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Briana Lee has a long list of credits from touring and recording with many major artists. She has been featured in Disney's The Little Mermaid Live and La La Land Live in concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Currently, she's expanding into more roles as a vocal arranger, producer, and vocal contractor for television and other media.
Recording vs live prep — The biggest difference between recording sessions and live rehearsals is what's expected of you. I often go in blind to recording sessions. You don't always get material until you're there. But, for live work, you can do research online and see what they've done before.
Practice vs rehearsal — If you don't practice, you won't learn the material. If I'm doing sessions or prepping for a tour, my world revolves around practice—everything else shuts down. I'll lay out the lyrics on the floor and learn the emotional content of each song as well as the music.
Plan vs spontaneity — It really varies. It depends on the artist and the project. Sometimes there are concrete ideas and other times they don't know what they want. Sometimes they ask me for ideas, so you have to be prepared for anything.
Thirty Seconds to Mars — You would think that a rock act would be less formal and looser. But, Jared Leto is very focused. He knows exactly what he wants. He pays attention to every little detail. He knows how he wants the songs to sound, how he wants to present them on stage, and how the overall production should look. He would be a great musical director, he covers all the bases.
Rehearsal time — Most of the time rehearsing for a live show can take anywhere from two days to a few weeks. It depends on the project and how complex the production is. There is also practice involved, working out arrangements and harmonies, which takes up additional time.
Elvis Costello — There are usually very few surprises during rehearsals because everything is planned out. But Elvis is a free sprit when he performs, sometimes leaving you flying by the seat of your pants. He occasionally would play a song we never rehearsed, just because he felt like it. I learned to get familiar with most of his songs, so I wouldn't let him down. When that happens, you roll with it and try your best.
Hollywood Bowl — That is an amazing place to play. But I wish we would have rehearsed more. We only had a few days of rehearsal. There's no room for error there. You're working with a click and a large screen at an iconic venue. It's very intense.
Choreography — A lot of artists choreograph their show in rehearsals. Not so much for dance moves, but just movement in general and where you need to be on stage. Movement is always a big part of a live performance.
Time wasters — If there's no plan or organization, it wastes a lot of time. You need to know what you want to do. If people bring problems or disputes into rehearsal it can affect everyone.
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