Seven Essential Drumming Audition Tips
Audition tips to help you hold your nerve
I think you’ll agree with me when I say that auditions are pretty scary scenarios. No matter how much we prepare, we often go into that audition room and give an under par representation of what we can really do.
I have my share of audition nightmares like most musicians but over time I developed some key strategies to help me perform at my best in this pressurised situation.
In this article I want to share some of the key audition tips with you so you can make the right impression at your next audition.
In fact, a lot of this advice came up when a fellow drummer called Joe reached out through the Total Drummer website. Having being at a low point in drumming after several confidence knocks he had picked himself up and gone for an audition with a band. Following a few emails back and forth some of the advice seemed to help Joe and he suggested it was published in case it could help others. So thanks Joe for allowing me to share that and for having the determination and courage to dust yourself off and get back out there doing what you love. Drumming!
Auditions can be a scary situation and are often set up in such a way that you’re left waiting with your nerves for ages before being hurried in like cattle being processed, given barely any time at all and then sent on your way feeling empty and flustered.
There’s not a whole lot you can do about that because the band, artists, management, etc need to see as many people as possible in the shortest time possible.
But there are some things we can do to increase our chances of showing ourselves in the best light so here are the seven essential audition tips:
1. Don’t get bogged down with notes
Sometimes we can get so hell bent on playing every single note that we think is so important in a song even if it’s to the detriment of the song. This is thinking with a closed mind and we really need to step back and think about what is most important here.
Joe told me he had to play Chaka Khan’s ‘Ain’t Nobody’ at the audition and he only had a few days to get it down. Now that is an awesome beat and if you want to learn it click here for a lesson.
Solution – But my response to him was, “That is a really hard to perfect and your audition is Sunday. My suggestion would be that if you don’t have it down really well then it’s sometimes better to simplify the groove and nail it rather than strive for the original groove and make a mess. Number one priority is that you have good time and feel. Spend some time watching Chaka Khan live and you’ll find several drummers with different approaches. None of them that I have seen actually play J.R. Robinson’s studio beat. But they all capture the important emphasis in the groove so that it still works within the song.”
2. Don’t let the equipment be an excuse
Audition situations often come with sub standard drum equipment. I know of people who have specifically used crappy gear to watch how the drummer handles this problematic situation. They’re testing you! But often it’s just that they have accepted whatever the rehearsal studio has provided and as non-drummers they might not realise that the bass pedal is unplayable or the stool is so wobbly that you simply cannot balance well enough to play properly.
Joe’s feedback from his audition was, “All I could tell is that when I walked in it was very secretive. They kept me away and would not let me near the area outside the playing room. I saw guys walk out. When I went in, there was only one tom on the kit. I thought how can you play ‘Faithfully’, ‘Boogie Woogie’, ‘I want your love’ and ‘Piece of my heart’ on one tom. It made me feel like it was jury rigged.”
Solution – This is a really common situation and unfortunately we are not in the same boat as other musicians such as guitarists who can simply walk in with the same guitar that they have been playing for years and feel totally comfortable with. We have to make some compromises because it’s impracticable to set up an entire drum kit for a five minute audition. Therefore we have to suck it up and walk in there ready to rock out to the max on whatever instrument is waiting for us. It’s not easy! But hey, every drummer is in the same boat for that audition.
However, I would recommend taking some simple gear that you can walk in with in one journey (i.e. not making several trips to and from the car as this will take ages and infuriate the auditioning team who are seeing lots of drummers that day).
This will include things like your killer snare drum tuned up for this type of music, bass pedal, some cymbals, drum key (for a quick tune if the toms/bass are bad) and maybe a stool if you can carry it.
3. Don’t be disheartened
But let’s just assume it is fixed in some way as Joe suggested earlier. I think that is unlikely but sometimes it might feel like the world is against you for those few moments. This can be really disheartening and give your enthusiasm and confidence a real knock if you’re going to allow that to happen.
Solution – DO NOT LET IT HAPPEN! It’s really important that you keep a positive mental attitude at all times. Don’t allow self defeating thoughts to enter your conscience. That way of thinking can be the undoing of every single one of us if we are prepared to let it.
Don’t take things too personally. You may have had the wrong colour hair, your bubbly personality might not have matched the bands sulky outlook on life, you might have worn the wrong pair of shoes. The point is it might actually have nothing to do with your playing. It might simply be that you didn’t quite fit with that band or artist. And that’s fine. None of us are a perfect fit for everyone. It’s the same with bands as it is with any friendship group or relationship. You have to give it a go to see if it works out but be mature enough to understand that it won’t always be a good fit. And that’s ok. It doesn’t mean you’re a terrible drummer or a terrible person. Get back to the practice room and keep doing what you love doing so you’re ready for the next opportunity. Your perfect band is out there somewhere.
4. Don’t be a shrinking violet
Joe had a question regarding the fact that he felt the audition fell apart during one song because of a potential timing issue. Some of the existing band members had a quiet conversation and Joe didn’t know if he was at fault or not. He asked, “If you’re in an audition and the lead singer stops everyone because of the music is out of time, is that bad? Is the expectation that drummer is to hold six players together on every song the first time playing playing together?“
Solution – My answer to that question was, “Here’s the thing, every musician should take responsibility of their own time. However, so many musicians think it’s the drummer’s job to keep them in time. But it isn’t. It’s everyone’s responsibility.
Therefore when someone else screws on timing the default blame often lands with the drummer, regardless of whether it was them or not.
If they are all great players then this might not be the case but I have seen that a lot over the years.
And when it’s a first rehearsal/audition it can be difficult as you don’t want to be too dominant or call people out on their timing as it doesn’t help to make friends.
What I have found is that people feel comfortable and confident if you arrive with a big presence. So if nerves, etc make your playing timid, that can unsettle the band as they don’t know whether they can rely on you to hold you time together.
So I always like to make sure I’m rock solid on my timing and very visual with any cues such as endings, starts of songs, going between sections, etc. So leading the band, without stealing the show and being THE leader.
So I always think my number one priority (above showing off my craziest chops, etc) is being super solid and having great feel. Then everyone else feels confident enough to do their thing over the top.”
5. Don’t turn up in the dark
I don’t mean that literally – the audition might be at night after all! But if you turn up to the audition with crucial bits of information missing you are already a few steps behind the next guy who probably does have that info. Sometimes a management company will keep info scarce with wording such as, “Audition for high profile pop artist.” Sometimes this is necessary because an artist might be auditioning for a new band and doesn’t want the media, current band, fan base, etc to know until it’s further down the line. Sometimes the management might just be trying to make the audition more intriguing to get a better turn out from musicians; who knows. But in these cases you can still try to get the relevant info.
Solution – Ask the right questions before hand so you know what to expect on the day.
- Who is the artist/band?
- What is the style?
- What are the audition songs?
- What equipment is at the audition?
- What is the parking situation (This might be something you ask the studio or research yourself rather than hassling the management company)?
- What are the plans for the band (there’s no point turning up for a world tour audition if you are looking for a weekend gig to fit around your day job)?
Once you get the info get online and check out the band’s website. See what they wear, how they conduct themselves, how they sound, etc. Learn the songs to the highest level possible. Decide what equipment you want to take to best produce that sound. Research the route, timing, parking, etc. If it’s not too far maybe do the journey a day or two before so it’s familiar on the day.
6. Don’t make the audition the first time you’ve been there
One of the most disconcerting aspects of an interview or audition is the fact that it’s all so unfamiliar. We don’t know the people, the building, the process and so on. It’s all new which automatically makes us guarded and tense.
Approaching this on a literal level see if you can make it familiar. Can you visit the audition venue first? If so go there, make it familiar. Meet the guys who work there and build some rapport. Do you know anyone in the band? If so meet them before hand. Grab a coffee and hang out. But this often isn’t possible so what can you do?
Solution – Use the power of your mind! Wait, before you decide that I’m a weird hippy and you can’t read on just hear me out.
I have a technique that can really help me in lots of situations because it’s really powerful.
I visualise what is going to happen before the event. I often don’t know what it will look like when I get there but that isn’t crucial to this exercise. Let’s say I’m going out on a stage to speak in front of lots of people (that is scary for me). Before the day I will use this exercise several times. I close my eyes and imagine I’m at the event. I think about what I will need there. I wait in the wings of the stage and I wait for my introduction. Then I walk out on stage and see lots of people. I then run through my entire speech/routine. I think about all the little spontaneous jokes that might happen, as well as the more scripted content. I try to think about the potential problems that might arise and how I will fix them.
And here’s the most important bit: I think about the worst case scenario and I walk myself through it. I will allow this to be as vivid as possible and I think about how I will deal with it. I think about the audience and even put myself in their shoes. This helps me realise that it’s a far bigger deal in my head than in the head of each individual audience member. That perspective helps to take a lot of pressure off.
What’s your worst case scenario? Dropping a stick? Well then have a spare stick within easy reach. Practice grabbing that stick. Now you have a solution for your worst case scenario. Is it the bass drum pedal breaking? Well take your own, sturdy bass pedal. Is it forgetting the song structure? Well then write out the song structure in the smallest form possible and have that somewhere discreet on the kit (written on the snare head, on a piece of paper on the floor by your pedal, etc). Only look at it if you really have to!
But whatever your big fears are just rehearse them in your mind and take any action you can to mitigate them.
Now you’ve combated your biggest fears you don’t have much to worry about so you’re free to go in there, enjoy yourself and smash it!
7. Don’t let this be a negative experience
It’s very easy to fixate on negatives. The kit was bad, I made mistakes in my playing, I was too friendly, I wasn’t friendly enough, my hair style was wrong, etc, etc. There are always negatives we can find.
BUT this is a really bad approach to take in life generally. We already know that we probably won’t get the gig in every audition, and we already know that it might come down to something silly like the colour of our hair or what we are wearing. So to sit around worrying about this doesn’t make our life better in any way.
Solution – Every situation is an opportunity to learn. I find this to be a great approach to life generally so it goes beyond audition tips. Here are some common positives to find even in a ‘failed’ audition.
- Build confidence. You will grow confidence every time you go to an audition. The process becomes normalised until it’s no longer scary
- Learn from your behaviour. Each experience will offer you a chance to learn something. Maybe you didn’t warm up enough. Maybe you didn’t ask the right questions to get relevant info beforehand. Maybe you had fifteen coffees that morning and became jittery at the audition
- Make connections. I know people who go to auditions for gigs they know they don’t fit, or that they don’t even want. Why? Because they know that it’s a chance to meet musical directors and musicians that might get them a more suitable gig later.
I hope these audition tips can help you perform at your highest level in your next audition. If you have any other strategies please comment below to help others with you audition tips. Or if you have any problems mention those below too and we can all chip in to help you.
If you want a few more perspectives on audition tips then read this article.
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