gig results
church gig
Sunday morning's gig went well on my part - I got to groove a little bit and had a blast. The music director was on vacation and one of the choir members was handling music for the morning. (I think he's a deacon or elder there and has assisted with music in the past as well). We were playing along, and he and the vocalists were singing, and the congregation was singing. La la la.
And then... something happened and the singing wasn't even close to what the band was playing. The guy had to stop dead during the song to regain the footing. He handled it well - cracked a joke and got everyone back on track. Afterwards he said he thought he might have crossed out the wrong verse or something that was being flashed on the screen for the congregation. The stopping was awkward because 1) most of the congregation didn't have a clue what a director's cut off was and 2) the band was looking at each other like "does he really want us to stop?!" - in any band I've played in it's sort of unwritten that you just keep going and recover later.
So the #1 lesson learned on this gig is "be ready for anything". The #2 lesson is "trust your ears" - one of the songs that I received that morning to learn for praise band had some weird chord inversions that sounded horrible when I played them as indicated. When I played what my ears told me it sounded way better. At least for a happy church sound.
audition
Last night was my first audition for a band. The band is currently 2 guitarists and the rhytm guitarist sings and occassionally adds keys. Right before my arrival the lead guitarist had to cancel, but the main guy decided to go ahead anyway. (They've got a few other people to audition and an upcoming gig to get ready for). Their music is a little different and I like it. I can't say I adore it, but I definately "get it". They're also a few years younger which makes a bit of a difference. I didn't click very much with the guy I auditioned with, although playing together went pretty well. I didn't come out with any great lines or anything, but was able to follow along with minimal difficulty.
They may or may not decide to have me back to play with both of them after they hear the other bassists. I'm not sure I want to follow up with it even if they do call me back. I may find that I click really well with the other guitarist, but I'm not expecting that. I'm trying to balance staying open-minded about music opportunities and pursuing something that will allow me to grow musically and stay happy with it.
The #1 lesson I learned from this audition was that I should get a list of songs to learn beforehand, even if it's not a cover band, to help get a feel for how we play together.
Sunday morning's gig went well on my part - I got to groove a little bit and had a blast. The music director was on vacation and one of the choir members was handling music for the morning. (I think he's a deacon or elder there and has assisted with music in the past as well). We were playing along, and he and the vocalists were singing, and the congregation was singing. La la la.
And then... something happened and the singing wasn't even close to what the band was playing. The guy had to stop dead during the song to regain the footing. He handled it well - cracked a joke and got everyone back on track. Afterwards he said he thought he might have crossed out the wrong verse or something that was being flashed on the screen for the congregation. The stopping was awkward because 1) most of the congregation didn't have a clue what a director's cut off was and 2) the band was looking at each other like "does he really want us to stop?!" - in any band I've played in it's sort of unwritten that you just keep going and recover later.
So the #1 lesson learned on this gig is "be ready for anything". The #2 lesson is "trust your ears" - one of the songs that I received that morning to learn for praise band had some weird chord inversions that sounded horrible when I played them as indicated. When I played what my ears told me it sounded way better. At least for a happy church sound.
audition
Last night was my first audition for a band. The band is currently 2 guitarists and the rhytm guitarist sings and occassionally adds keys. Right before my arrival the lead guitarist had to cancel, but the main guy decided to go ahead anyway. (They've got a few other people to audition and an upcoming gig to get ready for). Their music is a little different and I like it. I can't say I adore it, but I definately "get it". They're also a few years younger which makes a bit of a difference. I didn't click very much with the guy I auditioned with, although playing together went pretty well. I didn't come out with any great lines or anything, but was able to follow along with minimal difficulty.
They may or may not decide to have me back to play with both of them after they hear the other bassists. I'm not sure I want to follow up with it even if they do call me back. I may find that I click really well with the other guitarist, but I'm not expecting that. I'm trying to balance staying open-minded about music opportunities and pursuing something that will allow me to grow musically and stay happy with it.
The #1 lesson I learned from this audition was that I should get a list of songs to learn beforehand, even if it's not a cover band, to help get a feel for how we play together.
posted by Silver Turtle at
1:05 PM
2 Comments:
Very cool that you had 2 gigs (sorta) this weekend. Hope to hear more about your musical triumphs and exploits.
By
acw, at 2:49 PM
Thanks to both of you. :) Working Girl, the local music scene is pretty good here. A lot of really good bands, and pretty diverse sounds. Funk, rock, metal, jam bands, hip hop, etc. I just can't wait to be part of the scene!
By
Silver Turtle, at 5:36 PM
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