5. Rehearsing

5.1. Where should I be rehearsing?

This depends on a load of different factors. If your band’s a two-piece electronic outfit, you can probably save a lot of time and money by rehearsing in your own house, but if drums are involved, you’re probably going to need a rehearsal room. Thankfully, there are plenty in Oxfordshire.

Rehearsing at home has the advantages of all your kit being to hand without needing to be moved, and an obvious saving of cost. On the downside, you’ll have to keep it quiet unless you’re blessed with living in the middle of nowhere, or having deaf neighbours, and if you’re using vocals, it’s going to be impossible to get them loud enough without a PA.

Many village halls, schools, youth centres and so on have spaces to use or rent which are extremely affordable, and can offer you all the space you need, the opportunity to play as loud as you like, and a regular slot. What they may not have, of course, is a sophisticated PA system.

While rehearsal rooms might cost money, this can be a blessing in disguise in a way, as it can encourage you to focus and get things done if you’re paying for the time. Bear in mind that the most popular slots especially will be booked up well in advance, so plan far ahead if you can, or try to book a regular slot (you can sometimes get a block discount for this too), or you could find yourself faced with the option of rehearsing at midnight at your studio of choice, or not at all! Most studios book out time in blocks of three or four hours, so think carefully about how much time you actually need.

Here are some factors to consider when choosing a rehearsal room:

• Price: of course, the crucial factor for most, especially if you’re going to be rehearsing once or twice a week.
• A solid, simple to use PA system. Especially important if you’re running keyboards, drum machines or any other D.I.ed instruments. If you’re not sure how it works, make sure there’s someone there to run you through it before you start, or you might end up wasting the first half hour messing with the PA.
• Plenty of space – even if there’s only a few of you, you’ll need a surprisingly-large amount of space if you’re going to be cramped into the same room for the next three or four hours.
• Comfort – you’re can’t overestimate the value of the basics, like a toilet, sink, running water or drinks machine.

Safe power supply - thankfully a given at most rehearsal places, but still extremely important to make sure everything’s safety tested.

• Location: If the rehearsal room’s in a lush rural setting, are you going to be able to cart all of your equipment out there? Will you have to hire a van even to get to rehearsal?
• Backline: Some rehearsal rooms have a backline drum kit, bass amp, piano etc. set up for bands to use. This can be invaluable in cutting down the amount of stuff you need to take along, and thus cut transport costs. Backline can sometimes cost a little extra, and is optional for this reason in some rehearsal rooms.
• Layout - is the room set up for recording or rehearsing? For instance, a long thin room might be just fine for recording, but terrible for rehearsing, since if you’re at the same end of the room as the drumkit, that’s all you’ll be able to hear.

This is another area where it can be extremely beneficial to ask friends in bands, or to canvass opinion from messageboards about places to go. You’ll soon get a good idea of which places most people recommend.