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How To Have A Successful First Rehearsal With A New Band by Franz Vitulli
How To Have A Successful First Rehearsal With A New Band by Franz Vitulli… So you have been called by a band in your town, because they needed a bass player, and next week you have your first rehearsal with the guys. Cool, isn’t it?
The thing is that the ‘first rehearsal’ is extremely important to give a good impression of yourself, both musically and personally.
During my career I had, and I’m sure you did as well, dozens of ‘first rehearsals’. Not each single one of them went well, for the most diverse reasons, but a common ground, among all the positive first rehearsals, can be found.
Here is what I learnt over the years.
Before the rehearsal
To make things go smooth, a first rehearsal must be carefully planned out. There’s nothing to worry about, you just have to do your own homeworks.
First of all, google the band, search their videos on Youtube and their songs on Soundcloud, MySpace, etc. Try to get a rough idea of their sound, and what you would ideally need to sound well in their mix.
Request as many details about the band as possible to the person you have spoken to. It’s not enough to know that this is a project with good potential, you need to know if meeting them will be more likely a good thing rather than a waste of time.
The band might ask you to meet for a cup of tea some days before the first rehearsal. If you find the band interesting, go and meet them. They will tell you what their objectives are and how much they are committed, you will talk about your experiences as a musician, and if you are on the same wavelength you’re going to look forward to bring things to the next level.
The guys will presumably choose some songs to rehearse. They will probably send you the songs in mp3 format. Ask them if they have scores, isolated bass tracks, anything you may need. Your goal is to arrive at the studio and be able to perform the songs at your best level no matter what. Most of the time they will ask you to ‘personalise’ the bass line, so don’t waste your time trying to replicate all the nuances of their previous bass player recordings. Play a rough version of the song, don’t forget unisons and other melodies or rhythmic patterns that are somehow indispensable to the music, then add what you feel that must be added. If you are able to transcribe – if you are not, I sincerely suggest you to begin studying how to transcribe – do it.
Usually bands either have their own rehearsal room or go to a pay-per-hour rehearsal studio. Whatever the case is, you need to know what kind of gear is available. You have to bring – at a minimum – bass (with fresh strings!), strap, tuner, cables and spare strings. Pedals and picks if you need them. Don’t forget the scores. If they have their own studio ask if they have a bass amp or if you can plug into their PA (in this case bring your own DI box, preamp or head with a balanced output), otherwise you’re going to need your amp. Pay-per-hour rehearsal studios have bass amps for sure. In any case, ask what amp will be available (brand? combo or head/cab?) and if you are not familiar with it, google it – it doesn’t replace actual experience but it’s better than nothing. If they have a head/cab stack and you have one of those small heads such as Markbass Little Mark, I would consider to bring it with me anyway.
Unless you live at a walking distance from the rehearsal studio, you need to leave your home calculating what it takes to reach the studio plus at least 45 minutes (congestion problems, public transportation delays, etc.). Arriving late at the first rehearsal will be hardly forgiven.
In the rehearsal studio
Once you are in the studio, you have to take the bass off its bag, tune it, plug it into the amp, balance gain and master volume and find a decent eq (you’ll adjust it later). Don’t let others wait for you. Be quick
Point your amp towards your bandmates. Everyone – especially the drummer – should be able to hear your bass comfortably.
You’ll probably start the rehearsal session with a jam, or something like that.
Play in time and don’t stop if you hit a wrong note. There are many ways to rehearse a song, you can stop every time somebody makes a mistake (an approach I don’t prefer) or work first of all on the general groove, then on critical points, and eventually on the final touches (this is what happen most of the time). Let the guys stop the song if something is not working.
Look others’ faces. Nonverbal communication is essential while playing.
Talk with the guys. Don’t be shy. If somebody has something to say after having played a song, give your contribution to the discussion. Don’t ask “how did I play it?” after every song, you don’t want guys to think that you are insecure, do you?
Don’t play random riffs while the guys are talking. They are probably talking about the music you are playing, not to mention it’s quite rude.
Don’t show off your chops. They don’t know you so it’s totally understandable that you want to make a good impression, but usually musicians show a better appreciation towards those who play solidly, confidently and consistently with the genre. Go low-risk, play in your comfort zone.
Bands usually do a 5 minute break in the middle of the session. Don’t be the guy who calls it!
After the rehearsal
It’s time for feedback. Unless you have to go to catch the latest bus of the day, share your first impressions with the guys just outside the studio.
The ‘real’ feedback, in my opinion, comes via email at least the day after the rehearsal.
Don’t be afraid to give your honest opinion: most of the time, both negative and positive impressions are mutual, and if you guys don’t want to play together anymore I’m quite sure that no one will be disappointed after reading that there wasn’t the right chemistry. Most of the time, it was already evident in the studio.
And you? Do you have any tips about ‘first rehearsals’ you may want to share?
Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes…
It is always great to meet a super busy bassist who simply exudes a love for music and his instrument. Erick “Jesus” Coomes fits this description exactly. Hailing from Southern California, “Jesus” co-founded and plays bass for Lettuce and has found his groove playing with numerous other musicians.
Join us as we hear of his musical journey, how he gets his sound, his ongoing projects, and his plans for the future.
Photo, Bob Forte
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Visit Online
www.lettucefunk.com
IG @jesuscsuperstar
FB@jesuscoomes
FB @lettucefunk
Bass Videos
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
“These stories from the front are with real-life, day-to-day musicians who deal with work life and gigging and how they make it work out. Each month, topics may include… the kind of gigs you get, the money, dealing with less-than-ideal rooms, as well as the gear you need to get the job done… and the list goes on from there.” – Steve the Bass Guy and Shawn Cav
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
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Bass CDs
New Album: Jake Leckie, Planter of Seeds
Bassist Jake Leckie and The Guide Trio Unveil New Album Planter of Seeds,
to be released on June 7, 2024
Planter of Seeds is bassist/composer Jake Leckie’s third release as a bandleader and explores what beauty can come tomorrow from the seeds we plant today.
What are we putting in the ground? What are we building? What is the village we want to bring our children up in? At the core of the ensemble is The Guide Trio, his working band with guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Beth Goodfellow, who played on Leckie’s second album, The Guide, a rootsy funky acoustic analog folk-jazz recording released on Ropeadope records in 2022. For Planter of Seeds, the ensemble is augmented by Cathlene Pineda (piano), Randal Fisher (tenor saxophone), and Darius Christian (trombone), who infuse freedom and soul into the already tightly established ensemble.
Eight original compositions were pristinely recorded live off the floor of Studio 3 at East West Studios in Hollywood CA, and mastered by A.T. Michael MacDonald. The cover art is by internationally acclaimed visual artist Wayne White. Whereas his previous work has been compared to Charles Mingus, and Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet with Charlie Haden, Leckie’s new collection sits comfortably between the funky odd time signatures of the Dave Holland Quintet and the modern folk-jazz of the Brian Blade Fellowship Band with a respectful nod towards the late 1950s classic recordings of Ahmad Jamal and Miles Davis.
The title track, “Planter of Seeds,” is dedicated to a close family friend, who was originally from Trinidad, and whenever she visited family or friends at their homes, without anyone knowing, she would plant seeds she kept in her pocket in their gardens, so the next season beautiful flowers would pop up. It was a small altruistic anonymous act of kindness that brought just a little more beauty into the world. The rhythm is a tribute to Ahmad Jamal, who we also lost around the same time, and whose theme song Poinciana is about a tree from the Caribbean.
“Big Sur Jade” was written on a trip Leckie took with his wife to Big Sur, CA, and is a celebration of his family and community. This swinging 5/4 blues opens with an unaccompanied bass solo, and gives an opportunity for each of the musicians to share their improvisational voices. “Clear Skies” is a cathartic up-tempo release of collective creative energies in fiery improvisational freedom. “The Aquatic Uncle” features Randal Fisher’s saxophone and is named after an Italo Calvino short story which contemplates if one can embrace the new ways while being in tune with tradition. In ancient times, before a rudder, the Starboard side of the ship was where it was steered from with a steering oar. In this meditative quartet performance, the bass is like the steering oar of the ensemble: it can control the direction of the music, and when things begin to unravel or become unhinged, a simple pedal note keeps everything grounded.
The two trio tunes on the album are proof that the establishment of his consistent working band The Guide Trio has been a fruitful collaboration. “Santa Teresa”, a bouncy samba-blues in ? time, embodies the winding streets and stairways of the bohemian neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro it is named for. The swampy drum feel on “String Song” pays homage to Levon Helm of The Band, a group where you can’t always tell who wrote the song or who the bandleader is, proving that the sum is greater than the individual parts. Early jazz reflected egalitarianism in collective improvisation, and this group dynamic is an expression of that kind of inclusivity and democracy.
“The Daughters of the Moon” rounds out the album, putting book ends on the naturalist themes. This composition is named after magical surrealist Italo Calvino’s short story about consumerism, in which a mythical modern society that values only buying shiny new things throws away the moon like it is a piece of garbage and the daughters of the moon save it and resurrect it. It’s an eco-feminist take on how women are going to save the world. Pineda’s piano outro is a hauntingly beautiful lunar voyage, blinding us with love. Leckie dedicates this song to his daughter: “My hope is that my daughter becomes a daughter of the moon, helping to make the world a more beautiful and verdant place to live.”
Bass CDs
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
In a thrilling solo debut, bassist Nate Sabat combines instrumental virtuosity with a songwriter’s heart on Bass Fiddler…
The upright bass and the human voice. Two essential musical instruments, one with roots in 15th century Europe, the other as old as humanity itself.
On Bass Fiddler (Adhyâropa Records ÂR00057), the debut album from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and bass virtuoso Nate Sabat, the scope is narrowed down a bit. Drawing from the rich and thriving tradition of American folk music, Sabat delivers expertly crafted original songs and choice covers with the upright bass as his lone tool for accompaniment.
The concept was born a decade ago when Sabat began studying with the legendary old-time fiddler Bruce Molsky at Berklee College of Music. “One of Bruce’s specialties is singing and playing fiddle at the same time. The second I heard it I was hooked,” recalls Sabat. “I thought, how can I do this on the bass?” From there, he was off to the races, arranging original and traditional material with Molsky as his guide. “Fast forward to 2020, and I — like so many other musicians — was thinking of how to best spend my time. I sat down with the goal of writing some new songs and arranging some new covers, and an entire record came out.” When the time came to make the album, it was evident that Molsky would be the ideal producer. Sabat asked him if he’d be interested, and luckily he was. “What an inspiration to work with an artist like Nate,” says Molsky. “Right at the beginning, he came to this project with a strong, personal and unique vision. Plus he had the guts to try for a complete and compelling cycle of music with nothing but a bass and a voice. You’ll hear right away that it’s engaging, sometimes serious, sometimes fun, and beautifully thought out from top to bottom.”
While this record is, at its core, a folk music album, Sabat uses the term broadly. Some tracks lean more rock (‘In the Shade’), some more pop (‘White Marble’, ‘Rabid Thoughts’), some more jazz (‘Fade Away’), but the setting ties them all together. “There’s something inherently folksy about a musician singing songs with their instrument, no matter the influences behind the compositions themselves,” Sabat notes. To be sure, there are plenty of folk songs (‘Louise’ ‘Sometimes’, ‘Eli’) and fiddling (‘Year of the Ox’) to be had here — the folk music fan won’t go hungry. There’s a healthy dose of bluegrass too (‘Orphan Annie’, ‘Lonesome Night’), clean and simple, the way Mr. Bill Monroe intended.
All in all, this album shines a light on an instrument that often goes overlooked in the folk music world, enveloping the listener in its myriad sounds, textures, and colors. “There’s nothing I love more than playing the upright bass,” exclaims Sabat. “My hope is that listeners take the time to sit with this album front to back — I want them to take in the full scope of the work. I have a feeling they’ll hear something they haven’t heard before.”
Available online at natesabat.bandcamp.com/album/walking-away
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Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
New Gear: The Dingwall John Taylor Signature Model
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
New Gear: Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
