Week 1
This is my new band the the 2nd year, and the songs we are rehearsing are for a live gig we are doing. In the band is Tom on vocals, guitar and bass, Ben on bass and guitar, Meg on guitar, piano, bass and vocals and Me on drums. Our first song is Friday I’m in Love by The Cure.
Individual strengths – My strengths for this rehearsal were that I played the song throughout quite well. The beat is somewhat simple, however it is quite a fast song so keeping it tight and sounding well isn’t simple. I also added a couple fills into the song, which are mostly fast rolls which fits with the fast nature of the track. I have also improved on counting in to songs, which before I always struggled with. However I can now do it as shown in the video.
Individual weaknesses – My weaknesses for this track are that I counted in a bit too fast. I thought the song was at a higher tempo than it actually is. I was counting in and we were playing at around 145 bpm, however the song is at 136 bpm. This doesn’t seem like much of an issue, however it makes the song sound a bit rushed. Another issue is that I don’t fully know the bridge, I was just playing the normal beat with 16th notes on the hi hat to differentiate it. Another thing is the fills don’t really differ from each other, all the fills I play are similar to each other and it would sound better if they weren’t just rolls around the kit.
Group Strengths – This was our first 3 hours practicing this song, and we did a really good job. The song sounds good and everyone knows what they’re playing. This is also Ben’s first time playing bass, so he did a good job playing the bass line to say he just started playing it. The vocals and guitar sound really good, throughout most of the song they sound clean and precise. The song is also just played well and sounds quite professional and clean, especially since this is our first time playing together.
Group Weaknesses – Some things that could be improved is on the bass the transitions between the different parts of the song. Such as the bridge and the 6 bar pre-chorus. The transition between the parts on the bass are pretty rough and could do with some work to smoothen them out and make it sound tighter. For Tom on vocals, the bridge needs some work as well as he is not fully sure on the melody and the lyrics. For next week learning the melody fully and the lyrics to the point where he doesn’t need the lyrics up anymore. Also some more backing vocals and harmonising with Tom from Meg would sound good and add some depth into the song.
Improvements for next rehearsal – For next rehearsal, a big target is to make this song tight and sounding even better with all the improvements we have. Also we will be starting our second song, which is Fleabag by Yungblud.
This was the second week of rehearsals, however Ben and Meg couldn’t attend this session. Due to this, we started our new song called Fleabag by Yungblud. As there was only half of the band, Tom played guitar for this and we brought Ellis in to play the bass.
Individual Strengths – Similar to Friday I’m in Love, I learnt the song pretty quickly, and got all the basics down. As well as some of the fills. The beat isn’t very difficult so again it wasn’t the most difficult song to pick up. The song sounds tight and I didn’t make many mistakes. I also improvised playing some fills during the bridge, which sound quite nice. The fill leading into the choruses also sounds smooth and explosive.
Individual Weaknesses – During the chorus, at the end of every second bar I just continue playing the beat, however in the original there is either a fill or a nice lick. However for most of the time I just continue playing the beat, which doesn’t sound good as it doesn’t fit with what the guitars playing. There is also a small stop at the end of the verse going into the chorus before the drum fill, which I have been struggling to get the timing of. The timing on the ending is also something I’m struggling with. Another thing is that I need to know what fills I’m playing during the bridge, as well as thinking of fills for the chorus.
Group Strengths – Tom did a really good job this session. Playing the guitar is something that he is new to, so playing this riff to a high standard is very impressive. Also playing guitar and singing is a difficult skill to get right, and for a first attempt he did really well. Ellis also did a great job at playing the bass for this song, as he is relatively new to bass and picked up the song pretty quickly.
Group Weaknesses – One of Tom’s weaknesses is that during the chorus, he sings a bit out of tune, during the line “I’m not your monkey, I’m not your puppet”. He also plays the riff on all six of the strings, which makes it sound a bit out of tune and it could sound better if he played it differently. Ellis sometimes goes out of time on the bass, which is a small issue but could affect the whole band.
Improvement for next rehearsal – For next week, Ellis won’t be playing bass for us, Ben will be on guitar and Meg will be on bass. So for next week if them 2 learn their parts, as well as me and Tom working on the issues that we have highlighted.
This is the third week of rehearsals, this time we ran through 2 of our songs, Friday I’m in Love and Fleabag. We played these in B25, which is the room where the live show will be, so that we get a feel for the room instead of playing in a practice room.
Individual strengths – I improved on quite a few of the things I needed to, such as Friday I’m in Love is slowed down a lot which makes it sound a lot smoother. The bridge also sounds smoother and less rushed, this is due to the fact I have practiced it as well as the song being slowed down. For Fleabag, I did add some fills into the song, which add more depth and complexity to the song. I also got a lot better at the stop before the chorus, as when it stops I stop on time.
Individual Weaknesses – Leading up to the bridge in Friday I’m in Love, I mess up a bit and it sounds really rough, as well as the start of the bridge also doesn’t sound very good. For Fleabag, the bridge is still not very tight, as I have a few fills in mind however it didn’t sound very good and I rushed a lot of the fills. I need to get a structure for the bridge so it doesn’t sound messy. I also go slightly out of time during the verses on Fleabag, which sounds slightly off.
Group Strengths – This is Ben and Meg’s first sessions playing Fleabag, and the song sounds very clean and nice. Even through the guitars stopped playing and making mistakes, we all carried on and didn’t make a fuss out of it. Tom also improved his singing during the chorus and in general he sounds really good. For Friday I’m in Love, Tom has improved his singing on Friday I’m in Love, during the bridge he figured out the melody as well as the lyrics. So it sounds really good. Ben has also improved his bass part so the transitions are now smooth and all in all it sounds good.
Group Weaknesses – Ben needs to improve with learning how the amp works with all the settings and the pedal as well. Because if this goes wrong in the show it will be quite unfortunate. He also needs to know when the stops are in the song as sometimes he can forget where the stop is or stop a bit out of time. Meg needs to work on her harmonies on Friday I’m in Love, as there isn’t many times where she harmonises with Tom. Tom didn’t make many mistakes, so for him it’s just to keep in time and in tune during the set. For the end of Friday I’m in Love, It would sound good if Tom sang something at the end when it’s just the instrumentation, as well as Meg singing something as well.
Improvements for next rehearsal – For next week, we are going to keep rehearsing the two songs we have and make them even better and cleaner. As well as working on our new song, which is Back to Black by Amy Winehouse.
This week we rehearsed all of our set, including our new song Back to Black.
Individual strengths – I improved on many of the things I wanted to, such as the bridge in Friday I’m in love sounds a lot better, it sounds clean and not like a rushed mess. The bridge on Fleabag also sounds a lot better, as I’ve got a structure to it, and the fills sound a lot cleaner. The chorus on Fleabag also sounds better as I have a clear structure for the beat and the fills that I am playing. With Back to Black, this is the first session playing it, and even though it is a simple beat it needs to be played accurately and precise. Which it is and it sounds quite good. In the song there is a tambourine used, however I replaced this with the hi hat, as it creates a similar sound and is easy for me to play that.
Individual Weaknesses – After 4 weeks of rehearsals, there aren’t many big improvements as the set list is complete. It isn’t perfect, however the only improvements are to play the songs tighter, improve the fills on Fleabag in the bridge as even though they are better than they were they could still be even better. Differentiate the fills on Friday I’m in Love as they’re all mostly similar.
Group Strengths – A lot of the improvements that were needed have been fixed. Such as the stops on Fleabag are smooth and sound really good. Harmonies have been added on Friday I’m in Love and they sound really good. Back to Black sound smooth and clean to say it is the first session we played it. The end of Friday I’m in Love also has some vocals in it, which add some nice depth to it.
Group Weaknesses – There aren’t much improvements here, as all of the set list is sounding quite good. One improvement is that Isaac needs to learn the piano for Back to Black, however he didn’t have any time before this to learn it. Back to Black also needs some more playing so it sounds that bit more professional. The vocals at the end of Friday I’m in Love also need some refining as they sound very unconfident and like Tom and Meg don’t want to be singing them.
Improvements for next rehearsal – Next rehearsal is the mock performance, so as well as the music the performance is something we need to think about. We need to just tighten up all the songs by playing them more.