Posted in: Musicouching by Bob Craypoe on August 1st, 2009 | 0 Comments
There are many possible reasons behind a band not getting its repertoire together quickly enough, but one of the most common causes is that some members of the band are not learning the songs on their own time.
It’s all a matter of simple math. You need at least 50 songs (conservative estimate again) to play out. If you are only learning one song a week, it will be a year before you will be ready to play out. You know, since there are only 52 weeks in a year. Two songs a week means six months. Four songs a week means three months. So how long do you want it to take?
In order to maximize the effectiveness of the band’s time, everyone should be learning their parts on their own time. The band’s time should be used for the band to rehearse the songs each member has already learned. Otherwise you may find, after a few months of rehearsals, that you don’t have that many songs together.
Learning the material is a responsibility that each band member has. If a member falls short in meeting that responsibility, you have to wonder about his dedication or ability to meet his commitments. Somebody needs to have a little talk with Jimmy Jam.
There are other ways of people learning the songs on the band’s time. Like having the CD ready for Jimmy Jam to listen to and learn it by ear. This would all be done while the other members of the band go out for lunch, make a beer run or something else that would be a complete waste of time.
If you are like Jimmy Jam, you need to think about one thing: Do you really think it’s fair to the rest of the band, for you not to have your parts learned? I think if you give it some thought and if you are a somewhat reasonable person, would answer that question with a no.
The next question you need to ask yourself is: Am I able to meet my commitments to the band? Obviously learning the material is one of those commitments. If you really feel that you are able to meet those obligations then you need to make the necessary corrections. You can start by learning the songs on your own time.
