REDLAWMAN Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I had an audition for a band last night; my very first. A drummer, guitarist and me. I was expected to simply play along with them to songs I didn't know, have never played and which are very much outside my genre. There was no music, no chord charts like I normally print off the internet: no one could tell me the chords a la Nashville Numbering System (eg. I, IV, V in G), nor- for most of the songs- did they tell me the chords, let alone the changes. I was expected to simply play along, taking my lead from the guitarist's fretting hand. Is this how these things generally go and am I simply not at the stage yet where I'm sufficiently accomplished a player to even consider joining a band? I had a great time, nonetheless, with two really great guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 What was it - covers or original songs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 In my experience, that's a bit unusual. I don't know how people expect to hear you at your best if you don't know the material - I've always been supplied with a small list of songs to be done previous to the event. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toasted Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) I'd expect to at least be told the chords and changes before we started playing if it was originals that they didn't have recordings of to provide me with before. Glad you had fun - for most of us that's what it's all about Edited March 5, 2012 by Toasted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 [quote name='REDLAWMAN' timestamp='1330953019' post='1565183'] Is this how these things generally go and am I simply not at the stage yet where I'm sufficiently accomplished a player to even consider joining a band? [/quote] It really depends on what level of musical proficiency the band are looking for. Some bands will be quite happy to spend a little time working towards making the audition a comfortable exercise, other bands will want to see your interpretation of a song without giving you any preconceptions. It sounds to me that you'd have been absolutely fine if you'd been given adequate information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 sounds to me like they don't have a clue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodyratm Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I went to an audition for a covers band:- they sent me the set (which had about 100 songs on it) - didn't say which to learn... and when I suggest a few I'd learned (varying styles etc) I was told "Ah we've not done that one for ages" I assume I didn't get it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 whenever I've done an audition, which hasn't been very often, a list of 2 or 3 songs is agreed on so everybody is prepared, this also sorts out the time wasters, the comment "I've not had time to look at them, I'll just wing it" is not a sign of someone who is going to be committed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 [quote name='REDLAWMAN' timestamp='1330953019' post='1565183'] I had an audition for a band last night; my very first. A drummer, guitarist and me. I was expected to simply play along with them to songs I didn't know, have never played and which are very much outside my genre. There was no music, no chord charts like I normally print off the internet: no one could tell me the chords a la Nashville Numbering System (eg. I, IV, V in G), nor- for most of the songs- did they tell me the chords, let alone the changes. I was expected to simply play along, taking my lead from the guitarist's fretting hand. Is this how these things generally go and am I simply not at the stage yet where I'm sufficiently accomplished a player to even consider joining a band? I had a great time, nonetheless, with two really great guys. [/quote] This is where the diversity of Basschat weighs against a sensible resolution - as we have pro and semi-pro players here who would wonder what the f*** was going on if confronted by the above. But, for a lot of guys just starting, and those of lesser/intermediate abilities, this is often how it goes - if you've put your mate drums and are just banging some ideas together, [b]particularly if it's original stuff.[/b] You can call it an audition but a 'jam' might be closer to the truth, and I've done a couple just like that. The songs are unformed, and it's a clean sheet to have a go at what you would do with that riff the guitarist has got, etc, etc. [b]If it was covers [/b]then I don't know why they couldn't f***ing tell you which ones in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Nah that`s unusual. If it`s a covers band, they should give you a list of songs that they are competent at and ask you to learn them as best you can. In the future it`s always wise to ask if they are in the original keys as some singers can`t hit some of the notes and may have changed the key. It`s good that you liked the guys as this can be as important as the music. Remember also, you are auditioning them as much as they are auditioning you. Jez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPS Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I think a lot of people, no matter how experienced would struggle with that sort of scenario, fair play to you for enjoying it. In my experience that's not that unusual for originals bands, especially guitarists who bizzarely often seem to struggle to identify chords confidently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDLAWMAN Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 It was covers; rock mainly. Good time had though: a real baptism of fire, but actually quite exciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 [quote name='REDLAWMAN' timestamp='1330969645' post='1565575'] It was covers; rock mainly. Good time had though: a real baptism of fire, but actually quite exciting. [/quote] Well even if you didn't get the job, you've come away from the experience with more positives than negatives by the sound of it. Definately a worthwhile exercise IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 [quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1330968226' post='1565542'] Remember also, you are auditioning them as much as they are auditioning you. [/quote] +1 Just out of interest, has anyone here actually gone to an audition and told the band they've failed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_derby Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1330970209' post='1565592'] Just out of interest, has anyone here actually gone to an audition and told the band they've failed? [/quote] I've been to a couple of auditions and afterwards said 'thanks, but no thanks' when I've been offered the post. Once it was down to musical differences, I knew I wouldn't really be committed to the style of music (it was advertised as blues rock originals, but just wasn't my cup of tea). Second time, the 'leader' and guitarist was a total control freak and I just knew it would end in tears (or worse) if I joined them. I'm sure both of those scenarios must be common to basschatters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 sh*te, is this really all that unusual, or because some of you stalwarts can't remember back to when you were 15? To come back on my original post, now you've said it was covers... then dullards. They could have at least packed you off to have a listen to a few tracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Yeah, I had assumed from the OP that this would be a young-ish originals band. Any band asking you to audition playing covers should have been able to tell you at least a couple of songs they'd be doing before the event, surprised at this one and its not what I'd call the normal way of doing things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rOB Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) Dunno, I would call that a very loose jam rather than an audition. IMO a jam can be a useful way of finding how a future writing partnership for originals might work out but for covers I'd expect a bit of prep. I'd also expect to be told the chords and changes in advance or told which versions of songs they do. [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1330970209' post='1565592'] Just out of interest, has anyone here actually gone to an audition and told the band they've failed? [/quote] Not face to face but once after an audition/jam the band leader called to offer me the slot and I had to say thanks but no thanks. Edited March 5, 2012 by rOB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Tipping Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1330970209' post='1565592'] +1 Just out of interest, has anyone here actually gone to an audition and told the band they've failed? [/quote] Twice .. one time with an originals band. They sounded great on recordings .. but at the rehearsal I think I knew the songs better than they did! That was an easy one though as I was in another (covers) band at the time .. I just told them our manager had just given us the dates for the next few months and I was going to be way too busy. The second one was very strange .. I guess it wasn't an "audition" as such .. they had seen me play with a previous band and asked me to turn up to an "audition" I turned up a little early to the studio and was mucking about on my bass and running over one of the ten or so songs they had given me when two of them came in half cut and said ..we were listening to you oot side bud you've got the job. I said nice one can we run through a couple of tunes .. they said nah it's cool we've not heard fae the drummer anyway .. you'll be fine. This then turned into a bit of an argument when I suggested that I might want to actually play with them and see how I felt about being in the band .. I walked away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Tipping Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 ... I just remembered another! It wasn't quite an audition .. but, I got asked to "help out" on some recordings with a band .. so I put a fair bit of work in and wrote 5 or 6 bass lines for an ep. then went into the studio and recorded it .. at the end of it all I got a text asking for £500 towards the studio time ... I never did get a copy of that cd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Strange that this was a covers band. I'd expect this with an originals band - pretty much every "audition" I've had for originals have been when the band was just getting together so the was as much about how we would write songs as a band as it was about my technical ability at playing my instrument. The two times I joined existing bands once I was given a rough mix of their forthcoming CD and told to learn the bass parts, and the other time the band wanted to change how they'd been doing the songs and therefore it was up to me to come up with something of my own after listening to the guitars and vocals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I had a audition with a function band a few weeks ago and they weren`t very good. They played everything at 200 miles an hour. I asked them how many songs in the set. I told them they would need about 60 as they played so bloomin fast. It kind of went down hill from there. After 45mins I said I was off, thats when they told me they had someone coming down after me. They e mailed me the next day saying they had chosen the other player, I was a good player blah blah. Thank god for that I thought. Four days later I get another e mail asking if I still wanted to join as the other guy, an ex pro apparently, had decide that he wasn`t ready to join another band. More than likley, came to the same conclusion as me: they are crap. No I didn`t join. Jez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I think my oddest audition 'failure' was down to me not doing my homework before I went to meet them. Musically everything was just fine, they could all play, the genre suited me down to the ground and, knowing who else they'd seen beforehand, I knew the job was mine. What could possibly go wrong..? I had the first inkling that I'd missed an important snippet of information when, before playing, I was asked if I would like to lead the prayer... I may have picked up a bit of a reputation for being able to improvise over the years, but there are limits and I couldn't have been more out of my depth if I tried... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Tipping Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 ^^^ The best one I've heard yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1330989738' post='1566085'] I had the first inkling that I'd missed an important snippet of information when, before playing, I was asked if I would like to lead the prayer... [/quote] "Hail satan, lord of darkness.... sorry, what do you mean I haven't got the job?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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