Audition tips?

[Michael B]

Thanks everyone for the stories and advice.

They actually sent 60 songs. Mostly, so I could see the list and know if I'd be interested.

I did state clearly I'd go for a smaller number and quality not quantity after they asked me to alert them beforehand if I was prepared for more. They seemed ok with it. There is a potential they have unrealistic expectations. We will see. I did find them thanks to google so I'm not going in completely blind.

I'm not too stressed about getting it or not. Looking forward to the audition. I'm having fun preparing.

Thanks all. Michael B

 

[xnewyorka]

Don't noodle or play out loud between songs. If your fingers can't sit still and you have to play when everybody else isn't, then make sure the volume is on zero.
Be honest, just honest. Don't talk yourself up, or down, just speak the truth.
When playing songs, play the minimum number of notes required to play the song correctly. Focus primarily on locking with the kick drum. Do not play any extra notes that are not required for the song. Showing off that you can play 32nd or 64th notes will lose points, not win them. Stick with quarter notes and half notes, eight notes where needed, and 16th notes only where the original version used them.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

1 - don’t learn the songs until you get there. They may play them differently than on tape, so its better not to have the wrong stuff ingrained. Also its a good bonding experience.

2 - first thing you should play are some machine-gun speed slap riffs. This will impress them right off the bat and let them know the level of who they dealing with.

3 - You want to be in the moment, feeling it hard, so probably get wasted before you get there.

4 - be fashionably late. Musicians have big egos and this will show them that you don’t need them and have other options.

5 - bring friends. They have home field advantage. This will help even things out.

 

[Laurent]

Keep your gear small and simple. Don't bring that 45 pedals pedal board.
Don't play overly loud. Just sit in the mix as appropriate. Better to play a tad low and ask your band mates if you're loud enough.
As many have mentioned, be nice and leave your ego home.

 

[Michael B]

1 - don’t learn the songs until you get there. They may play them differently than on tape, so its better not to have the wrong stuff ingrained. Also its a good bonding experience.

2 - first thing you should play are some machine-gun speed slap riffs. This will impress them right off the bat and let them know the level of who they dealing with.

3 - You want to be in the moment, feeling it hard, so probably get wasted before you get there.

4 - be fashionably late. Musicians have big egos and this will show them that you don’t need them and have other options.

5 - bring friends. They have home field advantage. This will help even things out.

Ha!

Hope your tone improves.

 

[madbass6]

#1 Be likeable.
#2 Don't be unlikeable.

it takes a little more then just to be likeable! They could like you all they want but I'm sure if you suck show up unprepared /late/ or what ever, chances are this is probably how your after audition conversation Will go!

.Drummer: wow really nice guy
"very likeable" but can't keep time for sh*t !

.lead guitar player: yeah, that sucks
"very likeable" but very sh*ty ear! and I Can't believe he didn't even learn the easiest song on our set list!

.Singer/2nd guitar : well as "likeable" as he is we should probably keep our options open! the guy just didn't cut it !
manager if present: that really sucks ! very "likeable" guy ! well that's that ! next!!

 

[kev451]

Everything stated and wear clean underwear lol

 

[Freddy-G.]

You are also auditioning them

Just what I was thinking. Make sure that you want to hang with these guys. If personalities aren't meshing during the audition, then they probably won't later. I like an excited atmosphere in the room with good vibes being sent between each other. It will be difficult to play with someone you don't feel at ease with.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

Ha!

Hope your tone improves.

unlikely, but thank you

 

[oldrocker]

Yep. Totally ridiculous, and ironic that was the last post in the thread because no one had mentioned it yet so my advice is:

1. Refuse to learn 12 songs for an audition. It's a sure sign of amatuers that don't know how to run an audition or respect the time and affort of others.

That said, good luck!

...

Thanks everyone for the stories and advice.

They actually sent 60 songs. Mostly, so I could see the list and know if I'd be interested.

I did state clearly I'd go for a smaller number and quality not quantity after they asked me to alert them beforehand if I was prepared for more. They seemed ok with it. There is a potential they have unrealistic expectations. We will see. I did find them thanks to google so I'm not going in completely blind.

I'm not too stressed about getting it or not. Looking forward to the audition. I'm having fun preparing.

Thanks all. Michael B

For a band playing the typical classic rock covers, if I don't already know at least 12 from a list of their 60 songs I'm thinking it's not a good fit to begin with.

A lot of these are not strict audition type situations. I've found them to be more like lets bring a guy down and see how we play together. The more I know from their set list the better.

It's not like learning 12 original songs for an audition. YMMV.

Good luck, have fun.

 

[BaileyMan]

Bring paper and pen/pencil to jot notes about anything...key changes, changes to arrangements, other songs to add to the list, etc. You think you will remember what you discussed about arrangements and such but chances are you won't...

I show up with charts that I've written out and I use them. I'll bring a little music stand, or my iPad if I've got charts on it. People have always been impressed that I come prepared, having done my homework. I've never had anyone give me a hard time for not having memorized 12 songs on short order.

 

[Dbassmon]

You are auditioning them as much as they are auditioning you... Musicianship, work ethic, and personality should all enter into the evaluation.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

outside of knowing the material inside and out, relax and look happy playing the material during the audition. Also make sure that your schedule and their schedule jibe. The last several drummers we've had were mercenaries and play in too many bands to be in our band.

 

[Chad Michael]

Audition "Don't do's"

My first cover band audition, age 19 -ish:

Talked to the singer guitar player, was given a few tunes of their setlist to get squared away. Was told to go to the "Gung Ho" restaurant here in Spokane, I believe the lounge was called the "Ho Toy Room". I said, "Sure, but I'm not 21 yet". So I gets me the legal papers from the musician's union, which allow me to legally be onstage, even though I am under-age.

Show up, ready to play the selected songs, with my Rick 4001. We play a couple of tunes, and when the band goes to break, I get feed back from the band leader. He was very kind, very diplomatic in his response to my playing.

I used a pick for every song. Note: Don't use a pick for every song.

I embellished with several 'passing tones' where the root changed, and I threw an extra note in there to sound fancy. Note: Don't try to sound fancy

Even though it was a great feeling to be on their stage doing what I had wanted to do for several years, I didn't quite understand the cover band bass player equation... it took a while.

Interesting note: couple of months after the audition mentioned above, I get a phone call: "Hey, this is such and such, you auditioned recently. Our bass player can't make it this weekend, you up for it?" I was a bit over-whelmed, and said no. I wonder how things would have turned out otherwise.

"Audition do's"

Most of what is mentioned here, but remember taste, tone, time, feel. Play to serve the song, to serve the band. Learn to finger, pick, and slap maybe, tastefully... use the appropriate technique.

 

[LBS-bass]

Thanks everyone for the stories and advice.

They actually sent 60 songs. Mostly, so I could see the list and know if I'd be interested.

I did state clearly I'd go for a smaller number and quality not quantity after they asked me to alert them beforehand if I was prepared for more. They seemed ok with it. There is a potential they have unrealistic expectations. We will see. I did find them thanks to google so I'm not going in completely blind.

I'm not too stressed about getting it or not. Looking forward to the audition. I'm having fun preparing.

Thanks all. Michael B

You're going to have to rein this audition in. I've seen that situation; you should choose maybe five or six that you can learn competently in the time you have, send them that list with a note that those are the songs you are going to learn for the audition, and don't let them bully you into playing material you're not prepared for unless you're comfortable with a jam on that song.

Musicians aren't great at keeping their focus. If they have 60 songs they will not remember what songs you wanted to play and will be redirecting the process toward the music they enjoy playing the most. When they do this, you need to say "That's not on the list of songs I worked on for this, so let's play this one instead." If you don't do this, it's possible this will be a huge train wreck where you're feeling as though you haven't been given the ability to show what you can do.

Now, once you go through those five or six songs, if everyone's feeling good about things there's no reason you can't just play around with more of their list for fun. But it's important that you get a chance to show them what you can do when you do the work.

 

[BurtMacklinFBI]

LOL! You would not believe the number of Craigslist audition bands I have bailed on because people could not just stay shut up about politics. Honestly, I don't care what your politics are but I have my own views and if you're going to insult me by blabbering on about how much you hate people like me, I don't want to be in a band with you.

There was even one guy who started asking me my views and I point blank told him I don't like to discuss that in a band situation, we're there to play. The next time we got together he went on an insulting political tirade and I never went back. The guitar player contacted me afterwards and offered to PAY ME to rehearse, but I just was not interested in that. At all.

It’s kind of hilarious to me how many people are genuinely surprised when something like this happens. I’ve more or less written off my local metal scene (such as it is) exactly because of how many of those players can’t restrain themselves from carrying on about the monstrous evil of anyone who doesn’t 100% share their opinions. I know some peeps who deal with that and god bless ‘em, but for me life is just too short to put up with that Facebooky nonsense.

 

[LBS-bass]

It’s kind of hilarious to me how many people are genuinely surprised when something like this happens. I’ve more or less written off my local metal scene (such as it is) exactly because of how many of those players can’t restrain themselves from carrying on about the monstrous evil of anyone who doesn’t 100% share their opinions. I know some peeps who deal with that and god bless ‘em, but for me life is just too short to put up with that Facebooky nonsense.

Yeah, not to hijack the thread and I promise not to stay on this subject, but there's a guy I jam with on the weekends when I'm not busy. He and another friend and I get together just to play for fun. I know that this guy's political views are about 180 degrees opposite of mine, but he never brings it up, and neither do I, and we just play music together and have a blast. The other friend in that jam happens to be on my side of the fence, but it's never discussed. That's how it should be.

If I know for sure that everyone's on the same page I might let my hair down and express my political views in that kind of setting, but there's a time and a place where that's appropriate.

 

[micguy]

We once auditioned a guy who had... a teardrop tattoo. Our drummer, after the guy left, excitedly told us that meant he'd killed someone in prison. I was skeptical, so we looked it up. Turns out it doesn't necessarily mean he'd killed someone while in prison, but...most of the things it would likely mean involved things that would happen...while you were in prison. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but we passed. So, be on the lookout for....things that don't seem quite right.

 

[xnewyorka]

1 - don’t learn the songs until you get there. They may play them differently than on tape, so its better not to have the wrong stuff ingrained. Also its a good bonding experience.

2 - first thing you should play are some machine-gun speed slap riffs. This will impress them right off the bat and let them know the level of who they dealing with.

3 - You want to be in the moment, feeling it hard, so probably get wasted before you get there.

4 - be fashionably late. Musicians have big egos and this will show them that you don’t need them and have other options.

5 - bring friends. They have home field advantage. This will help even things out.

Wait, today is January 8th, not April 1st.

 

[Dysnomia]

I’d also like to add that you should dissect their personalities, especially the band leader. Find what you can sort of emulate to relate, but not something that you don’t like. Find a commonality, a way of speaking, wording, physical movements, whatever. It comes across as being flexible and relatable to the band.

Just don’t be fake. Modify, add or remove what you are comfortable with, don’t fake it or become someone that isn’t you.