parts and can get straight to the nitty gritty of turning that idea into a song.
Decide What You're Working on Before You Show Up
You've arrived at the rehearsal room. You're gear's set up, you're in tune and you're warmed up and ready to go... so now what?
Cue an hour of aimless jamming, run-throughs of half remembered cover songs or idle chatting before somebody finally suggests a vague plan of action. You've already used up a big chunk of rehearsal time and you've got nothing to show for it.
If you want to make the most of your band practice, you need to decide what you're working on before you get there. This means doing something that rock musicians are intrinsically afraid of: scheduling.
How you schedule your time will depend on what your larger objectives are. If you've got a gig coming up, you'll probably want to devote a good chunk of your session to running through your set. If you've got riffs piling up in your shared folder (see point one), you'll want to set aside some time to work on those ideas.
By deciding what you're working on before you turn up, you can get straight down to business and minimize idle time in the rehearsal room.
Record Your Rehearsal
There's nothing worse than spending a three hour session working on a killer new track, then coming back into the room a week later to find that you've forgotten it.
Back in the day, this was an inescapable part of the rehearsal process. Fortunately, we live in an age where recording sound is easy and sharing said sounds amongst a group of people is even easier.
Invest in a good quality digital recorder(again, use your phone if you're on a budget, though you'll get a lot of clipping if you're playing with a drummer) and capture your rehearsals.Designate a band member to upload those recordings to your shared folder and make sure that everyone listens to them before the next session. That way, you forego the process of re-learning that often takes up valuable rehearsal time.
Work on Ideas Outside of Band Practice
There's no fun in standing around idly while a guitarist tries to come up with a solo or a singer is struggling with lyric ideas. Some people see this as a necessary part of the writing process. Actually, it's a waste of your time.
It's true that most aspects of song writing require a full band presence. But there are a number of things thatcan be worked on outside of the rehearsal studio and don't require all of you being there.
I'm guessing that vocal harmonies, lyrics and guitar solos aren't usually a joint effort in your band. At most, there will be one or two people who handle those aspects of song writing. So let the people responsible for those parts work on them away from the rehearsal and spend the time you have together sorting out the things that require everybody's presence.
That way, no-one has to stand around like a lemon and your song writing is more efficient.
Schedule Breaks Into Your Session
You know what's a sure fire creativity killer? Burnout.
Sometimes, bands think that making the most of their rehearsal session means several hours of non-stop, balls-to-the-wall playing. Those bands often walk out of rehearsals looking like they've gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson with little to show for their efforts.
Writing and rehearsing can be an intensive process that requires all of your concentration.By making sure you have a break in your schedule, you keep yourself fresh and keep the ideas flowing.
It might seem counterintuitive, especially if you're paying for your rehearsal space by the hour. But a well-timed 15-minute breather can save you hours of time wasted due to flagging energy levels.
