Trying out for a band

Relax and you'll be fine. I would try to get a list of their songs to work on as many as you can before Sunday. I think they'd appreciate it if you showed up and could jump in on a few songs.

Best Wishes!

Best wishes for it!

As for pointers....

* They will be judging you as much as they will be judging your playing. So, be on time. I've a drummer friend who is always half an hour early for any band rehearsal or project. He reasons that this way, the people he works with know he's reliable, he wont stand them up or waste their time. If you have a car, consider using that to travel to the audition (musicians with cars get gigs, true fact, says the Scrybe who is carless). Beyond that, relax and be yourself. Dress for the occason (e.g. if it's bluesy rock, don't turn up in full goth makeup, or in a business suit straight from work). Don't turn up stoned or drunk (I always had a rule of not drinking when I played, as I can't do both - nowadays, I just don't drink). Sorry if I'm stating the obvious a bit there.

* Try to think of a few well-known tunes that fit with the band's style - e.g. Purple Haze, Crossroads - and make sure you're familiar with them. It's a bit late in the day to be learning lots of stuff note-for-note, so either you already know it, or you should at least make sure you know what the chord changes and basic structure are. Nothing ruins an audition/rehearsal quicker than not being able to agree a song that everyone knows well enough to play through.

* Think of any questions you might want to ask them on the day - e.g. do they have a song list you need to learn for next time, and are there any key tracks on that list you should prioritise. The questions you might have will be up to you.

* Since it is on a Sunday, check all your gear on Friday night. This way, if anything is broke, you can spend Saturday at the guitar stores, or in your toolbox, fixing it. If your strings haven't been changed for five years, change them on Friday night, too. I try to always do this pre-event check with a day in hand to sort any problems out.

Edit: If possible, try to keep your post-audition time free, just in case you get invitied for a few beers, or to go watch a band or something.

Thanks the input all! I've already asked them to name 5 to 10 songs and I'll know them as well as I can. I can get pretty much any 5 songs to not be a trainwreck between now and Sunday, and more than likely play them pretty well.

Checking gear is a good idea. I've gotten in the habit of doing that Saturday night before church services on Sunday morning. I'll be playing Sunday morning there, so that's already taken care of as well.

I'll update on how it goes. Thanks again all!

Don't forget you are judging them too. It may be that I'm a Diva, but I take a little bit of that attitude in with me. Not cocky, mind you, just keeping in mind it's a two way street. That puts me a bit more at ease.

Hi,

Great list of tips from Scrybe.

Nick makes an excellent point too.
Don't forget you are judging them too. It may be that I'm a Diva, but I take a little bit of that attitude in with me. Not cocky, mind you, just keeping in mind it's a two way street. That puts me a bit more at ease.

It's actually good not to look too much like the eager-to-please doggie wagging its tail and waiting to be told what to fetch.... If they get the feeling (subtly, mind you...) that you're worthwhile taking seriously and that they may need to impress YOU as well as the other way around, then that's a good position to be in. So don't forget to ask them plenty of thoughtful questions, and weigh them up every bit as much as they weigh you up. As Nick says, not cocky, but not looking too desperate to get the gig either. :wink:

Hope it goes well.

Cheers,

Chris

Nail this bass solo & you're in! :twisted:

Good advice already given. Just be yourself & make sure you want to play with them too. Good luck! 8)

yup, a total +1 on Nick's point from me too.

Well, the tryout went really well! I had gotten a list of 10 or so songs from them and had worked them up pretty close to the recording. Got there and started playing. Several songs were played in keys different from the recordings. Luckily I've gotten into the habit of playing just about everything I can in a closed position since we swap keys so much at church that I was able to adapt quickly and moved right along.

We quickly veered off the list and just started calling out songs. Several blues tunes I'd never heard before, but it was just a A-D-E 12 bar blues, so I pulled those off pretty darn well too! The drummer and I really started to click on several tunes, throwing in some unison quarter note triplet runs and such. He was smiling and obviously having a good time.

About two hours in we shut it down and started talking. I was up front in that I wasn't looking for an every week thing. I think that sat well with them. I was offered a position on the spot. I took Sunday night to be sure its what I was wanting.

Monday evening I called and accepted a position in the band! We've got another practice coming this Saturday and are hoping to work on getting some gigs after a few months of hard practice.

Thanks to everyone here at guitarnoise! I don't think I'd have been able to do this without this site. I don't post as much any more, but I still lurk and read. I encourage everyone to get to playing with people as soon as they can. In the past 6 months playing bass at church and now with a band I've learned SO much more than just sitting in my living room!

Congratulations!! I'm glad to hear it went so well for you. :D

Congrats; sounds like you really clicked with the others. 8)

Yea way to go sounds like it'll be fun.

Way to go! I'm happy for you. Good luck with it.

Congrats! Now keep that low end tight! 8)