Rehearsal expectations.... How many songs?

[StayLow]

Sometimes I wonder why I look at CL at all...

Found a local country band in need of a bassist... I've never done new country, but at least I wont be expected to play like Geddy Lee or Steve Harris. The add lists 10 songs. So I reach out to them, ask them a few questions about them etc. Reply comes back asking me if I can learn those 10 songs. I reply sure, nothing beyond my capabilities, and what about your band again? Their reply is to let them know when I learn those 10 songs and I can audition.

10?

I say sure, but can I have some info on your band? What is your skill level? what are your goals? what is your rehearsal and show schedule? Do you have a name? A youtube channel? Give me something to go on, Otherwise I will do 3-5 of your choosing.

I get back... "I had to learn 10 songs and another band I had to learn 30. Sorry you feel that way. Best of luck."

Bullet dodged IMO.

Congratulations!!!

This was an audition, not a rehearsal.

CL can be a gold mine, but avoid the delusional hacks.

Any audition requiring more than two songs in a given style is being run by hacks who don't mind wasting your time so they probably waste theirs too.

Any audition you can get without first having to show video proof you can excel in the given genre(s) is very likely run by hacks, as they clearly don't mind having their time wasted. Only exception is if a player they respect vouched for you.

An audition should be between 15-60 mins MAX. Personal greetings and niceties, everyone shares some background and maybe find out you've been in the same bands or know the same people, run through at most two songs in any given style in the band's actual gigging repertoire - different styles would be black metal and new country, not new country and old country - maybe some improv, niceties, pack up and leave.

It's NOT about whether you can learn songs, it's whether you have nothing better to do with your life than learn the songs THEY play, or fantasize about playing.

Learn 3-4 songs though, just in case. It may go really well or someone else doesn't show up (a good band auditions several people the same day) then you can extend it and impress by having MORE done instead of setting yourself up for failure by playing lot of songs possibly half-assed.

Again, it doesn't matter how many songs some people once learned for whatever reason. This is an audition, not a paid sub call for a 5-set covers gig, and unless they were hack enough not to demand video proof you can excel in the genre(s) it's mostly about meeting and being in the same room together awhile.

Before agreeing to audition you must know, ideally without having to ask otherwise they're probably hacks: when and where they rehearse, what their average costs are, how often they gig and in what sort of venues, and what their average take is. You may also want to know if they do a lot of "charity" shows, what the dress code is for gigs, if there's choreography or backing tracks, and their musical backgrounds.

If it's a start-up don't learn a note unless they can prove, ideally via video since it's 2020, that they can ALL excel at the given genre(s) they wish to perform.

Very easy, so much time saved, and it frees you up to only deal with legit bands.

Best of luck in your search!

 

[murph7489]

I can learn songs pretty fast especially ones in a genre I am familiar with like classic rock or motown. The band Im in now I learned 22 songs for the first get together in a week. I was unaware it was an audition I thought that they all knew my playing and were waiving the audition process. then after that night I was given another 20 songs for the next week which i learned as well...then after that night they asked me to step outside while they had a meeting..lol I was thinking what is going on here..but I didn't really think much of it..5 mins later they told me to come back in, and asked me if I wanted to join the band..I said yes but I was also thinking, they auditioned me for two weeks learning 40+ songs?? If they had said they were going with someone else I would of been furious..With all that being said, those songs were all songs I knew in my head none I had ever played in a band before tho, but if you have the part in your head already its easier for me to learn it.

Some may have walked on this band because of the stealth nature of the audition but it was the best band I had ever played with and I knew it after the first night, so the way I got in was forgiven.

now a quick note on learning ten songs..if its a week, no problem even if its outside of my genre unless its something like dream theater or king crimson or any other technically difficult music..and even if they didn't select me to play, I will have ten songs I know for the next audition maybe..learning songs is practice too..good practice.

edit for one final note on the audition I did...the band had a bass player already and after they asked me to join, a discussion began on how to tell the other bass player he was out and who was going to do it..ha ha...they told me he is pretty good but you can play way faster and there are songs we do that he can't play....I felt bad for the other guy, but it is what it is.. Some days you're the shark, some days you're the plankton...

 

[W_R]

10 songs is OK. "Band needs ___" as the only info doesn't provide what the OP wanted to know (skill, goals, etc)—which clearly makes it "not worth it" for the OP, call it good and move on.

Generally, I would recommend to withhold any expectations until the important blanks are filled in (continue the search, let things play out a bit when you find something interesting). Taking a crack at the 10 songs would probably interesting in its own, for me, for fun, then gauge what my on-going interest would be. Maybe even after the fact.

I see all that initial business is just "normal". I'd be more concerned about how things would proceed once it gets going—reliable schedule/attendance/preparedness/following-through on what was requested/worked, the people? Kind of a curse of a music hobby is it needs to be organized and led to a certain degree, but not so much that it becomes an un-fun J.O.B.—unrealistic ideas and expectations can be on any or all sides of the band/prospect situation. It's still worth doing though...

 

[retslock]

I learn 3 sets for one off gigs all the time, but the operative word was GIGS! For an audition- they should have supplied the info requested, and 3 songs should be plenty.

Agreed. Three songs of different key, tempo, feel and complexity should indicate if you've got the goods.

 

[Sin Nis]

The last time I tried out for a cover band it was 20 songs to learn we did 5 and they were like your good 10 is not bad. But the lack of response to your question is a a red flag

 

[baileyboy]

Give me something to go on, Otherwise I will do 3-5 of your choosing.

Sorry, man. You sound like a lot a drama They ask you to learn 10 songs and you set conditions, then basically tell them you'll learn 3-5 otherwise. Bullet dodged... for them.

Why didn't you just learn the 10 songs and show up ready?

 

[Biggbass]

Country music? If you can learn one song then you can learn ten.

I auditioned for an Americana band 12 years ago. The music was more country than Americana. Band had posted an ad seeking a bassist.

They asked me to learn 5 songs so I went to their website and saw they had their song list posted. In 3 days I learned all of the songs and went to the audition prepared to play anything they threw at me.

Result was I got the job. And, in the long run, the band has transitioned to all original material and we're about to release our 4th album.

Of all the music for a bassist to play Country music is the simplest.
Follow the kick & toms, stick to the roots, hit the walk ups and walk downs, don't get too busy.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I'd ask "...is this an audition or a rehearsal?" as my approaches to both vary greatly. If a rehearsal, gonna need the set list at a bare minimum...keys and arrangements preferred. If I'm bringing in a new candidate to audition, I provide the same and ask that he / she pick ~5 and provide 3 tunes they'd like to cover as I expect all members to bring new material to the table.

Riis

 

[hrodbert696]

Three or four songs are all you need to audition someone. Red flag if they think they need more. I've been to good auditions where, after the three or four audition songs, you relax into, "hey, do you know this one?" or pull other songs off the set list just to see what happens, with the understanding that now it's more about the hang and flexibility, not expecting polished performance.

 

[TexasEdition]

Bullet dodged, no question about it!

.....

Besides, it's been my experience people who spend a lot of time trying to hide things often have things to hide!

Hard pass and it has nothing to do with how many songs they want me to learn.

Great statement. The more I work this through, the more I realize it was not the "10" tunes so much as it was act of dodging the questions... That's was triggered my spidey-sense there was something not right.

 

[Bass Viking]

Sorry, man. You sound like a lot a drama They ask you to learn 10 songs and you set conditions, then basically tell them you'll learn 3-5 otherwise. Bullet dodged... for them.

Why didn't you just learn the 10 songs and show up ready?

He didn't set conditions, he just wanted some info about the band. Nothing unreasonable about that.

 

[Bass Viking]

Sometimes I wonder why I look at CL at all...

Found a local country band in need of a bassist... I've never done new country, but at least I wont be expected to play like Geddy Lee or Steve Harris. The add lists 10 songs. So I reach out to them, ask them a few questions about them etc. Reply comes back asking me if I can learn those 10 songs. I reply sure, nothing beyond my capabilities, and what about your band again? Their reply is to let them know when I learn those 10 songs and I can audition.

10?

I say sure, but can I have some info on your band? What is your skill level? what are your goals? what is your rehearsal and show schedule? Do you have a name? A youtube channel? Give me something to go on, Otherwise I will do 3-5 of your choosing.

I get back... "I had to learn 10 songs and another band I had to learn 30. Sorry you feel that way. Best of luck."

Bullet dodged IMO.

A lot of bands suck and think they're more than they are. There's a good chance this is one of those bands. You did the right thing IMO.

It always amuses me when bands demand so much but offer little in return.

 

[TexasEdition]

You sure did.

Of course, maybe getting out of the rehearsal space and in front of an audience is not a concern or ambition for them. Some bands roll that way. Don't ask questions or have goals, just show, wank, be a good hang, have fun, and go home. Once a week. Forever.

Spot on statement. And I have no issues with that, just met me know what to expect. I used to play with a group of retirees that played classic country. It was more of a jam session than a band. They had a "core" group, but different other people would be there. The core group was tight as hell, with great vocals, fiddle, steel. They had it down. (They also had an SVT rig...) They were just short on bassists for some reason.They could have gigged and done very well. But they weren't about that. They might do 1 or 2 a year. I really enjoyed it. It was a logistical thing... hour-15 drive each way and they rehearsed on Friday afternoons. I could not get there until 6 and they were already 2 hours and 3 cases of beer in....

I play with another group of guys. Adult "learners". I little rough around the edges, but it's fun. We play a few tunes, drink a few beers. The one guy's wife likes having people over to cook for.... so there's that....

But to just refuse to provide anything about the experience, even after pointed questions? triggered something in me this is not right....

 

[2112]

When we do auditions, assuming we're not up against a gig deadline, I give candidates the list of our entire catalog and tell them to pick as many or as few a songs they think is appropriate to bring to the audition. Then on audition night, we let them lead the playing. What they pick, how many they pick, and how well they have them down tells us a ton about their attitude, personality, preferences, motivation, creativity, musicianship, and work ethic.

Last year we auditioned a keyboardist, he told us he was a "pro" and knew a ton of songs already, and that it'd be no problem to have our entire catalog ready in the month before the audition. Then on audition night, it turned out he knew jack squat. Skills or not, lying, no discipline, and no work ethic are not a good fit for us.

 

[Drucifer]

They aren't?

They literally have different titles.

 

[lfmn16]

When I auditioned players for my Rockabilly band I gave them 10 songs, said learn any 5. They should have been able to learn any 5 in an hour, to include correct beginnings, endings and stops. Most of them were 12 bar progressions. I still had people show up that couldn't fake their way though the audition.

The other thing I'd say for the people who don't want to bother learning songs or just a couple for an audition - you're auditioning the band too. Yea, you can tell if they can play in the first 30 seconds, but I want to know if they bother to learn the material and as a bass player I want to see if the drummer is just plowing through the tunes or if he's locking in with me.

Although I will say that the best band I every played with, I knew in the first song. The drummer and I just locked in and we were tight from the first song to the last. After I got the gig he said, "After your audition I told the other guys that they can audition as many people as they want, but you're going to be the bass player."

 

[Richard Lindsey]

Why didn't you just learn the 10 songs and show up ready?

I'd say, probably because they gave him no reason to believe they were worth spending even a minute of his time on. The "band" (if it even really exists) created whatever drama exists by refusing to answer perfectly reasonable and normal questions, and then copping an attitude on top of that.

 

[crankypants]

Rehearsal expectations.... How many songs?

10 songs.

 

[baileyboy]

I'd say, probably because they gave him no reason to believe they were worth spending even a minute of his time on. The "band" (if it even really exists) created whatever drama exists by refusing to answer perfectly reasonable and normal questions, and then copping an attitude on top of that.

He didn't set conditions, he just wanted some info about the band. Nothing unreasonable about that.

OK, good points, but I look at it this way... learn the 10 songs, audition, if it doesn't work out at least you've added 10 new songs to your repertoire.

 

[turf3]

OK, good points, but I look at it this way... learn the 10 songs, audition, if it doesn't work out at least you've added 10 new songs to your repertoire.

Is your time valuable to you? Mine is.