[starsailor]

I don't know how other people do it Peptic but if I'm practicing a song I've learnt recently and I've got the hang of it, I usually just run through the chords or notes just to make sure I've got the changes in my head, I think if you're doing a cover this is relatively straightforward but it does help if you've written a song as you might find another chord that will fit in and improve the melody, with new songs the practice gives you an opportunity to fine tune the song, but once you've done a run through to check the arrangement I think you can then go at full speed, most bands have practice sessions just to make sure their on the same wave length and it doesn't really matter how often they play the song, a little refresher is always worthwhile just to make certain.
I was recording a song last night and I got near the end and forgot the words, if I'd taken a little more time to double check the lyrics the recording would have been spot on, so taking it slow for a few minutes pays off in the long run.

Cheers

Chris