Audition coming fast

[natedawg5280]

So I have an audition at Berklee School of Music December 6th and I have to confess I've procrastinated. My music director ordered me a "bass virtuosos" book for me to pick a song from but I still haven't chosen one or gotten started on one. So I'm asking for advice. What is a good song I could choose that I could master fast/impress with? I'm a great player and listen to lots of music but I have no idea what is an appropriate piece to choose or what they are looking for. Quick answers would rock, I'm going to devote the next two weeks to this.

I'm considering Stu Hamm's "Sleigh Ride" because it's in the book I got, or even Protest the Hero's "Bloodmeat", because a band I'm in covers it. Or maybe Stlaney Clarke's "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" but I'm really just guessing.

Also please no comments about whether this is a good idea or what am I doing this for. That kind of discussion is meaningless right now.

[Dogbertday]

sleigh ride would work... also work up a jazz tune and solo for a chorus... include harmonizations if you can. another thing to do would be to take a classical work and learn in on bass... Fur Elise, Rondo a la Turca, a Bach Cello suite... something.

[natedawg5280]

Good ideas. I actually have a huge book of big band arrangements (I'm in one) so I guess I could just pick one of the tougher ones and prep a solo.

[BassChuck]

Pay close attention to what it feels like to go to a major audition not as well prepared as you'd like to be... and decide if that's a good thing. The best way to be prepared for auditions is to always be prepared (even if you don't have one scheduled).

[EADG mx]

A standard would be great. Flip through a Real Book and pick one you can handle.

for classical, I wouldn't do a cello suite. Simandl etudes are somewhat standard for post-secondary auditions so try those out. I did #17.

[Vakmere]

It didn't matter when I auditioned way back when. They only want to rate you for placement. Goes like this, you get 3 numbers. First one is reading, second is comping, third is soloing. I recieved 3-3-3. Couldn't read a lick and came right out of a rock band. When I graduated I was 7-8-8, still cant read all that well. Relax and play what you know, you wont impress them, they've seen and heard it all. If you have the money to pay the tuition - you're in no matter what. Once you get in enjoy the experience and work at your craft. You wont regret it.

[HaVIC5]

Originally Posted by Vakmere

It didn't matter when I auditioned way back when. They only want to rate you for placement. Goes like this, you get 3 numbers. First one is reading, second is comping, third is soloing. I recieved 3-3-3. Couldn't read a lick and came right out of a rock band. When I graduated I was 7-8-8, still cant read all that well. Relax and play what you know, you wont impress them, they've seen and heard it all. If you have the money to pay the tuition - you're in no matter what. Once you get in enjoy the experience and work at your craft. You wont regret it.

It didn't back then, but it does now. They changed it about a year ago. You're talking about ratings auditions which come after you're in and during orientation. The entrance audition matters now.

My advice? Do what you know how to do, and do it well. Don't do "virtuoso bass" BS, because I guarentee you that there will be 500 other bass players playing Portrait of Tracy, or Classical Thump, or one of these show-offy pieces, and they'll all play it haphazardly, and you will too. They are much more likely to warm to you if you play something simple that's solid. Being solid is paramount - knowing what you're doing and doing it well on your instrument. You're not going to impress anybody with flash - they've heard it all before 1000x over, likely by people far better than you. Focus on the music.

[Dr_Funkdamental]

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

It didn't back then, but it does now. They changed it about a year ago. You're talking about ratings auditions which come after you're in and during orientation. The entrance audition matters now.

My advice? Do what you know how to do, and do it well. Don't do "virtuoso bass" BS, because I guarentee you that there will be 500 other bass players playing Portrait of Tracy, or Classical Thump, or one of these show-offy pieces, and they'll all play it haphazardly, and you will too. They are much more likely to warm to you if you play something simple that's solid. Being solid is paramount - knowing what you're doing and doing it well on your instrument. You're not going to impress anybody with flash - they've heard it all before 1000x over, likely by people far better than you. Focus on the music.

Best advice ever. Not just for this audition but any one. It aint the piece so much as to what you can do with it.

[natedawg5280]

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

My advice? Do what you know how to do, and do it well. Don't do "virtuoso bass" BS, because I guarantee you that there will be 500 other bass players playing Portrait of Tracy, or Classical Thump, or one of these show-offy pieces, and they'll all play it haphazardly, and you will too. They are much more likely to warm to you if you play something simple that's solid. Being solid is paramount - knowing what you're doing and doing it well on your instrument. You're not going to impress anybody with flash - they've heard it all before 1000x over, likely by people far better than you. Focus on the music.

That's kind of how I feel and felt going in but the solid and simple stuff I know is either indie/rock tunes or jazz standards. Should I pick the jazz for class or go with some obscure song I love that I can lay down nicely?
The "guidelines" prompt:
* A tune from a well-known artist or band (any style)
* A standard or jazz tune (which may include blues and rhythm changes) with your own improvisation
* A composition from the instrumental/voice repertoire or a movement, sonata, concerto or etude
* A transcription of a well-known artist's solo

The songs I'd love to choose probably aren't "well-known" artists so might I as well just go pick some unfamiliar solo to show chops? Also "Sleigh Ride" really isn't that hard so I think I can make it look and feel fine.

Right now I've almost got "Sleigh Ride" memorized but I could switch to/bring a jazz standard (am probably going to bring one) as well. One small problem with "Sleigh Ride" is there is no recording I can find that doesn't have the bass voice so that will probably annoy them.

What I think I will do is finish up "Sleigh Ride" and then bag a standard I've been playing in my big band for a year and a half. I'll be solid on that and if I'm not perfectly solid on "Sleigh Ride" I can scrap it. I can't think of a tune from a "well-known artist" I'd like to play.

[P. Lacey]

So how did you go man? I'm 15, and my dream is to go to Berklee... and I will make it there, if I have to swim over and a room in the dorms

So was the entrance exam overly hard?

[jsingles]

play jazz.... not a virtuosity piece....

[onlyclave]

Originally Posted by natedawg5280

That's kind of how I feel and felt going in but the solid and simple stuff I know is either indie/rock tunes or jazz standards. Should I pick the jazz for class or go with some obscure song I love that I can lay down nicely?
The "guidelines" prompt:
* A tune from a well-known artist or band (any style)
* A standard or jazz tune (which may include blues and rhythm changes) with your own improvisation
* A composition from the instrumental/voice repertoire or a movement, sonata, concerto or etude
* A transcription of a well-known artist's solo

The songs I'd love to choose probably aren't "well-known" artists so might I as well just go pick some unfamiliar solo to show chops? Also "Sleigh Ride" really isn't that hard so I think I can make it look and feel fine.

Right now I've almost got "Sleigh Ride" memorized but I could switch to/bring a jazz standard (am probably going to bring one) as well. One small problem with "Sleigh Ride" is there is no recording I can find that doesn't have the bass voice so that will probably annoy them.

What I think I will do is finish up "Sleigh Ride" and then bag a standard I've been playing in my big band for a year and a half. I'll be solid on that and if I'm not perfectly solid on "Sleigh Ride" I can scrap it. I can't think of a tune from a "well-known artist" I'd like to play.

Listen to HAViC5. He's already there. I would suggest playing something easy that you can nail. I mean NAIL it. You aren't going to impress anybody with flashy crap that you can't play.

Pick a jazz tune based on Rhythm changes with AABA form (Anthropology for example) and do some blowing on that.

Hey HAViC5, is Berklee going through some changes to try and minimize their perception and distance themselves from the guitar player factories like GIT?

[Anti_Wish]

I'm sitting in my dorm room at Berklee right now studying for finals. I played,

Radar Love - Golden Earring
Herbie Handcock and the head hunters - Watermelon man

and I brought in a cd with my band playing live on it and played it for them too. It was a really lax audition, not what I was expecting but it was really cool, just like hanging out and jamming with a couple badass players. But play something easy that you can nail, and show flow and continuity in your playing and you'll get in.

Surprisingly I have met a number of untalented musicians since I've been here, Some atrocious singers, but some come to learn to record music, or to get into Music Business.

Oh and Ear training really sucks. But it's important

[HaVIC5]

Originally Posted by onlyclave

Listen to HAViC5. He's already there. I would suggest playing something easy that you can nail. I mean NAIL it. You aren't going to impress anybody with flashy crap that you can't play.

Pick a jazz tune based on Rhythm changes with AABA form (Anthropology for example) and do some blowing on that.

Hey HAViC5, is Berklee going through some changes to try and minimize their perception and distance themselves from the guitar player factories like GIT?

Yeah, over the past year or so there has been some drastic revisions. For one, now you have to audition (you didn't a couple years ago, shockingly), and the acceptance rate has gone way down. This means the quality of players coming in is way higher, which is great for us writers who are always short horns, and the dropout rate has decreased because people can now actually cut it. It still has the "guitar factory" vibe at times, but far less-so than before, and I'd imagine the academic standards will climb. They're already doing a complete ciricculum review.