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Advice:How to join an existing "original" band

G

Gaetano Paul

Nov 25, 2009
640
29
Sarasota, FL
www.guitarlessonssarasota.com
#1
SO I am thinking of joining an original band, and I know the drummer, so they know I can play. THey are saying yeah come out and jam with us on Monday. WHich sounds great except I dont know any of there songs, and how could I they have not cut an album yet? Anyway, so I am thinking if the guitar player can write me out some rough chord charts of the songs no problem I can jam with these dudes ASAP, but as I listen to the music, it is the kind of playing that would have to be tabbed out, as it is not so much a chord progression but some real unique type of playing. Hard to explain, not very plain Jane. But if he did tab it out i could totally rock it, he does not have it tabbed out already from what I can tell.
They just sent me some rough recording of there stuff, 9 songs. All very original, not your by the book cookie cutter stuff. Like a mix between System of a Down, Future of Forestry and Queens of the Stone Age.

Question?????
How to handle this???

Do I just go ready to jam on Monday not knowing any of these songs? I feel a bit hesitant to do this as I dont want to look like a Jack ass :ninja:

Do I study these recording songs, this could take hours, and get a grasp of these songs before thinking about jamming with them? :eyebrow:

ANyone any advice would be much appreciated, I dont have much experience with the original scene.
 
#3
1) listen to the songs, absorb them
2) go through each song and map out the structure and basic changes.
3) on your favorite 4 songs play along a few times just roots. get a feel for the drummer and the songs.
4) on one song, start to dig in on what the bassist was playing. really learn the part.

I would say it's way more important that you have a feel for the music and the songs than nailing the parts. Go in there, show them that you can play along to it (even if not accurate to recording). Then, blow them away with the song you learned.

edit: You should really just ask them what they want to play so you can prepare. Without that, follow the advice above. If you do join the band, i would recommend learning the songs this way. It really helps me come up to speed quickly.
 
#4
Gaetano Paul said:
Question?????
How to handle this???
Click to expand...

OK, this is obviously going to entail a big paradigm shift for you...

You've got to start wrapping your mind around the concept of a band that composes its own material and has its own sound. Forget the tab. And forget trying to have your parts all sorted out in advance. They've already given you rough recordings of nine of their songs. That should be more than enough to get you started.

Listen to their stuff - several times if you feel so inclined. But don't try to memorize it note for note. This is a jam. They're leaving it relatively unstructured for a reason: They want to get a feel for how well you fit. They want to know how well you can improvise. They want to determine if you can compose your own parts on the fly. They want to observe your creative process in action.

So prepare, but don't overprepare. Go with the flow. Serve the groove. Now is the time to let your inner monster come out to play... :bassist:

MM
 
#6
what they said!

you sound up-tight about this experience- don't be. you and the drummer know your abilities, and that's how you should strive to perform. hang factor is huge, which is a combo of work ethic (preparing yourself), and being fun to hang with (relax).

i wouldn't ask for charts, that is your job. having you're own notes, and adding to them is good though.

listen to all of the songs, and choose the ones you like/can play best. there is nothing wrong with saying "i am most comfortable with these 2-3 songs" or "i don't have the chorus yet, but i kind of have the rest."

find out if their is a cover or two that they play, sometimes they are a little easier to play.

don't be surprised if they try to take you out of your comfort zone with new material or by jamming.

when in doubt, lock with the drummer and groove! the drummer know you can play, so that's good. the guitarist will love it if you can provide him a platform that he can solo over.
 
#7
basic charts are a good thing if they want a certain feel for stuff, so you can go dark or light, though they may want to see what you can do up front. i love it when a keyboard player will offer up a simple chart, because i get a clue where to get out of the way, or maybe embellish
 
#8
The band I'm in now was an original, and they were the first band I ever played with (I was really nervous about it). It was a 4 piece that was currently at 2 members (drums and guitar, both did vocals), and they needed another guitar and bass player. Myself and my friend went to jam with them (had met them previously, but only a time or two). That night they jammed out a few of their songs to give us a taste of what they were about, then they loosely taught us the parts to a song or two so we could jam with them. After that practice, their guitar player (who knew all of the bass parts) tabbed 3 of them out for me and gave me a copy of the rough cuts. I learned those over the next few days then we jammed again, running those songs. After that, he tabbed out the rest of the songs, and we've been playing ever since.

I guess that's a roundabout way of saying that the first practice is just as much of an audition for personalities and taste to see everyone jives together as much as it's about the music. Do the best you can, and see if they'll tab some stuff out for you so you'll know more next time, and just keep building.

Best of luck.
 
#9
dukaruk said:
1) listen to the songs, absorb them
2) go through each song and map out the structure and basic changes.
3) on your favorite 4 songs play along a few times just roots. get a feel for the drummer and the songs.
4) on one song, start to dig in on what the bassist was playing. really learn the part.

I would say it's way more important that you have a feel for the music and the songs than nailing the parts. Go in there, show them that you can play along to it (even if not accurate to recording). Then, blow them away with the song you learned.

edit: You should really just ask them what they want to play so you can prepare. Without that, follow the advice above. If you do join the band, i would recommend learning the songs this way. It really helps me come up to speed quickly.
Click to expand...

This is what I would do. Show them you respect their material and have at least listened to it. When jamming I would watch the guitarrist and listen to the drummer and then just groove the rest of the way. And, someone already mentioned it, have fun!!!!! They are probably seeing if you are cool or not, especially if you've already jammed with the drummer(I am assuming he put in a good word for you otherwise you wouldn't be there!). Good Luck!!!!
 
#10
Play through the material they gave you. At least some of it everyday. A little everyday is better than cramming it all in your head in a few hours.

Then relax. Don't stress about it. It's just music. You're not curing cancer of feeding hungry children.

Then have fun my friend! That's what it's all about. :D
 
#14
You got the music. Charts don't exist. No one sits down and writes a song with tab. Honestly if I was auditioning you and you asked for a tab of every song, or even one entire song, you would fail the audition. I've made learning a song at the audition part of an audition. People who learn the fastest are the best players.
 
#15
Gaetano Paul said:
So showing up to play with an original band with no charts or music is a standard thing I guess?
Click to expand...

kind of... if you need charts to start, then use charts. charts show that you spent time interacting with the music prior to auditioning, just don't ask for them, make them yourself.

throw some chords down on a chart with whatever notes you need whether you use tab, words, notation, or combo of the three. don't worry if they aren't perfect (ie; not sure if it is a major or minor), and it is cool to ask for clarification when you start the audition.
 
#16
Don't be against playing the bass lines as they were written. The members of the band as well of the fans may expect the songs to sound similar to how they were written. Just go in with an open mind that you have the opportunity to help with new material as it's created if this is a long term gig.

I have known people to give up great opportunities due to being stubborn about playing the songs as written.
 
#17
Thanks guys, all great advice.

I am thinking maybe I should pass on this band, as it is write now I cant even tell what in the world this guitar player is doing, they fired the other bassist cause he was playing off key, and honestly I am not sure it was 100% his fault, I cant even tell what key the are going for. So if what Moses said above is true, then this is a thing I will walk away from right now. SO hopefully you were just being arrogant, if not, then this particular project is not for me.
 
#18
Leave at home: Your amp, your bass.

Bring: A recorder, pencil + Paper, your ears.

Seriously. Go there with the attitude of "I want to learn your songs" not "I want to play your songs"

Quality of recorder doesnt matter, just something so you can listen to it again on your own. Learn the songs on your own time, practice playing bass along with them.

Have another practice, bring your bass and your notes. They can help you with the parts you still dont get, and you'll probably impress them more than trying to learn songs you dont know on the fly.
 
#19
Welcome to the world of the working and jamming bass player!

I've sometimes had two days to learn a full 40 minute set of original stuff written by other bands that I had never heard before.

I won't repeat what most have said because its all correct and accurate. Just learn the stuff by listening to it over and over and trying to play it in bite sized chunks and shorter, more frequent learning sessions.

I think I read your post to say you might be actually "joining" the band. In that case you have to learn the material. Not note for note to start, but you have to know the songs.

Then don't worry about it. if anyone in that band has criticism you can always ask them how long it took them to learn their own material as well as they do now.

My $.02
 
#20
UnityGain said:
Leave at home: Your amp, your bass.

Bring: A recorder, pencil + Paper, your ears.

Seriously. Go there with the attitude of "I want to learn your songs" not "I want to play your songs"

Quality of recorder doesnt matter, just something so you can listen to it again on your own. Learn the songs on your own time, practice playing bass along with them.

Have another practice, bring your bass and your notes. They can help you with the parts you still dont get, and you'll probably impress them more than trying to learn songs you dont know on the fly.
Click to expand...
Yes this feels most comfortable to me :p
I have not been in this kind of band since I was 16, and then I was the leader and the musical mind behind it all, and it was simple punk rock :p
 

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