How Possible It is to Learn 5 songs a week?

[two fingers]

Welcome to Talkbass!!!!

Everyone I have ever known who played in a military band like that were solid, experienced, trained players. I think you'll be in over your head at best.... drowning at worst.

Auditions would be a good experience for you. I would be surprised if you got the gig.


That's not a personal knock against you. I wouldn't have gotten the gig one year in either, and I came from low brass and read bass clef quite well.

Learn the songs. Go to the audition. Network and ask questions while you're there. Keep practicing.

 

[micguy]

In churches, we often have 2 or 3 new songs in a week, and at Christmas and Easter time, it gets upped to 5 or 6. We play stuff in different keys and arrangements all the time. I also play multiple services (2 sets of music to learn) some weekends. I learn all that with an hour or two after work most days. It's quite doable, and my guess is once you have the repertoire learned, it'll be less new songs per week.

 

[bearfoot]

Yes, you can learn the songs. The competition level will be high, but this is a good thing. Learning the songs will pay dividends down the line.

 

[Wasnex]

You have to be kidding me. Boy, standards sure have fallen if that's true. All of the band members I knew when I was in the Army were trained to sight read.

From what I have seen, standards vary significantly from one band to the next. The Army did some restructuring of their music program a few years back, so no idea if this is still true.

 

[five7]

Trying to learn 40 in a week, easy songs but there is always a few that eat up time. Doesn't help that I don't like any of the songs, lol.

 

[Wasnex]

So, I want to get in the Army band. They gave me a list of genres to play(country,jazz,R&B,Pop/Rock, and Latin). If I had 6 hours after work, would that be enough enough with homework, drums, and singing?

IMHO, if you can't prepare 5 songs in a week you are unlikely to pass the audition. If there is an expectation for you to perform jazz, normally that requires the ability to read music notation and make up your own bass lines from written out chord symbols. Whoever is your point of contact should be able to give you more information on the specific requirements you will be expected to fill.

 

[JGbassman]

Very doable. Work up the easy ones, chart them, then work up the harder ones section by section. I would think you should easily be able to chart and rough in five songs in an evening.

Take the rest of the week to polish them out.

 

[lermgalieu]

Totally possible. As ppl have said, write the stuff down as you learn it. But don’t be a slave to the paper/iPad, because that will inhibit your ability to internalize the music (and maybe even memorize it).

 

[hintz]

It's doable. Don't you have to be in the army to play in their band?

No, you can audition as a civilian and *then* go to basic/AIT. At least that's how most do it(myself included). Hell, in the Airforce the band folks have a separate basic training from everyone else?! I joined the wrong branch of service! Bahahah

You have to be kidding me. Boy, standards sure have fallen if that's true. All of the band members I knew when I was in the Army were trained to sight read.

Yeah, the OP is wrong on this. You still have to be able to read despite what they might have told him, just not for an incoming audition. I just got out of the active duty band after 8 years(now in the reserves for another 6), my audition liaison told me "yeah, don't worry about sight reading as a bassist!" and heard the same thing all through AIT at little creek. During concert band they'd tell all the rhythm players to go "IP" (individual practice) in the pods on the 1st deck(it's at a navy base)... really though that was setting up many for failure down the road.

A little background on myself: I went to a music school before this and struggled with reading(still do) but got a scholarship despite my shortcomings! In AIT(advanced individual training) I recieved the C1(Charlie 1) identifier which means you are considered "excellent" by their standards also despite the gap in my knowledge/skills!

Got to my 1st band at Ft Bliss and first rehearsal was with the big band, no chord charts and all written out lines! I had my ass handed to me, it was embarrassing to say the least! The 1SG was like "I though you had a C1? What gives SPC Hintz?" LOL. Eventually I got better at reading and now I'm much more comfy with it to a certain extent!

For an incoming audition they don't test sight reading like they used to so I think the OP will be fine! When I did it they let us pick our prepared pieces so I picked "Havona", "YYZ" and "Smooth". Just practice your ass off, forego some sleep and 5 songs ain't nothing in a week! You can always get caught up on sight reading down the road, the main thing they want is that you sound good and can learn songs quickly!! Good luck!!

 

[hintz]

Oh yeah, I hope you dig playing bass drum and cymbals because depending on your command team you could be spending 90% of your time playing "auxiliary" percussion especially if you are at a division band! Also, the promotion points are among the highest of any MOS(600-800 from 4 to 5)

With that, it is *still* the best job in the military and if you're fortunate enough to have a SGM and actual commissioned officer in charge of you then it will be even more music orientated! Being a reclass you should be pleasantly surprised at the overall maturity level as a 42R

 

[TheReceder]

If you were good enough to get through the audition, there's no way that you won't be able to learn the tunes.

I had the opportunity to get into the Air Force band "Tops in blue" but I'd heard to much about the grueling schedule, and after seeing the tunes they did, I opted to stick to working on the Flight line. The band experience would have made me a better player, but the lifestyle would have crushed any desire to play an instrument again.

The touring group tops in blue is now defunct as it was determined to pretty much be a waste of taxpayer dollars.

 

[Duanestuermer]

I was in an US Army band in the Viet Nam era, we'd have 10 days to memorize and put together a 2 hour gig, then go on the road for 60 days, and play 3 gigs per day in to the places Bob Hope wouldn't dare go (fire bases in the jungle durning the day, NCO or officer clubs at night).
We'd get to gigs in the jungle by helicopter, and some on the back of trucks
New musicians would come in after each tour, and some would ETS out of Nam.
It was a crazy time, even go shot at and mortared a few times, wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. Had equipment like drums get blown out of Hueys.
Later in life I played casinos where we'd have 2 a hour rehearsal to do (read down) a 2 hour show the same night, its what we do.

 

[Gizmot]

Practice, practice, practice.

 

[steelbed45]

You have to be kidding me. Boy, standards sure have fallen if that's true. All of the band members I knew when I was in the Army were trained to sight read.

Same. Did an OJT audition while in Germany. Really, it was the same structure as when I auditioned at college - 2 octave scales in random keys, sight reading and 2 prepared pieces of contrasting style.

To the OP - you can do this. Focus on the task. Set the goal to learn the material without the added pressure of having to learn it by hour X of day X. Best of luck, and I can't stress this enough - make sure that your current chain of command is 100% on board and backing you on this. I passed my OJT audition, but was deemed "mission essential" at the last minute - as a PFC.

 

[DirtDog]

Change my MOS.

Isn't there more to it than showing up having learned 5 songs? Unless the musician MOS is severely understaffed.

 

[arbiterusa]

I routinely get five songs the day before rehearsal from our BL.

Five days I could learn every part.

You should be able to do this.

 

[electracoyote]

So, I want to get in the Army band. They gave me a list of genres to play(country,jazz,R&B,Pop/Rock, and Latin). If I had 6 hours after work, would that be enough enough with homework, drums, and singing?

If these are all mainstream pop crossover song titles, yes, you put your nose to the grind stone, six hours a week would be enough time for me to learn five songs a week.

Keep in mind some songs will take you 10 minutes (if that), some will take 20-30. Average it out.

Just to be clear, you are saying you have only 6 hours in a typical week? Or six hours per day after work?

 

[Donald Thompson]

If these are all mainstream pop crossover song titles, yes, you put your nose to the grind stone, six hours a week would be enough time for me to learn five songs a week.

Keep in mind some songs will take you 10 minutes (if that), some will take 20-30. Average it out.

Just to be clear, you are saying you have only 6 hours in a typical week? Or six hours per day after work?

After work. Jazz is hard though. Any books that can get my foot in the door?

 

[Donald Thompson]

Isn't there more to it than showing up having learned 5 songs? Unless the musician MOS is severely understaffed.

Yes. You need to play army songs as well.

 

[Nickweissmusic]

So, I want to get in the Army band. They gave me a list of genres to play(country,jazz,R&B,Pop/Rock, and Latin). If I had 6 hours after work, would that be enough enough with homework, drums, and singing?

That’s a very reasonable timeframe to learn 5 songs, and the more you learn, the faster you’ll get at it.