Holding Auditions... the process

1. Did he/she have the parts down cold? - not faking through the bridge of Carry On. Five songs is nothing for an audition.
2. Does he have an ego, or is he a team player?
3. Can he sing harmonies?
4. Are you on the same page for rehearsals and frequency of gigs.

 

I’m not sure “tone” is the best eval factor unless you’re just trying to eliminate a bad fit....my old guitarist would play wagon wheel with the gain on. Grr. Tone can be coached if the candidate is willing and open minded. Feel and accuracy is different. And all the social factors....

 

Man. That’s the holy grail. If you can find a guitar player with all that AND girl friend you’ll be all set!

 

A few pointers:

• Does the guitarist show up prepared? Right gear, right amp, ready to play
• Did they learn the songs as requested?
• Did they complain about the audition process (instant rejection)
• How quickly can they learn material? A gigging band needs someone in a few weeks, not a few months?
• How does the band gigging schedule fit with their life?
• How do you get along with the guy?

 

How often do you gig? What's the avg pay per band member?

You guys play new country and full out metal?

 

Your system looks a lot like mine in the "smart musician/well-versed player" department. We give all our audition candidates the same playlist and see how smart and prepared they are.

Someone will stand out in all the many facets of execution, and they will bring you intangibles and confidence in ways you didn't even anticipate. Try to hold out for that person.

Good luck with it.

 

If someone shows up to an audition with two guitars, a small combo amp and a versatile pedalboard, I'm expecting good things. The pros often have everything whittled down to the essentials.

 

Even after you make your pick, tell them there's a 3 month probationary period. Our band had to deal with a couple of keyboard players that seemed OK at first then their true nature made itself known. First guy wanted to be the leader and make all the decisions. When we said no frigging way he quit on the spot leaving us in a bit of a bind. Took a while on the 2nd guy to realize he couldn't play a groove to save his life and when we fired him he went nuts.

 

Goes without saying. Everything in life has a perpetual probationary period.

 

Hi troy mcClure

I like the idea! I would add a 6th song and let the guitar player(s) choose it!

Each of them will choose his fav, were he/ she will really shine.

Good luck and have fun

Wise(b)ass

 

My lead player is a she. Welcome to the 21st century pal

 

Alright.......

 

I'm not sold on the probationary period thing myself. I mean, did a lack of the period somehow prevent you from firing these people? Would the problems they had somehow not be present if they had gone through probation?

The way I see it:

Best case scenario: they realize they are on probation and subdue their undesirable traits for the first three months, then BOOM, they rip off their disguise!

Worst case scenario: an actual desirable member feels like their half-in, half out. They're not sure if they're being jerked around or not. They're keeping their eyes open for greener pastures, and if they find one, they're GONE.