a well-run rehearsal

Sometimes you're under the gun: a performance is coming up and you've got tunes/pieces that are just not happening. In these times it's good for the rehearsals to go well, i.e. not be aimless jams which in the end leave the troublesome issues unaddressed. And if you're in a place like New York City (where you can't just bust out a full-fledged rehearsal in your apartment without getting evicted) you're probably renting space, and that almighty dollar tends to make us want results.

So here are some tips to ensure that rehearsals are productive:

1. Get through all the material. If you've gotta learn 6 tunes and you've got 2 hours to rehearse at least figure out the average amount of time you can spend on each tune (in this case 20 minutes). Sure, some tunes will require less work and others more. But you've gotta have a ballpark figure. Don't just "feel" it.

2. Big picture. Try to get through a tune, even with catastrophes on the way. If you can't get all the way through a tune/piece then spending a lot of time on one or two measures or sections won't help overall.

3. Communicate well. If you can't convey how a piece is put together or its form, guess what? Nobody'll be able to play it. Be as analytical and logical -- or at least consistent -- as possible.

4. Don't over-rehearse. I.e. if it ain't broke don't fix it. "Fixing it" in this case usually has the result of killing the spontaneity which will in the end zap all the vitality of a tune/piece.