Guide to getting and playing better gigs
Rehearsals
Most rehearsal studios offer only the barest PA systems, more often than not a simple vocal rig, so the guitarists and bassist have an obligation to keep an ear on volume levels. However much fun it is to crank your amps to blowing-up-point, there's little use in even scheduling a rehearsal spot if the vocalist can't hear what they're singing and the drummer has to play so hard that any inherent subtlety is lost.
It's best to run through a portion of one of your songs with just the vocals and drums (maybe you could include the bass player too) to ensure that the vocals can be heard over the tub-thumping, and then adjust your guitar levels accordingly.
If you have a type of amp that only sounds 'any good' at high volumes (an all-tube Fender, for example), you'll have to be resigned to the fact that some sort of compromise is required if the band are to get anything done. There's no reason why a half-decent overdrive pedal can't do the job for you, and when you get to play live, the PA should be a much more solid affair, and you have the perfect right to blow eardrums out then.
If you run-through a track and the changes between the verses and the choruses are a bit ropey, then concentrate on them for a time. If it's easier for a particular member not to play during these procedures, then don't feel obliged to have every instrument involved.
The bass and drums need to lock together in most forms of music and they're not going to get the most out of practising their sections with a guitarist playing his power chords over the top, save that for a proper rendition of the song in question.
Also, if anyone makes a mistake anything more substantial than simply dropping a bum note or forgetting a lyric, the culprit (for want of a better word) should stop the song and either suggest starting again or running through the tricky passage a couple of times.
Discussions over material and ideas can often be very useful during rehearsal time, and if any member is trying to bring new ideas in, other players tuning up, tapping cymbals or whatever just makes the process longer and certainly more irritating.
So, when you're not actually playing during a song, turn your guitar off, put your drumsticks down or move away from the mic, it really helps and keeps nerves unfrayed!
Make sure you have at least one set of spare strings, a spare lead and more than one drumstick when you arrive. Most of the bigger rehearsal complexes will be able to sell you these items on the spot but if your area is in the canteen of the warehouse that your dad manages, you'll be stuck.
Remember that the fourth rule of Sod states that if you don't have a spare, you'll need it within eight minutes.
If you're booked into 'Dave's Rehearsals' between 7 - 9pm, any member turning up at 7.25pm isn't doing anyone any favours. Dave will still get his £6.50 per hour but your band will have lost that already paid-for time because you weren't there when you should have been.
Ring if you're going to be late so at least the rest of the band can at least start doing something, it'll also keep tempers under control. It's not too much to ask after all.
A good way method of getting into the habit of consistent rehearsals is to pick one night of the week and treat it as 'Rehearsal Night'. That way, band members are more likely to be able to keep it clear from other social functions and you'll know that you'll have to keep Wednesday night in February next year free. This also means that you may be able to book weeks in advance and even get some sort of bulk booking discount into the bargain, well, you never know?
Working like dogs on one arrangement during the entire session has the guarantee of making the band feel very proud of themselves, but make sure you can recall it the next time you rehearse, or it'll be a complete waste of time.
An easy way of ensuring that every member will be able to perfectly recollect every key change is to simply tape every rehearsal. There's no need to set up a digital eight-track though, just put a standard portable tape deck with an on-board condenser mic in the corner of the room, press record when you start playing and just leave it on for the entire time.
The quality of the actual recording will be pretty poor, but at least you should be able to hear each instrument and any associated changes.
Every band will have their own methods of rehearsal and all of the above are only meant as tips to make the whole experience more worthwhile all round. Everybody loves playing live (don't they?), but even this is no fun if your bassist doesn't know what the vocalist is doing.
Rehearsing is a necessary evil and following even a selection of the ideas above should make at least make it an efficient evil.