Minimum Rehearsal Space Size

[Ledbetter]

I"ve been asked to join/rehearse with four other guys in an existing blues band. They want to rehearse next weekend in what is basically a one-car garage-sized space. 10" by 15" maximum size, with drums permanently set up at one end.

 

I am 64 and had a pulmonary embolism last January. Am I wrong to be concerned about using so small a space to rehearse a five-piece band? Pretty sure the singers will not be wearing masks. Thanks.

[Jonathan Hughes]

A 10 x 15 space with drums would be tight under normal circumstances. With your circumstances, I'd give that a big "hello no!"

[Michael Wright]

Too small a space for me.

[KuruPrionz]

Not worth the risk in any way, shape or form.

Worse yet, in a room that size the volume doesn't need to be very loud to be WAY TOO LOUD!

 

At 65, I am long since done with loud. We had a few outdoor gigs this summer, we won't be booking indoor gigs or practicing.

 

Maybe it's all over, I've been busy putting a small recording studio together but I would only allow one well vetted person at a time to share the space so it's probably just for me mostly.

[Docbop]

It would be on the small size even before covid-19, but since no way. Plus a Blue's band volume levels are probably going to be crazy too. Stay home put on some old Chess records and play along.

[Morrissey]

Agreed, too small for my tastes. Everyone has their own lines when it comes to safety these days. I've drawn the line at outdoors only. Managed to play a good amount of music while it has been warm, but not looking forward to the cold of winter.

[lightbg]

No........just no.

 

As tempting as it may be if you're like the rest of us breathing is way more important than playing.

 

No.

 

 

Jake

[Ledbetter]

Thanks, seems to be unanimous. If you"re still reading, how big? I"m thinking I would probably feel comfortable with everyone masked and spaced as far as possible in a two-car garage sized space, say 15 by 20". Comments?

[KuruPrionz]

While this aspect is important, it is also paramount to know more about who is in the band, how cautious are they the rest of the time, who do they spend time with, etc.

 

I've not tried singing with a mask on, I'm guessing it's not as much fun. Personally, I'd probably avoid indoor situations as much as possible until we have better solutions for the problem.

I love being alive and plan on doing so for some time to come...

[MAJUSCULE]

If it's a garage, is it possible to open up the car door(s)? Most certainly a double garage would be better. As Kuru says, making sure that everyone is on the same page in terms of precautions/daily lifestyle and attitude is key.

[MathOfInsects]

For myself, rather than working up from a small space to figure what might be large enough, I'd work backward from "no indoor rehearsals" to, "OK, this would seem to negate most if not all real concerns, and the gig is compelling and safe enough to warrant the rehearsal."

 

I turned down a nice-paying outdoor gig that turned out to be a COVID nightmare, and I have never been as glad not to make money as I was to pass on that little chunk of torture, once I heard the reports.

 

I took an indoor gig live-streamed from an empty bar. We rehearsed once outside and once inside. Inside was a massive room. We were well-spaced. I still double-masked with a KN-95 under a cotton mask. The singer had to bail on his mask to sing, and was on my side of the stage so he could hear himself in the monitor. I spent the whole rehearsal running numbers and angles and calculating aerosolization. I decided it was probably safe, and also that if I had it to do again, I'd insist we all set up on opposite corners/walls, and that even the singer would have to wear a mask in rehearsal.

 

That room was huge--maybe half my house. It still felt like dodging a bullet.

 

With your lung issues, the risk-reward calculus changes even further. Personally, I'd ask for outdoor rehearsals, well-spaced and masked.

 

Now, flip side: A doctor friend of mine says he's read every study and seen every set of numbers, and even if you're in a room full of drunk fraternity dudes drinking and shouting unmasked, as long as you stay masked and distant, you are exceedingly likely to be fine, even if they all have it. And if in fact they are masked too, statistically you are simply not getting or giving COVID that night. HOWEVER...if I had your lungs, I wouldn't be in that room to test the theory. Just me maybe, but stats don't mean a thing to the unlucky few on the wrong end of them.

[Ledbetter]

I appreciate hearing everyone"s thoughts. Since January, I have lost thirty pounds, have been stationary biking 36 minutes every day and the follow-up CT scan showed that the clot in my lung had dissolved or been absorbed. Still not a guarantee it won"t happen again, and it"s no fun let me tell you. In December, I went on an airplane trip to Florida and back without doing any walking during the trip. Don"t do that if you"re on a long airplane trip.

 

OK. Everything above makes perfect sense and I know how I must proceed. It is tough passing up chances to play, and these guys have recently played a couple of outdoor, festival type gigs. I know the drummer pretty well and he is great to play with. Outdoor rehearsal space is unheard of around here (near Santa Barbara) unless you know someone really well with a ranch or other ag operation.

 

I"ll let you know if we"re able to work around this situation. Thanks again.

[CowboyNQ]

That is a tiny, tiny, room. Agree with everyone else here that COVID or no COVID, that's really too small to be comfortable for a 5 piece band. You'd be on top of each other - particularly given the drum kit taking up space at one end.

 

Where I live the indoor social distance rules are 1.5 metres apart. Have no idea how that translates to California's rules but we're pretty much COVID-free so I'm imagining your rules are tougher than ours. Just can't see how you'd physically make it work even if you wanted to. Is it possible to hire a rehearsal room or is that not allowed/not a thing where you live?

[xKnuckles]

Good decision. Last week I had a 5 piece band rehearsal (.....in preparation for a gig in October which ended up being cancelled the day before the rehearsal due to new rules requiring a 10pm curfew for all UK venues....) After some consideration we decided to go ahead with the rehearsal anyways. I rejected the garage option for all the reasons given above. Instead I opted for the house. We spread over 3 rooms in an L shape, so we could all see most - but not all - of the rest of the band. I set up PA so everyone could hear each other really well even if we could not see each other. The singer stood at the open French doors and sang facing outwards. All doors and windows were open. I wore two masks. It was a great rehearsal and I think it was as safe as we could manage, but there is definitely always risk involved...

[Docbop]

A two-car garage would be better is good air circulation, but most important have to be people that are friends or real familiar with their habits. I would say find a rehearsal place and rent a large room. Divide up the cost and shouldn't be too bad.

[KuruPrionz]

Looking towards the immediate future, with winter looming - wouldn't any and all gigs be indoors for the next few months at least?

I'm from California and Santa Barbara is a beautiful area but it still gets pretty brisk (and sometimes moist) come winter.

 

While it is possible that indoor gigs might be "safe" the odds are not in your favor there and it is lacking in grace to show up to a club, look inside and say "I am not going in there." Better to play it safe and choose your battles.

Life is far more precious than a few gigs will ever be.

 

If it's a blues band, ask for recordings and the keys they play the songs in. You can learn them all at home, on your own time - over the winter. Typically, most songs will be 1, 2 or 3 chords and a beat. Some of them have a couple of simple changes, like Stormy Monday and if they play Georgia you'll have some homework to do but it's not out of the realm of PPP - the Paid Practice Program.

 

Then when summer rolls around and the outdoor gigs come up, you should be able to "wing it" without practice. Honestly, unless the band is learning a ton of new material there's no real reason they should need to practice other than having a "boys club."

I've played a ton of blues, country and rock gigs where I got the call the day of the show and somebody would call out keys and any important changes to watch out for. The occasional glitch will happen, the crowd will not care if you lay down a groove and play like you mean it.

 

I will agree that some outdoor gigs can become nightmares as well, our first gig of the summer was the last time we will play that club until the "new normal" (whatever that is!??) is established and safety is more viable. It didn't become a super spreader event but the potential was there and it creeped all of us out big time.

 

It would be different if it was jazz or classical music - a certain number of rehearsals would be advised, but I am a happy listener for those styles.

[cphollis]

That would be too small a space for me, even without the virus! Earplugs for sure. The four of them can rehearse together and send you a recording, especially if it's a blues band. Besides, it'll keep everyone on their toes for the live gig!

 

In my neck of the woods, all the outdoor venues are fully open and have larger-than-usual audiences. We've hit our max bookings so we're now declining new gigs through March. We're rehearsing in a large 22'x24' room with substantial airflow (a/c, fans). Everyone in the band is being super-cautious in their personal lives, so we all feel its a manageable risk.

[Iconoclast]

If you're worried about the volume, it all depends on the drummer.

 

If you're worried about the covid, it's too small of a space.

[Konnector]

5 guys in a 10' x 15" room? Way too small if you ask me. My basement studio area is 12' x 25' and there's no way I'd want to cram 5 guys + gear in there.

[MathOfInsects]

We're rehearsing in a large 22'x24' room with substantial airflow (a/c, fans). Everyone in the band is being super-cautious in their personal lives, so we all feel its a manageable risk.

Just beware that HVAC is thought to be (or at least not able to be ruled out as) behind some of the heavy spread in restaurants and other indoor environments. I actually asked them to turn off the AC when we rehearsed.

[Lou Gehrig Charles]

Where I live the indoor social distance rules are 1.5 metres apart.

 

Wow, that's really close! England (and maybe the rest of Europe?) is 2 meters, which is comparable to the six feet we have here. But considering I am 5'11" tall, six feet away is really pretty much right next to me. Maybe the science says differently but to me that is too close. Five guys in a space the size of a one-car garage is too close.

[Stokely]

Even without Covid, I'd only do that if I could use in-ears. I reckon practicing in spaces like that has done far more damage to my hearing than gigs. Granted, I've mostly played in loud bands, even with acoustic drums there's a wide range of volumes that bands have.

 

With Covid--no way, unless somehow the room had one wall open to the outside air (ie, an actual garage) and you could have fans circulating the inside air out. Short of sneezing on someone, singing is about the most dangerous way to potentially spread this thing. If I was sure all the members were isolating, and IF everyone was willing to get a rapid test the day of practice, then maybe I'd do it. Maybe.

 

The 6 foot rule does not mean magically you can't get it if you stay that far away. It's all about air circulation/turnover and air currents and their direction. An indoor space without outside air circulating, with people singing and staying in the same location--meaning, that if the singer has Covid and is singing in your direction (and maybe even if he isn't), you are going to get a dose of it that could build over time. Dose appears to matter regarding severity, and dose is time plus amount.

[CowboyNQ]

Where I live the indoor social distance rules are 1.5 metres apart.

 

Wow, that's really close! England (and maybe the rest of Europe?) is 2 meters, which is comparable to the six feet we have here. But considering I am 5'11" tall, six feet away is really pretty much right next to me. Maybe the science says differently but to me that is too close. Five guys in a space the size of a one-car garage is too close.

 

I agree it is quite close. Mind you where I am there are all sorts of weird rules for COVID that seem quite inconsistent with each other.

 

To be fair to our state government, important context here is that where I live there are only 2 active cases (both identified on Sep 23). For all intents and purposes, we're COVID-free so the rules are somewhat more relaxed than in other parts of the world. When COVID first hit, we went into a hard lockdown with very tight social distance rules and border controls which (so far) have stood us in good stead.

 

But all of the above said, I STILL wouldn't rehearse in a room the size of OP's. My home office is larger and I couldn't imagine getting five blokes and a drum kit in there with any level of comfort.

[Joe Muscara]

My old band used to get together at my house in one of our bedrooms which was (and still is) used only for musical purposes. It's 11'5" x 12'7". There were five and sometimes six of us crammed in there with a full drum kit and my keys (this was before I owned a grand piano or Hammond & Leslie). With one of our early drummers, we struggled like hell with volume, the singer's mic kept feeding back until we put her outside the door in the hallway. A quieter drummer helped fix that.

 

That was then, this is now.

 

My most recent band has been getting together in the bass player's living room. With the furniture he has in there, we're still on top of each other and walking around stuff to get around. I might guess it's about the size of a one-car garage. I haven't gotten together with them since this whole thing started (actually the band broke up in January when the guitar player tried to make it in Nashville, but after the tornadoes and COVID-19, he came back and they started getting together again in April) and don't plan to until I feel it's safe. I've suggested they get together outdoors, but they didn't even respond to that idea. The bass player has a covered patio but oh well.

[Biggles]

I would not trust that Doctor who has read every study.

 

We have Halls of Residence at our Uni"s which are locked down because the Freshers did not Social Distance during the first week they were at University and Covid is now rampant among them.

 

You have underlying health issues and you think you will be OK in a space the size of a living room with a group of people who you have no idea what precautions they have been following.

 

A Facemask is not for your protection, it is to protect others from you. Even then protection against the airborne virus is minimal if it is not worn correctly or mishandled.

 

Stay safe and continue to social distance until you are vaccinated or throw caution to the wind and do as you please.

[EricBarker]

Lol, this brings up a fun memory. I used to live in a 14ftx14 A-Frame cabin, and if you know A-Frames, that means it's about 8ft x 14ft usable space at best. half of this was a kitchen, a futon bed, a little TV and studio setup. Full drum kit, 3 power amps. It was just a trio, but it was absolutely nuts!

[MathOfInsects]

I would not trust that Doctor who has read every study.

 

We have Halls of Residence at our Uni"s which are locked down because the Freshers did not Social Distance during the first week they were at University and Covid is now rampant among them.

 

You have underlying health issues and you think you will be OK in a space the size of a living room with a group of people who you have no idea what precautions they have been following.

 

A Facemask is not for your protection, it is to protect others from you. Even then protection against the airborne virus is minimal if it is not worn correctly or mishandled.

 

Stay safe and continue to social distance until you are vaccinated or throw caution to the wind and do as you please.

 

Well, his point was not that people who do not socially distance are at risk; we know that they are. It was that, after 30-odd-million cases now, it seems pretty clear statistically that as long as you, yourself, are distanced and masked, you are unlikely to contract COVID. Statistically, mask plus distance has been pretty foolproof when you study the actual cases of transmission. And if by some chance the drunk students are masked too, you are DEFINITELY not getting it. That doesn't mean THEY won't get it--they will. But you won't.

 

Again, that doesn't mean you'll find me in that college party any time soon. Just that statistically, if someone kidnaps you and drops you there, your chances of infection are near-nil if you remain distanced and masked, and virtually nil if they're masked too.

[Ledbetter]

I texted the group after speaking on the phone with the drummer. Told them my reasons for not wanting to be playing in a small room. Offered to contribute to renting a larger rehearsal space. Then I tried to find one nearby and all the usual places weren"t running their Craigslist ads. So no small studio playing for me. Next task: find adequately-sized rehearsal space nearby.

[Morrissey]

I texted the group after speaking on the phone with the drummer. Told them my reasons for not wanting to be playing in a small room. Offered to contribute to renting a larger rehearsal space. Then I tried to find one nearby and all the usual places weren"t running their Craigslist ads. So no small studio playing for me. Next task: find adequately-sized rehearsal space nearby.

 

 

In these times, there are probably a lot of options to rent space that aren't usually available to bands. So many businesses hurting for income; unused capacity. Just think of places with large indoor spaces -- gymnasiums, reception halls, museums, church halls, etc.

[KuruPrionz]

I texted the group after speaking on the phone with the drummer. Told them my reasons for not wanting to be playing in a small room. Offered to contribute to renting a larger rehearsal space. Then I tried to find one nearby and all the usual places weren"t running their Craigslist ads. So no small studio playing for me. Next task: find adequately-sized rehearsal space nearby.

 

 

In these times, there are probably a lot of options to rent space that aren't usually available to bands. So many businesses hurting for income; unused capacity. Just think of places with large indoor spaces -- gymnasiums, reception halls, museums, church halls, etc.

 

This is true. As an example, our local high school is all online at this point. They have a performance space for music and theater that seats 500 people. The stage is huge, the sound system and lights are excellent and the room is designed to have good acoustic properties. It just sits there. They do rent it, I don't remember the exact cost when it was in use but it was low. Now that it is not in use, one could probably bargain an absurd rate.