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Ozark, Al

190 West Reynolds
Ozark, Al. 36360
(866)-HARLOWS
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Pro Tip #6: Practice at home / Rehearse with your band

Pro Tip #6: Practice at home / Rehearse with your band

Oh no, pucker factor 10! (pucker factor – the amount your butthole clinches up during a tense situation)

In a world far far away, this is a fictional story.

Jim Smuckatelli, bass player who played with the band “Sasquatch” comes into rehearsal with a new band called “Lazerbeam”. Now everyone knows that Jim is a player, he’s got 87 Facebook followers and has recorded at Larry Gussledorf’s (a.k.a. Night Rider Band) home studio right outside Nashville at the microtel Rm #23 . Jim will self-admit that he is a bad ass and when he walks in a room, people don’t notice, I mean notice.. this is fiction.

Jim, who is now playing with a cover band (strictly for money to pay for his drinking habit) approaches the night of rehearsal.  Jim knows that his “reputation” will prevail and he will slay the 3 songs set as goals for the rehearsal, because, that’s what Jim does.   

Enter the “rehearsal”: The drummer kicks it off 1,2,3,4.. and boom. Jim is playing some weird progression, it kinda sounds like something I’ve heard before… hmmm… what could that be… I know! “shit”. Yeah, it sounds like “shit” (as if it has some musical properties to it).

The band stops. Other members confused as to what has occurred given the pedigree of such a player.  The poor leader asks “Jim, what was that?” Jim is at pucker factor 10.

And like clockwork, the excuses start coming out. (Have you heard these? I probably said some of these when I was younger!)

  • “Man, I didn’t have time to really learn them, I “mapped” them out though!”. – I’m not sure what the term “map them out” means but I’ve heard it a lot in my career. I can only deduce that “Mapping something out” appears to be a term that means “I really don’t know what I’m doing but trust me… I listened to it!” Net gain: 0
  • “Man, I learned the tune in a different key / different version” – As opposed to the tab that you were given and the explicit instructions to play the version on the album in the key of “g”? Net Gain: 0
  • “Hey man, show me that one part” Because you just now realized you don’t know how to play it? You are now asking others to learn your parts as well? Net Gain: 0
  • “Hey man, I’m gonna be honest (like you are not always honest?), I got with a chick the other night and didn’t practice”. – Well, at least you now know where the commitment is and I appreciate you being honest the day of rehearsal (yes, I’ve heard all of these). Net Gain: 0
  • “Man, I thought we were doing our own version of it” i.e. My musical integrity would never let me play something like the original recording, after all, people will be able to recognize my version.. NOT. Net Gain: 0
  • “Nobody told me”. This is a fabulous excuse given that everyone else seemed to know what was going on. How about some self accountability bro, maybe ask if you don’t know what songs to learn? Net Gain: 0
  • “I listened to them all week” – Awesome! I never knew you are one of those people who can just listen to it and know the parts, that must be nice. Did you just develop Alzheimer’s before rehearsal cause it appears you can’t remember anything. Net Gain: 0
  • “I’m a dumb ass and I think my time is more important than yours” BINGO! I’ve never actually heard this one but I’d respect it much more than the others because it would be the truth. Net Gain: 1 – at least you know who to escort out of the band (politely).

The Impact:

What Jim failed to realize is:

  • His actions have built frustration / distrust with his fellow band members.
  • His actions have spoken louder than words and have wasted others time.
  • He does not possess the same commitment as others.
  • He has no integrity. Cannot be relied on.
  • He has disrespected others.
  • He is the weak link,
  • He sucks.

Awe, come on, give Jim a break! He works and does not have time to practice like the others.

My response: You are exactly where you want to be (as a band).

If you are ok with Jim not learning his parts and you not really progressing, rock on. It’s ok, you folks do you. It’s totally your choice as I’m sure Jim is a great dude, maybe your best friend and you folks will have a great time. I’ve been in bands where it was all about just jamming, in which case someone like Jim may thrive playing part and pieces of songs because nobody cares.

However, I’m talking about a band, a unit of people with the same focus. I’m just saying that I’ve never seen anything become great by choosing to be average, below average, or not putting in the work. As for me, I cannot recommend enough finding people who have the same commitment, values, and work ethic. I personally value my teams time as well as my own so I don’t know how long Jim would last in one of my bands. LOL

So, what’s the different in Practice and Rehearsal and why does Jim suck?

As nouns the difference between rehearsal and practice is that rehearsal is the practicing of something which is to be performed before an audience, usually to test or improve the interaction between several participating people, or to allow technical adjustments with respect to staging to be done while practice is repetition of an activity to improve skill.

More specifically, Practice is what you do at the house. It’s what you learn prior to a rehearsal with a band. It’s what you do to ensure you are NOT Jim.

It’s where you are learning your songs, and yes, to the very detail of what is recorded.

Why do I want to learn every detail?

Ultimately, by learning the details from the album or even official tab, you and your band now have a baseline. The baseline provides the same “operating picture” to work from. From there, you can always make the tune your own (if you want to), but knowing the baseline will not only make things smoother, it will give everyone confidence that you are nailing a song.

What is Rehearsal?

Rehearsal is where everyone comes together as a band to “practice” together. It’s a different mindset completely because knowing your parts now allows you to work on the other aspects of the musical journey such as dynamics and performance. The rehearsal provides that fine tuning of the songs and allows for the band to take the song and make it their own (if required).

“Practice is personal; rehearsal is relational.”

Bottom line: Please, don’t be a Jim!

If you are a Jim, do yourself and your band members a favor by communicating what you are able to provide. Don’t sign up for something you cannot accomplish given whatever circumstances you have. It’s so much easier to be honest and upfront so band members can plan properly and manage expectations. We all have jobs, we’re all busy..etc. This is why it’s important to consider everyone’s time commitment, not just your own.

If you have a Jim in the band, speak to them about the standards you have and what is needed, otherwise, consider removing Jim. Jim could essentially be robbing you of your time, talent, and opportunity.

I realize this article was a little touchy and if you have been in one or more bands, you’ve seen it. There is no rule that says you have to run a band like a business or take any of this advice. It’s just things I’ve seen and have grown to despise at times and getting rid of the Jim attitude and ethic is crucial to growing.

I will continue to say this over and over, find people with your same commitment, values, and work ethic. From there, you can do just about anything your band sets out to do. Rock on.

Pro Tip #5: It really don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing…

Pro Tip #5: It really don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing…

Written by Jason Boyd – Professional Drummer

When Jason Harlow invited me to write an article, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about first… Groove. Groove is such an important element of music that I find is too often overlooked. In my opinion it is what makes music truly enjoyable. I really look forward to hearing everyone’s input on this topic. As musicians we should always try to learn from one another, so your input is valuable to all of us!

A bit of history… I have always considered myself a mediocre drummer. When we look at people who are “experts” on our particular instrument, we normally tend to gravitate towards the ones who are extremely technically proficient. This always left me feeling a bit “less than” as a musician. However, I started noticing a pattern, especially moving to Houston, TX. What I noticed was that I could be on the call list with drummers who were without a doubt more technically proficient than I, yet I would still get the call. The only thing I can contribute this phenomenon to is that I tend to get the same compliments. These compliments are “You have a great feel” and “I love what you don’t play”. That last one felt kind of offensive the first time I heard it, but it is probably the best compliment I’ve ever received.

Is groove something learned or is it something you either have or you don’t? This is the question that I’ve wrestled with more than any other. I think for the most part it can be learned, but not in the same sense a learning a new riff. To me, groove is a feeling and a state of mind.  As a kid, I remember when my dad would say “find the groove god”. It sounded ridiculous back then, but makes complete sense now. Groove is kind of like a dance. It has multiple layers that I’ll expand upon below.

Tempo: In order to have great groove you need great tempo. Tempo is the foundation that a good groove is built upon. Without this solid foundation, everything else WILL crumble. Most of us have heard those dreaded words, “can you play with a click?”. Those words used to throw me into an immediate panic attack until I was forced to do it. After a little experience with a click track, I began to love it! Now I welcome a click track and realize that it relieves a lot of pressure off of me. Try to look at the click as another band member in your mix and embrace it.

Listen: It’s impossible to find the groove if you don’t know where all of the pieces are! Listen to your bandmates and compliment them! It’s not all about you!

Beat Placement: Now this is the hardest element for me to explain, yet it’s critically important. In a 4/4 measure there are 4 beats, yet where you choose to place them is critical! You can play ahead, on or behind the beat. This is the element of feel that’s so elusive, yet it’s what gives a song life. This is the “dance” part.

Relax: It’s next to impossible to find the groove if you’re stiff. Relax and play with confidence! We’re human beings and will never be perfect. Those imperfections are the subtle life of the song. This is why a “perfect” computer will never replace an imperfect human musician.

Again, this is a tough subject to teach, but I hope this has given you a few things to think about. If you are constantly working on new riffs, I urge you to stop and analyze your feel first. There are so many bands out there that are technically talented, yet I could care less about listening to them. I appreciate the technical abilities of Neil Peart, but I enjoy listening to Steve Jordan more any day of the week! My dad was a brilliant musician and could groove like no one I’ve ever met. Something he said about my old band The Mutt Brothers that always stuck in my mind was this… “Y’all are like a locomotive that’s getting ready to derail, yet you’re right on track”. Be a beautiful trainwreck and embrace your human imperfections. You’ll be a better musician and probably get more jobs if you do.

Pro Tip #4: That’s how we role

Pro Tip #4: That’s how we role

Have you ever stepped back and considered all the moving parts of a band? It’s a miracle things actual happen at all given how humans interact.Ever thought about your role in a band?

  • Am I a support or lead musician?
  • Am I a volunteer or getting paid?
  • Will I be allowed and/or expected to contribute creative ideas?
  • Do I have even have a role?

Maybe you’re in a situation where you feel like you are pulling all the weight or feel like you are not being used to your full capacity. Look no further as roles may solve your woes.

Why are roles important?

Roles and Responsibilities provides clarity, alignment, and expectations to members in the band and those executing the work to make a successful performance, record, or any other musical venture. Roles & Responsibilities enables effective communications between the various members, preventing folks stepping on each other’s toes and building trust… not to mention making things much more efficient.

As you can imagine, there are many roles doing music. To prevent this note from being a book, I’ll touch on the more common roles and be leaving out roles such as manager, engineer, publicist, publisher, social media strategist, music supervisor, video tech, promoter, a&r, radio promoter, tour manager, website designer, stage crew…etc.

Leader: The life blood of the band. The role is to guide the band, mission, and to be an effective communicator on goals, schedule, and all band affairs. If you are the leader, you have the greatest responsibility. The bands health, morale, momentum, and success rely on your ability to communicate effectively, to serve, set goals, to inspire, and to be honest and transparent with your members. It’s a role which requires patience and the ability to understand others perspectives while holding members accountable as well as yourself. As a leader, you need to be the solid rock who exemplifies the standards that you expect from others. The disposition a leader has in the room drives everybody else’s behavior to a large extent. A positive and confident leader not only stands like a rock for the team, but helps promote and dissipate the same reaction among the team.Band

Members: Without you, the band doesn’t exist. You and your input are critical to making the ship move. Make sure you exercise diligence, flexibility, support, and participation in transforming the band. You must be transparent and honest with the leader and let them know when they could use extra perspective. Learn others strength and weaknesses and always respect the capabilities of others and encourage. Continue exercising your commitment to the band through learning material, lending a hand to others, and ensuring the standards are also met.

Sound guy / light guy: Well, maybe you are the most important after all. I include the sound / light techs in with the band because after all, they are your ears and eyes to a successful performance. They know more than you do in terms of what the crowd is seeing and hearing so respect them and be kind and let them do their role. When there are literally hundreds of variables going on and there is a small feedback, realize it’s a bit more complicated than you think and many times this could be caused by changes in stage volume. Pro tip: loud stage volume leads to less control on the mix, louder isn’t always better because you end up competing with each other in smaller clubs.

Booking / Promotion: If you don’t have an agent, most likely you or someone on the band is doing this role. It’s not the most fun role and it comes with a lot of pressure. It’s not just making calls, it’s doing flyers, promotion, managing schedules and people. The trick I’ve found is to define what the bands requirements / goals are up front and allow the person booking to negotiate on the band’s behalf. If you play in a band because you want to have fun, rock on! Do that and enjoy having the best time of your life. If you play in a band to make money, rock on, Do that! However, when booking, please respect the venue / bar or establishment and look at it not from what they provide you but how you can partner with them to equally benefit. I’ll write an article on this by itself as I see folks who do not completely understand where money comes from to pay bands, the death of live music, or understanding actual value versus perceived..etc. Hint: Remember why you got into music in the first place. ?

The everything role: Unfortunately, the role many people find themselves in. Although it can feel rewarding at times, I’ve seen it personally take a toll on the individual and the band leading up to eventual problems. We’re human and we all want to give everything we got but running everything can ultimately lead to error and burnout.

Example: If you find yourself doing the promotion, booking, setting up PA, running sound, creating the song lists, doing the website, social media..etc. You will inevitably start the human instinct of feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated (it happens, it’s normal). You may even start to feel like others just don’t care when in reality, it could be because:

  • Roles were not defined
  • Roles were not equally distributed and accountability not in place
  • You failed to rely on others
  • You have members that are in fact included but not committed (uh oh!)

If for some reason you can handle the load of everybody and everything, rock on, you are better than most! However, in my experience, that’s not a band.. that’s a boss that just tries to tells others what to do.

I realize this was a bit less exciting of a read, however, please take time to evaluate your roles and place people in the roles where they have strengths.

Everyone cannot be the leader and there are no leaders without followers.

Hopefully this rambling can help in your band and personal development. I continue to make mistakes and learn from them. These notes / articles are meant to establish thought and if you have other experiences, please share your insight! Rock on.

Pro Tip #3: Bands, have the same goals

Pro Tip #3: Bands, have the same goals

“Dude, we should totally be a Slayer tribute band” / “no man, I think we should only do country music!”.

Yeah, that’s real. It exists. Two musicians discussing their goals and desires to form the ultimate band. Houston, we have a problem.

Most of the bands I’ve seen that are short lived happen for a number of reasons but at the heart of it is because members of the band simply don’t have the same goals in mind. Worse, the members are not flexible or they’re actually prideful.

I’ve actually been in projects where folks would not play a type of music because they apparently where “too cool for school” – Jason Harlow 1987. Yep, I remember telling myself I would never play a “poison” song. Fast forward 2019, I play them freely as some of the most fun songs ever to play. What was I thinking??? It’s interesting to see how perspectives change when you learn what is actually important.

If you don’t get anything out of this article, get this… music is about having fun. Period. We’re not curing cancer or doing anything that is that serious. I mean really, we’re getting the opportunity to get in front of folks and have a great time doing what we’ve practiced our whole lives. If I had a time machine, I would go back and punch myself in the face for even considering that one genre of music was superior over another. Turns out that most of that music I considered inferior (jazz, country, pop) is much more complex than anything I’d ever played. Good news is that I learned quickly and realized just how ignorant I was fortunately. If this is you, learn from me! I’m so glad with age comes wisdom and experience.

Back to goals! Inevitably, if bands and members don’t align their goals, they simply fail because everyone is pushing in different directions and there is no satisfaction.

So, what happens when you have 2 or 3 different people with opposing goals? How do you fix it?

If you have mature members, divergent thoughts and mixed goals can work to build a chemistry that makes something very special. If members respect each other and have those love languages I spoke about intact, there can actually be some goodness out of it.

Unfortunately though, if you have members who are at the opposite polar ends of the musical spectrum with song choices, attitude, likes, values that are unwilling to change…etc. You must remove them and place them in a project of like people. Sorry, it’s the truth because otherwise you are wasting your 86,400 seconds a day.

That being said, preventing these problems can be solved with a well laid out set of goals prior to taking on members or setting goals with your current members will greatly attribute to the growth and stability of your band.So, what do band goals look like?

  • Let’s play Harlow’s in the next 90 days. We can lock in 12 songs to play a 1 hour set. We’ll rock peoples faces and having fun while increasing our social presence through fans and followers (ok, shameless plug).
  • Let’s learn the songs: brown eyed girl, honky tonk woman, and mustang sally by next week and incorporate them into our wedding gig next Saturday.
  • Let’s save up $500 in the next 2 weeks to record our original “Rock your momma” at Sunland Studios. We’ll take $250 off the top from the Harlow’s gig to help fund and another $250 off t-shirt sales to fund it.

What do many band goals actually look like:

  • Let’s get signed
  • Let’s become famous
  • Let’s make money

Notice the difference?

In the business world we use “SMART” goals. Which stand for:

Specific / Measurable / Attainable / Relevant / Time-Based

When planning your band goals, be specific. Without knowing where you want to be specifically in your music journey, it’s likely you’ll take some dirt roads and find yourself lost and broke down.. mostly broke. Consider this when planning your song choices, venue choices, marketing choices. What specifically is needed.

If you can’t measure it, you can’t tell if you are making progress. To many times I see bands set a goal but fail to measure whether or not they hit the target. After a while of not measuring (whether performance, sound, or connecting with people), they seem to wonder why folks quit coming to their shows. Always measure!

Make the goals attainable! Example: If the singer can’t sing it, don’t do it. Sorry guitar shredder dudes (I’m one of them), people in the crowd aren’t really talking about your string skipping and legato, they are too busy saying the whole band sucks because you thought a dream theater song would impress people but the singer can’t sing it. Make the goals attainable for your band and put any song choices in the sweet spot and strike zone of your singer. Know your limits and play to your strengths not your weaknesses. Before setting the goal to write an album, set the goal to write one song.. then three..etc.

If the goal is not relevant to your band and it achieving something meaningful, it’s practically useless. I also like to use the word “realistic” here as well. You can have the most specific, measurable, and attainable goals but if it’s not really relevant or realistic, you’re wasting your precious 86400 secs.

Time based is key! It’s not only key to be able to measure but it creates the urgency needed and baseline needed for other members to achieve success. If no timeframe exists, you have no real management of expectations. BTW, it’s ok if you don’t make a timeline… this becomes knowledge. It’s likely you may not hit all the goals but if you set a timeline for a week to learn 4 songs and the band only learns 2, you’ve gained extremely valuable knowledge on your band’s velocity (2 songs a week). You can then adjust your timeline based on your new knowledge and continue to refine your capabilities for a well tuned face rocking machine.

Hopefully this rambling may give you some ideas. I recommend you start with small goals and grow. It’s really fun to look back as well to see the accomplishments. You quickly realize without goals; you would have been in the same place, doing the same thing, and expecting different results (insanity). You don’t even want to calculate how much time (your most critical asset) was lost. Rock on.

Pro Tip #2: Learn your band members love language

Pro Tip #2: Learn your band members love language

“Great Job Man”… for some, the most important thing you could ever say. More powerful than money, gifts, or acts. Why? Because these folks respond to “words of affirmation”.

Admittedly, this is what drives me and I think it probably drives most musicians. At the end of the night, I’m not thinking about money, what’s for breakfast..etc. I’m wondering if I made an impact with the music I played and if folks had a good time. The measure of success for me is someone coming up and saying “harlow, that was awesome” (or something similar).

So, let’s dive in.Hey, we’re all humans and we have feelings (most of us). Did you know your attitude and response towards other members will greatly impact your bands health and ability? Yeah, I know this because I’m the worst at times and have seen the impacts.

If you’ve not heard of the 5 love languages, let’s discuss for just a moment. I read this book many years ago and it’s written by Dr. Gary Chapman. Yes, it’s meant for marriages or relationships but isn’t that kinda like a band?Even if you don’t apply it to a band, this is real deal stuff that homeboy wrote about and can apply to your life, your relationships, family..etc. so get the book or read more about it online.

So, here are the 5 love languages:

1. Words of affirmation
2. Gifts
3. Acts of Service
4. Quality time
5. Physical touch

ok, i realize most of you are already saying, hell no, I don’t want #5 with my bandmates LOL… so let’s talk 1, 2, 3, and 4.

1. Words of affirmation. Again, to me, I believe this is a primary language for musicians. Why? Because doing music is not easy, it’s a lifelong commitment with years and years of practice, hard work, failure, struggle, and ups and downs. When those beautiful “words of affirmation” happen, it seems to make the effort worth it. Point is, take time to recognize the efforts of your band members and the hard work they’ve have put in. They are likely going to work even harder because after all “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. #BOOM. That’s some Teddy Roosevelt / John Maxwell in your face.

2. Gifts. The book talks about marriage aspects such as giving tangible property (flowers, necklace..etc). However, let’s consider “gifts” being money in the band lane. Some of your members are driven more by the dollar or items than anything else. Hey, that’s understandable and if that’s the language they speak, find ways to encourage them so all of you can have the rewards of gifts from your ultimate performance. Maybe buy them a drink at the next gig because they rocked someone’s face.

3. Acts of service. “Hey man, thanks for helping me with my air conditioner” as said by me on multiple occasions to our drummer who is an AC guy. Some folks respond to receiving acts of kindness or service. In doing so, you are building a trust outside the band environment and a long-lasting friendship. If your member is one who responds to acts of service, it doesn’t take much to build a bond. Simple things like helping members setup their gear is a great start.

4. Quality Time. A band that plays together stays together… or something like that. I’ve been in many bands and 1000% of the time, bands who can spend time together last longer, have more fun, and usually even sound better. Some of your members may just want to hang out once in a while, outside of rocking peoples faces. How simple is that? and the reward is great.

5. Physical Touch. Ok, I’ll address it. Some drummers like to stroke and touch other members. Just tell them no. Setup your “no zones” and spray them with vinegar. LOL

Bottom line, each of us are different. It’s what magically makes a band great, the yin and yang, push and pull..etc. All that said, we all want respect and to be loved and feel a part of something bigger than ourselves. Knowing others love languages and your own can greatly reduce problems and build a stronger and more effective band. Rock on.