Communicating is something that we, as people, do on a daily basis. When you were small and you were hungry, you would say to your mom, “Mom, I’m hungry. What’s for dinner?” With your friends, if you got mad for whatever reason, you would say, “I’m mad,” or “I’m upset,” and then list the reasons why you were mad, hoping that you could find a solution to the problem. The reason why I’m giving you everyday examples of how we communicate everyday is to illuminate how similar it is to communicating in a band and why you should do more of it in a musical setting.
There’s two important times to make sure you’re communicating with your bandmates: during rehearsal (preparation) and actual gigs (performances). Both are equally important because, at any time unexpected things can happen–the pianist comes in a measure early, you forget the lyrics to the second verse, a band member shows up late or not at all, etc. Getting to know your band members and how they operate before, during, and after a gig will help you to better prepare for those really important performances.
Types of Communication
Something that develops with your bandmates are gestures or looks that are exchanged during gigs and/or rehearsals, and can either be verbal or non-verbal. Some of these are:
-making eye-contact with a particular band member
-either subtle or exaggerated nodding of the head
-holding up a small fist or a finger
-looking back at other musicians (for soloists or times when vocalist sings without music)
-giving verbal cues, like, “head,” “solo,” or “verse.”
All of these can be done to cue a certain section of a song or when you want to add or change something at the last minute.
I tend to be unsure when to come in with the verse or bridge of a song after another musician takes a solo, so I always ask the soloist to give me a nod when they are finishing their solo. Some musicians would argue that a good musician always knows where they’re at in a song, at all times, but I have seen some really great players either lose themselves in the moment because of the music or they just mess up. It’s always better to be prepared for when those “uh-oh” moments happen, so you can transition out of them smoothly.
Learning how to communicate with other musicians helps you connect better with those other musicians, in turn creating better musical experiences. Don’t feel bad asking one of your bandmates to help you with your starting note for a song or asking the drummer to give you a cue when to come in after a solo. You all are supposed to be helping each other out so that that musical experience can not only sound good to the audience, but be a fun experience for those performing as well