University Auditions.

[CJBass101]

Hey Janek!

I've applied to some university's here in the UK and some of them have asked me to submit recordings and go in for auditions. The only problem is I don't know what to play. My top choices are LCM and LIPA and they've asked me to play pieces in different styles to show my versatility but I cant seem to find any pieces that seem good enough for these university's. Truth be told i'm not a great slapper or tapper and i'm not very good at improvising either. I play in a Big Band but the courses i've applied for are Popular Music Courses. As you might be able to tell, i'm panicking a bit. Thanks for any help you're able to give me. I'm extremely greatful.

CJBass101

 

[jazzcrime]

just my two cents,
but from my experience studying music - auditions and seeing the kids who get in from the auditions, i can tell you if the panel has half a brain they're gonna pick those who show a strong sense of time, ability to groove, correct and conscious player! at the end of the day this is the fundamental role of the bass player - especially in popular music.

if i were personally auditioning for a popular music course i'd be auditioning by nailing something like a motown tune, or even something more modern like one of the groovier jamiroquai tracks...

for general awesome, fundamental and quintessential bass pieces you can't go past the 'standing in the shadows of motown' james jamerson transcriptions book. it's got a backing cd, music and the transcriptions are presented each by a different bass world heavyweight!

hope it goes well!

 

[Zombbg4]

"Not good enough for University", there's very little that's not good enough, if anything really. If you play the most simple bass line with dead on time, accuracy, and feel they will be far more impressed than if you started playing some Wooten-esque tapping. Pick a piece that your are comfortable and can nail to the wall in any situation, auditions can be nerve racking.

 

[jazzcrime]

"Not good enough for University", there's very little that's not good enough, if anything really. If you play the most simple bass line with dead on time, accuracy, and feel they will be far more impressed than if you started playing some Wooten-esque tapping. Pick a piece that your are comfortable and can nail to the wall in any situation, auditions can be nerve racking.

+1 - for me, being able to nail the simplest groove impresses me more than a whole bunch of flashy slap tap stuff...i think a lot of the bass players we, as developing students of music, look up to would attribute their greatest playing, or the playing they're most proud of, to taking the simplest of lines and making them come alive!

 

[user3653753]

first of all I'm really happy to hear you're not a slapper or a tapper. I would suggest showing your sound, time, and feel. They're the most fundamental aspects of anyone's playing, and the people auditioning you should be looking for that more than anything. You need to be cool to be around, confident in what you're playing, and confident in what you're doing. Whether it's walking across the room or just plugging in and tuning up your bass.

There aren't any tunes that aren't worthy of an audition. You could play mary had a little lamb, and if you breathed new life into it, played it with a great sound, and were really honest about the performance it would be as valid a piece as anything else you might do.

In fact I would recommend playing mary had a little lamb or some other nursery rhyme or lullaby. Everyone knows them, they know them more than almost any pop tune out there. But have a really hip arrangement of it. You said you play in a big band, so check out some of the arrangement techniques in the charts you've been playing. Stating the melody, reharmonizing the melody, rhythmic variations and developments etc etc....

Easy,

Janek