On November 26th, 2011 a group of musicians got together at Hot House Studios to jam, talk gear, and test out their latest in amps, pedals and guitars. Some of the songs played were: Jumping Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones, Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix, and Changes.
The Flo Guitar Enthusiasts is a worldwide group that loves to talk Tone, Guitars, and all kinds of musical equipment. Feel free to check out their Facebook site at:
http://www.facebook.com/The.Flo.Guitar.Enthusiasts

Players:
Jeff Floro
Joe Mazzeo
Scott Sill
Henry Cendejas
Mike Pelzman

 
Equipment Used:
Gibson Nighthawk Standard with Floyd Rose, Fender ’57 Custom Twin, Gibson GA-15RV, Hilton Volume Pedal, Ibanez Tubescreamer (TS-808) and (TS-808HW), MXR Phase 90, MXR Carbon Copy, Jackson Guitars, Boss Pedals, Fender Stratocaster, DegroovieS Cables, Fender Princeton, Fender Volume Pedal, Pedaltrain Pro Pedalboards, Gibson ES-335, Gibson Les Paul Custom, Zoom H4n, Canon Mark II 5D.

Live from Hothouse Rehearsal Studios, 11823 Slauson Ave. Unit 41, Santa Fe Springs, Ca 90670 | Ph: 562.945.1300

Studio 1 | The Auditorium

Let’s go all the way back to the academic definition of music rehearsal first: “Rehearsing a musical composition often involves repeating some passages over and over again until everyone in the ensemble (band or group of musicians) masters them.” Well that’s the core of rehearsing, its main foundation… the one that no matter what, you should always comply to.    

But music has changed much since these academic days, now rehearsing exceeds these acts, and combines more tasks in itself.   

First you should agree that a focused band is the main requisite for a decent rehearsal.  
Secondly, be aware that a group rehearsal (or ensemble rehearsal, as stated in the opening definition) is not your practice room or music instrument class!  Don’t go into the rehearsing studio to develop your individual skills or train your finger position and so on… that’s homework mate! Musicians should be prepared for rehearsing as a group and reviewing the tracks over and over is practically the only way to achieve the sound that you want.   

Ø      Discussion and Analysis 

But rehearsing isn’t all about playing the part or song silently from start to stop. The meaning of rehearsing hides another concept vital in today’s bands: Discussion and Analysis.  

When you train a track or a part of it, let’s say from the bridge to the chorus, over and over you are perfecting it, and most of the times “perfection” is about getting it right and playing it smoothly… but there are cases in which, during rehearsal, minor changes to the tracks can happen. A slight change on a note’s duration or its pitch can occur when musician calmly discuss and present their point of view on that segment of music being analyzed.    

So it’s all about maturing your own product, and that comes in many shapes and flavors. As stated above you can perfect the way all of your band members play their part of the songs, you can perfect the way vocals and back vocals line up and double themselves on the chorus, and many more slight corrections like these, but another thing you can mature is the way the band performs. That’s where the stage-like rehearsal comes into play.   

Ø      Show Rehearsing

A common practice for bands (and a really important one for bands) is Show Rehearsing. This is, playing your entire concert song list, from start to end and even the “encore” if you’re feeling lucky. This will point out mistakes and problems in your band that you don’t want to experience live and also helps you to test the concert song list.

Which problems are these you say? Just play the entire song list and you’ll see.

The drummer is tired because track 3 is up tempo and is followed by another really fast tempo song. The bass player needs to switch to percussion in track 6 which leads to enormous waiting time (crowd’s hate that), and it gets worst, where you find out that playing all the tracks sequentially can be hard work. So by using these practices in rehearsing you’ll definitely get near to perfection, which is the purpose of it.

But remember a crucial aspect: mastery of technical skills DOES NOT replace feeling when playing. 

In the other hand, besides Show Rehearsing you have several styles and types of rehearsing and some common practices.  

Ø      Common Practices 

For drum players you should always use a metronome while rehearsing difficult songs (particularly if at the start you’re not feeling the tempo, or if the signature is a composite, i.e.: 7/4, 5/4, 3/4, and so on).  

Bass players and drummers should build up a strong concept of rhythm section. If need be they could take some time on their own and practice the bass lines and rhythms. And then accordingly to you own band formation, there’s several ways to enhance your performance.  

Lets’ divide these practices into a small list, with sub-topics: 

Ø      Rhythm section 

As stated, both bass and percussion elements (drummers, conga players, etc…) should work considerably close. That makes a band consistent and the groove becomes solid. 

Work with metronome if any of the musicians is not feeling the tempo, but be sure to disconnect it when everyone is groovin’.

To synth players or organ players, keep an eye on the tempo and the rhythm section and learn their breaks and tempo changes.

If you’re working with vocals and background vocals be sure to reserve some rehearsing time to this.  Many times the chorus needs to change because of background vocal integration.  

Also, a new trend is to use effects on the voice, so if that’s your case, choose some nice gear (foot pedal) and some powerful harmonizer effect machine, and rehearse that part over and over. (You don’t want to mess up effects in real time).

 Ø      Wind instruments 

Wind sections should always work together (reeds and brass), and if you have/can, work with the piano score (transposed to your instrument, of course) and keep it well rehearsed. If needed take some time to rehearse this section alone.

Just a final note for those that play solo or play solos in their band. Solos take a huge time rehearsing and should be done in your own individual studio time or at home. When rehearsing with the band be sure to have your solos worked out. 

For an First Rate
Audio | Video | Rehearsal Experience
Call Hothouse Studios
“Where Music Grows”

Hothouse Rehearsal Studios, 11823 Slauson Ave., Unit 41, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, USA  562.945.1300

Let Music Fill the Air

This holiday season all of us here at Hothouse Studios want to celebrate and share our peace and joy with everyone by wishing you and all those you love the greatest holiday season ever, full of good cheer and thanksgiving.

We are thankful to all of you who supported us throughout the year and made us the #1 neighborhood rehearsal facility in Southern California.  We are grateful for your allegiance and look forward to our continuing relationship.

 We are committed to providing you with our time honored service and support. 

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

California Jamming Band

On Camera Rehearsal

If you are familiar with the Movie School of Rock, you can imagine how an on camera rehearsal could benefit a band.  This type of rehearsal is pre-planned, with someone bringing in the video camera.  If possible, a TV should be brought in as well to watch the video right afterwards.  What are the benefits of doing an on camera rehearsal?

Ø  It’s an official dress rehearsal which includes being dressed. 

Most bands don’t do “dress rehearsals” that include being dressed for the part but if you are videotaping, even if just to review everything, the clothes should be included.  You never know when you will need filler for a music video later! 

Ø  The moves you think are cool may not be/you think you are moving and your feet are glued to the floor.

Another big reason for the on camera rehearsal is to make sure everyone looks good jamming out.  Many times, a band is into their music and it looks great but occasionally you will have that one band with that one guy that is over the top and insane compared to the rest of the band, like Jack Black’s character in School of Rock, for example.

Ø  To Avoid Clichés

There are so many “rock” clichés that avoiding them all is impossible.  With that said, trying to avoid some of the egregious ones is an important part of your presence.
By videotaping, you can tell whether you or your band mates are doing anything too weird and zany.  Often times, you will do things and not even realize it while on stage. 

Read the entire “On Carmera Rehearsal” article here in the Band Toolbox.

Hothouse Studios is more than a top notch rehearsal facility, we are a music career learning center and the Band Toolbox has over a 100 articles in it on various subjects relating to succeeding in your music career.  Enter the Band Toolbox here.

For an First Rate
Audio | Video | Rehearsal Experience
Go to Hothouse Studios
“Where Music Grows”

Hothouse Rehearsal Studios, 11823 Slauson Ave., Unit 41, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, USA  562.945.1300

Studio 1 "The Auditorium" at Hothouse Studios

Final rehearsals for the Brazilian Street Carnaval were held yesterday in the auditorium and the studio was overflowing with rhythm and energy.

The drum beats and the dancing is infectious and it spilt over into all the rehearsals here at the studio. Everyone was coming and going with a little dance in their step and telling us what a great rehearsal they had.  Positivity is that way.

Join our close friend David de Hilster as he puts on the 13th Annual Brazilian Street Carnaval at the Promenade Downtown Long Beach, Ca on September 19, 2010.  Gates open at noon and the event closes at 9pm.  This year’s theme is Brasil Moderno.

It’s reasonably priced, it’s all day, there will be two parades, 3pm Rio Style and 5:30pm Tri-Electrio, where everyone can join in.  The entire Promenade will be filled with food and cultural booths. A giant stage with have continual music and dance performances.  You won’t want to miss this event. 

Read the press release below and for detailed info go the Brazilian Street Carnaval web site.

13th Brazilian Street Carnaval Returns to the Downtown Long Beach Promenade September 19, 2010

Long Beach, California, August 18, 2010 – SambaLá Samba School and Contemporanea Drums announce the 13th installment of the Brazilian Street Carnaval taking place on Sunday, September 19, 2010 from noon to 9 pm on the downtown Promenade in Long Beach California. This year’s event features a Rio-Style Parade at 3:30 pm, a Trio-Electrico Parade at 5:30 pm, and Brazilian bands, food, and booths all day. Headlining the entertainment for this year’s event is SambaLa Samba School, Made in Bahia, Pagode with Cupim. Other groups include Samba 4 U Bloco, Capoeira Centro Sul, Natalia & Daniel, Raiz Brasil Dance Troupe, TMA Music, and Zumba. Proceeds for the event benefit children in Brazil via the charitable organization “Casa do Caminho” located in Rio de Janeiro state. Organizers have rolled back prices to help out in this recession dropping $5 off prices from 2 years ago.

Everyone is invited to parade in one of the two parades that take place on the downtown Promenade in City Place between 5th Street (at Wal-Mart) to Broadway. There is a $10 fee to parade in the Rio-Style parade and costumes are for sale, for rent, or you can wear your own with approval by the parade director. The parade will include 150 dancers, 25 drummers, a float, a sound car, and dozens and dozens of beautiful samba dancers in feathers and bikinis. Costumes are being designed by Long Beach Carnaval Artist Doris de Hilster and choreography by top samba dancer and instructor Valeria Ruggieri, both of who exhibited their skills this year to over 40 million people world-wide in the 2010 Rose Parade in and around the Jack-in-the-Box float.

This year’s carnaval theme is “Modern Brazil” (Brasil Moderno) which is features in the Rio-Style parade with the theme song composed and sung by Brazilian Renni Flores with the drum arrangement by Rodney De Assis. The theme song can be found on the internet at song.carnaval.org.

The Trio-Electrico (Bloco) parade requires the purchase the purchase of a T-Shirt along with admission ($25 in total prior to the event, $30 at the gate). Those with the T-Shirt can fall in line behind the sound truck and follow the fun and dance moves. The Bloco T-Shirts were designed by Rio resident Igor Leal who is a carnaval artist and composer living in Rio de Janeiro.

Attendees are invited to bring new small or medium-sized toy for Casa do Caminho charity in Brazil.

General admission is $15 prior, $20 at the gate. Bloco T-shirt admission is $25 prior, and $30 at the gate with VIP all-points passes going for $50 prior and $60 at the gate. There are private tents available for groups of 10 also available at $500 prior to the event. Seniors and students get a $5 discount. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.carnaval.org or by calling 562-508-4504.

For more information call 562-508-4504, email contact@carnaval.org, or visit www.carnaval.org. The Brazilian Street Carnaval takes place on Sunday, September 19, 2010 from noon to 9 pm and will be located at 205 The Promenade North in Long Beach, California 90802.

Alex has been part of the community of musicians and artist that rehearse here at Hothouse studios since we opened back in October of 2003 and it is an honor that year after year Alex uses studio 1 (the auditorium) to shoot his “drum lesson” for Modern Drummer Magazine.  Thank You Alex!!! 

Alex has been in rehearsing so look for a new video soon.

Don Bell and Liquid Soul

Performance Rehearsal

Your band has lined up a gig, thankfully with plenty of notice and time to promote.  You realize you have plenty of songs to choose from; more songs than you are going to be allotted time for.  What do you do? 

You should plan on making most of the rehearsals before your show “performance rehearsals”.  Think of them like the rehearsals a cast of a play or musical put on.  As you close in on your gig date, you should be getting closer and closer to playing like it’s the real deal. 

For our example, let’s assume that band ABC has 4 weeks’ notice and typically practices twice a week. 

• 4 weeks before the show:

Believe it or not, this is going to be the toughest week of the four leading up to your gig.  Band ABC was writing music thinking they were going to have to play an hour for their show but landed a local music showcase gig that only requires a 30 minute set.  Unfortunately, that means they won’t be able to play all of their songs.  The tough part of this week is choosing which songs they are going to play. 

The first rehearsal should be devoted to getting song durations down.  A stopwatch is incredibly handy, as is a white board.  Band ABC has their song names already written down on the white board so it’s just a matter of playing them and having someone write down how long each song is.  They know that their normal set, start to finish, is almost an hour; now they know how long each song is so they can add up times to hit 30 minutes.

 Band ABC is not using any type of click track or metronome for their drummer so they make a point to take the time and write a second time beside it that is roughly 10 percent shorter to account for gig adrenalin and nerves causing everyone to want to push the tempo.  (They even lament the fact that they aren’t using a click track for this very reason.) 

All the band members then make their own list of songs that makes 30 minutes of music.  The fun part begins with the negotiation that it is going to take to pick the right songs that will knock the socks off the crowd as well as keep the musicians happy.  This process may extend through to the next rehearsal but by the end of week 4 a set list needs to be figured out. 

• 3 weeks before the show:

During the first rehearsal of week 3, the band runs the new 30 minute set then discusses where breaks need to be placed.  The lead guitarist expresses a need to switch guitars so that break is added (and noted on the white board).  The set also has a couple songs that seem to feed right into each other so that is also noted.  They rehearse the breaks and the transitions from one song to the next. 

The second rehearsal, before they start they make sure everyone remembers how they are doing the new transitions and make a point to rehearse them before running the set a couple times.  The band members begin walking away feeling confident. 

• 2 weeks before the show:

The second week should be devoted to working on stage presence.  The “front man” of the group, typically the singer, needs to pretend there is a crowd and practice getting the crowd pumped up between songs, getting the crowd jamming during songs and making it seem like this is not the band’s first show.  The guitarists and bass player need to make sure they are moving around and not standing in one spot playing their lines flawlessly but with little flair or facial expression. 

The goal of week 2 is to make sure everyone can play their lines while truly “rocking out” like they intend to on stage.  Many a band has sounded horrible during their live show due to extra moving around, whether it’s playing or tripping over cables.  

Band ABC practices in a very nice rehearsal facility with great lighting that dims, (like hothouse studios), so during the 2^nd practice of the week they dim the lights, more like a night club would have, to make sure everything runs smoothly in a low light situation.  If your practice studio doesn’t have dimmers on their lighting, bring in a couple of lamps from your homes, turn off the studio lights and work the set in low light that way.

• The week of the show:

Band ABC has practiced religiously for the past three weeks.  They are confident and secure in their playing.  They decide to only practice once this week.  They run the set one last time with a couple of trusted friends there for a crowd and also to get feedback.  They work out the one little quibble that their friends mention…the guitarist took longer than everyone thought switching instruments, they adjust and run the set again, except with better filler to mask the guitar change.  They are happy and incredibly secure in their playing. 

They make a point to pack up their gear that night so all they have to do the day of the show is show up at the gig.  This lets them have one less thing to do the day of the show and keeps them fresh and ready to blow the crowd away with their set. 

Your live set is fined tuned.

Hothouse Studios is more than a top notch rehearsal facility, we are a music career learning center and the Band Toolbox has over a 100 articles on various subjects relating to succeeding in your music career.  Enter the Band Toolbox here.

For an First Rate
Audio | Video | Rehearsal Experience
Go to Hothouse Studios
“Where Music Grows”

Hothouse Rehearsal Studios, 11823 Slauson Ave., Unit 41, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, USA  562.945.1300

Studio Directory at Hothousestudios.com

Did you know that a part of the band toolbox is a national rehearsal and recording directory?  Why we’ve created this local and national listing of rehearsal studios grows from our desire here at Hothouse Studios to be of service to the music community.  It’s not about us…It’s about you and we understand that at statement. 

 There are lots of choices when considering music rehearsal studios, rooms or space.  What are your needs?   Do you want a monthly lockout or just an hourly rehearsal studio?  What is your budget?   Is there a studio in your city to rehearse in? We list thousands of rehearsal studios with detailed write ups so you can quickly find the best studio to fit your rehearsal needs. 

The directory is completely searchable by category, studio name, city, state, zip code and even area code.  Categories include:  Recording studios, rehearsal studios, stages, lockouts and much more.

Take a look through the studio directory here  

http://www.hothousestudios.com/studios/index.php

Hothouse Studios is more than a top notch rehearsal facility, we are a music career learning center and the Band Toolbox has over a 100 articles on various subjects relating to your music career.  Enter the Band Toolbox here.

Hothouse Rehearsal Studios is always looking out for your welfare with discounts, promotions and just spreading positivity.  Find out how here.

For an First Rate
Audio | Video | Rehearsal Experience
Go to Hothouse Studios
“Where Music Grows”

Hothouse Rehearsal Studios, 11823 Slauson Ave., Unit 41, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, USA  562.945.1300

Quite often I find bands asking me similar questions.  In a nutshell they were all asking “What they can do to have more effective and efficient rehearsals”.   In this next series of articles in the Band Toolbox, I’ll be sharing information on rehearsal techniques, designed to impact your next showcase or recording.

Here’s an example of an article in the Band Toolbox.  This is an overview article.  In the band toolbox there are articles written specifically about each type of rehearsal mentioned in this overview article.

Types of Rehearsals

 Another point to cover when preparing for rehearsals is to determine the appropriate type of rehearsal to have.  The song is the main determinant. Depending on where a song is categorized on your list of readiness (song idea thru performance ready) will determine the appropriate type of rehearsal to use.  One rehearsal session may incorporate the methods used in the various types of rehearsal. Again the song dictates the type of rehearsal.  So what are these rehearsal types? 

• Jamming rehearsal – new song is introduced, learn chord changes, very loose approach, figuring out what the song should sound and feel like.
• Song writing rehearsal – the band as a whole writes a song.  Similar approach as a jamming rehearsal except you’ll be creating the chord changes on the fly.
• Song Arrangement rehearsals – assign parts and focus on specific sections in the music.  Work in small groups (bass and drums only, drums and vocals only).
• Performance rehearsal – Your live set is fined tuned.
• Pre-production (for recording) rehearsal – here you’re thinking about instrumentation, breaking the song down instrument by instrument, assigning instruments to your track map.
• Technical rehearsal – work on moving smoothly thru your effects processors, instrument changes, and amp settings.
• On camera rehearsal – video a dress rehearsal, practice movements.
• Live radio show rehearsal – work on song introductions, edit song length if necessary, come up with “sound bites”.
• Rehearsals for interviews – have a friend interview the band; get comfortable with answering questions on the fly.

 You are a band, a group of musicians.  The laws of nature say; “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”.  Don’t fight Mother Nature. 

Substitute the word “song” for “whole” and you get “the song is greater than the sums of its parts”. When the song sounds great each member of the group will shine within it.

Believe, Decide, Take Action, Get Results

Hothouse Studios is more than a top notch rehearsal facility, we are a music career learning center and the Band Toolbox is closing in on 100 articles on various subjects relating to succeeding in your music career.  Enter the Band Toolbox here.

While other studios are writing so called rehearsal tip articles, there is a major difference between theirs and the Hothouse Band Toolbox articles. The ones I’ve read from other studios are about telling you reasons not to cancel rehearsal on them.  It’s all about them not you.  The Band Toolbox is all about YOU and enhancing your chances of making a career in music.