Musings About Musicians

Do musicians rehearse much?

This is a question I have pondered for some time.  I am a big proponent of rehearsing and fixing whatever musical kinks need to be smoothed out before a gig.

I am not convinced that other players– the ones who don’t sing — are as jazzed as I am about this.

I have had many experiences with bands over the years, and I can draw some conclusions based on what has happened to me.

I know I’d be wrong to make a sweeping judgement about musicians and their interest or non-interest around getting together to practice, so I’ll not go there.  I’ll just say it doesn’t appear to be a priority with lots of them.

Rehearsing means shifting your life around a bit.  It often requires going out of your way to get to someone’s home or studio to get in sync.  I don’t mind that extra effort because the payoff is huge.  An audience gets to see and hear a tight group of musicians and vocalists put on a show of excellence– everyone bringing his or her "A" game to the stage.  It’s magic!

I’m beginning to get the feeling that some guys like to treat practice and performance as one and the same.  Showtime is actually a showcase of talented musicians jamming on stage.  Many times, the band members have played together for years– so a simple head nod, or quick eye contact can communicate volumes.  With body language, they can nail down who goes next with the solo, and when it is time to wrap a song up.  That’s fine.  That works for lots of groups, but not for me.

Back in September, I accepted an invitation to sing at a benefit concert for a local non profit agency in the Triangle.  It’s scheduled for November 20th.  Folks, that is 2 weeks from now!!!  I’ve not rehearsed one time– NOT ONE TIME– with the band that’s also headlining the entertainment for the evening.

I offered several suggestions on how we could make a rehearsal happen, but they’ve fallen on deaf ears, I’m afraid.

In a similar situation, I completely gave up on the "making beautiful music together" idea.   It was me and my backing tracks all the way, all night long.

I’ll give this thing a few more days, but after that– well let me put it this way:  A girl’s gotta do, what a girl’s gotta do!

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