Auditions: Who chooses the songs?

[thepurpleblob]

It's a hard question to answer without questioning the OP's attitude as the question was really *about* attitude. I certainly mean no offence but I do think he's wrong and I explained why. Just my $00.02 though - my wife will tell you that I'm wrong about *everything*

[discreet]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1335635270' post='1634116']
It's all moot, anyway, because they'll certainly turn out to be just another bunch of wazzers.[/quote]

I'm sorry to say this is very likely.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1335632730' post='1634069']
In fact, you may go the full nine yards (what does that mean exactly?) and still not get the gig.[/quote]

True, but you [i]definitely[/i] won't get it if you don't want to learn the material!

[quote name='LeftyBiskit' timestamp='1335634244' post='1634098']
IMO it's as much an audition for us as well as the drummer.
[/quote]

Please tell me that's not [i]your[/i] furry cock and balls in your avatar pic...

Edited April 28, 2012 by discreet

[BottomE]

Its a first impression thing too though and being able to see things from other perspectives. If they have 4 other bass players who will happily play the tunes then they are now automatically ahead in the queue of someone who is trying (from their perspective) to control the terms of the audition.

edit: sausage fingers

Edited April 28, 2012 by BottomE

[discreet]

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1335637312' post='1634158']
sausage fingers
[/quote]

There's no need to be rude! True though. It's not just about being able to play the stuff, it's also about whether or not you fit in with the rest of 'em. For example, if the band are all about twelve and you rock up on your mobility scooter...

[WalMan]

The couple of auditions I have been to recently I was:[list=1]
[*]sent a couple of CD's and told to learn a couple
[*]given a list of songs to learn
[/list]
For the first I ended up working out all of them. No bother a fair few were pretty basic for the bass. We played the couple, then a few more I had learnt from the CD. For the other we played through the songs, then a couple more I knew from crossover in sets. Got one, not the other.

Years back did a few more for what were basically classic rock / blues bands and just turned up. I was cr@p (still am) and didn't get any of those.

As others have said an audition ois a two way process. It's not just for them to decide if they like you and you fit in, but for you to decide if you like & can work with them.

I think I might have looked on it as something for the back pocket to know a load of songs in the set already, and see what they wanted to run through. If they have a load of people to try out then a comparison of abilities to play the same song might be helpful from their point of view. If you needed to learn a couple of songs, well it's not the end of the world (IMV). Get through those and if there's time you always have the option of throwing back "how about ???" and run through one of the others you know.

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1335638551' post='1634177']
For example, if the band are all about twelve and you rock up on your mobility scooter...[/quote]

Yeah, I thought I saw you when I was coming out after my audition. I think the 'comedy penis' hanging out of your pyjamas might have put those kiddies off more than somewhat

[color=#ffffff].[/color]

Edited April 28, 2012 by skankdelvar

[discreet]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1335638750' post='1634183']
Yeah, I thought I saw you when I was coming out after my audition. I think the 'comedy penis' hanging out of your pyjamas might have put those kiddies off more than somewhat
[/quote]

I don't know what all the fuss was about - it wasn't [i]real [/i]urine.

[northstreet]

Auditioned this afternoon for a working covers band. They sent me their set list, I picked out the dozen or so I knew, they asked me to learn two more. Went along, played the two new ones and a selection from the stuff I knew. Bit of give and take on both sides. Can't say fairer than that really.

[guildbass]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1335632730' post='1634069']
In fact, you may go the full nine yards (what does that mean exactly?) and still not get the gig.
[/quote]

My favourite explanation of that phrase is that it came from WW2. The American P51 Mustang was used for a lot of ground attack work over Europe ... They basically shot up anything that looked a bit ...well...German... Trains were always a target.. Anyway, a P51 and probably other US fighters held approximately 9 yards of ammunition in belt form... So 'Giving it the full 9 yards' came to mean going all out at something...

[BigRedX]

I'd always expect the band to tell me which songs to learn for an audition. If it was covers and I happened to know some of them already that's a bonus and if I knew some others in the set that I hadn't been specifically asked to learn I could hold them in reserve for the audition to make me look even better.

[paulconnolly]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1335625872' post='1633913']
I would have to tack against the prevailing wind here.

If everybody who's going to be in the room knows 7 of the songs, why waste the auditionee's time asking them to learn new ones? It's a first audition, ffs, 7 songs is more than enough to see if he can play.

And if they're getting into mind-games about assessing someone's commitment or 'we do the choosing', then they're being a bit previous, IMO. It's only a poxy covers band, fer chrissake. He's not applying for Head Of Surgery at Barts

Suggesting they go with the 7 'common' songs seems quite reasonable to me. So I'd say new band = illogical, sniffy and controlling. Probably a bunch of nervous, amateur, wound-too-tight timewasters.

Tell 'em to poke it or you'll be back here in a month telling us horror stories from the rehearsal room.

[color=#ffffff].[/color]
[/quote] Fink you are the exception to the rule maestro . Has anyone watched the Dream Theater vids of their audition for a new drummer? The auditionees learned a couple of DT tracks, they were also asked to put a bass part to already written stuff and then they were required to jam/improv with the rest of the band. Seems like it covers all bases for an audition AFAIAC.

[Gust0o]

Definitely wazzers.

[TimR]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1335629138' post='1633999']
Further emails between me and them have produced a compromise. They've given me a list of six songs and asked me to choose four from it. Two I know, so that means I'll need to learn two new ones.

It's not a good start between us, is it...
[/quote]

No.

Emails? You shouldn't be discussing this sort of thing over emails. It never works. The keyboard player could have read your email and taken it completely out if context to what you had intended.

[LeftyBiskit]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1335637108' post='1634153']
I'm sorry to say this is very likely.



True, but you [i]definitely[/i] won't get it if you don't want to learn the material!



Please tell me that's not [i]your[/i] furry cock and balls in your avatar pic...
[/quote]

Ha! I wondered how long it would take for someone to notice-no its a photo of a friends dog asleep taken at an odd angle,good un eh?

[TimR]

Especially group emails. People often write odd things in emails to appear in a certain way to their peers. You can easily get caught up in band politics before you've even met them.

[LeftyBiskit]

Well thats what the boy told me!!
He's always puttin stuff on the craptop.tsk teenagers eh!
apologies-tis funny tho

[paulconnolly]

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1335646091' post='1634277']
Why did the drummer have to put a bass part down
[/quote]

D'oh

[solo4652]

Well, thank you to everybody for your honest comments. I appreciate people's views. In an effort to clarify the situation (and maybe to defend myself a little), I'd like to make these points:

In previous bands I'd been in, we'd asked auditionees to look at the setlist and bring along any 6 songs to the audition. In that way, we thought we'd be helping the auditionee to be as relaxed and comfortable as possible. We were confident that we'd be able to tell whether they could sing or play guitar within a few songs, even if the auditioneee had chosen them. I actually thought this was a considerate and sympathetic approach by the band.

It's not all been done by email. I had a lengthy phone conversation with the keys player before any email songlists were exchanged. Before speaking to her, I'd looked at their setlist and spotted 7 songs I'd be able to offer at audition.

During the phone call I said that I'd prefer not to learn new songs for the audition but if I was invited to join the band then it would be sleeves rolled up and crack on with learning the setlist. I would too - I sell myself on my reliability and dependability.

After the phone call I emailed the keys player and offered to learn 2 new songs from the setlist as well as the 7 which I already knew, thinking that would show willing.

I then received an email asking me to pick 4 songs from 6 chosen by the band. Their list of 6 didn't show much overlap with my list of 9. However, I know 2 of these 6 songs, leaving me with 2 new ones to learn (which will be different from the 2 new ones I'd previously offered to learn)

"No problem", I said - see you next week.

Thinking about it, I'd make 2 points:

I've learned that the way I'd seen auditions done in the past isn't the only approach. Fair do's - lesson learned by me.

I'm left with a slightly uncomfortable feeling about this band. I truly believe I was showing enthusiasm by offering to learn new songs and by saying that I'd throw time and energy at learning the full set if I got the gig. I'm left with a niggling sense that the band hasn't done that much to create a welcoming atmosphere.

Steve. Sorry about the length of this post.

Edited April 29, 2012 by solo4652

[icastle]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1335691576' post='1634545']
I'm left with a niggling sense that the band hasn't done that much to create a welcoming atmosphere.
[/quote]

That's as much to do with human nature as anything else I reckon.

Take any established group of people, replace one of them and the dynamics of that group changes - doesn't matter if they're musicians or bird watchers.

Each person in a group has their 'position' within the hierarchy to maintain and you're an 'unknown' that's going to change the 'pecking order'.

You're initially going to be seen as a direct replacement for, and judged against, the previous bass player in more than just musical ability.

There will be a period of turmoil as everyone gets the measure of you and how you fit in - you'll be going through the same thing with them.
Eventually it all settles down and everything works smoothly again.

You can't beat human nature, you just have to hold on tight and go with the flow mate.

[chris_b]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1335622688' post='1633854']
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]....I have an audition for a covers band next week. Given that there are at least 7 songs on the band's setlist that I know, I thought that would suffice.... [/font][/size]
[/quote]

If I was running an audition I'd choose a selection of numbers that would test out the player in a way that would show me what he can do across the set.

If someone tried to decide the format of the audition I was running they wouldn't get through the door. I want to test you out not see you play what you are comfortable with.

[chris_b]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1335691576' post='1634545']
....I'm left with a niggling sense that the band hasn't done that much to create a welcoming atmosphere.....
[/quote]

They don't have to; it is [i]not[/i] "fair"; it [i]is[/i] one sided; that's what an audition is. They tell [i]you[/i] what you'll be playing (that's totally their decision); you learn it, go in there and knock their socks off.

You're jobs is to demonstrate you're the kind of player they can't do without.

If you're niggling about the process then you're probably demonstrating that you're not the kind of guy they need.

[chris_b]

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1335704249' post='1634733']
....Therefore the audition swings both ways.....
[/quote]

Of course.

An audition is a two way thing but my point is that if you've done your job properly you are the one in control and then it's you that makes the final decision to say yes or no.

[Happy Jack]

Yes, it's a 2-way process, but it's lop-sided.

As the player being auditioned, you have the power to say "No".

As the band doing the auditioning, they have the power to say [i][b]either [/b][/i]"Yes" [i][b]or [/b][/i]"No".

"Fair" doesn't come into it.

FWIW, I absolutely love learning new material, so Steve's original issue would not have been an issue for me. That's not a right/wrong comment, just an observation.

[lowregisterhead]

I've been playing bass for over 35 years now (dear god, is it that long?? ) and have done [i]many[/i] auditions, for big names and unknowns alike. The criteria that a band or artist uses to judge whether an auditionee fits the bill are many and various, and can be bigoted, pointless, illogical, and sometimes downright rude. I've discovered that over the years I've been rejected as soon as I set foot in the studio and without even playing a note because of my colour, my clothes, my bass, my hair (or lack thereof) my musical tastes, but never my playing as such. They may not have liked how I played it, but it was never the case that I couldn't have played what was required.

The dynamic between a band and a potential new member is a difficult thing to quantify, but ultimately they will choose what they [i]think[/i] they want, whether it's actually what they [i]need [/i]or not, and there's not a lot you can do about it. Also, if you misrepresent yourself, it will all come out in the end. My own impression from what you've said is that they could be "unhelpful and over-controlling", but equally by resisting a request to learn new songs, they will think you are the same!

You don't know them, so give them the benefit of the doubt. They might be great people, an are probably not relishing the task of auditioning any more than you are. Learn the songs and show willing, and if you don't hit it off when you meet, no great loss. At least you'll know some new songs!

[TimR]

Exactly. Which is why it's pretty pointles to prepare 7 tunes for the first audition before you've even met the band. 2 at most and preferably ones that the bass player can play well.

I auditioned to dep for a bass player friend. I didn't even meet the band, I went to the guitarist's house and jammed through about 4 tunes before he just said that he'd already found someone and just thought he'd give me a try.

Once I auditioned a singer. He was very good but kept telling us we weren't playing tunes in the original keys. Even so you can tell whether someone can sing and you're just playing in the wrong key for them or whether they're just making excuses. We asked him to join and he proptly started telling us about all the fist fights he'd been in. Ideal for a wedding band but not so good for corporate functions.

Edited April 29, 2012 by TimR