1. What did you plan to achieve in this rehearsal?
For this rehearsal, I planned to perform at my best by staying in time and working on the faster parts of the song. My goal was to improve accuracy and control by practising the challenging sections slowly at first, then gradually increasing the speed as I got cleaner and more confident.
2. What actually happened?
During the rehearsal, things didn’t go as well as I hoped. My bends were off, and I struggled to play the solo for “Don’t Stop Believin’.” I felt that my playing in the main solo sections (where the guitar is the main focus)could have been much better.
3. What went well?
I think I stayed in time with the drums quite well for most of the rehearsal. As a band, we played fairly well together and managed to keep good energy throughout. However, there were a few parts where our timing slipped slightly.
4. What challenges or problems did you face?
One of the main challenges was staying in time when Niall went slightly off-tempo at the start of the solo. This threw me off a bit and made it harder to keep a consistent rhythm. I also struggled with some of the technical aspects of the solo, especially the bends and faster runs.
5. How did you try to solve these problems?
To fix these issues, we repeated the section a few times and I asked for feedback from my bandmates. I tried to focus on communicating better with the drummer and listening closely to the rhythm to keep in time.
6. What did you learn from this rehearsal?
I learned how important it is to listen carefully to the drums and other instruments to stay in sync with the band. I also realised that I need more focused solo practice at home to build consistency and confidence.
7. What will you do differently or focus on next time?
Next time, I will spend more time practising the solo slowly at home to improve accuracy and timing. I’ll also focus on tightening my bends and making sure I can play the faster sections cleanly before trying them at full speed. During the next rehearsal, I’ll pay extra attention to listening and staying locked in with the drummer.
In this rehearsal, we started by performing “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. The band consisted of Jacob on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, myself on electric guitar, Niall on drums, and Sukbhir on bass. Overall, we were pretty mediocre in this run—we didn’t reach our best potential. My guitar tone felt a bit off, and I need to work on refining my timing and articulation, especially since the gig is in about two weeks. After that, we moved on to “Hysteria” by Muse. In this track, the dynamics were actually really good; we had a nice contrast between the softer verses and the more powerful choruses. Sukbhir did alright on bass, but he really needs to focus on his timing, especially during that tricky bass riff—it’s complex, and he needs to lock in so that he stays in sync with the drums. I’ve been working on this track for about six months now, so I feel confident with the timing, pitch, and articulation of the lead parts. Niall also did well on drums; he’s picking up the rhythm quickly, and his fills are getting tighter. Jacob is almost memorized with the lyrics—he’s still referencing his phone, but his vocal delivery is improving, and I think he’ll have it fully down by the gig. Overall, it was a decent rehearsal—we had good moments, especially in the dynamics of “Hysteria”—but we need to sharpen up our timing and ensure we’re fully in sync, so by the time of the gig, we’ll be ready to perform confidently.
In this rehearsal, we tackled “Adventure of a Lifetime” by Coldplay for the first time. Since it was a brand new song, we didn’t attempt any vocals yet, as Jacob still needed to fully learn the lyrics. Niall was solid on drums; he kept a steady tempo, and his rhythm was consistent. Sukbhir struggled a bit with the bass lines—he wasn’t quite connecting with the groove, but I understand, since it was our first run. I also wasn’t playing at my full potential—I could tell my timing and accuracy were off in a few spots. The dynamics, too, weren’t as refined as they should be—the transitions between sections felt a bit flat. Honestly, I’d give this rehearsal a 4 out of 10—we just didn’t deliver at the level we need. If we continue working on this song, I think we could get better, but to be honest, I’m not sure we’ll have it performance-ready in just two weeks. We’ll reassess next time, but for now, it was a valuable starting point.