Projecting chords / lead sheets on wall at band practice

[Morrissey]

Has anyone found it useful to project chord charts or lead sheets on the wall at band practice? I find myself with an extra flat-screen tv and am tempted to hang it in my music room to aid in jams. I'm somewhat skeptical as to whether it would be useful, but I can imagine successful scenarios such as projecting charts (and lyrics) at impromptu jam sessions or for spontaneous attempts to resurrect very rusty tunes at band practice.

[RandyFF]

Good luck at that- at a local jam with inspired would-be musicians, I've often wanted a way to have the chords layed out for one and all to follow. Sounds good to me!

[Ken Beaumont]

Sounds reasonable to me.

[MathOfInsects]

Cool idea. It would also be useful for spinning youtube or spotify to learn tunes from.

[Delaware Dave]

Band practice is a place to learn beginnings/endings, go over the songs, practice and break down the vocal parts. Songs are to be learned before coming to practice, it's not a place to waste others' time because someone didn't learn the songs on their own time. I would skip over the songs and move on to the next one if the chords are the issue. My two cents. This is why many bands practice 1/week and play out 1/month. These typically are the bands I have no interest in.

 

 

[MathOfInsects]

Band practice is a place to learn beginnings/endings, go over the songs, practice and break down the vocal parts. Songs are to be learned before coming to practice, it's not a place to waste others' time because someone didn't learn the songs on their own time. I would skip over the songs and move on to the next one if the chords are the issue. My two cents. This is why many bands practice 1/week and play out 1/month. These typically are the bands I have no interest in.

 

To be fair, he did call them 'impromptu jam sessions," which would be a different situation IMO.

 

[MAJUSCULE]

Great idea.

 

Good luck at that- at a local jam with inspired would-be musicians, I've often wanted a way to have the chords layed out for one and all to follow. Sounds good to me!

 

I know someone here who runs a Saturday afternoon jam at a pub. He recently started doing a sing-a-long once a month where musicians still get on stage and play, but the crowd get lyrics on the TV screens. Kinda like live band karaoke for the whole bar.

[cedar]

I've actually had similar ideas. I frequently host jazz sessions. I call most of the tunes, and most of the time the tunes are not well-known. I do my best to have charts in different keys. I usually end up making and distributing copies (leaving me at the end of the day with lots of extra paper).

 

For these reasons, I have had the passing thought of displaying a chart on a bigger screen. But I really can't see how it's practical. There is no central viewing place for more than a couple of musicians. If the chart has any real detail, they prefer to see it up close. So just doesn't seem workable to me.

 

I also use MobileSheets on a Windows Surface. I believe the program allows you to make another device a "slave," so that people can read the same music on two different devices. I've never tried that approach, but sounds good in theory.

[Morrissey]

I have had the passing thought of displaying a chart on a bigger screen. But I really can't see how it's practical. There is no central viewing place for more than a couple of musicians. If the chart has any real detail, they prefer to see it up close. So just doesn't seem workable to me.

 

If I do this, I'm going to put the screen behind the drummer. Everyone else should be able to see it over his head!

 

[Morrissey]

 

I know someone here who runs a Saturday afternoon jam at a pub. He recently started doing a sing-a-long once a month where musicians still get on stage and play, but the crowd get lyrics on the TV screens. Kinda like live band karaoke for the whole bar.

 

 

I think it is pretty common for praise bands in churches to project lyrics like this, too.

[Morrissey]

Band practice is a place to learn beginnings/endings, go over the songs, practice and break down the vocal parts. Songs are to be learned before coming to practice, it's not a place to waste others' time because someone didn't learn the songs on their own time. I would skip over the songs and move on to the next one if the chords are the issue. My two cents. This is why many bands practice 1/week and play out 1/month. These typically are the bands I have no interest in.

 

 

 

I mostly agree, and enjoy being in bands with disciplined mates. But my ideal band practice, in addition to being comprised of mostly group-learning based on individual preparation, also includes time for spontaneous experimentation and brainstorming. For example, at band practice we'll often think of a good cover song we should add. In the moment, we typically find one member knows the tune completely, several others know it somewhat, and one doesn't know it at all. Prior to committing to learning the tune in its entirety, it can be fun to take the tune for a short test-drive at that practice. This would be a good example of when I'd like to project a basic lead sheet, so everyone could fumble through for a two minute test-drive before returning to the regularly scheduled agenda for that practice.

[El Lobo]

One of the bands I rehearse with has done this with a few tunes where the chord chart is confusing or unclear. We rehearse in a big front room and the player who lives there has a projector rigged up overhead and can put the chart on the back wall that everybody can see. We've only done that when there's a need to get everybody on the same page where there are repeats or unusual changes in one part or some other structural issue that individual practice beforehand did not sort out. It's mostly not needed but the few times we did it, it was helpful.

[PianoMan51]

OnSong can help, but only for lyrics and chords, and from an iPad.

 

[video:youtube]

[Delaware Dave]

For example, at band practice we'll often think of a good cover song we should add. In the moment, we typically find one member knows the tune completely, several others know it somewhat, and one doesn't know it at all. Prior to committing to learning the tune in its entirety, it can be fun to take the tune for a short test-drive at that practice

This is exactly why I get frustrated. If I know the song then this part is wasting my time. If I'm the one that doesn't know it I don't want to waste others' time learning those pieces during the jam. Get it on a list and learn it for the next impromptu jam. Again, my two cents. I think I'm up to 4 cents now....

 

I'm not saying your idea is a bad idea; I'm saying for me it's a pet peeve that frustrates me.

[aellison62]

I "belong" to a group of seasoned musicians that get together about once a month to jam 60s,70s,80s tunes just for fun. The "bandleader" enjoys creating his own one page charts for many (MANY) well known tunes for us to play and enjoy. The chart is projected from his computer onto a 60 inch monitor on the wall and we all just read and follow along. Very low pressure, just for fun. Yes, we work on some songs more than others to get them right, just because we want to. So yeah, your idea is being used just like you suggested and it makes the whole session easy and fun. There is even an alphabetical listing of the songs displayed on the left hand side at all times so we can think about which one we want to play next. Great fun. On the occasional gig we play, we use these same charts on our Ipads (if we want/need to)

[Morrissey]

For example, at band practice we'll often think of a good cover song we should add. In the moment, we typically find one member knows the tune completely, several others know it somewhat, and one doesn't know it at all. Prior to committing to learning the tune in its entirety, it can be fun to take the tune for a short test-drive at that practice

This is exactly why I get frustrated. If I know the song then this part is wasting my time. If I'm the one that doesn't know it I don't want to waste others' time learning those pieces during the jam. Get it on a list and learn it for the next impromptu jam. Again, my two cents. I think I'm up to 4 cents now....

 

I'm not saying your idea is a bad idea; I'm saying for me it's a pet peeve that frustrates me.

 

 

I totally get your perspective, and know many musicians who share it. Personally, it really irks me when everyone is supposed to have learned a tune yet someone comes unprepared. For this topic, though, I'm exploring a technological solution for a different scenario -- when everyone in the band agrees it'd be fun to noodle around for a few minutes on something a bit unfamiliar. I totally get some folks view that as a waste of time. But other folks find that to be part of the enjoyment of playing music. My musical interests are rooted in improv / jamband type stuff, so I'm especially inclined to the noodling.

[PrairieGuy]

Using it at a band rehearsal because someone doesn't know the song is a different story, but one of my friends hosts an informal jam a couple times a month and who knows who will show up. He projects chord charts onto a 55" TV so everyone can play along. Everyone is more or less competent so they can "play along" without much problem and we have a couple hundred songs to choose from. We're there to play music and have fun and it's very helpful.

 

Both of my bands have pulled up chord charts to test run a song. There's nothing wrong with spending 2 minutes trying something out and then deciding if it suits the band/singer so everyone can learn it for the next rehearsal.

[CowboyNQ]

Variation on the idea, my bands use white boards in our rehearsal rooms. Not usually for chord charts unless there"s an anomaly in our understanding in that regard, but it is very useful for song transitions, starts, ends, arrangements, structures and tricky timings.

 

So yes I think your TV would prove useful as visual aids are helpful.

[cedar]

My solution - if I didn't make this clear before - was just to set up a printer in the rehearsal area and quickly print out charts for whoever needs them. I also have plenty of music stands in the room. Nothing beats being able to read a chart close up. And this way, people get to take the charts away at the night, if they like.

 

Sometimes the simpler technology is best.

[Outkaster]

Anytime I see singers with Ipads and bands the first thing I think is disrespect.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

Anytime I see singers with Ipads and bands the first thing I think is disrespect.

Is it that different than McCartney or Springsteen having a teleprompter for their three-hour sets? I much prefer to see the iPads than music stands or cheat sheets all over the stage.

[El Lobo]

I much prefer to see the iPads than music stands or cheat sheets all over the stage.

What about when the singer stares at his/her phone for the entire song?

 

[Delaware Dave]

I much prefer to see the iPads than music stands or cheat sheets all over the stage.

What about when the singer stares at his/her phone for the entire song?

How is this any different than staring at a teleprompter for the entire song? the only difference is that the phone is closer to you and you have to look down more than a teleprompter that is further out in front of you. However on a small stage you still have to look down at a teleprompter because you often can't get it far enough in front of you.

 

BTW, I don't use a phone or a tablet; I memorize the words (termed the old-fashioned way).

[CowboyNQ]

I much prefer to see the iPads than music stands or cheat sheets all over the stage.

What about when the singer stares at his/her phone for the entire song?

I"ve been to a couple of gigs where the singer has had the words written in a book and has 'hidden' it behind a fold back wedge.

 

On both occasions they spent the whole evening bent over like they had a spinal problem, reading. Not the best look from an audience perspective.

 

[MathOfInsects]

I just had this conversation on FB, but for most of us, it would be not just impractical but impossible to memorize all the music we would play even in a single week.

 

I just counted and between Friday and Monday I played about 100 different songs. I actually know probably 75 by heart, but would not have had any hope of memorizing those final ones. I do agree that there's a difference between a lead singer or "headliner" looking like he or she couldn't even be bothered to learn his or her own music, and the rest of the backing band referring to charts as they have from time immemorial, but even then all the times you thought you were seeing someone freeball it they likely had some cheat sheets hidden somewhere.

 

Paul McCartney reads every word of every song, even those the rest of us could do by heart, and I think a crowd would rather have the illusion of memory, than some old rocker who flubs the lyrics to Let It Be mid-song. Yes, it's more human if he flubs, but for every one forgiving fan, there are a thousand ready to plaster social media with the Macca version of Eddie Van Halen playing Jump in the wrong key.