EDIT: Thread title should read "Turning down my first audition", not band.
WARNING: Long, boring post to follow....
Well, I auditioned for a band for the first time last Thursday.
First, a bit of back story: I've been playing for about 6 years but 3 of those years was spent making babies so I didn't play seriously then. I've just recently (6 weeks ago) gotten back into a regular practice routine so I'm still pretty rusty. I was never very good even when I was playing regularly, I'm not a chops monster, I don't know much/any theory, I can't read music, I don't have a good ear, and I'm sure most (all?) people here can play circles around me. I'm not being modest here either, I have to practice songs, even very simple songs, over and over and over again until I'm comfortable with them.
But, I do practice them. More on this point later.
I had been in a band before but I didn't audition for it, I knew the drummer from work so I just showed up and played with them. Just a little basement band looking to have fun and play some parties, not a big deal. It was fun but a little frustrating as I soon realized I was the only one who practiced songs between band rehearsals.
Ok, so on to my recent "audition". Everything sounded great going into it, an established band with a recently departed bass player, we shared similar influences and covers, all roughly the same age (I'm a little older than they are). Good communication prior to the audition. They gave me 4 songs to learn, easy songs (Lit, Blink 182, etc), and I learned them as best I could in the short time I had.
I'll make a long story short. This band is FAR from established. They don't have a singer. They had a girl filling in who was NOT a singer, she was terrible. They don't have a lead guitarist. The current guitarist plays rhythm but as the night went on I was getting the impression he wasn't actually part of the band either. Hmmm... Ok... So the only person who's really in the band is the drummer. And he didn't "know" any of the songs we played, he just played the same simple, lounge style beat to everything. But, here's the kicker...
They couldn't remember the songs they asked me to learn!!! This was obviously going to be like my previous band where no one practiced anything on their own. I ended up staying for the whole session (almost 3 hours) and played about 12-14 songs, including the four I learned, some I used to play with my old band, five or six I fudged on the spot, and a couple I'd never even heard before!
Ok, so here's my little ranty part. I'm well aware of my faults as a player, I know I need to practice things over and over again. I don't expect the rest of the band to sit around while I work out a part to a song I've never heard before! And I don't want my time wasted sitting around while the drummer or guitarist tries to work out or try to remember a song they don't know. Don't people realize that in order to play covers you have to actually learn how to play the songs???
Grr.... Anyway, I find myself in the very unexpected position of having to turn down a band. I haven't played seriously in about 3 years, my hands cramp up playing difficult and/or fast parts, and I still don't have a nice set of thick callouses. Yet, here I am already turning down a band. I don't get it.
And even more frustrating, the band I really want to be in just had their bass player quit on them. The timing is terrible, another 6 months and I would have had a shot but I'm currently not ready to play with them. Of course, this is their 3rd bass player to quit in 18 months so maybe I can just wait it out!
