Life is sweet during the garage band days. You buy an instrument, you hook up with friends, and you are born a musician and bandmate simultaneously. There are no questions about ability; you’re all learning together. But eventually, in your life as a musician, there comes a time when you can’t just walk into a band situation and fill the open slot. You’ve got to demonstrate your abilities in front of complete strangers, and wait as they evaluate your worthiness.
A huge ego can be helpful at this point. If you go in thinking that you’ll blow them away, and then stand back as they grovel at your feet, an audition may not elicit much anxiety in you at all. I don’t envy the band that gets you, though. However, if you’re one of the more rational, sensible, dare I say “normal” musicians, you may be scared to death at what lies ahead. Unfortunately, nothing but preparation and experience can make this a less fearful encounter. So… how do you prepare?
Phase 1: Ready, Get Set (List) – It’s good to request a band’s full set list in advance. If they are a cover band, it’s possible that they play music you already know. If they play originals, hopefully you’ve seen or heard them perform and already have familiarity with the songs. If you’re going into an audition with no knowledge of the material, be prepared to spend two or three times as long preparing. If you don’t have that kind of time in your schedule, don’t embarrass yourself by trying out. Your reputation doesn’t need it.
Phase 2: Negotiate Material – The next step should be to negotiate how many songs you’ll need to know. Between 5 and 10 songs will allow a band to gauge your skills as a player during a 20 to 40 minute jam. If given the choice, choose the songs you know best, or songs you can learn in the least amount of time. They may request additional songs (or alternative choices) in order to see how quickly you can learn material, or become a fully integrated member. Be honest about what you know and what you don’t. If you pretend not to know songs you’ve already learned, you’re setting a dangerous precedent. The band will have unrealistic expectations of your abilities and you’ll eventually get caught. Remember: your reputation will follow you around the music scene. In any event, once the audition list is finalized, be prepared to create or request a tape of the songs you’ll need to study. If the songs are covers, be sure to ask if the band plays them in the original key, or whether they’ve been transposed up or down. Ideally, they may be able to provide you with a live recording, sound board tape, or demo of the songs in the proper key and with their unique arrangements included.
Phase 3: Prioritize & Practice – Once you have your audition set list and tape, get to work. Arrange the songs in order from easiest to most difficult, or, from those you know the best to those you know the least. Polish or learn the easy ones first, then place them aside. Begin tackling the others in sequence. Concentrate on the main riffs and changes first, and ignore licks and fills. You’ll waste precious time by trying to completely master each song before moving on. When you have the basics down, move to the next tune. When you have the basics for each tune complete, return to the first new or difficult song and add the licks and polish. With this approach, you won’t blow your audition should time run out unexpectedly. It’s easy to forgive (or even fail to notice) a missed lick during a song, but if the main melody or rhythm is absent or incorrect, everyone will be aware of it. Kiss that coveted spot goodbye.
Phase 4: Cool Down – Opinions differ. Some advocate complete immersion in new material every day, all day long. Personally, I think it’s a good test of retention to completely stop playing or listening to the audition music for periods of time between practices. If, after a break of several hours, you can still play the material you’ve learned as well as you did earlier (or better), you can rest at ease. However, if you don’t give your ears that break, you’ll never be 100% sure if the music is being properly stored in your brain and hands. It’s easy to become overpowered by what you’re hearing, and assume that you’ve nailed your part. But when you arrive at the rehearsal space for audition day, there will be silence leading up to your performance. The lack of recorded music to bolster your confidence may be unnerving. Will you remember what to play when they point at you?
Phase 5: Finding Your Way – This should be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Being late for the audition will say a lot about you. You’re generally disorganized or unreliable. Maybe you don’t even care if you get the gig or not. If you’re doing it now, what’s to stop you from being late for a performance? Under these circumstances, even a stellar audition might not get you the spot. Personality and character do factor into the decision to choose one player over another. Have punctuality in your favour, not counting against you. There are plenty of good mapping websites that provide turn-by-turn door-to-door directions. Mapquest.com is my favourite. Do one better, and make a dry run to the address, just to make sure you recognize the landmarks.
Audition Day – Resist the urge to do any last minute cramming. Doubting your abilities at this point is counter-productive. Instead, have a shower. Put on some nice, comfortable clothes. Leave early. Bring the audition set list with you. Arrive 5 or 10 minutes early, not thirty. Shake hands and introduce yourself. Make small talk. Tune. If given the choice of set order, take the initiative and choose the song you feel most comfortable with. Doing so will get you off to a good start. If they choose the song, don’t worry. Your brain and hands should know what to do. Push away any nagging doubts and trust yourself. Play your best. Don’t stop or draw undue attention to mistakes (don’t swear)! Don’t expect immediate feedback or a final answer after the audition. Thank them for their time and give them your card or number. If offered the spot, remember that you can ask for a night to think about it. An audition is actually a two-way street. If the band gives you any reason to reconsider your interest, take 24 hours to reflect on it. It may sound cocky, but it’s all in how you express it. Ask politely. Thank them again and assure them you’ll have an answer for them by 5:00 PM (or any specific time) the following day.
If for some reason you aren’t offered the spot, try not to be discouraged. Like any job interview, a lot depends on the number of other people applying. Not being chosen doesn’t mean you weren’t good. There may have been someone slightly better, with more experience, better gear, or who related better to the band on a personal level. Ask the band for some feedback on your performance. They may even be able to recommend you to another band! Thank them again for seeing you. Remember, you’re building a reputation. A likeable player with good skills can be in higher demand than a jerk virtuoso.
When all is said and done and you’ve got the gig, you can relax. Right? Well… maybe. There’s still no guarantee that the band will work. Although I consider myself to be a pretty good judge of character, I’ve committed myself to a number of projects that blew up because the nucleus members turned out to be ambitious but disorganized, or just basically horse asses. In the short term, it’s easy to feel as if you’ve been cheated. After all, you’ve learned a pile of new songs that you may never perform in front of people. However, in the long term, any exercise that expands your song repertoire and increases your playing ability is ultimately going to increase your value to some other future project. So put some pictures of those dorks on your dart board, then get back to playing again.
Good luck.
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