Learn 10 songs for an audition?

[LowActionHero]

Could be how they gauge who is serious enough and skilled enough to do it. Could be one of those deals where they weed people out with the first couple songs, then have some to jam with the guys they think have potential. I'd say if you're even half interested in that band go ahead and learn them. everything you learn has some benefits down the road.

 

[WaynerBass]

I once learned like 70 songs in 6 weeks lol

 

[Hahaha]

I haven't had to audition for a gig in years, so I may be out of touch with how it's done now, but when I made my living as a full-time musician most auditions were simply a matter of showing up and playing with no preparation. Many times I would audition at their gig by sitting in and playing a song or two. You can almost always tell right away if someone can play and is a good fit. Even if the person auditioning doesn't know your songs, you can still tell if they are capable simply by how they navigate unfamiliar material.

As others have pointed out, you're auditioning them too. I wouldn't want to have to learn ten songs just to realize after the first song that I'm not interested, or worse, as soon as I walk in the door.

 

[StringNavigator]

Anytime I auditioned somebody I never suggested learning more than 4 or 5 songs; I didn't want to come across as demanding or waste anyone's time. Learning 10 songs won't give me any more insight to your playing than if it were 5. When I audition it's to look for talent, not work ethic.Also, if I were to learn 10 songs and showed up for audition and everyone sucked, I'd be s bit peaved

Don't pay no mind to what you hear. Three is plenty for any audition. A fast, a medium and a slow. One should be in a minor key. Only as a quick survey to weed out the musically challenged. Unless it's the Count Basie Band... more than three and you need to get paid... probably a band of introverts who don't know any better... nature's way of warning the normal folk against imbeciles ... Spend the evening with your family or go to the pub with your friends... No band is worth 10 audition songs.

I was going for an audition until they said they would try to fit me into the 8:50 to 9:10 pm slot...

A British drummer I once knew went to an audition. He sat down at the kit and said, "Ok, boys! Show me what you got!" And he got the job.

A band looking for a BP is far more needy than the BP's auditioning.

 

[DrayMiles]

I auditioned for Gary Moore and had to learn 10 songs... And we played ALL of them...

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Ahhhhh the old "checking your commitment" routine maybe.

Asking for 10 songs is a way of sorting out who is willing to work and who is not...those that do not... are rejected, those that cannot.... are rejected.
This reduces the list to those that can do what was asked of them, it also shows how well a player can work under pressure.

The thing about auditions is that you apply for it, or turn up at the open session....no-one is making you do it.
Some playing situations are about more than playing songs, its about learning new songs quick, sometimes every week.

As for wasting your time, if you learn them you will find that it is never a waste of time learning new songs, you will always get something from the experience.

 

[Asat77]

Does anyone else find that excessive? I mean, who knows if I am even going to like the situation.... what if I get there and everyone is dressed in klan regalia? I just spent time learning 10 songs for nothing.

Comments

Ten songs is a lot to my opinion. A band should know after 1 or 2 songs if the bassplayer (or other musician) is what they are looking for. 3 songs is what I've done in several bands for an audition.

 

[raybone]

I once learned like 70 songs in 6 weeks lol

Done that. Probably more like 100 in 8 weeks, only to put about half of them into rotation for the gigs that year.

I once auditioned for a band and spent the evening showing them the right way to play their tunes. No thanks.

 

[4001]

If it's a good gig and the songs aren't Rush and Yes, then sure, why not?

 

[Poke]

It's amazing how many people post without reading the thread. The OP already clarified that it was just a CL ad he saw. He's not doing the audition. Then he gets page after page of people still posting as if he's doing an audition.

People don't want to hear, they just want to be heard, I guess. Some of these threads become so cluttered with the post first, ask questions later crowd.

Don't know why I bothered posting this; they won't see it anyway.

 

[SteveHeissner]

As with many things on the TB forum, the answer is "it depends". If they want you to audition tomorrow and learn the 10 songs overnight that might be considered excessive. But if you have a week or more to learn straightforward covers like Mustang Sally then it's not excessive.

I had a band tell me to learn some Rush and other songs for an audition in 2 days. I interpreted that as being unreasonable and inflexible and found another band audition. That was 8 years ago and I'm still with the "other band".

Good luck.

 

[JimiLL]

I have learned lots of songs in a short while before...because I had the gig and had a show to do.

Also, my personal situation is I work 50 hrs a week, spend two hrs on the road everyday to get to said job, and have to hold down a household and help raise a 7 month old baby. Time is harder and harder to come by.

 

[baileyboy]

Does anyone else find that excessive? I mean, who knows if I am even going to like the situation.... what if I get there and everyone is dressed in klan regalia? I just spent time learning 10 songs for nothing.

Comments

Pretty standard if you ask me. I've had to do this many times. Additionally, I don't see this as a waste of time. You're expanding your catalogue of songs, which makes you more well-rounded and desirable as a bassist.

 

[SteveHeissner]

I have learned lots of songs in a short while before...because I had the gig and had a show to do.

Also, my personal situation is I work 50 hrs a week, spend two hrs on the road everyday to get to said job, and have to hold down a household and help raise a 7 month old baby. Time is harder and harder to come by.

Amen, brother. TIME is a valuable asset and BL's should respect it.

 

[ZAR14]

I say 6 - 8 songs is good, but 10 is not excessive. Also, another look at it. What if you show up and you're not what they are looking for, they just wasted their time for nothing!

 

[ZAR14]

My pet peeve with Auditions is when you are asked to learn particular songs and when you get to the Audition they don't play them, or they themselves don't even know them.
Irritating!

 

[gln1955]

I have learned lots of songs in a short while before...because I had the gig and had a show to do.

Also, my personal situation is I work 50 hrs a week, spend two hrs on the road everyday to get to said job, and have to hold down a household and help raise a 7 month old baby. Time is harder and harder to come by.

Many of us here know where you're at. Good on you having' time to be in a band at all. But....Maybe that is one thing the 10 song audition is determining. If someone doesn't have time to learn 10 songs in say a week, do they have time to be in that band? I been a few bands that faltered because someone thought they could squeeze it into their schedule, but turned out they couldn't find time to come to rehearsal or do their homework.

 

[D-Smith]

That's literally telling them that you don't have time for them...usually something to avoid if you want the job.

The original post made it clear that he had never heard the band, never heard of the band, never seen the band, did not know who they were, how they dressed, how good they were, and most importantly, did not know if he "wants the job". That's the question I was answering.

Lots of other posts seem to be answering questions that were never asked, like "would you learn 10 songs to audition for the best corporate/wedding band on the east coast with high paying gigs lined up from here to eternity?" or "would you learn 2 sets of music for a sub gig with a band you already know is fantastic that might lead to a steady gig?" Interesting stuff, but not the question that was asked. So, yeah, for a CL ad that has a 90% chance of being a bunch of shmos whose complete set list is those ten songs, which they can barely play, that's too much.

Now, to add in my twist on the topic. About a year ago I answered a CL ad for an original band. They sent 5 me songs and I spent a good deal of time coming up with bass lines. Got to the audition and turns out they had not played together much in the past six months. They forgot how they played half the songs, so I was literally telling them "this is where you go to the bridge", and they had changed the other songs since they made the recordings they gave me, so the lines I came up with did not work. After that I decided a couple originals were enough and was sure to ask if recordings were current.

 

[lbbc]

Years ago I learned 10 songs for an audition for a band, although I really didn't like the kind of music they were playing. I got the gig, made a lot of money and am now playing some of the venues I played with that band from years ago. Worth it!

 

[9mmMike]

It's amazing how many people post without reading the thread. The OP already clarified that it was just a CL ad he saw. He's not doing the audition. Then he gets page after page of people still posting as if he's doing an audition.

People don't want to hear, they just want to be heard, I guess. Some of these threads become so cluttered with the post first, ask questions later crowd.

Don't know why I bothered posting this; they won't see it anyway.

yup...but to be fair, the OP should have amended his first post and added that tidbit.