First jam through - warts 'n' all

Andy

Honorary Member
Instead of a usual rehearsed performance video - thought I'd share this from last night's rehearsal. We had a track jam evening. Essentially, someone makes a suggestion, we listen through the original recording once, then jam it out to see if the vibe fits the band. No preparation, just jump straight in.

Although we all kind of "know" this track, non of us have played it before, so all the usual wrong chords, timing slips, & general cockups are on display. Andy laid bare, & why not :)

Yes, I know, I need to look up the signature bits & get those right. That's our homework for the next rehearsal (+ another new song).

 
yeah...sounds pretty good!!! I think the feel will develop for sure as everyone gets used to the roadmap, but given what I am hearing, that won't be long!!!
 
Excellent first run through ??
Thanks - a bit rough (as they always are), but offers hope.

yeah...sounds pretty good!!! I think the feel will develop for sure as everyone gets used to the roadmap, but given what I am hearing, that won't be long!!!
Thank you. yes, we're just feeling our way through it for the very first time, so it's disconnected, with each player fumbling for playing choices with the inevitable drags, rushes, and timing fluffs.

For my part, I instantly gravitated to the (non original) 16ths on the hats for the verses. I tried 8s with intermittent triplet notes later in the evening, and it didn't flow so well in the lower dynamic of the verses, but that might be down to my own lack of fluidity. I have to work on this, the fills, and some of the slightly sticky bass drum parts too.
 
Very nice, Andy. For a first try, you guys all did a great job capturing the essence of the song. The original recording has one of my favorite fills in any pop song, the one right after the that bridge in the middle. If you capture the nuance of that fill you'll be on top of it. Great choice!

BTW, my gf was in the other room as I listened and she popped her head in and commented that she could tell it wasn't the original, but it sounded good. You can tell she lives with a drummer - she said "Some of the drum parts aren't quite right, but it feels good. And that singer has a great voice." :)
 
Very nice, Andy. For a first try, you guys all did a great job capturing the essence of the song. The original recording has one of my favorite fills in any pop song, the one right after the that bridge in the middle. If you capture the nuance of that fill you'll be on top of it. Great choice!

BTW, my gf was in the other room as I listened and she popped her head in and commented that she could tell it wasn't the original, but it sounded good. You can tell she lives with a drummer - she said "Some of the drum parts aren't quite right, but it feels good. And that singer has a great voice." :)
Hahaha - she has good ears, but to clarify, almost non of the drum parts were right! In these sessions, band members aren't concentrating too much on getting it right, just establishing if the vibe is good. In sessions like these, we'll jam through a number of songs, spending no more than 15 minutes on each.

We know we can improve it greatly, & put our own flavour stamp on it too - that's just a question of another run through & a bit of homework.
 
You guys really captured the spirit and sound of the song. I would never guess it was a first run-through. You kept things very solid navigating the changes between 16th and 8th note grooves, which can be very tricky.

Very nice job, Andy!
 
Dang see that professional musicians out of the gate nailing the feel and vibe of the song-this is a perfect song for the band Andy. I know you guys will shape it up into something really great. Only one odd transition to my ears rest sounds pretty dang good. I like how it's shaping up-I'd keep making it the bands song =still keeping the vibe of the original but man parts was just killing it!! Still impressed by your singer.
 
Your'e hard on yourself Andy - first run through. I'd be well pleased if I and my band members did it that well !
 
You guys really captured the spirit and sound of the song. I would never guess it was a first run-through.
Thanks Larry - it went better than I expected too, but a ways to go.

You guys sound better than my band does after months of practice.
I doubt that, but thank you for the kind thought :)

Still impressed by your singer.
Thanks Art - yes, he's good. We're lucky to have him :)

Your'e hard on yourself Andy - first run through. I'd be well pleased if I and my band members did it that well !
Thanks :) I'm lucky to have bandmates with the facility to just pick something up & jam it to a listenable level from one listen through. Just a few words between them to establish the odd progression, & they're away. They're all better players than me, and that's a real blessing. By next rehearsal, they'll return with it at 98% - better hope I can keep up :)

As for my playing on this, I can hear the many errors & poor choices, that's part of the idea of recording rehearsals - especially song try out sessions, but the main aim is to judge the vibe away from the rehearsal so we can decide what works with fresh ears.
 
This is the way to work in a band. I wish the bands I’ve been in, approached songs like this. Way to much wasted time on practice, rehearse, practice, for some one to say later... uh no.... this is not working.
 
Such a good song. Andy, I can't get over how good everything sounds. The guitars, keys, and bass mix so well in that room it almost sounds like one, not a bad thing at all. I dunno if it's the room, the mixing, the camera position or what, but it sounds so rich and thick. And obviously the drums sound fantastic, I think that goes without saying.
 
"As for my playing on this, I can hear the many errors & poor choices, that's part of the idea of recording rehearsals - especially song try out sessions, but the main aim is to judge the vibe away from the rehearsal so we can decide what works with fresh ears."
Dang we are often our worse critics-case in point. The Case of Andy the Fantastic Drummer who didn't know it- Man I love you dude but I heard only one odd transition more or less the whole band. I don't call them mistakes more like you're experimenting finding the right "choices". But cold right out of the gate-it would work at any gig I'd say. Sometimes "errors" work too. So sounds like you're adding some songs and eliminating others for this next years gigs? Oh and you guys have an awesome practice room-looks huge.
 
This is the way to work in a band. I wish the bands I’ve been in, approached songs like this. Way to much wasted time on practice, rehearse, practice, for some one to say later... uh no.... this is not working.
Oh, we have many songs that get way too far in the process before deciding to bin them, & I agree, a waste of valuable time :( We need to be more discerning and call stuff out earlier. This session we tried 4, and two got binned.

Such a good song. Andy, I can't get over how good everything sounds. The guitars, keys, and bass mix so well in that room it almost sounds like one, not a bad thing at all. I dunno if it's the room, the mixing, the camera position or what, but it sounds so rich and thick. And obviously the drums sound fantastic, I think that goes without saying.
Thank you. Actually, the drums are too loud, & the guitar & keys are too quiet compared to a live mix we'd be happy with, but it's a product of recording from a single camera position (Zoom Q8), with the guys positioned all facing inward. The guitar cab especially, as it's in front of, and facing away from the camera.

It is a good room though, & that helps us have a comfortable rehearsal where we can lift it to gig rear line volumes but still hear detail. We switched location specifically for these reasons - some band members with a circa 1 hour drive each way. Most of our rehearsals are with the bare minimum of gear. For example, there's only one 12" speaker for vocals. Once we're rehearsing sets, we go all IEM, so the room becomes much less relevant, but no IEM is much better for assessing the vibe we're getting in a song.

Dang we are often our worse critics.
The whole point of recording a first run through, then moving on to the next song, is to dig down into the detail. Multiple errors & poor choices are expected & welcomed. In this video, you can see me over crashing in the first chorus, realising that didn't sound good, then modifying by the second chorus. Every transition is wrong, but that's fine, we're just mapping out with a little bit of experimentation. The signature song drum fill is an obvious example. There's no attempt at the correct fill - just concentrating on the correct start & exit position. I'll have that nailed for next Monday :)

So sounds like you're adding some songs and eliminating others for this next years gigs?
Indeed - new show - new branding for next year. We're retaining only 7 songs from this year.
 
Instead of a usual rehearsed performance video - thought I'd share this from last night's rehearsal. We had a track jam evening. Essentially, someone makes a suggestion, we listen through the original recording once, then jam it out to see if the vibe fits the band. No preparation, just jump straight in.

Although we all kind of "know" this track, non of us have played it before, so all the usual wrong chords, timing slips, & general cockups are on display. Andy laid bare, & why not :)

Yes, I know, I need to look up the signature bits & get those right. That's our homework for the next rehearsal (+ another new song).

Very nice dynamic changes, makes all the difference in that tune. Great job to all the guys on that one.
 
I’d be ecstatic if I went out and heard a band play that song at all, much less well. As mentioned that fill after the bridge is key, but man that’s a great sounding song for the first run, or second, or third...

Recording is super clear too. I was starting to feel content with “silent” playing, then hear this....ugh! I need a band :cautious:
 
I’d be ecstatic if I went out and heard a band play that song at all, much less well. As mentioned that fill after the bridge is key :cautious:
Thanks! Fill & all other parts now nailed - just a bit more practice to get them truly flowing before Monday when I hope the band can get it signed off (with 2 other numbers).
 
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