From One Song to the Next

Do you know what your rehearsal should look like? Because how your rehearsals look is a huge part of how your live show will look!

Almost every artist I know thinks “rehearsal” means going through your songs over and over again until you’ve got the music just right. Maybe they decide where to stand during a certain part of the song. Maybe someone told them if they just put their foot up on the monitor for this one solo, that’ll look cool!

But that’s not what a rehearsal is about. Sure, you want the music to sound good; but there’s so much more to it. And it involves even more than the songs themselves.

You may not realize it, but one thing a rehearsal needs to be about is working on transitions. A lot of artists tell me they are REALLY uncomfortable between songs. I constantly get asked “should we always talk between songs,” “should we go right into the next song,” “is there a right or wrong way to transition between songs,” “should there ever be silence in the room?”

The DVD class on transitions that I’m talking about is on All Roads DVD #7: To Infinity and Beyond. I spend some time in that class doing a “hands-on” with an artist so that you can see how rehearsing transitions looks.

The truth is, having all your transitions look the same would be just as bad as having all your songs look the same!

And don’t forget that rehearsals are also the time for developing the moments in the songs – reshaping things and trying new ideas for your audience. There are probably some spectacular things in your songs, that when pointed out to your audience will make them think you hung the moon!

And, as I’ve talked about many times, it’s a place to work on spontaneity. The former guitarist for Prince told me they rehearsed six days a week, twelve hours a day, for six weeks before their tours. If you want to know what they worked on, take a look at the blog I wrote about Prince and Creating Spontaneity.

So next time you go into a rehearsal, work on your songs, the moments, and everything in between!

Tom Jackson

Tom is uniquely talented and skilled at transforming an artist's live show into a magical experience for the audience; helping artists at every level create a live show that is engaging and memorable, teaching them to exceed their audiences' expectations and to create fans for life. Tom has taught indie and major artists of every genre. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Le Crae, Home Free, The Tenors, Shawn Mendes, The Band Perry, Francesca Battistelli, Jars of Clay, & many more. Tom also teaches at colleges, conferences and events worldwide.

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