In the "Slave" thread there was some discussion about the way the Stones rehearsed songs.
Does anybody know the way they do it. Mathijs mentioned that they listened to the cd and then figure out how to play it. BV mentioned in his "rehearsal reports" which songs are rehearsed on a day and sometime there is a 1, 2 or 3 behind the song indicating how manay times the played the song that day. To me it always seemed a bit to little for rehearsing a song.

So what's there proces? Did anybody ever attend rehearsals? I know some of you stayed outside in Toronto and Amsterdam '99 so nmaybe they have some info.

Cheers,
Wuudy

Anyone?

Cheers,
Wuudy

I doubt you're going to find anyone who has attended a rehearsal. It's tightly closed off so the best we can do is just go by the reports from people who hang outside the rehearsal hall.

My best guess is what you've already said. First they listen to the track, then begin playing to the CD and then they try it on their own and then that's it. Chuck helps out with the arrangement and guides them through it. After a few tries they decide if it's a keeper or they toss it.

they listen to a song....

keith says, "i don't remember it...."
woody says, "let me write the title on a flipchart to see if that jogs your memory..."
charlie says, "which album is that from again, between the buttons?...."
mick says, "next!"

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T&A
they listen to a song....

keith says, "i don't remember it...."
woody says, "let me write the title on a flipchart to see if that jogs your memory..."
charlie says, "which album is that from again, between the buttons?...."
mick says, "next!"

I bet Bill would remember them all... ; )

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Sleepy City

Quote
T&A
they listen to a song....

keith says, "i don't remember it...."
woody says, "let me write the title on a flipchart to see if that jogs your memory..."
charlie says, "which album is that from again, between the buttons?...."
mick says, "next!"

I bet Bill would remember them all... ; )

correct....

were Bill still in the band, i would insert this comment between charlie's and mick's:

bill says, "hey, I wrote that riff!"

The rehearsal process for going through songs they don't know/remember was pretty much documented in the 1994 ROLLING STONE Stones Voodoo cover issue which covered their rehearsals in Toronto. Mick described how he had a song book, with 400 some tunes in it, I think just lyrics, and he'd call out a tune they haven't done in a while.

I seem to remember the article saying something to the effect of Mick yells out 'Rip This Joint', a person in control of the song library/stereo puts on the CD and cranks it way up, they listen to it through once, it gets played again and they sort of plop through it for the changes and the third time they play the whole tune without the CD. I think that is probably where the however many times that day number comes from, because certainly I would think they would rehearse it many more times and by the time they are getting to the end of rehearsals they've probably established a set list and start performing the set list so they get duration down, where they have room to extend songs, where they might want to cut songs short, if this or that song will work, etc...and that's when Ronnie would scribble on the dry erase board the song, the key and whatever else, was when those 'obscure' tunes would work, they would be written up, and eventually worked into the usual (read - warhorses) set list.

Whoops wrong thread



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-10-02 22:09 by Fingers.

I've was inside the Fillmore when the rehearsed for No Security and one time inside the school gym in Toronto before the last tour. Being there makes me wish that I could somehow share these experiences with others as I know how dedicated a fan most of us are and what an experience like that meant to me, and would mean to most of you.

It was an amazing experience, to say the least.

The coolest thing I saw was how the rehearsed Moonlight Mile in Toronto, which was exactly the same way the rehearsed I Got the Blues at the Fillmore, except they played IGTB back a few more times than they did MM before attempting it without the record.

With MM, they played it one time from the album, listening. Then they played it again and they played along, but not fully engaged. They they did one take and flat nailed it, an incredible performance. I watched it from behind the back line, and then after the rehearsals were over I was sitting next to Keith and Ron in the sound room, which was the room that had the sound board in it with a full set of really loud speakers and a couple couches. It was a room that held 10 people and Keith asked what I thought of the rehearsals. I told him I thought they really nailed MM, so he turned to Dave the sound guy and asked him to queue it up. When we listened in its entirety it confirmed what I remembered it sounding like when they rehearsed it a few hours earlier, pretty amazing for a band that hasnt played that song very often since they recorded it. Why they didnt play it live more on tour is one of the great set list mysteries as it sounded so good.

Having been at the recording studios when they did B2B, I think the reason they can play a song so well that they havent rehearsed in years, or decades, is because they will have played it so many times when they record it the first time, it sticks with them, even years later.

actually, i didn't think MM came off that well on the tour...not surprising, though....it's really very much a "studio song."

Thanks Chelskeith - very kind to share your experiences.

Great story Chelskeith.. What an experience that must have been. They probably don't play tunes like Moonlight Mile much when you consider how little room there is at a Stones show for slower numbers. Its usually just one for the band and one for Keith. I really wish they would do more slower and acoustic tunes. Was happy to see more of that at the Beacon but thought they could have even taken it a bit further and done more.