Berklee Audition

VinnyDS

Junior Member
Hey!
Vinny here.
Im audtioning for berklee in the next couples of months ...
I have some stuff im thinking on playing ..
anyone have any ideas on what i should play ?
like .. play along tracks, etc.
 
dude, just get your theory straight. besides that work on your jazz and blues. what instrument do u play by the way? i auditioned this year for spring 09'. didnt make it thru though. simply cause my jazz aint strong enough.
 
Hey!
Im auditioning for drums ..
yeah, i gotta get my theory in, no doubt about it ..
how was the whole audition procces?
and you should try it again!!
hope to see you there !
 
To be honest, the entire process was the best experience of my life but, undoubtedly very nerve-racking. Actually the entire atmosphere was intense yet calm if u know what i mean. I auditioned for drums too. Make sure you get that ride swinging. They really dig that. I will try again man, but not now. got some more preparing to do. maybe spring 2010. I plan on going to the collective in new york beginning of next year for a one year certificate course in performance. I need that kind of exposure. Cause honestly there's not much here, in India for people who wanna pursue music as a career. All the best dude!

Cheers!
Saurav
 
hey bro

this is what u gotta know for your audition:


simple (well sort of)...snare rythms...like snare solo stuff...

you have to know how to set up big band hits.

u gotta kno how to play samba n bossa nova..n funk/rock

pretty much all styles.


and LEARN TO SING IN PITCH. that got me big. lol the lady played a melody on a keyboard n i had to sing back...n yeah


oh yes. n learn to clap rythms you hear ..cuz they'll make u clap riht back from wat they clap

n that's about it.


and as far as ur audition piece goes..just choose something that shows strenghts as a drummer
 
Hi,

I applied for fall 08 and didnt get in. I spent about a 1000 bucks getting a plane ticket to boston(im in cali), hotel, food, application fees, etc...a real bummer

Everyone on here knows what they are talking about, clapping rhytms, different styles, etc. So do that.

For your audition piece make sure you can get it without drums. I remember that being a requirement. I picked a bassline from a king crimson song called Starless. Its in 13/8 and i soloed over it. My friend recorded it on the computer through cu-base and put it on a cd, so i was fortunate. They also ask you to bring any recordings(cd) of yourself, maybe some stuff with a band, whatnot. The specific audition room i was in had poor acoustics and had a bogus set up. A small room, A DRUMSET, and this bogus stero(small). It was hard to hear myself and i ended up geting a little lost. My nerves probably had something to do with it, but just a little fyi.

Im not going to say Im a fantastic drummer and rate myself, but i will say i have been playing for 8 years. Ive done HS and College jazz bands, drumlines, private lessons, clinics, etc. So going into it I figured I would be ok. I sat down on that throne...and my nerves shot up so high. I spent so much money and had so much pressure and hope from my friends/family that I just couldnt handle it, and i just crumbled. I read/played music like i was 14 again. I could have been as good as dennis chambers, that wouldnt have helped me. So make sure you calm yourself. Breath deep and relax or you dont stand a chance. I messed up on simple reading, counting simple phrases. I felt like a retard walking out of there, like a failure.

The most important piece of advice i have for you, is PLAY SIMPLE. They dont ask you to play crazy blues, latin, jazz. They just ask you to play a chorus(12 bars) of each with a 4 measure fill and back into the beat for another 4 bars. Something like that. So if you can count your measures then you are good to go. Dont worry about being flashy. You play those beats with the correct phasing,read, and have a good ear, you are good to go. You are better off having an ACDC "back in black" backing track than that some fusion craziness that you might mess up.

but hey you could be a thomas pridgen or something, who am i to say keep it simple. but i gave you a fair warning. A solid audition is 30 times better than a half ass flashy one.

Sorry for the rant, its 345am over here and im just in a ranting mood. feel free to ask anything else.


good luck



mike.
 
I just can't seem to understand how you guys can afford Berklee. It's so expensive it's not even fair...!
But hey - probably a great school, but I couldn't even afford one semester! Are you all hoping for a scholarship, or are your parents very kind/rich? =)
 
Thanks a lot Mike!
Im thinking on doind a funky tune, i found a backing track somewhere and I like it ..
Gonna put my best foot forward and ill se what happens.
 
I just can't seem to understand how you guys can afford Berklee. It's so expensive it's not even fair...!
But hey - probably a great school, but I couldn't even afford one semester! Are you all hoping for a scholarship, or are your parents very kind/rich? =)


My parents are in no stretch of the imagination able to pay for my schooling. Its a private school so they can just charge whatever they want. My friend got in and he got a bill for 15,000 and he hasnt even stepped on campus yet. He is paying around 10,000 for a laptop. ITS CRAZINESS. Student loans, financial aid, grants, and working your butt off at a job.
 
Ya, i just got in for the spring of '09, and the audition pretty much goes like this.

Play a prepared piece of up to like 3 minutes or something, but be sure its like something you jam to all the time and you feel the most confident with.

Then they'll ask to you to play different styles such as latin rhythms (bossa nova), funk grooves, afro-cuban (mambo), swing in 4/4 or 3/4, and rock grooves. They count you off so you better be ready for any tempo.

They might ask you to trade 4's which is what someone was trying to describe earlier, and its where you solo by yourself for 4 measures (assuming your a drummer) and then you and the guy come back in together and play for 4 measures together and then back to 4 measures of solo. Its really popular in jazz. Oh ya, and he might do the trading 4's in different styles too.

Also, they will ask you to sing back melodies to see how good your ear is. So, music theory knowledge could be helpful there.

Also, they give you some sight reading stuff. There's a book and gradually the reading gets harder. But, the first few pages are snare drum solo stuff just basic rhythms and a lil more complex such as 6/8 stuff. Then they will ask you to play some "hits." It's like big band stuff kind of, so they can tell that you can read music for drumset also.

Thats pretty much it, oh yea they give you 15 minutes before to warm up and practive they sight reading material they give you.

Overall, just go in there with an attitude that youre going to do it. But, if you mess up, you mess up ya know? Dont let it get to you. Just be confident and dont attempt anything that you cant do. Just jam out pretty much.
 
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