Playing in a band VS Playing alone

y0avz

Senior Member
Hi everyone...

Just got back from an audition with a new band... and i have to say, it went really bad, just awful.. i've been practicing the songs for almost two weeks now, i knew them, and played them perfect when i was at home, but when i started playing with the band, i was so nervous i just forgot some parts in the songs and screw them up... its always happens to me when i play with a band for the first time.. do any of you guys know what im talking about? im starting to think this is not the job for me.... any opinions?

Thanks,
yoav.
 
I bring a small "cheat sheet", with notes about each song and reminders about transitions, fills and such.
 
I think this is fairly typical for a lot of people. Playing with people is very different than playing to pre-recorded music.

The best way to get over it is to get experience.

Rather than join an established band right off the bat, see if you can find some musicians who are in a similar situation as you and just get together to jam. This way you get the experience of playing with people without the pressure.

See if there is an open mic jam session that lets drummers sit in. Yes, you open yourself up to potential public embarrassment, but if you do it a few times, you'll get over it.

Check and see if there is a local music school or program that does some sort of full band class where you get to play along with other students of other instruments in a controlled environment.
 
I think you're nervous. Work with it - then conquer the world, step by step.
That pretty much says it all. It's a nerves & confidence thing. Some players walk straight through those situations, others find it a struggle. You'll work it out in time, but doubting yourself at this stage will only compound things.

A good audition tip is to overplay in practice. Nail it the difficult way, then, a few days before the audition, take your playing down to a much more simple level. As you'll be confident in the mechanics of getting through the songs, you'll be better able to focus on your feel & delivery. Playing significantly below your technical ability is a great all round helpeful tip, but especially useful in reducing nerves on first performances, auditions, studio sessions, etc.

Believe in yourself. You can obviously play, just make it easier for you to shine through by removing doubt. Good luck!
 
Really helpful tips, thanks, you guys are awesome...
 
It sounds like this was not your first audition, so I'm guessing it's a bit more than just nervousness. Please describe your practice over the last two weeks. Did you play along to recordings a lot? How else did you prepare? What kind of music? How many songs?
 
It sounds like this was not your first audition, so I'm guessing it's a bit more than just nervousness. Please describe your practice over the last two weeks. Did you play along to recordings a lot? How else did you prepare? What kind of music? How many songs?

Its my second "official" audition.. but I've playing for 7 years, and got the chance to play in a lot of band situations over time, as in playing live, rehearsals, recordings etc...
Over the last two weeks I've been playing along with the tracks (4 tracks) and practicing all the parts and stuff. it an Alt. rock kind of music.
There seems to be a large distance between my "playing alone" level, and my "playing with a band" level, I'm hoping its just a matter of experience.
 
There seems to be a large distance between my "playing alone" level, and my "playing with a band" level, I'm hoping its just a matter of experience.

Maybe you're wanting to play things that you don't need to play?

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Maybe you're wanting to play things that you don't need to play?

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Classic! :)


Y0avz, no offense, but playing along to the tracks and practicing the parts is just not enough, especially for someone with little professional experience. You're probably correct that there's a big difference between your playing "levels", but I'm suggesting that the difference exists because you've been neglecting some important aspects in your practice.

As someone who routinely teaches drummers how to learn songs, and perform them well under pressure, I suggest:

1. Chart out each song's structure, no matter how "simple" you think it is. It's difficult to play confidently when you don't know what part of the song is coming next.

2. Don't just practice the fills and transitions, write them out. If you don't know how, get with a teacher.

3. Write out the grooves. If the song only has one beat, then fine. But if a song has a certain beat for the verse, and another for the chorus, and another for the bridge, and another for the breakdown, it will help to have them on paper, so you can remember them later, and practice them one at a time.

4. Playing along to the recording is fine for starters, but can you play along to nothing but the metronome and follow your chart through the entire song? Try it and see if you get lost, or if you rush or drag the tempo.

5. Play the song (with the click) slower and faster than the recording tempo. You never know if the band is going to feel the song differently, so you want to be comfortable no matter what.

6. Make notes on your chart, like when to play hi-hat, ride, or crash, when to play the big triplet fill, when to switch to half-time feel, etc.

One last thing: playing along to the tracks has a way of making us think we're better than we are. The recording is there (the vocals, the guitar) to guide us through the song, so we don't have to anticipate anything. And if we falter, the recording doesn't even blink, it maintains it's course, so we only have to keep up. In "real" playing situations, the consequences of our mistakes (especially tempo-related ones) are much higher.
 
Thank brench, I'll start using those methods from now on.
I'm pretty sure they'll give me the boost of confidence i need so thanks again.
 
I can't remember, but over a year ago when i started playing with my band I was probably playing terribly. We were only 'jamming' and messing around with sound ideas etc, but the fact that I only knew one of the guys and I'd never even played drums before meant I was probably nervous and generally bad anyway. Now, because we are the closest of friends, playing with them is like playing on my own; I don't play worse in front of them because I'm at a comfort level with them, they don't make me nervous. We respect each others playing, and we know each others playing. It's still hard sometimes to play well at gigs. Like all these things though, the more you do it, the better it gets. I've probably played around 50 gigs with my band, but I bet if we make it to 500 I'll be a lot more confident in front of the crowd, as I can still push that. I doubt I'd be anymore comfortable in front of the band by then though, as I'm already maxed out I think!
And as DED said, actually playing with the band where you are the tempo, the beat, the rhythm, is a lot different to following the drums on a backing track. Keep working at it. Good luck.
 
When your playing along to tracks, you know what to expect. The bass player is always playing the same groove (and probably in good meter) and
there are vocal queues that always happen in the right places, etc.. When you get in the band room with humans who are playing their interpretation
of the track things can fall apart easily. That won't help your confidence if you're the new guy. One thing that's helped me in auditions is to keep in mind
that I'm auditioning them as well. Do I want to play with these guys? If you have to struggle to find a groove with them, maybe not.
 
I feel for you bro. But it WILL get easier. Just keep plugging away...and remember, bands NEED us.

I actually got a gig one time without the band ever even seeing me or hearing me play. Me and the guitar plyaer talked on Yahoo IM for about 30 minutes and the dude said he wanted me to join his band. I told him he hadn't even heard me play.

His response was..."We'll you seem normal."

That was enough to qualify me for the gig. So anything can happen.

My last band I was a bit like you I botched some things, but we were able to make it through a bunch of their songs fairly decent and we went out and had beer and wings and I was in...the next year and a half was some of the most fun I've ever had in my life, but I have kids and couldn't be traveling all over the place every weekend.
 
It's always a tough situation when playing w/new people - add to that the whole 'Audition' dynamic and nerves are bound to happen. As long as you prepare as best you can and don't attempt to overplay - I'm sure any slight miscues were overlooked by the band you were playing with... As long as you kept things grooving and it felt good to the band - you should be good!

a couple really good suggestions were offered already (excuse me for not giving proper credit where it's due) -- Open Mic's are a great way to get some experience playing with different folks and sort of refining the ability to think on your feet and go with the flow etc... and also, the overplay in practice suggestion while you're learning the material -- get that out of your system in your preparation -- then dial it back to what you know you can absolutely nail and make groove for the actual audition.

Good Luck to you!!

Mike Noll
Nate Myers & The Aces
www.natemyers.com
 
it''s just something to get used to. not that that is an easy thing to do. i don''t want to frighten you, but there is a third component to your equation - and that is playing on a stage, live. each one of those is different.

even when you are used to playing with familiar faces in a familiar practice spot, the dynamics will change when you move to a different venue. the temperature is different, the air is different, you instruments will behave differently and if you''re a singer the wall (real physical walls) will be farther away, or closer than usual. he may be used to gauging his performance by the acoustics of the room - and it just sounds different.

all of this effects your comfort level. then try playing outdoors. with and without mics.

and then there is the studio.

it''s a matter of getting used to each and every one of those scenarios. it happens over time.

and then there''s nerves - which come and go. you may have stage fright - get over it after a while, then take a hiatus and find they have returned when you hit the road again. nerves also depend to a certain extent on confidence in your (plural and singular) preparation.

just keep on truckin'

[did he really just say keep on truckin' ?]

which in this case means - Hang In There.

or:

carry on, trouper.
 
Don't get discouraged, it takes time, as the others have said. Try not to overthink things when you are playing. Even more so, don't get caught up in your mistakes, because more than likely, the others you are playing along with are gonna be making their fair share of them too. No ones perfect, and you have to remember that. It's easy to get intimidated when you are the new guy in a group, but just keep your head up and roll with it. Each time it will get easier, and you will find a good group to jam with that will fit you as well as you fit them. Be patient and keep practicing.
 
find a good bassist and practice with him whenever possible. i've been regularly jamming with a bassist (and a guitarist) for many years. doesn't matter what style of music it is, the more variation the better. someone who enjoys playing funk is a good starting point though.
 
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