• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Should I Even Audition?

#21
Well...if you decide to take the gig\audition, it's sink or swim. Shed your @$$ off! If you nail it or semi nail it, you might make their band. If you don't nail it or semi nail it, you still might make the band...or not...and be called a hack...kidding...a little.

Seriously, IMHO, you should be 1000% prepared for any audition you decide to take. If you're not, you might reconsider or reschedule it. I know it's just a local band, but you don't want to start a rep around the local scene that you're an ill prepared hack. Don't become a story in an "Auditions" thread on music message boards! ;)

Good luck to a fellow Pinoy!:bassist:
 
#24
I say go for it. Good experience even if you dont get the gig and could lead to other things if you do get the gig. If this is one of only a handful of gigs in your area, and you want to play out, then I guess you should suck it up or start your own band.
 
#25
If you don't try you won't get the gig. If you try and fail you won't get the gig, but at least if you try you stand a chance of getting the gig.
Remember, they may say "Well, he was a little rough on that solo, but we can work with him."
My experience is that one gig leads to another so even if Reggae isn't your cup of tea it will put you in contact with working musicians who may play something more to your taste.
 
#27
Am I the only one who sees the biggest red flag as a reggae band with no drummer??????

Besides Bass IS reggae, and reggae IS bass, if you don't have a feel for this, I'd say no way, be patient keep looking.
 
#28
If you don't like the music why would you join the band?

The song itself is very easy. The "solo" is just a walking line that lasts about six bars or so if I remember correctly? It should take you about 20 mins to get that one tune down cold and ready to hit the record button.

If you're having problems learning tunes by ear you might want to work on that some more before you start working with bands. I say this because when you join a band they are going to throw a ton of tunes at you that you need to know (usually very quickly) and many times they'll just give you a CD with the tunes on them. If you're lucky you might get some charts but don't count on it. Really, it's up to you to make your own charts, learn the tune etc...

At that point your work load becomes huge and you might not enjoy the extra pressure.

All the best!
 
#29
If you don't have the skill set, or even the interest, you are a time waster. The guys in my band would remember that, probably for a good while. Whenever the subject of new players would come up in the clique it would be, like, "Hey remember that guy who showed up totally clueless and didn't even like the vibe? What the eff was up with that? @#$!"

OR,

"No I don't know anyone but I can tell you who NOT to call, he showed up so clueless he didn't even know he was clueless"

I totally agree with Roy about work brings work but you really need a good foot to put forward. Word travels VERY fast and reputations die one hell of a lot faster than they are made.
 
#30
prd004 said:
Am I the only one who sees the biggest red flag as a reggae band with no drummer??????
Click to expand...

I don't see that as a red flag at all, for a band that plays regularly at a hotel bar in the Phillipines. I bet their role is to be background music for tourists. Which is why they're willing to give you a live tryout - they're not really risking their gig since nobody will be paying close attention even if you do suck.
 
#32
IncX said:
well, the good thing with me is that i do my homework the best i could... im just intimidated cause the last bassist for the band was hella good ... and im just a guy playing root notes lol

wow... you are filipino rappa? really cool! thanx for the encouragement
Click to expand...

In Reggae, root notes are not a bad thing. Who the h3ll wants some yahoo bass shredding over an irie groove?! :)

Yes, both parents are Filipino but I was born in the states.
 
#33
So far the best advice I've seen here is NEV375's.

You asked for the oportunity, you're trying to make it work, do your best and if you are asked to be in then you can make the decsion yes or no. Be upfront about that possibility, but make friends, thank them either way (basicly be cool and you seem to be already). Do not insult the music! Ask them for advice on getting better or getting the groove. (It's usually around the 3rd beat if you didn't have that figured already.) go for it and learn from the experience win or lose.
 
#34
i auditioned last night and it wasn't so bad. i played VERY CONSERVATIVELY ... not doing any weird fills and such.

i made a few sequence mistakes with "no woman no cry" ... and much to my shock, the solo in englishman in new york turned out to be a guitar solo with a chromatic progression of the main chords. i think i survived it.

i also realized my songbook is a big fat ZERO.... i mean, i know the songs they are playing, but i dont know how to play along to them lol

most of the guys there can play along to the pop songs, but me? i have to practice it first before i could play it - thats what you get when you study metal - you end up with a lot of speed, no covers, very limited jamming ability, but lots of song ideas (for metal).

they liked my attitude, we chatted a lot ... but i dont think im the right guy for them (in other words, theres a big chance i wont hear them call back).

the 'audition' setting was actually very loose. ANYONE can walk in and just ask the band to jam ... its like an open mic night except the band plays while no one else is onstage or the patrons arent drunk enough to take the stage.

i found it weird the band leader was sorta strict in nailing parts. he wanted it to sound like the CD ... and i just cant do it... probably because i dont listen to reggae, id be playing 60 songs a night, and i dont have a Fender lol, im kidding - i have a Ken Smith and Warwick Vampyres... i dont think i'd be nailing some reggae and bossa tones with those things.

the crowd was subdued ... but what the hell was i thinking? it was an acoustic group. i guess i wanted more of a band that plays katy perry or something lol ... chicks dancing isnt a bad thing.

all in all, i dont think i have the discipline and interest to be a 'human jukebox' ... i was hoping to play like 20 songs a night, with a lot of originals thrown in ... and not really gigging because of financial reasons. the potential workload was just daunting ... and i think it wouldnt bring me to a bigger stage.

one thing i learned though... is that anytime of the week, i can just bring my bass along to some bars and just ask whoever band is playing if i could jam. i can probably like play 10 songs with them and get my "not too stressful" stage time.

thanks to all the ones who posted here. good and bad, i enjoyed reading each replies.
 
#38
IncX said:
one thing i learned though... is that anytime of the week, i can just bring my bass along to some bars and just ask whoever band is playing if i could jam.
Click to expand...

Depends on the band. Personally, I don't like to step down for some guy with a bass. One band I was in, we had a strict policy of no stand-ins. The band I'm in now allows their buddies to grab a mic on the fourth set but I still don't like it.

If you're at an open mic, yeah, but just walking into a bar with a bass and asking to stand in with strangers? :eyebrow:
 
#40
ChrisB2 said:
If you're at an open mic, yeah, but just walking into a bar with a bass and asking to stand in with strangers? :eyebrow:
Click to expand...

for some reason, it's an accepted practice here, especially in some bars and some nights (other venues are more strict). im sort of surprised myself, because i'd never allow it in my band.

and when you asked the question ... i sorta remembered Jaco lol ... i think he used to do that and there were instances he got kicked out of clubs cause of that
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back