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Audition time...fingers crossed.


Gruupi

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Its been 5 years or so since I have played out or even thought about joining a band. At 45 its hard to keep people together, everyone is so busy all the time. But, I've got the itch to start performing again. I have an audition on Sunday for a blues/ rock band.

 

I'm sure there will be lots of good guitar players trying out. Most of the want ads in the Dallas area for blues or classic rock are for guitar players looking for a band, not the vice versa. I have almost never gone on cold auditions. Most of my band experiences have been word of mouth, someone recommended me or I knew someone. This should be interesting, I hope my stage fright doesn't come up and bite me on the ass.

 

I guess I am just as much auditioning them as them me. I want people I am gonna get along with and that I can connect with on a musical level. They play about 50-50 originals to cover. The covers seem to be loose interpretations so that is cool. I get bored pretty fast playing close covers of things.

 

So wish me luck, both that I play well, and that they turn out to be decent players and people. It will also be the first time I've tried my new Line 6 POD XT Live with a Roland KC-150 Keyboard amp in a live situation. I'm hoping I will blend well.

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GREAT!! you are going to love it.... ok lets see here.. take your list of the best things you are currently doing..its not all them..its your stuff too ..the material you bring into their band pumps them up too!! something you can do an especially impressive job at..BECAUSE even if you dont know their arrangements on somethings..they get to see what you can do chops wise SO they will think that with just a little work you can certainly handle their material!.... NOW LISTEN TO ME ON THIS OK.... Dont eat just before you go....GO to bed early the night before... dont drink too much coffee or anyting alcholic before it... AND DONT play at ALL the day before the audition!!!! about a half hour before you leave sit down and run through some scales..do a little stretching of your forearm and wrist.... wear loose comfortable shoes and loose comphy clothes... but look good!!!.... DO NOT ask them to transpose ANYTHING on the spot for you just so you can play their arrangements... and HAVE A BLAST!!! I allways say..and think...HAY whats the worst that can happen to me.....the answer...NOTHING...Put it to em Gruupi ..do us proud man.................LEE update: IF you are not completely SURE of how that new equipment is gonna perform..dont use it... take something that you are completely sure of..just a thought..there is plenty of time after you get the job to experiment!!!
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Thanks for the support guys and for the advice Ellwood. I had to laugh some at bringing in my own material. When I talked to the guy on the phone I had a hard time explaining that I know NO songs anymore. I tend to forget stuff soon after I leave a band. I do pick stuff up pretty quick though.

 

The last 5 years I have been playing almost exclusivly classical. If I play electric its more just improvising or jamming along with a cd but not really learning the songs. Part of what sounds cool about this band is that they don't seem to have set parts so I will get to make up my own. I also like to write new material so going in fresh is the only way I can go to this thing.

 

The hardest part about your advice is no coffee, what kind of sick individual would even dare to start a day without a cup of java hehe. Actually thats good advice not to drink to much coffee though, I can get the jitters on the 3rd or 4th cup, but if I don't have at least one cup I'll get a headache, I'm an addict.

 

I can tell I am already nervous even though there is no pressure. Stage fright is a weird thing, once I am comfortable in a situaion it goes away. But any new performance environment and it can crop up, not always, but it sneaks up on me. I remember the first gig with my last band. I was fine until 5 minutes before the show and then it hit me unexpected. I managed to play through the set like a zombie but I certainly didn't enjoy it. I didn't make any mistakes but I sure didn't have any feel.

 

Oh well, I'll get passed it. I'm not really worried about playing good, I can do ok even tense. I just hope that I like the people more than anything.

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Originally posted by Gruupi:

 

I can tell I am already nervous even though there is no pressure.

well, if you're feeling nervous, I think you should make a point of telling the rest of the band. Otherwise, they'll think you're that way all the time. And maybe talking a bit about your stagefright can work as a sort of ice breaker?
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As someone who's both started a band and joined a blues band at the age of 58, having not played for 25 years, I wish you The Best Of Luck.

 

I've had great fun in the last 9 months and it's about to come to fruition on both fronts.

 

Well worth the effort.

 

Geoff

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the World will know Peace": Jimi Hendrix

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=738517&content=music

The Geoff - blame Caevan!!!

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Originally posted by Pappy Pappadopalus:

Ellwood:

 

Why no Coffee? I've heard that advice about first dates. Your not suggesting something about the audition process are you???? :(

Yeah, I'm puzzled about that too. And why the loose, comfy clothes? Can we have some more details on that one? :D
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Yes..I will explain, well its pretty obvious that if a person is prone to performance apprehension (clinical name) caffeine in any form will bring on temporary mild depression and will effect performance. The clothes thing is another way of calming, tight clothing can effect blood flow adversely... the idea being that for optimum performance free blood flow to the extremeties and brain will help with thinking and physical performance... the shoes are obvious...ANYTHING that a person can do to focus or concentrate on a task and reduce stress should be done. All these things apply to public speaking, acting etc...anyways just trying to help with something's that I know will help him.
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Hey Ellwood: That loose fitting clothes comment reminds me of this girl I dated once.

 

On our first date, she wore tight fitting cloths and a full body stocking.

 

That way when we got into a prone position I had not access to any un-authorized areas.

 

We dated for three years. So I guess the audition was a success.

 

She lives in Denver now and is the mother of two children.

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Originally posted by ellwood:

All these things apply to public speaking, acting etc...anyways just trying to help with something's that I know will help him.

They're really good ideas.

 

I guess I hadn't thought of the "loose clothes" angle because the last time I auditioned for a band we were all pretty much goths and loose, comfy clothes were a definite no no. :D

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Originally posted by Vince C.:

Originally posted by ellwood:

All these things apply to public speaking, acting etc...anyways just trying to help with something's that I know will help him.

They're really good ideas.

 

I guess I hadn't thought of the "loose clothes" angle because the last time I auditioned for a band we were all pretty much goths and loose, comfy clothes were a definite no no. :D

Ya but wasnt't the goth stuff loose/black chainey stuff? that would be fine but no iron leotards :D
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Originally posted by ellwood:

Ya but wasnt't the goth stuff loose/black chainey stuff? that would be fine but no iron leotards :D

Well, I had spandex and boots with ridiculous amounts of buckles. Whaddayawant, it was the 80s. :D

 

 

One audition strategy I've used a couple of times is to acutally meet the prospective musician(s) in a social setting, such as a bar or whatever. It's a cool idea.

 

In a normal audition, even if you discover within the first few minutes that you don't like the people at all, your gear is already set up and it'd be extremely rude to unplug and pack everything up without giving the audition a good forty minutes or so.

 

If you arrange to meet the band in a bar before auditioning, it's "neutral territory" and if you don't like the band or their headspace or the colour of their socks or ANYTHING about them AT ALL, you can just finish your beer and go.

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Originally posted by Vince C.:

Originally posted by ellwood:

Ya but wasnt't the goth stuff loose/black chainey stuff? that would be fine but no iron leotards :D

Well, I had spandex and boots with ridiculous amounts of buckles. Whaddayawant, it was the 80s. :D

 

 

One audition strategy I've used a couple of times is to acutally meet the prospective musician(s) in a social setting, such as a bar or whatever. It's a cool idea.

+1!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Without music, life would be a mistake."

--from 'Beyond Good and Evil', by Friedrich Nietzsche

 

My MySpace Space

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Gruupi, stay away from caffeine that day, maybe drink some chamomille tea w/honey to relax your nerves for this

 

Go out for a long walk Sat afternoon so you go to bed early

 

ONLY WARM UP THE DAY OF --- DO NOT PRACTICE

 

Get your chops busting out the day before

 

This may sound like an irresponsible statement, but put any ideas of self-worth, self-accomplishment, etc . . ASIDE !

 

Walk in there with a complete indiference like you really don't care.

 

I remember past gigs where the band would outnumber the crowd, the band would have this indifference which opened up a freer level of musical expression

 

This was because the idea of having to impress people adn the pressure associated with it was a variable taken out of the equation

 

There was no crowd

If you saw the Matrix movie the boy said

  • "There is No spoon"

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