[Harp-L] re: Band arrangements

Jeff - I can relate. I was where you are about 2 years ago. First, you have to have a band that understands the difference between a jam and performing arranged tunes, and they have to WANT it. We went though band members who really just wanted a place to jam where they got to be on stage the whole time. We went through more who didn't want to do the work - just wanted to gig right away. No good. Folks have to be willing to do the work, and understand it is going to take a good dealof time to come up with 3 sets of material. It took us a long time to get a cohesive group of guys together, who are socially, geographically, economically and musically compatible. (You need allof the above.) Once you have that, then, at least in our case, everyone makes suggestions. A couple of us are more inclined to leadership (shall I say assertiveness? ) - but everyone can contribute. We all suggest tunes we want to do, we have a rule that we don't do a tune if a single member really doesn't like it. We start by learning the version we're covering - everyone has CD's of these tunes, and that is work they do at home. This gets us into a groove, chord progressions, etc. We then engineer our own beginnings and endings and arrangements sa needed. Some songs we cover very closely, others end up quite different. One of us lists the tunes we're going to work on at the next practice and makes sure everyone knows. The last thing is that people have to remember the decisions you make. It SHOULD be an individual responsibility, but I chart every song for myself, and I make notes about the arrangement. If we can't remember what we decided, I have a point of reference. Hope that helps.

P.S. - We finally have a web site and have some tunes there, recorded at our first gig a few months ago - check out http:// www.bluestateband.net

From: "Tobin, Jeff" <jtobin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: October 27, 2005 6:12:12 AM PDT
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Band arrangements


If you play in a band, what process do you go thru to learn new
material? How do you work out arrangements? Does everyone listen to
agreed-upon songs at home and work out their individual parts, or do you
do it together? Is one person the arranger/conductor? Or do you
another approach that works? Recently, some of us from our local
Wednesday nite blues jam got together to form a band. But I'm finding,
in practice, there seems to be no real direction in working out parts,
and our music sounds as loose as our open jams. Because no one in the
group seems to be a natural-born leader, I'm assuming that's a big part
of our problem. But other successful groups must have found ways to
overcome this. Any suggestions from you band members?

Thanks,
Jeff



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