This is our first run-through of the main parts of the song as a band. At this point we had only learnt the chords for each part and where stabs should be.
Personal evaluation:
From here I need to focus on how I can alter how I’m strumming to make it more percussive, so I need to spend some time seeing at what points muting would be appropriate and how I can make my strumming pattern more interesting. I could study the studio and live versions to get an idea of what it could sound like. Additionally, in the B section, I’m playing power chords instead of barre chords because it’s easier for the moment. I need to play barre chords instead so it sounds more broad and less muddy. My timing is okay for the most part but I mess up sometimes playing stab chords. These chords could also be cleaner, so I’ll make sure I note how quickly I mute my strings while rehearsing.
Switching between sections felt easy and I was able to remember what I need to play in each section with ease. I messed up once moving into a B section, I’m pretty sure I zoned out there (1:04) but otherwise I stayed on track. My strumming pattern for the time being is decent and fits the song but definitely needs some experimentation. My tone in this video is appropriate for the song, too.
Positives:
So far we had all followed the structure well and learnt it to the best of our abilities and reasonably quick. Everyone’s tone sounds appropriate for the song at the moment. Our overall timing was okay to learn at, but it eventually needed to be faster. We were all in time with each other.
Negatives:
I sometimes played my stab chords between vocals irregularly and not in perfect time, which means I needed to focus more on my timing and listen to Isobel more. I think Albert got lost as he was still playing in the vocal and drum only part, but he noticed the error and stopped as soon as he did. Personally I couldn’t hear Luke or figure out what he was playing at all, and a few of us needed individual guidance at the end.
Positives:
In this rehearsal it seems that everyone understands what they’re doing in each part besides the ending, which we were in the process of learning. My stab chords were clear and both guitar’s volumes were balanced, as they should be. Both of our tones sounded good, but we could experiment with what tones could work.
Negatives:
Both bass and vocals needed to be louder, but this was only rehearsal so as long as we could hear each other it didn’t really matter. The ending breaks, where there are false ending spaces, needed work since we had just started learning this properly. Additionally, it would be ideal if Robert learnt the lyrics by heart so he didn’t need his phone, lyric pages or have random pauses.
The intro was better planned with Albert joining Ethan, then everyone else following prompted by the drums. My stab chords were on time and very strong and noticeable, which is the point. All of us understood the structure well with Nic guiding us, but I reckon we would have also managed without being guided. The ending is sounding better than before! It sounds more organised and we roughly know what we’re doing for the very end of the song. The stops sound clean for the most part.
Again Robert still hadn’t learnt the lyrics well enough to look away from his phone very often, so this is something that needed to be worked on. Ethan hadn’t learnt the part he was supposed to for where it’s currently just vocals and drums. Ollie needs to think about whether or not he wants a drum solo at the end and needs to remember the prompt for us all to finish on certain chords or to play an arpeggio.