Replacing band members.The "Happy" ending.

[JTUK]

Auditions NO, referrals, YES.
Then you phone them and convince them you are worth looking at.
These guys wotrk or have worked and they pretty much know there and then if they have space for a new venture.
If they say No at this point, you mostly haven't sold the idea very well

They will be lookin at you as the right sort of stature and you already know they can play..so it becomes more about can you live with the personal nuances/playing style and general character..and what they bring to the party.

If they can't take the band to an interesting musical place..through energy or playing skills etc etc ..then it is not going to work anyway.

[discreet]

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1361922250' post='1993264']
I went for an audition for a band over 2 years ago and they still keep telling me that they will let me know.
[size=4]I keep going to rehearsals every week and even play at the gigs, I wont leave until they let me know whether I am in or not [/size]
[/quote]

Er... I think you're probably in there, mate!

[fumps]

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1361890875' post='1992533']
seems to me a lot of these people that duck out of auditions at the last minute have just got cold feet, it's a really nerve racking experience putting yourself up for auditions not knowing the people involved or their level of expertise.
On the other hand it's better to find out they're not committed before you spend weeks teaching them the songs
[/quote]
I agree with this as a person who is looking to join a band. the majority of people who are not in a band are not in a band for a reason. Either lack of skill, a bit odd or simply not enough confidence.
I have not played in a band for a very long time and becaus of this, i have slipped into a comfort zone, although I have seen a few ads that I find interesting I bottle it and dont get in touch, I'm guessing some guys will take the step & then realise taht their confidence is lacking. I think the idea of doing an audition would be pretty scarey for someone in a situation like me.

Of course some are just knuckle dragging puddles of loon & you catch for these all the time

[Oopsdabassist]

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1361974415' post='1993861']

Of course some are just [i][b]knuckle dragging puddles of loon[/b][/i] & you catch for these all the time
[/quote]

I just GOTTA nick that...sheer poetry!!!

[fumps]

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1361976256' post='1993895']
I just GOTTA nick that...sheer poetry!!!
[/quote]

***takes bow while hurting a mouse***

[rogerstodge]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1359465454' post='1955089']


But you must have, right? You made it up? If that quote is genuine, then it's one for the all-time Hall Of Fame.
[/quote]i bet its true, i auditioned a drummer 20 odd years ago who never owned a kit, he's now playing with a well established band... And.... Nope he still don't own a kit..

[Les]

First rehearsal with the new guy last night, went well, nine songs that in all honesty were giggable, think this is going to work out

[WhoNeedsYou]

[quote name='Les' timestamp='1361998104' post='1994318']
First rehearsal with the new guy last night, went well, nine songs that in all honesty were giggable, think this is going to work out
[/quote]
Just out of interest, how did you tell the unsuccessful applicants they hadn't got in?

[Jacqueslemac]

My surf band has been looking for a rhythm guitarist (or keys) for ages. We've had a couple of nibbles just recently. Last week, one guy who had been booked in baled out a couple of hours before (not unusual, but still annoying as we'd send him chord charts, samples of our rehearsals, the original tunes and what not).

The other guy says he hasn't been playing long and it sounds like he's got pretty cheap gear. BUT, we don't need a flash lead guitarist doing all the Dick Dale runs, because we already have one (with the matching attitude as well).

I spent half an hour on the phone last night explaining what we're looking for and trying to convince him to have a go, because he seems to have the right outlook, but just lacks confidence.

Tonight I'm meeting him for a drink in a local pub to talk some more about what he'll be required to do (hell, there are only about six chords he needs to know and a lot of what he'll need to do is pick out root notes) and try to make sure he doesn't feel too intimidated when he turns up for the audition/rehearsal next week.

The band is a really low-key, laid-back venture, as we mainly play for fun. I'm in a gigging band already, so we're not looking for more than a couple of gigs a year and maybe some decent studio time, but it's still been quite a struggle just to get a rhythm guitarist to spend a couple of hours one evening just to see if they like it.

[Les]

[quote name='WhoNeedsYou' timestamp='1362014052' post='1994645']
Just out of interest, how did you tell the unsuccessful applicants they hadn't got in?
[/quote]

To be honest I didn't. I was going on holiday the following morning so it was left to the singer. I have no idea how he told them but he would have been diplomatic. Apparently one of the guys (who I have known for a long time, and to be fair he can play) was quite surprised he didn't get it.

Jaqueslemc, Yes it's a strange thing bottle, the other guy who didn't get the job told me when we were having a natter after the audition and I was telling him of the difficulties getting people to actually show up that he very nearly rang to pull out cos' he was nervous about the whole thing.

Strangely that afternoon I'd auditioned for an established tribute band cos' I could see the end in sight for our band the way things were going. I got the job, but when they sent me the gig list there was just nowhere near enough work in the diary, plus I had some misgivings about the band, so I knocked it back, just told them the truth, they understood and admitted work had been a struggle for a while now, but I guess that's the nature of the scene at the moment.

[fumps]

^^^
Bang on!

Have a drink & a chat first. out of every band I have ever been in I have always met the band for a chat first without picking up an instrument. It's a good way to meet the band as people first, you can talk about music & get a feel for what they are like. If he is lacking in confidence & feels like he's not going to look like a useless amateur on the first practice then your half way there.

When I bought my first bass I was invited to join a band one month after buying the bass I had the mindset that I would not join a band until i was at a better skill level, But looking back if I wouldn't have not made that jump I would have never have done it.

[Jacqueslemac]

Slightly off topic, I reckon my bass playing has improved more by playing in bands than it ever would have if I only played with backing tracks and/or just by myself, no matter how many lessons I'd had.

[TimR]

[quote name='Jacqueslemac' timestamp='1362040867' post='1994759']
Slightly off topic, ...
[/quote]

Not at all off topic.

You'll only get better by playing with other musicians.

[oggiesnr]

Mind you some of those are doing the selecting can be right nobs as well. I recently learnt four songs for an audition "Learn the original versions" I was told, so I did. At the audition two songs were in different keys "Our singer can't manage the original key" and none of the rest of the arrangements (including drums) bore much of a resemblance to the originals either. Total waste of my time learning the lines.

Steve

[JTUK]

But the track will likely be hard work if you approach it like this.

You have no idea who is going to play what and how... as you found out.
Far better to have a few notes and wing it. and be able to quickly transpose it
If you get the gig, then you can worry about how close the band is capable of getting and how close you want to get

[oggiesnr]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1362047464' post='1994858']
But the track will likely be hard work if you approach it like this.

You have no idea who is going to play what and how... as you found out.
Far better to have a few notes and wing it. and be able to quickly transpose it
If you get the gig, then you can worry about how close the band is capable of getting and how close you want to get
[/quote]

Totally agree, my normal approach would be to do it that way, the only reason I deviated was because THEY asked me too. Yes, I could quite easily have made up bass lines on the fly (done it for years) but after that I couldn't be a****d. If they'd been honest from the first I might have been inclined to try. What I didn't understand was their mentality, if you know you're not playing the original versions why ask for someone to learn them?

Steve

[Phil Starr]

Interesting topic, I'm glad Les seems to have found his guitarist. It always seems to be my responsibility to find new band members, we took years to find a long term drummer. In the end it was a casual ad in a music shop that found our man though I did find OK people on Joinmyband and Lemonrock. Lemonrock is good because it is all gigging musicians but the downside is it has limited numbers looking.

Auditions are horrible, I organised ours and you just feel crap. You know how exposed the potential band member feels, none of us likes being judged, you try to be fair but you also know that you are going to be spending a lot of time with people so you have to like them then at the end of auditions you have to tell someone that they came up short in some way.

I recently tried out with another band and that is no better. Even though this was a personal invite from someone I knew you are still turning up with a group of guys who all know each other pretty well. Nerves and lack of familiarity mean you don't play your best. In this case it was a country band and I'd never heard most of the songs a week before, never played country and they didn't play in the keys they told me to learn. I'm a very ordinary bassist at best and get by on preparation rather than any skill. With a bunch of strangers I'm not sure my bottle would have held. They must have been desperate because I got the gig.

So my question is what is the best way to present yourself? I never offer more than that I'll play the root note in time with the band and that I'll go and learn the set and turn up when I say i will. Anything else is then a bonus. Equally some people tell you they are god's gift to music and I never take that very seriously either. However I've turned down auditioning people who claim to be professional musicians as being too good for our gigging hobby band and I've probably missed out on chances by under selling myself. So what's the best way?

[KevB]

I never got to audition for the band I've just joined. The planned rehearsal never happened either so I only met them on the night. They sent me a set list, I learned it, turned up and played the gig. I very much doubt he would have risked this approach with a drummer though. I don't think I would have in his position.

[jonsmith]

Hmm, I can understand a certain nervousness on the part of the auditionee, but to the point where you actually pull out of the audition? Then why bother contacting bands or advertising your services in the first place? If you can't make that leap, then you're probably not ready to gig anyway.

Where possible, we've met prospective candidates in the pub, but once you've got a few people on the go, it can turn into endless pub meetings, which isn't really practical (although I'd have a good go at it!). We've certainly spoken to all serious candidates on the phone & they will be aware that we're pleasant & straightforward people.

Trying someone tonight - fingers crossed!

[Jacqueslemac]

I was contacted a couple of weeks ago (via JoinMyBand) by a band looking for a new bass player. I responded asking for sight of the set list (it's a covers band), discovered half-a-dozen songs on it I can already play, so responded saying I'd be happy to have a go. I also sent a few recordings of me playing the same songs in my current band (who regularly hack me off, which is why I was on the look-out anyway).

I got a message back saying that another bass player had responded before I did, so they'll be trying him out (tonight, as it happens). They'll only contact me again if they decide he isn't what they're looking for.

I'm not too bothered, but in their shoes I'd try out everyone who responded before making a decision, wouldn't you?

[solo4652]

How about this;

I placed an ad on JoinMyBand as a beginner cajon player looking for people to jam with so I could improve. Here's the opening part of a reply I received:


[color=#0000FF]"What's a cajun lol ? Cba lookin it up although I have heard of it , well I took up playin the rhythem guitar last year n built me own rehersal shed..."[/color]
[color=#0000FF][/color]

At first, I thought it was somebody I knew having a laugh, but I'm now fairly sure the guy's for real.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1362128906' post='1996032']
[color=#0000FF][size=4]"What's a cajun lol ? Cba lookin it up although I have heard of it , well I took up playin the rhythem guitar last year n built me own rehersal shed..."[/size][/color]
[/quote]

Mmmmm.... Chicken....

[Les]

These people walk amongst us

[neepheid]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1362128906' post='1996032']
[color=#0000FF]"Cba lookin it up"[/color]
[/quote]

That's the sad part right there. Information at our fingertips these days, and they "cba lookin it up". I weep for the future.

[Hutton]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1362132576' post='1996114']
That's the sad part right there. Information at our fingertips these days, and they "cba lookin it up". I weep for the future.
[/quote]

i'm with you there Matt. So sad.