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Just wow! (audition content)
- Thread starter mrcbass
- Start date
I would have heard him out. You guys may have missed out on “the one”.
And a good 15 watt guitar combo can easily hang with a loud band. Our guitarist has had to put the plexiglass shield in front of his combo in an 800-seat venue - just saying. You may have really missed a good one.
And a good 15 watt guitar combo can easily hang with a loud band. Our guitarist has had to put the plexiglass shield in front of his combo in an 800-seat venue - just saying. You may have really missed a good one.
I mean I goofed around for a minute, but then I wanted to assure them I was prepared. Sounds like OPs band only got concerned after the guy put it out there that he wasnt particularly prepared after weeks (he said he didnt know easy song on setlist that was sent to him). If the dude wants to "keep it a secret that hes is mr miyagi on guitar", then so be it, he succeeded. Now, I would have played a song or two with him to make sure, but if he wasnt prepared like it sounds like he wasnt, I would put an end to it and thank him for his time. These "sounds-like-a-movie" scenarios where the old guy is a master likely doesnt happen as much as we thinks it does.
The best people to work with are often those that under promise and over deliver.
Well, maybe. The guy we just hired (I live in the same town as OP) is a very quiet, humble personality who isn't the kind of guy to just step up with any arrogance. I can totally see him just quietly deciding that it's not the scene for him and leaving quietly. And when this guy says he "doesn't know" a song? That means he thinks he can't play it exactly note for note, because maybe he's never played it in a band before. Doesn't mean he won't knock it to shreds.
As I said, I would have at least played a song or two with him just in case, but, that is me. I dont blame the OPs band for what they decided to do. IMO, dude didnt sound prepared at all
It's a tough call. I've been through so many auditions that were just horrible, from both ends, so you're sort of primed to expect the worst, and that's probably exactly what would have happened.
I sincerely admire the geniality and compassion. Like you, I have participated in dozens of auditions, on both sides of the coin.
Giving you and this candidate in the OP the benefit of the doubt you seem to desire, here's something I've noticed about these types of audition candidates:
Once in awhile you do get someone show up like the dude in the OP, under-equipped with a Fender Mustang practice amp, and doesn't know any of the songs despite having three weeks to prepare. Simple stuff like "Can't Get Enough." And despite your frustration over the apparent waste of time, you decide out of the goodness of your heart to just let him play. Let's see what he can do on his own terms. And he blows you away with his musicianship. Wow! The dude can play!
But being able to play is only one part of what you really want to know about your audition candidates. It's hardly the only qualifier for a slot in a band. Just as, and perhaps even more, importantly: Is this person a team player? Will he be a good fit? Will he get on the same page with the rest and support the goals of the project? Will he prepare OUR playlist in a way that benefits OUR project? Will he be where he needs to be, when he needs to be there, doing what he needs to be doing, autonomously? Can he handle the responsibility?
Coming into an audition thinking you can just wing it and dazzle people with your musicianship and ignore the playlist and other important aspects speaks to a larger work ethic issue. My experience with these kinds of audition candidates is they tend to remain a bit rogue and detached from the goals of the project and how to best serve it. The best you can do after these kind of auditions is wonder, and that's what most of these posts are doing; wondering if this guy is any good for the project, when an audition is specifically designed to put that question to rest.
I think it would be pretty easy for a lot of us to go into an audition and pull off some impressive riffs from our personal pet playlists and prove you can play. It takes a little more effort and proving to convince the band you will be an asset to their project, and coming in completely unprepared for what the band really needs from you is a gigantic red flag and warning of bad things to come. To assume otherwise and give the benefit of the doubt to these auditioners is a risk not worth taking. IME, IMHO, of course.
On the other side of this coin though, is this. I've wasted countless hours learning or practicing material for auditions only to discover that the rest of the musicians at the audition were underprepared or just not very good. It's more the norm than not. So even though I'm the kind of person who prefers to be prepared, after so many of these experiences I have shifted my gears a little bit and I'm not sinking so much time into audition preparedness as I used to. I look at the song list, and if it's got a lot of familiar songs on it, I'll maybe play through a few of them a couple of times then show up and see what happens. IF the band is good, then I'll make a decision as to whether or not I want to spend my time on their stuff.
I had a couple of guys over here a few weeks ago that my husband invited. The set list was the usual guitar wankery stuff, so I expected it to be bad but I agreed to do it for the sake of domestic harmony. I didn't go over any of those Eric Clapton songs that I've heard a million times. But, you know what? Those guys were good, and so was I. Saying you didn't go over the material doesn't mean you can't play it.
So you're saying because you instinctively anticipate the band being under-prepared, that de-incentivises you and excuses you for being under-prepared?
I'm sorry, I can't relate or respond to that mentality. Before I audition, I've usually checked out some video/audio of the band to see their quality level, but even if I can't, I always prepare/over-prepare for every audition I've been part of. I won't lower myself to the level of under-prepared musicians, and I want prepared musicians to respect me. Just me I guess, but glad to hear what works for you.
For anyone who still thinks this guitar player might be "good," consider this:
He claims to know "Can't Get Enough." That song has six chords, the most basic barre/power chords rocking the 5. Even if he usually plays it in the authentic C-tuning, he could easily have hammered out those six chords in standard (E or Eb) tuning, and I'd have given him points even if he skipped the solo section. Instead, he entirely passed on it.
Now, everyone has a different definition of "good," but if he couldn't/wouldn't pull that off, he does not fit my definition of "good" or "good for this project."
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What I'm saying is that I have enough on my plate that I don't really need to play with most of the people who have been crossing my path, so I'm not going to take it all that seriously until they give me a reason to do so. Once again, this is a thing that experience has taught me. I've literally wasted hundreds of hours preparing for auditions that were just awful. Videos of the band are sometimes helpful, but usually don't give me high expectations.
People forget that auditions are a two-way street. If I'm confident that I can decently play their material without a whole lot of work, I'm not going to waste a lot of time polishing anything up until I know what they're also offering. If the songs are unfamiliar to me, of course I'm going to learn them.
But if this were an audition for something I really wanted, or if I were just getting started again, I'm sure I would do things differently. The average situation, though, is generally average.
As for not playing Can't Get Enough in standard tuning? It's a major plus to even know that's now how it's played. A perfectionist wants to play it correctly. A hack will hack.
So let me clear up a couple of things I'm seeing that are not accurate of the situation:
1. He didn't walk out, we excused him.
2. He didn't say he couldn't play any of the songs - he claimed he never knew there was a list and just didn't appear to be really ready to wing it. It's just the impression he gave us. Auditions have a lot of weight on first impressions. When you just can't romp through Can't Get Enough on a regularly tuned guitar, you're not going to impress anyone.
@electracoyote makes some good points that I have not mentioned (thank you!) because they seem obvious to me and didn't feel the need to point out that there's more to it than the playing. When he walked in the door, I pretty much knew he wasn't a fit. Everything else about his time there just kept reinforcing that gut feeling.
1. He didn't walk out, we excused him.
2. He didn't say he couldn't play any of the songs - he claimed he never knew there was a list and just didn't appear to be really ready to wing it. It's just the impression he gave us. Auditions have a lot of weight on first impressions. When you just can't romp through Can't Get Enough on a regularly tuned guitar, you're not going to impress anyone.
@electracoyote makes some good points that I have not mentioned (thank you!) because they seem obvious to me and didn't feel the need to point out that there's more to it than the playing. When he walked in the door, I pretty much knew he wasn't a fit. Everything else about his time there just kept reinforcing that gut feeling.
There's some clarity on your subjectivity.
The magic words have been bolded. Of course, it's hard to tell how this applies to the OP and his candidate. But I feel confident that if this guitar player actually came in with a "I'll prep these songs when you guys show me what you've got" mentality, neither I nor the BL in the OP would be very impressed.
I hear ya and I'm kind of the same way. I'll prep until I'm confident I can get through a song cleanly and display my style, but not necessarily be 100% on my parts. There's almost always a need to adjust to what is being done with any particular band. But this is quite different than just failing to prepare.
That's probably true, but you might be if you heard him play, which is the main point. I think guys that are really good usually assume that their competence will become apparent once they're given a chance to do what they do well. But I don't know if this guy could play or not. That being said, if I walked into an audition with a song list that was familiar enough that I didn't feel like I needed to practice it, I wouldn't be so quick to announce it. No one needs to know how much prep I put in, or didn't put in. But I'd also be the one suggesting which song to start with so that I could put a good foot forward from the start.There's some clarity on your subjectivity.
Of course, it's hard to tell how this applies to the OP and his candidate. But I feel confident that if this guitar player actually came in with a "I'll prep these songs when you guys show me what you've got" mentality, neither I nor the BL in the OP would be very impressed.
Absolutely. As I mentioned above, if I heard him play "Can't Get Enough" I'd be at least hopeful.
Again, for me, it's not just "being able to play." It's "being able to play what the project needs from you." I see a world of difference between the two.
Last guy who sat in with us had this same kind of tiny rig - little Fender Pro junior and a Tele - and proceeded to teach us all a lesson in how necessary big amps and effects units are. In short, not at all.
I guess I do, too, and I guess that, for me, a guy who is super competent is probably going to be able to play anything. That's kind of my definition of being able to play. Any hack can play all the standard chords. Most of them can even figure out what order to play them in, but not many can serve up something like Tempted by Squeeze or Something So Strong by Crowded House on the first try, then tell us they've never played either of those songs before.
