EEEEK I've got an audition for ACM

[stewblack]

You sound great, you'll be great. They'll be lucky to have you. 

[dave moffat]

I'm sure you'll nail it.

As a non-musical suggestion I'd get some Rosemary essential oil and either have it in a diffuser or dab a bit on a pulse point or a tissue. I've found it both relaxes and really boosts focus/concentration for exams/competitions when you really need to in top form.

Good luck (not that you'll need it)

[Sarah5string]

Still working on Bombtrack. It's getting there, still a bit sloppy in places but it's getting cleaner and that's what matters.

Less than a week until my audition. OH GOD

[dave moffat]

🚀Just go for it.

[Dad3353]

53 minutes ago, Sarah5string said:

Still working on Bombtrack. It's getting there, still a bit sloppy in places but it's getting cleaner and that's what matters.

Less than a week until my audition. OH GOD

Don't neglect the other aspects, just because you like to just play, just the same. Do yourself justice, just this once.

Signed : Justin Thym.

[ambient]

Your performance piece is important, but don’t forget about other things they’ll probably test you on.
 

When I auditioned for my BMus the performance piece was actually a pretty small part of the audition process. They were more concerned with my harmony and theory knowledge. There was a sight-reading test, an aural exam, and a written theory test. Playing wise they asked me to play two octave scales - I think they asked for modes too - definitely four note arpeggios. They were listening for how cleanly everything was executed, so if you play a five or six string make sure your muting is good.

Just try and stay relaxed, and good luck with the audition.

 

 

Edited May 31, 2021 by ambient

[TKenrick]

I was at ACM a long time ago (13 years since I graduated 😮), but I wouldn't imagine that too much had changed...

The academic and musical requirements weren't very high (compared to other music colleges or university music courses) and there definitely wasn't much jazz floating about; it's very much a rock and pop school. There was also a huge range of abilities within my degree class.

Try to relax and enjoy it - as others have said, they want you as a student and the audition is just a hoop to jump through.

A word of warning; I couldn't read music when I arrived and it was a very rude awakening - this is something that I'd start working on ASAP if you're still a TAB-only player.

When you get there, make a point of finding the tutor whose playing/teaching is most to your liking and book as many 1-on-1 tutorials with them as possible; these will be worth more than the entire degree course in terms of getting you ready to be a working musician.

[Sarah5string]

Thanks guys, I'm starting to freak out a bit as it's hard to prepare when you don't know exactly what they're going to ask! Going to do some metronome work with scales and arpeggios tonight as I know there's a couple of other bits they expect you to play along to a click track to demonstrate your harmony/groove.

I know the theory bare bones, but am worried about the holes in my knowledge. I know the major, Natural minor, pentatonic minor and blues scales in two shapes (and chromatic obviously) but couldnt tell you their mode names apart from major is Ionian and that C major has no sharps or flats.

For arpeggios I know the major/minor, dominant 7, major 7, minor 7, major 6 and minor 6.I don't know how to sight read much to play along to, but I know what the basic things are on the staff.

Aaaargh

[Dad3353]

30 minutes ago, Sarah5string said:

...Aaaargh

Reading that post, I'd say you've covered the essential bases. The metronome stuff sounds like a Good Bet (although, really, a bit of metronome stuff should be in your weekly routine anyway, if not daily...). Bare bones theory sounds about right, too; after all, if you had it all down pat, you wouldn't want to be going to classes, would you..? Brush up on the ones you do know, and look up any other one, just for fun. As for mode names : it's not a Greek course you're going for. Look up one other just the same, over a coffee or tea break, and that'll do fine. For reading, each evening, from now till audition, just get any piece you have on hand and read it through once, then read it through playing along. Just the once each; no need to over-do things. It's just to make it pretty 'ordinary' to reach for a page of bass , scan it, then play it. You've done all of this before anyway, so you're already pretty much 'in the zone'. It's looking good; you're going about this the right way. 

Edited May 31, 2021 by Dad3353

[Sarah5string]

9 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Reading that post, I'd say you've covered the essential bases. The metronome stuff sounds like a Good Bet (although, really, a bit of metronome stuff should be in your weekly routine anyway, if not daily...). Bare bones theory sounds about right, too; after all, if you had it all down pat, you wouldn't want to be going to classes, would you..? Brush up on the ones you do know, and look up any other one, just for fun. As for mode names : it's not a Greek course you're going for. Look up one other just the same, over a coffee or tea break, and that'll do fine. For reading, each evening, from now till audition, just get any piece you have on hand and read it through once, then read it through playing along. Just the once each; no need to over-do things. It's just to make it pretty 'ordinary' to reach for a page of bass , scan it, then play it. You've done all of this before anyway, so you're already pretty much 'in the zone'. It's looking good; you're going about this the right way. 

That's a really good idea. If I find the sheet music for songs I know I think that might help as well because I can 'read' while playing it and link the two..

[Sarah5string]

My brain is melting...

[jonno1981]

That’s never an arrangement for bass guitar. That’s a piano score isn’t it? Unless you’ve been told otherwise I wouldn’t play the part as written. It’s got an F below your low B on the 5 string! That wasn’t what was played on the original recording. 
This could work as an exercise to follow a chart, but you can’t play the exact notes, it’s impossible. Is this on your audition? It’s more of a challenge to take the music, play something that follows the chord changes and make it sound ok! 

[jrixn1]

41 minutes ago, jonno1981 said:

That’s a piano score isn’t it?  ...  It’s got an F below your low B on the 5 string!

Actually... if it's a piano score, then yes you can play that low F on a four-string bass, let alone a five.  Bass guitar is a transposing instrument 😎

[BassTractor]

1 hour ago, Sarah5string said:

My brain is melting...

That can never be a good thing.
Maybe it's better for you to accept the levels of your abilities, and to not try and cram a lot of new stuff into the short time you have left. You be the judge of this of course, but the way I see it you risk working yourself up to a stress level that is not going to contribute.

As several have said: they want you.
Try and tell yourself you're worth having.
All the best!
bert

[Sarah5string]

1 hour ago, jonno1981 said:

That’s never an arrangement for bass guitar. That’s a piano score isn’t it? Unless you’ve been told otherwise I wouldn’t play the part as written. It’s got an F below your low B on the 5 string! That wasn’t what was played on the original recording. 
This could work as an exercise to follow a chart, but you can’t play the exact notes, it’s impossible. Is this on your audition? It’s more of a challenge to take the music, play something that follows the chord changes and make it sound ok! 

It's apparently the 'jazz version' of thunderstruck by AC/DC 🤣

[Sarah5string]

1 minute ago, BassTractor said:

That can never be a good thing.
Maybe it's better for you to accept the levels of your abilities, and to not try and cram a lot of new stuff into the short time you have left. You be the judge of this of course, but the way I see it you risk working yourself up to a stress level that is not going to contribute.

As several have said: they want you.
Try and tell yourself you're worth having.
All the best!
bert

Nah, I've ditched off the sight reading now I know enough to blag it. They're not expecting me to play from sheet music, I just wanted to get familiar with it/the notes and know the FACE/GBDFA etc.

I'm back to the metronome now

[OliverBlackman]

54 minutes ago, Sarah5string said:

Nah, I've ditched off the sight reading now I know enough to blag it. They're not expecting me to play from sheet music, I just wanted to get familiar with it/the notes and know the FACE/GBDFA etc.

I'm back to the metronome now

I couldn’t read bass clef before I went. Although it made learning the first performance piece a much harder experience as a result. Something to practice before you start. 

[ambient]

1 minute ago, OliverBlackman said:

I couldn’t read bass clef before I went. Although it made learning the first performance piece a much harder experience as a result. Something to practice before you start. 

Did you do the degree course?

I went to ICMP. I mentioned above, the audition to get in there was incredibly hard. There were written harmony and theory and aural tests. I think there were two sight-reading tests. One playing unaccompanied lines, the other along to a backing track. As well as various scale and arpeggio tests. 

I auditioned at BIM in Bristol too. That wasn’t as demanding as ICMP. The guy running The audition was a lot nicer and more approachable too.

It’s surprising how varied the auditions are.

[Dad3353]

2 hours ago, Sarah5string said:

My brain is melting...

I'd not advise doing things this way. To each his/her own, of course, but I find it better to use just the stave, with no markings. As slow as it needs, just work out each note, say what note it is out loud (at pitch, if possible...), then find and play it on the instrument. At first, it's darned slow, but little by little, the association of the dots on the page, the name of the note and its sound work there way into the brain. Fifteen minutes a day, every day (or twice a day if really keen...) get it all engraved on the neurones, and there's no time wasted in writing down all those marks. It's the quickest, and surest, way I know, and has worked for me for drums, keys, bass and guitar. I'm still not a 'pit-man' sight-reader, but I can figure most simple scores out reasonably well. Get a 'clean' score of something and try it out, maybe..? 

Edited May 31, 2021 by Dad3353

[OliverBlackman]

9 minutes ago, ambient said:

Did you do the degree course?

I went to ICMP. I mentioned above, the audition to get in there was incredibly hard. There were written harmony and theory and aural tests. I think there were two sight-reading tests. One playing unaccompanied lines, the other along to a backing track. As well as various scale and arpeggio tests. 

I auditioned at BIM in Bristol too. That wasn’t as demanding as ICMP. The guy running The audition was a lot nicer and more approachable too.

It’s surprising how varied the auditions are.

I did yeh but I did the HnD first. ACM has bigger classes than ICMP and just want bums on seats so the process to get in wasn’t difficult. 
 

Three friends went to ICMP and two did very well. Depends what you want to get out of the course at the end of the day. 
 

I wish I could have gone to Berklee but I don’t think my life now would be much different if I had, except I’d be crippled by ridiculous debt. 

[ambient]

10 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

I did yeh but I did the HnD first. ACM has bigger classes than ICMP and just want bums on seats so the process to get in wasn’t difficult. 
 

Three friends went to ICMP and two did very well. Depends what you want to get out of the course at the end of the day. 
 

I wish I could have gone to Berklee but I don’t think my life now would be much different if I had, except I’d be crippled by ridiculous debt. 

Yeah, I did the HnD first too, though at ICMP. You’re absolutely right, you take from it what you want.

[Doddy]

On 25/05/2021 at 22:54, paul_5 said:

E minor pentatonic (5 notes) -

E, G, A, B, D, E

E Blues:

E, F#, G, A, A#, B, C, D, E

Not wanting to be too pedantic,  but the Blues scale is just a minor pentatonic with an added flat 5, so E G A Bb B D

4 hours ago, jonno1981 said:

That’s never an arrangement for bass guitar. That’s a piano score isn’t it? Unless you’ve been told otherwise I wouldn’t play the part as written. It’s got an F below your low B on the 5 string! That wasn’t what was played on the original recording. 
This could work as an exercise to follow a chart, but you can’t play the exact notes, it’s impossible. Is this on your audition? It’s more of a challenge to take the music, play something that follows the chord changes and make it sound ok! 

The thing with Bass Guitar is that it's actually transposed an octave below whats written. So on a piano score like this, the pitch of the low F that's 4 ledger lines down would be the 1st fret of the E string, but on a bass guitar part that same note would be written an octave higher as the F just under the stave.  

If your reading isn't relatively strong and you're still learning, I'd avoid piano scores for a bit and look for actual bass parts for this very reason.

[Sarah5string]

OMG.. my audition is tomorrow and I'm just freaking out about all the things I don't know that they'll probably ask me 🤣

On the plus side.. it's my birthday! 36 today and don't feel a day of 35 and 364 days.

 

[Geek99]

I’d peg you as younger  happy birthday 🎂

[Sarah5string]

3 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

I’d peg you as younger  happy birthday 🎂

I've always had a bit of a baby moon face to be fair 🤣