Creating a Demo/Reel

[improvpwnd]

Hey Justin,

I am hoping to audition for a major label artist and one of the requirements is to send a demo. I have recordings of my playing with a few acts, but nothing I am proud enough of to send as a demo...plus they are not my songs.

So, how do a bass player go about making a demo? Do I write/record a few tunes of all different genres to show flexibility? Are they just looking for other people's tunes that I have played on? I really don't know where to start or what they are really looking for... is it like a film makers reel, but for music?

Thanks!

[jmjbassplayer]

Well, first of all: it doesn't matter if they are your songs or not.

I think you'll want to show your diversity on a demo. I've never made one as a bass player specifically, so I'm sort of speaking in general terms here. Anyway, throw some variety in there, and it doesn't shut you down if the stuff you played on honestly sucks. If your playing, tone, and approach are well-represented, then you're cool. If not, then just put some grooves together that are tasteful and appropriate to the artist, I guess. Like three different things that encompass the style range of the artist you are auditioning for, but that show as much diversity WITHIN that as you can. That might be what I would do, for instance.

Best,
Justin

[improvpwnd]

Thanks for your time, Justin!

Is there any merit to creating a general demo of, say, 5 or 6 songs of different genres/grooves that isn't tailored to any specific audition? These would also show tonal varities--an Americana tune for palm-muted thump, a Rock tune for maybe a bit of grit and/or with a pick, Jazz for warm fingerstyle/walking/double stops, Funk for middy/bridge pickup, etc?

Do people do this? Am I thinking outside of the box as a bass player in a bad way? Is it possible to think outside the box in a bad way?

[jmjbassplayer]

I really don't know. Perhaps someone else can chime in.

[JimmyM]

If it were me, I might try to work up a small collection of stuff of different styles, but I'm not sure how far in other directions I might go from what the band is looking for. I might send in mostly stuff that had somewhat of a relationship to the band's music, like I might send in a pop rock tune to a metal band, but maybe I wouldn't send a metal tune to Mariah Carey if she were looking for bassist.

That's just me, though...and really I've only been asked to send a demo once, and I just played a couple of the guy's songs by myself. Didn't get the gig either, so maybe I'm not the guy to ask