ChunkyMunky Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I put a GumTree advert out in my area for Jazz musicians as I'm a completely novice but I got a response which suggests this guitarist is ridiculously good. I'm a bit nervous, to say the least. Who else has had some interesting experiences with this sort of thing? Done a gig that was way beyond your reach but still gave it a shot nonetheless? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 If he has applied to your advert then something is not quite right with the ridiculously good thing...IMO People generally gravitate to their perceived level as things are just so much easier that way and you have less chance of someone getting peed off...either trying too hard to keep up or the other guys trying too hard to pull you along... By all means meet and see what common ground you have... but novice and ridiculously good don't generally mix, tbh.. Good luck tho.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottastopbuyinggear Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 My questions would be whether your advert, and his response, were clear (and honest) about ability levels? Are you a complete novice, in which case it might be a bit odd that he replied, or are you a Jazz novice, which is a different thing? At the end of the day the honesty thing is important. If they're really good, and happy to play with people who aren't so good (and do so in a "nice" way) then great. My experience is of going for a try out with a band who I thought were probably a bit too good for me. I was honest about my experience and ability, and I think I gave a pretty good account of myself. They went with someone else, but said "no" to me in a pretty positive way, so all round a good experience. But even if they'd been knobs about it, who cares - you move on and find something/someone more appropriate, and they're still the knobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChunkyMunky Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1431712534' post='2774297'] If he has applied to your advert then something is not quite right with the ridiculously good thing...IMO People generally gravitate to their perceived level as things are just so much easier that way and you have less chance of someone getting peed off...either trying too hard to keep up or the other guys trying too hard to pull you along... By all means meet and see what common ground you have... but novice and ridiculously good don't generally mix, tbh.. Good luck tho.. [/quote] In terms of ridiculously good by my definition, he's well rounded in the realm of Jazz whereas I'm a guy who has come from a contemporary background. I think 'ridiculously' good might be a bit of an exaggeration by me but I'm a Jazz novice and this guy certainly isn't. I've been upfront about it all but I'm curious to see if anyone has had similar experiences. Thanks on the good luck notion. [quote name='Gottastopbuyinggear' timestamp='1431713806' post='2774314'] My questions would be whether your advert, and his response, were clear (and honest) about ability levels? Are you a complete novice, in which case it might be a bit odd that he replied, or are you a Jazz novice, which is a different thing? At the end of the day the honesty thing is important. If they're really good, and happy to play with people who aren't so good (and do so in a "nice" way) then great. My experience is of going for a try out with a band who I thought were probably a bit too good for me. I was honest about my experience and ability, and I think I gave a pretty good account of myself. They went with someone else, but said "no" to me in a pretty positive way, so all round a good experience. But even if they'd been knobs about it, who cares - you move on and find something/someone more appropriate, and they're still the knobs. [/quote] I've been completely honest in the advert and the correspondences, it's just a bit intimidating going from being able to play most pop things with relative ease to being absolutely floored on something like 'Autumn Leaves' as an example. It's a completely different level and ballgame but it's getting there, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 There's nothing special about 'Autumn Leaves' [i]et al per se[/i], unless you're expected to improvise a solo spot..! It's just chords, just like any other song. Depending on the 'swing' required, a bit of 'walking' over the chord notes, with subtle 'ghost' notes, half-tone bracketing, chromatic joining runs and such and you're away. Soloing can be done with a bit of homework; improvising (well...) is the difficult bit. If you've the chords to your repertoire, just (slowly, at first...) play them through as simple arpeggios. I'd start off with the 'vanilla' chords at the outset; that's the simple ones without the fancy extensions such as 9ths and 13ths. Not quite top spot at Ronnie Scott's for starters, but not rocket surgery, either, I'd suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I'd happily jam with someone who was a novice to a genre that I was comfortable in. The novice has the ability to learn & with jazz, influences from other genres is a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeEvans Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I definitely have experience of musicians who think that they are ridiculously good and wouldn't hesitate to describe themselves as such; however, they don't generally need to go to Gumtree to find a band to play in. I'd be more worried about being irritated than outplayed here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Yes. I 'auditioned' for a band. Essentially, I had to learn about 20tunes in 4 days. Pop/rock standards that I mostly knew. So I brushed up on them and off I went. "Just bring your bass, it'll be only me (the guitarist) there. I don't want to waste the rest of the bands' time." Impossible. I had to play along with his guitar playing. No drums/machine, no vocals, tunes he knew inside out. Forget about wasting his bands' time. What about my time? Win some/lose some. Lucky escape for me I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seashell Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I bet he didn't actually have a band, Tim. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChunkyMunky Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 [quote name='JoeEvans' timestamp='1431717118' post='2774380'] I definitely have experience of musicians who think that they are ridiculously good and wouldn't hesitate to describe themselves as such; however, they don't generally need to go to Gumtree to find a band to play in. I'd be more worried about being irritated than outplayed here... [/quote] He seemed real modest about his playing but I can guess that this guy is going to be a whizz. Just going on my intuition here, but I'm kind of hoping I'm wrong to a lesser degree. [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1431716123' post='2774361'] There's nothing special about 'Autumn Leaves' [i]et al per se[/i], unless you're expected to improvise a solo spot..! It's just chords, just like any other song. Depending on the 'swing' required, a bit of 'walking' over the chord notes, with subtle 'ghost' notes, half-tone bracketing, chromatic joining runs and such and you're away. Soloing can be done with a bit of homework; improvising (well...) is the difficult bit. If you've the chords to your repertoire, just (slowly, at first...) play them through as simple arpeggios. I'd start off with the 'vanilla' chords at the outset; that's the simple ones without the fancy extensions such as 9ths and 13ths. Not quite top spot at Ronnie Scott's for starters, but not rocket surgery, either, I'd suggest. [/quote] To think, I was going overboard with making sure it was sounding perfect. Could it be truly that easy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 [quote name='ChunkyMunky' timestamp='1431722850' post='2774463']...Could it be truly that easy? [/quote] What, easy-peasy..? No, sirree, but it ain't as hard as working down a tin mine, either. A bit of 'woodshedding', a grain of common sense, a smidgin of confidence (or bravado, as a substitute...) and a positive 'vibe' or two and you're in with a decent chance, I say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 [quote name='seashell' timestamp='1431722839' post='2774461'] I bet he didn't actually have a band, Tim. :-) [/quote] He definitely had a band. They were very busy. Their bass player recommended me. I was just made to feel very uncomfortable. Auditions are funny things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1431712534' post='2774297'] If he has applied to your advert then something is not quite right with the ridiculously good thing...IMO People generally gravitate to their perceived level as things are just so much easier that way and you have less chance of someone getting peed off...either trying too hard to keep up or the other guys trying too hard to pull you along... By all means meet and see what common ground you have... but novice and ridiculously good don't generally mix, tbh.. Good luck tho.. [/quote] Totally agree with this. Right on the money. Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Coming out of your comfort zone is essential for lasting change and improvement. The vast majority of the populous are risk averse by nature....but in reality, whats the worst that can happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 [quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1431725304' post='2774487'] Coming out of your comfort zone is essential for lasting change and improvement. The vast majority of the populous are risk averse by nature....but in reality, whats the worst that can happen? [/quote] Definitely. My audition 'failure' didn't stop me from auditioning again. It did teach me several valuable lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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