How often do you folks practice with your band?

[justinhedrick]

i'm thinking it is going to have to go down to every two weeks and record it so we can remember.

you?

[justJon]

We find if we take much more than a week off, we start to lose shit. Remembering parts, locking in w/each other, etc.

If we're working on new material, we really need to do twice a week. Otherwise we spend the entire practice getting back to where we left off.

[Corey Y]

Typically once a week and we record every practice. We skip weeks here and there, due to unavoidable family and work issues. I'd like to practice twice a week.

[bass sic]

Were a once a week band, but we don't usually run thru a set list except the day before a show. And I think it shows in our lack of tightness. As monotonous as it might be tearing thru material over and over is what makes a band run on all cylinders. My opinion only.

[Chovie D]

1 a week.
If you want to be tight and progress i think you need more than that and I am not willing to do more than one a week anymore so  i gues i will never be in a tight band again.

[martha_KH]

every Sunday for bout 4 hours

[Discö Rice]

Unfortunately it's only been once a week for three hours with this band, due to the fact that we haven't found a monthly rate practice space yet. We're hoping to do twice a week for closer to 5 hours once we get a monthly space. The most I've done is with my old band - 4-6 times a week, anywhere from 3-6 hours,  for like 2 years, which I only recommend if you don't mind hating your band mates more than anyone has ever hated anything in history.

[Chovie D]

well we had a bar with beer on tap , bong ,  nice couches tv etc and a full recording studio in our practice space in NYC. It was also located near our favorite bars restaurants and clubs, so rehearsing 3 times a week back then was actually quite fun.

[yesca]

2-3 days out of the week if were lucky! sometimes its just once a week. shit back in the day it was almost everyday of the week.

[James1214]

Always at least 2 days a week. Most of the time 3 days a week.

[justinhedrick]

do you guys have familys? how does that work?

[bloodofkings]

Once a week with three different bands. Two are on the same night in the same space. That's rather convenient too. Haha. Actually with the family it's kind of a pain. But most rehearsals take place past 9pm and I live all of 5 minutes from the one spot. My daughter is usually in bed by 9. So it doesn't bite into my time with her. My wife and I have been together long enough to hate each other. So she's glad to get rid of me for a few hours and watch her DVR'd episodes of Ellen or whatever wimmens watch nowadays. Haha. You learn to balance it.

[Chovie D]

do you guys have familys? how does that work?

no family, understanding wife

[Cursed71]

Twice a week.

[gatorsnot]

When I was a yungin it was 2-3 per week.  Nowadays it's 1 per, occasionally more if possible but work and families generally relegate it to once.

If you've been playing with the same people for a while I don't think it's necessary to practice more than once per week. The thing I've found is that it slows the writing down.

[mortlock]

3 times a week, 2 - 3 hours a night like it was our job.
we played/jammed the whole time too. no real band drama to deal with..we were as tight as a band can be..and it was effortless too. ive never been is such a well rehearsed band since..

now im in an all improv jazz/noise band..we never practice. we only play live and hit the stage with no preconception of what will happen..

[neighbor664]

If you need to practice all together more than once a week you either suck or are smoking way too much pot at practice. I've found the later has been true and that way too much of the time that should be spent creating is squandered on "maintenance" and making up for the fact that members neglect to practice productively on their own.

[mortlock]

If you need to practice all together more than once a week you either suck or are smoking way too much pot at practice. I've found the later has been true and that way too much of the time that should be spent creating is squandered on "maintenance" and making up for the fact that members neglect to practice productively on their own.

totally disagree..theres a level of machine like refinement that comes with playing together alot. once you hit that level with some other musicians..it opens unexpected doors..things become effortless..you become a well oiled machine..

[Metal and Beer]

If you need to practice all together more than once a week you either suck or are smoking way too much pot at practice. I've found the later has been true and that way too much of the time that should be spent creating is squandered on "maintenance" and making up for the fact that members neglect to practice productively on their own.

Band members that didn't meet your criteria wouldn't necessarily not meet others', but generalizations based on personal anecdotes are always awesome. If you're utilizing your time actually getting shit done, then twice as much time can mean twice the progress (unless...well, yeah)

Once a week is sufficient to not lose progress, and that's about what multiple folks' life schedules in 2011 will allow. Twice a week is better if it's not (ahem) squandered doing non-productive things, especially in a run-up to recording, songwriting hot streaks, or an important show.

Your Mileage May Vary

[BrianDamage]

I like to practice as often as everyone's schedules allow because I have a blast jamming.  No less than once a week though. Anything less is uncivilized.

[liquidsmoke]

2-4 times a month and it's not enough although we try to every week. I work second shift so we only can on my days off. We just had practice and just like last week's, I couldn't get through a song without fucking up something on guitar or vocals. I'm going to try to go through the set AT LEAST once per day aside from days we practice and maybe Sundays but I'm going to try to shoot for twice a day for awhile until I STOP fucking up. It's like I hit a certain level and can't get past it and it's not acceptable. I also need to spend a lot more time learning other bands songs, playing scales and playing just about anything else I can think of to get better and expand my vocabulary on guitar, all of that stuff for vocals too. Really I should be spending about 2 hours per day on guitar and vocals, even if I have to sleep an hour less per night. I also know that I feel better and play better when I regularly do cardio and weights but of course that takes more time. I'm not even really seeing any womens right now, you folks in bands with kids and overtime at work and 3 jobs, etc, you are super heroes. Once again I must step everything up and that also means way less surfing the net too.

[Hemisaurus]

i'm thinking it is going to have to go down to every two weeks and record it so we can remember.

you?

always record it. just sayin'

[mortlock]

i'm thinking it is going to have to go down to every two weeks and record it so we can remember.

you?

always record it. just sayin'

its a good habit to get into.. cant tell you how many times a great jam was lost to the universe..

[Ayek]

We practice once a week, unless shit happens. We can only really play for about two hours or we start running higher risks of noise control coming down. It's the trade-off of playing for free in the drummer's garage.

[jibberish]

..we never practice. we only play live and hit the stage with no preconception of what will happen..

lemme condense that statement for you:

"freedom"

yw