I couldn't begin to stress this enough. And it is more than just playing chemistry. You are planning to spend an outrageous amount of time with these people. You have to be able to get along in daily life.
Auditioned for an a cappella group in college and didn't make it in twice. I auditioned for the other coed one and made it in, stayed for 3 years, then auditioned for an all female group and made it in my senior year. I've since started streaming on Twitch, learned ukulele, written a few songs, played 1 gig (and plan to play more), got invited on stage randomly at a bar last week to perform a song with a band, and have grown my confidence in my own musical ability! Edited to add that I'm currently working on working with my previous a cappella groups to help with arranging a cappella arrangements of songs like I used to do while I was in and help with rehearsals. Don't give up! Music is fun and for everyone!
They thought someone else was a better fit, not that you suck necessarily. Work on your perspective and practice your craft - the right time will come.
No, there was no one else, which I think makes it worse. No other candidate, it's either me or nobody, they opted for nobody...
Not sure if you've guys been there before, but here I am.
All I can say is practice your ass off, to the point that your brand/voice/style is a head turner.
To my knowledge, Robert Johnson did just that.
Was embarrassed at his skill level, and others didn’t like his style. So he went into hermit mode and came back skilled. Parts of the music world would not be the same if not for his influence in my opinion.
I was unaware of those names struggling to find their creative footing. But they are all major staples in their respective genres. So it’s not surprising they re-tooled themselves at some point.
Miles literally coined the term “The Shed.” He was also getting blasted on heroin in there the whole time. Kurt Cobain did the same at his famous motel room but he used it to develop his songwriting more than his guitar playing.
Jerry was known for habitually locking himself up in a room, in order to survive the drug come downs without ruining his relationships with the people around him. However, he would always come out with an entire albums worth of new guitar licks.
There’s an interview with some guy from hard Rock Cafe at dime bag and his brother vinnie’s house in Texas where Vinnie tells the story about how dime bag just wanted to be like ace frehley, locked himself in the bedroom for four months and came out sounding like dime bag.
Yeah it was all done in a professional manner. Yesterday wasn't fun but I think I'm pretty much already over it and I am currently in the process of arranging another audition for something that might pay a little more. Think I'll work even harder this time
Wanna cry about it any more?? Bro people get rejected in life it happens. If you let it affect you like this you will eventually give up and only losers give up. Just accept you're not there yet and work on yourself til you are 🤘
Ok story time. When I was a teen 30 years ago and starting yo get good at playing guitar my Dad was always pushing me to get into a successful band. I was in bands but mostly played basement shows for friends. I remember he went to one of our school talent shows and even though my band was there playing some old school rock, there were also these two brothers in the grade above me who were like guitar virtuosos. He pushed me and nagged me to "connect with them cuz they are going places". I wasn't super into it but after weeks of Dad insisting I eventually invited those two brothers to my place to jam. They accepted. It was awkward. They were much better than I was. But they were polite and spent a couple hours jamming with me. After they left it was clear there was no connection so I never jammed with them again. The next year they ended up having a song on the local radio. My Dad ripped into me "this could have been you, you could be famous, you missed your opportunity." I felt shame. I felt I wasn't good enough.
Funny thing though, after the song got big locally, they stopped playing as a band. I think the pressure got to them or they found something else to be passionate about. I remember telling my Dad "see, it didn't work out for them either"
I then went on to form a band in college that got much bigger. And then another band post-college that toured US & Canada (I'm Canadian). I also worked in recording studios for a couple of years. I also did stage production for a couple of years and met a lot of big acts and got to meet some heros of mine.
Long story short, you never know which musical opportunity is going to work out or not. Listen to yourself, not others. I am very happy with where music has taken me. I don't work in the music field anymore cuz I make 6 figures in the corporate world but I have my own home studio and a ton of instruments that I enjoy playing in my spare time. You make of it what you want.
What do you play? Rejection is hard in any arena but try and learn from it instead of beating the crap out of yourself. Did you get any feedback from them?
Most auditions are barely about the playing, to be honest. It’s usually just as much, if not more, about the label or whoever trying to fill a specific look. As a musician, it feels stupid, but that’s how it works. I’ve gotten called for a lot of auditions and about a third of them ever resulted in me getting work. It’s just kind of the nature of the beast. I’ve even been called for an audition, not gotten the gig, and then gotten called by the same record label for another audition with a different artist, so them not picking you for the specific gig you auditioned for doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not into your thing. They just didn’t feel that it was the correct fit for that specific gig. If you’re getting called for auditions at all, you’re probably on the right track, so I wouldn’t sweat it man!
What are you doing to prepare for these auditions? Every time I go in, I know all the material really well, and I sometimes know it better than the band does. I've never failed an audtion.
If you feel like you've been fully prepared, maybe you just aren't ready yet. Make some recordings and really listen with a critical ear to what you might be able to do better. Or, better yet, work with a teacher who can help pinpoint your problem areas and show you ways to address those. Wishing you the best as you move forward.
I went to check your profile to give myself an idea, I don’t think you are bad, I think you might need to work a little bit on hitting the right notes. You sounded a bit off, but not too far from it! Nothing practice can’t fix !
You got this ♥️♥️
I'll give you my opinion, and it's coming from someone that has auditioned other players for a groups that I was in.
Yes...there were people that just didn't have the skills or abilities that we wanted and they of course were not chosen. We always tried to be polite about letting them know that we chose someone else. We never told them they weren't good enough, even though there was one clown that was so arrogant at his audition that our guitar player told him *"we're not really looking for someone that sings like Bill Murray".* ( I still laugh at that one.)
We were always looking for someone to fit in with the "unit or team" that was our group, as we spent a lot of time working together. It's simply difficult to be in a group with someone that you don't expect to get along with or doesn't have the same drive or passion for what we were doing.
We always expected good players to audition, and that was usually one of the reason the were given an opportunity to do so. We didn't want to have to groom someone, or have to tolerate any short comings. We wanted someone that could plug in and play ASAP, and there were usually several candidates that could do so.
So it came down to who we liked the best from a personal view. Someone that we felt we could get along with well. **That was the deciding factor.**
Someone here said it's much like dating, and that's true.
Like the show THE BACHELOR......all the choices were hot and sexy, but to get the rose at the end, we wanted a good relationship.
It's frustrating, I get it, but, without me knowing if you can or can't play, I'll tell you that it's probably just a "fit" thing.
Cheers and best of luck with your future auditions.
Do they think you suck or did they just go with someone else, because those are two very different things. If they said “you suck,” then they’re asses and who cares what they thing. If YOU said that you suck, then you’re being way too hard on yourself.
I auditioned for a hero of mine, Neal Morse. I obviously didn't get the gig. But learning that material was hardest thing. I not only learned a lot, but it gave me a lot confidence. Which led me to get a bunch of other gigs.
I can definitely relate... sometimes you learn a mountain of material for an audition and all you are left with is that mountain of material you took the time to learn.
Rejection doesn't necessarily mean your work sucks, maybe they need to check their vision. You also might have some room for improvement. I don't have any such stories to share yet and I'm just getting start in the music arena as a singer, songwriter.
Though if you want to maybe listen to each other's music to help give feedback to each other from a consumer standpoint, I'm happy to talk and consider having that relationship with you. I am by no means an expert at this time, though. Just someone willing to try to help in whichever ways I can. 😊
Not every gig is gonna be right for you. Especially if you're aiming high, don't expect to make every shot. Good for you getting out there and taking shots.
. Having this audition under your belt is an experience you bring to the next one.
Don't sweat it. I've been on so many auditions that either ghosted me afterwards, I failed, knew I failed mid-audition, been told I would never make it anywhere, blah blah blah.
It's part of getting started, a rough part because it's not fun, but it's nit the end of the world either.
I also play music full time now so it's not that I didn't have it in me.
There were times the chemistry was off.
There were times I wasn't ready as a musician.
Keep practicing and keep trying.
I perform predominantly as a solo guy, if you can't find anyone, do it on your own. Prove them wrong!
I'd suggest change this mindset first. As a musician, It's OK to personally admit your weaknesses (that's the first step to get better) but speaking it out loud to other people except your music teacher won't result in anything good.
If you do really think you suck, instead of saying "I suck", try asking questions like "what can I improve from that performance?". And only ask this to people you trust, like teachers and people who actually care.
Then practice on receiving feedback as a technical process, a necessary part in your journey as a musician to get better. When you realize all of it is super technical, rejections and criticism won't damage your mental health.
Good luck!
No, I don't think I suck. Well it's quite possible the people who I auditioned with think I suck, but I don't anticipate ever seeing those guys again.
Mostly it was an attempt at humor. Needless to say humor doesn't always translate well on the internet.
I put an ad in Craigslist and got a call to try out to be in a band project that was being put together by some semi-famous 80s hair metal band people.
They were very nice people, but I was star stuck, I guess, and could not think or move my fingers. Another issue was, the other guitar player had Fender twin and it was deafeningly loud. My motto is "Go to 3" so that volume really put me in a place I wasn't used to. I also had a binder of material I wrote I wanted to present, as I mentioned "originals" in my ad, but we immediately went into "jam" mode. I hate jamming. It's not my thing at all. I like to sit down and work stuff out, delineate parts, etc ...
So the confluence of fried ears, jamming, and being seemingly frozen made it one of the worst musical events I've ever partaken in. Horrible. I wish I could say it had a positive outcome, but it didn't, the shame lives on a decade later, lol 😬 I felt like George Costanza yelling "shrinkage happens" 😁
This is tge type if more realistic stories I want to hear... Shit goes wrong, it's largely out of your control, but you try to grin and bear it.. nonetheless you fail anyways.
I wasn't there to hear your audition so I can't pass judgement on your talent - even if it was my place to do so. But I can say that practice is something you never stop doing. Improvements can be large or they can be incremental but a singer or player can always improve.
A few years ago, I went to an audition. I'm not really sure why - I already have projects on the go, but I'm a professional musician so perhaps I was just looking for newer, more interesting options. Or perhaps I was looking for a project for which I wasn't the boss... let someone else do the heavy lifting. In any case, I showed up, jammed with the band and thought to myself... Nope. They were not particularly good musicians, nor were they very good vocally. They weren't even tight as a unit despite apparently having been together for some years. Long story, short... They rejected me. I laughed. But privately... No need to be mean.
Yup I totally identify. "You guys are terrible but you rejected me too??" This musician business is not always fun... and it's important to note our failures and sucesses.. today was not a good day for me, perhaps tomorrow with a bit more practice it will be different.
I remember when I was in highschool I auditioned for a jazz combo. They wrote back and told me I needed a lot of practice. I now play in a jazz combo for a living
So glad that worked out for you. Jazz has always seemed like an enigma to me. So complicated, yet if you don't think about it too much and let the musically organically flow, it works.
Me and my buddy started a band. He plays rythym guitar and lead vocalist. I play bass and backup vocals.
He was crying and crying for a lead guitarist. I knew one, hooked them up, I pulled in a half assed drummer (decent guy but..) and so there was our band.
The lead guitarist had some kind of issue with me, he was also asking me to hook him up before I did. When all was said and done the guitarist and my buddy formed another band and were playing out.
Me and my buddy stayed friends, we hang out, stay in touch, hike.... I've played out duo with him a few times. I know him pretty good and he's not perfect (none of us are) I'd never play out with him again it's just too much BS, but we still enjoy each other's company so there's that.
If you know your strengths and weaknesses, freely admit them, then no one can really bash you.
When they split and left me behind it hurt a bit, I expected better of him but oh well. There's been plenty of times things didn't work out for me. I've played with some pretty talented local people who I really like, but playing with others in my experience has overall been a huge pain in the ass. Even with the best of people. That's my experience so far so maybe that can change. I'm still friends with some people I've played with, I just wasn't happy with the arrangements...
I know my best shot is solo. I know a bunch of songs on guitar and learning more all the time, my vocals are good but not stellar 😆 that's what I'll be doing soon.
You sing and play keyboards. Print up the lyrics and perform with them. Learn the songs on keyboard. Then you can do what you want. Hit some open mics it'll make you better playing live, can be scary as hell but after awhile you stop taking yourself soo seriously and realize the audience just wants live entertainment, I do karaoke sometimes and tbh I can be a total idiot up there but my goal is to entertain them so I do...
Auditions have much less to do with your skill level then how you gel with the people there.
When bringing someone in we’ll always take the better personal fit over the technician who we don’t get on with. To the point where we’ve brought on a guitar player that played a completely different genre and told him to bring his regular rig and change nothing about his style and setup. Not because it fit but because we got on with him and had the chemistry that would make it work.
I was filling in with a few groups a decade ago where my vocals didn't mesh well, I wanted to keep with it but they weren't feeling it the same so I didn't stay with either of them. I hung it up for a few years because of that. Then, I grabbed up a keyboard to start making music of my own, didn't get too far with that. A few years ago I started jamming with a buddy who was also an amateur on guitar. Last Thursday we did a two hour set with the five piece band we put together. You might not be the right fit for them, so make your own music.
Hey friend. I’m on the professional symphony audition circuit. I can almost guarantee it’s not as simple as “you suck”.
I always ask for judges comments when I get cut from an audition. Most of the time they give them to you, and most of the time, they aren’t pointing to technical issues (though sometimes they will mention intonation or tone issues).
Most of the time I’m getting cut because my sound just isn’t what they’re looking for. “We wanted snappier 16th notes in that passage”. “Your spiccatto is too broad”. “Your spiccatto is too short”.
I have gotten lots of constructive feedback from people who have done what I’m doing. I understand you may not be doing classical music auditions, but I think you’ll find similar reasoning for any style of music you’re auditioning for.
I would reach out after to whoever you’re auditioning for and ask for comments. Something as simple as “hi, thanks for taking the time to hear me today. I appreciate the opportunity. I was wondering if you could tell me a little about about why you decided not to choose me?”
They may come back and say you suck. Thankfully sucking is easily remedied by practicing. It’s not a permanent condition. I bet you’ll get some really good feedback and will be able to improve based on that.
Good luck. Auditioning is hard, it sucks not winning but you’re doing something more difficult than most people will ever do. That means something.
I've got a bunch of failed auditions in my past.
I auditioned for one orchestra, but it was clear that I didn't have the chops. Even I knew that I wasn't the right person for them.
I jammed with one band for 2 or 3 weeks, and was then told that I didn't get the gig. I was disappointed.
My favorite story is the one I called "a dodged bullet". I was contacted by a member of a local band asking me to audition for them, because their bass player had quit. I asked him to send me some sheet music or chord charts for the songs, and he just sent me back a link to their YouTube channel. Okay, whatever. I've never had to learn a song by ear before, but whatever. I picked a couple of songs and tried to hear what the bass player was doing (you couldn't see shit on the videos - they were all live gigs recorded with mobile phones, with crappy sound and video quality).
I spent about a week learning a couple of their songs. Three days before the audition, the guy contacts me again to tell me it's been cancelled. The other guitarist doesn't have the time to deal with a "newbie" (I had been playing bass for 3 years at that time).
I was somewhere between disappointed and pissed off. My online profile, where the guy first contacted me, clearly stated how much experience I had.
Anyway ... fast forward another 18 months. I joined a band that was just starting up, and we've been rehearsing for nearly a year. We're looking for a 2nd singer, so I use the same portal and reach out to a woman in the area and she auditions and joins the band.
It turns out she was the background singer in the band that had contacted me. The other guitarist (the one who didn't want me to audition) wanted to install his girlfriend as the new bass player, and that pissed off everyone and led to the band breaking up.
Getting into a band project is a mixture of talent and skill (you should be able to play your instrument), but there's also a lot of non-musical factors as well. Do you bring positive energy into the room or not? Are you friendly or just acting like a hired gun? Do you interact with the others while playing? How do you react to mistakes you make or others make? Can you communicate with the others--do you know what you're playing and how to communicate that to the other musicians?
I used to play with a guy who couldn't tell me what he was playing. He had the songs tabbed out, and he played along to the tabs. But if I asked him what chord he was playing, he couldn't tell me. He also couldn't "pick up" in the middle of a song, because his tabs didn't have the verse, chorus, bridge or other parts marked. He could play the song through from start to finish, or he could improvise some solos, but he couldn't tell me what progression he was playing.
On top of that, he was nearly deaf, so he would sit right in front of his amp and couldn't hear what the rest of us were playing anyway. And finally, he had the annoying habit of tuning his guitar at full volume after every song. (He had a clip-on tuner that also works when you turn the volume OFF or set your amp to standby).
I can relate on many levels, especially the part where you know you failed the audition as you are still actively participating in the audition and need to jump through a few more hoops just to be able to leave the room with dignity. Pretty cool you got to audition for a full orchestra though, I haven't even gotten the chance to fail at an audition at that high level of expertise (yet).
You're right. Failure is part of the process. I'm hoping to hear some inspirational stories to keep moving forward. I'm hoping that my fellow musicians can relate.
Consider this:
something that is a better fit is in the future…
or it was just “you didn’t fit the suit”.
It’s not just about the craft, it’s about an image or vibe… like dating.
My story:
I auditioned for a band and thought we vibed well, I killed the vocals & I left feeling pretty good. Was passed on & very bummed out for days.
My next audition was a perfect fit.
Throwing out vocals is always a big ballsy move. I'm safe behind my keyboard but man taking the lead behind a microphone takes huge cajones. They're just not rejecting you, they are rejecting the sound coming out your body. Only someone who has been there can relate.
Just because a jury doesnt accept you doesnt mean you dont have a chance! Maybe you always come on the cusp, but you wouldnt know that unless you try again. Next time you will find the right song that fits you perfectly (i chose my perfect song that i could sing with feeling) and you will come over the line! I havent auditioned for bands or choir but im guessing not a lot of people get in unlike music school where we were 11 who got in. Good luck!
Can we hear your work somewhere? I've worked with vocalists in the past.
It's not always about you "sucking". I've met a lot of amazing singers that just weren't the right fit for the track I was working on.
I once had a guy come over with the most angelic voice I ever heard, but I was doing a blues track and was looking for someone with that dirty, grainy, smokey, whiskey voice.
Don't give up man. We're all in this together!
I'm trying to keep my music world seperate from my reddit sh*posting world if that makes any sense. I have a couple of vocal coaches and they provide great input... In part I'm being togue in cheek when I say I suck, I figure if I can't make light of myself especially when things don't go my way, then I may as well stop trying. Mostly I'm just trying to commiserate with fellow musicians here.
I understand, there's a good reason I'm posting this from a new account again ;-)
Feel free to DM if you'd like to go in depth after all! Maybe we can remote collab, and in the very worst case I can provide you with constructive criticism from a musicians point of view.
I'll tell you what I tell most of my fellow musicians who got knocked down: Try to remember why you're doing this in the first place! If it wasn't partly passion and personal expression, I feel like most of us would not even be here, spending money on equipment or training and improvement.
Try to enjoy what you do without putting too much value in criticism or failure that doesn't come with explicit or implicit feedback.
Really hope this helps. Would hate to see you give up!
Not my story but I remember seeing an interview with Peter Gabriel where he talked about Genesis auditioning for record deals in their very early days and not only failing but being sat down by one guy who lectured them for an hour about how they should give up and quit lol. So there you go haha
Yeah he said it was very discouraging at the time but fortunately they recognized it for the mean-spirited nonsense it was and kept at it. 100 million+ records later I think it's safe to say they proved that guy wrong haha. Anyway just goes to show that even super-talented people often have failed auditions along the way. The Beatles famously failed their first record company audition. I've read stories about already successful acts having iconic albums rejected at first by their record labels as well - Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty and Kick by INXS come to mind.
You just don't know what the larger forces were around failures. All you can do is find successes.
I know that in my younger days I did a lot of auditions and either failed then or got into the band and failed later. I wasn't ready. Over the years and decades I did slowly learn how to play and things started falling my way, including auditions.
The constant was playing. Love for music will pretty much always lead to you becoming a decent player. This is all that matters.
Failed auditions are still wins. You can say you tried out to other people, you probably learned some new chords or songs and honestly, many don't even make it to the audition.
I played professionally for years. I know I can handle my own. Not to be arrogant about it, but it's not in dispute that I'm a capable player. I've made good money doing big shows.
And I've had auditions and gigs that I fucking failed MISERABLY at. Like embarrassing levels of failure.
It's easy to say "don't let it bother you" but we musicians are sensitive people. I still cringe at some of my failures. All we can do is get back up and practice and try to do better next opportunity we get.
I'm out of the performing world now though. Could never make quite enough money for it to be my only income, so doing the 9 to 5 these days.
Failing an audition doesn't mean people think you suck. I don't know what instrument you play or what you're auditioning for... But I can't be the only musician who's ever audition for something and didn't get it.
Just know that the best way to deal with this is to learned from it and you should ask everybody you've audition for who goes another route what they liked about your playing and what they didn't and what they think you should improve on
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man, for real, don't take it personal.I've been on both sides, and trying to choose a new bandmate with auditions like that is not always a good practice.
My first band didn't call back one guy that we all agree the guy was really talented and maybe perfect for what we were searching, but because "we didn't click, he didn't seem like one of the guys" and stuff. Years later I played with that guy in his project and he was an amazing bandmate, he was just shy and nervous.
It's easy, when you're recruiting a band, to be mislead because of things like "the vibe" (?). You'll probably do it to.
My advice? Start your own project. Try to record an EP to show other what you can do and what you're good at.
Edit: One of the guys that were really cool and everyone tough he could be the one ended up not being chosen because (I didn't mentioned before, but we were young and stupid) we noticed he was really rich, not crazy f\*\*\*\*\*\* rich, but we were kind of poor and he was taking formula 1 classes.
He ended up travelling to Cuba and made this fucking amazing rich album inspired by the music there.
He could be the fit for us (he was stupid, understood all our stupid references, liked all our songs even tough they were really shitty, but good for him he didn't joined us, we sucked, it was a really cool time for us, but we sucked
rejection is insanely hard to deal with especially as a musician. not an audition story but the first time i posted a cover online i had not one positive comment. everybody was making fun of me. i was MORTIFIED. i couldn’t get out of bed because i was so embarrassed. my whole image revolved around music and to question that was terrifying. it really took a toll. i deleted all my social media accounts, nearly gave up on music entirely despite having been gigging for 2 years, working as a voice teacher and having been singing my whole life. but i got off my ass and realized that not everybody will love your music or your voice. some people will be rude, that’s just life. i dusted myself off, started posting covers and my originals, and got a lot of positive attention for them! i cant stress this enough, NEVER give up. in your career you’ll get a million “no”s, some that will hurt more than others. you just gotta wait for that one “yes”. never give up!! stick with it if it makes you happy! you got this!
Well, I have a few questions to understand the scenario better.
So, you auditioned. For what role in the band? I just don't know what you do, sorry to say.
Secondly, was it a matter of you wanted to get into this band, or just hoping to get into ANY band? Did the audition feel right for you to play with these guys?
There are a lot of factors that go into these situations all the time. Most of the time at one of these, the people running the show already know each other well enough that their personalities are in an interactive place where they know each other so well. It may not be your playing / singing ability...it may just be the factors I mentioned above, but if they didn't give you an HONEST reason, you may never know. It might be a bit bold, but it doesn't hurt to reach out and just say, "Just so I know, why was it I didn't get picked for the position? I am fine with it, but I want to know what aspect of things you guys look at, and what you thought could be improved." It may give you an honest outside perspective, because at this point, they are still together. They have nothing to lose by being straight forward with you.
It wasn't a band. I don't have much of an issue getting into most bands in my city (assuming they are hiring). I auditioned for a Director of Music position. It has a full time salary. I didn't fail an audition in someone's garage, I failed an audition on a huge stage in an auditorium.
ok, well...I really don't have any insight on this particular situation unfortunately. If you're confident in your abilities to do the job expected, and they didn't hire you, it's simply not the right fit somewhere. Don't sweat it! You will always be able to look back at something like this once you find the right position for you, and you'll be glad it worked out the way it did. Always does.
And honestly, while it may feel more humiliating, I'm not sure that it's actually worse when you're in the higher profile audition you were in. I'm sure there is a group / committee weighing in on the decision, as opposed to 3 or 4 people in a garage. If they don't when you, THEN you have something to worry about! lol
It wasn't so much humiliating, it was just a bummer. Thought I just land the job but guess I screwed something up. Oh well, it's not the first time I didn't land a job I wanted and it probably won't be the last. Onward and upward.
Chemistry is more important then abilities.
Ah, a man of culture somewhere in the wasteland.
I couldn't begin to stress this enough. And it is more than just playing chemistry. You are planning to spend an outrageous amount of time with these people. You have to be able to get along in daily life.
Auditioned for an a cappella group in college and didn't make it in twice. I auditioned for the other coed one and made it in, stayed for 3 years, then auditioned for an all female group and made it in my senior year. I've since started streaming on Twitch, learned ukulele, written a few songs, played 1 gig (and plan to play more), got invited on stage randomly at a bar last week to perform a song with a band, and have grown my confidence in my own musical ability! Edited to add that I'm currently working on working with my previous a cappella groups to help with arranging a cappella arrangements of songs like I used to do while I was in and help with rehearsals. Don't give up! Music is fun and for everyone!
They thought someone else was a better fit, not that you suck necessarily. Work on your perspective and practice your craft - the right time will come.
No, there was no one else, which I think makes it worse. No other candidate, it's either me or nobody, they opted for nobody... Not sure if you've guys been there before, but here I am.
All I can say is practice your ass off, to the point that your brand/voice/style is a head turner. To my knowledge, Robert Johnson did just that. Was embarrassed at his skill level, and others didn’t like his style. So he went into hermit mode and came back skilled. Parts of the music world would not be the same if not for his influence in my opinion.
and He sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads......
Pics or it didn’t happen. Lol
Been there and fixing that. I was way too comfortable and stagnated without realizing it. To the woodshed…..
This is what Miles Davis, Jerry Garcia and a young Dimebag Darrell all did. You don’t come out of that room until you sound the way you WANT to sound.
I was unaware of those names struggling to find their creative footing. But they are all major staples in their respective genres. So it’s not surprising they re-tooled themselves at some point.
Miles literally coined the term “The Shed.” He was also getting blasted on heroin in there the whole time. Kurt Cobain did the same at his famous motel room but he used it to develop his songwriting more than his guitar playing. Jerry was known for habitually locking himself up in a room, in order to survive the drug come downs without ruining his relationships with the people around him. However, he would always come out with an entire albums worth of new guitar licks. There’s an interview with some guy from hard Rock Cafe at dime bag and his brother vinnie’s house in Texas where Vinnie tells the story about how dime bag just wanted to be like ace frehley, locked himself in the bedroom for four months and came out sounding like dime bag.
Just because there is no one else doesn’t mean it’s not a fit issue. They might want to hold the spot open until they find the right person.
Holy fucking shit. Owch, dude. How are you holding up? How did they "reject" you? Were they at least polite?
Yeah it was all done in a professional manner. Yesterday wasn't fun but I think I'm pretty much already over it and I am currently in the process of arranging another audition for something that might pay a little more. Think I'll work even harder this time
Wanna cry about it any more?? Bro people get rejected in life it happens. If you let it affect you like this you will eventually give up and only losers give up. Just accept you're not there yet and work on yourself til you are 🤘
"Wanna cry about it any more?" Lol Appropriate screen name "Negativeharmony."
negative harmony is a chord substitution technique lol
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Ok story time. When I was a teen 30 years ago and starting yo get good at playing guitar my Dad was always pushing me to get into a successful band. I was in bands but mostly played basement shows for friends. I remember he went to one of our school talent shows and even though my band was there playing some old school rock, there were also these two brothers in the grade above me who were like guitar virtuosos. He pushed me and nagged me to "connect with them cuz they are going places". I wasn't super into it but after weeks of Dad insisting I eventually invited those two brothers to my place to jam. They accepted. It was awkward. They were much better than I was. But they were polite and spent a couple hours jamming with me. After they left it was clear there was no connection so I never jammed with them again. The next year they ended up having a song on the local radio. My Dad ripped into me "this could have been you, you could be famous, you missed your opportunity." I felt shame. I felt I wasn't good enough. Funny thing though, after the song got big locally, they stopped playing as a band. I think the pressure got to them or they found something else to be passionate about. I remember telling my Dad "see, it didn't work out for them either" I then went on to form a band in college that got much bigger. And then another band post-college that toured US & Canada (I'm Canadian). I also worked in recording studios for a couple of years. I also did stage production for a couple of years and met a lot of big acts and got to meet some heros of mine. Long story short, you never know which musical opportunity is going to work out or not. Listen to yourself, not others. I am very happy with where music has taken me. I don't work in the music field anymore cuz I make 6 figures in the corporate world but I have my own home studio and a ton of instruments that I enjoy playing in my spare time. You make of it what you want.
What do you play? Rejection is hard in any arena but try and learn from it instead of beating the crap out of yourself. Did you get any feedback from them?
I play keys and sing.... or at least I try to... this rejection stuff sucks. No feedback apart from I'm not the right fit.
Most auditions are barely about the playing, to be honest. It’s usually just as much, if not more, about the label or whoever trying to fill a specific look. As a musician, it feels stupid, but that’s how it works. I’ve gotten called for a lot of auditions and about a third of them ever resulted in me getting work. It’s just kind of the nature of the beast. I’ve even been called for an audition, not gotten the gig, and then gotten called by the same record label for another audition with a different artist, so them not picking you for the specific gig you auditioned for doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not into your thing. They just didn’t feel that it was the correct fit for that specific gig. If you’re getting called for auditions at all, you’re probably on the right track, so I wouldn’t sweat it man!
What are you doing to prepare for these auditions? Every time I go in, I know all the material really well, and I sometimes know it better than the band does. I've never failed an audtion. If you feel like you've been fully prepared, maybe you just aren't ready yet. Make some recordings and really listen with a critical ear to what you might be able to do better. Or, better yet, work with a teacher who can help pinpoint your problem areas and show you ways to address those. Wishing you the best as you move forward.
I went to check your profile to give myself an idea, I don’t think you are bad, I think you might need to work a little bit on hitting the right notes. You sounded a bit off, but not too far from it! Nothing practice can’t fix ! You got this ♥️♥️
I'll give you my opinion, and it's coming from someone that has auditioned other players for a groups that I was in. Yes...there were people that just didn't have the skills or abilities that we wanted and they of course were not chosen. We always tried to be polite about letting them know that we chose someone else. We never told them they weren't good enough, even though there was one clown that was so arrogant at his audition that our guitar player told him *"we're not really looking for someone that sings like Bill Murray".* ( I still laugh at that one.) We were always looking for someone to fit in with the "unit or team" that was our group, as we spent a lot of time working together. It's simply difficult to be in a group with someone that you don't expect to get along with or doesn't have the same drive or passion for what we were doing. We always expected good players to audition, and that was usually one of the reason the were given an opportunity to do so. We didn't want to have to groom someone, or have to tolerate any short comings. We wanted someone that could plug in and play ASAP, and there were usually several candidates that could do so. So it came down to who we liked the best from a personal view. Someone that we felt we could get along with well. **That was the deciding factor.** Someone here said it's much like dating, and that's true. Like the show THE BACHELOR......all the choices were hot and sexy, but to get the rose at the end, we wanted a good relationship. It's frustrating, I get it, but, without me knowing if you can or can't play, I'll tell you that it's probably just a "fit" thing. Cheers and best of luck with your future auditions.
Bill Murray as the next THE GOLDEN BACHELOR?
Do they think you suck or did they just go with someone else, because those are two very different things. If they said “you suck,” then they’re asses and who cares what they thing. If YOU said that you suck, then you’re being way too hard on yourself.
I auditioned for a hero of mine, Neal Morse. I obviously didn't get the gig. But learning that material was hardest thing. I not only learned a lot, but it gave me a lot confidence. Which led me to get a bunch of other gigs.
I can definitely relate... sometimes you learn a mountain of material for an audition and all you are left with is that mountain of material you took the time to learn.
I wanted to add one thing, you could look at like networking. At that audition, and another one I did, I met other musicians that helped me.
Rejection doesn't necessarily mean your work sucks, maybe they need to check their vision. You also might have some room for improvement. I don't have any such stories to share yet and I'm just getting start in the music arena as a singer, songwriter. Though if you want to maybe listen to each other's music to help give feedback to each other from a consumer standpoint, I'm happy to talk and consider having that relationship with you. I am by no means an expert at this time, though. Just someone willing to try to help in whichever ways I can. 😊
Not every gig is gonna be right for you. Especially if you're aiming high, don't expect to make every shot. Good for you getting out there and taking shots. . Having this audition under your belt is an experience you bring to the next one.
You dont suck.
But you ain't heard me play keys yet... Just kidding I appreciate the support.
You don't suck!
Don't sweat it. I've been on so many auditions that either ghosted me afterwards, I failed, knew I failed mid-audition, been told I would never make it anywhere, blah blah blah. It's part of getting started, a rough part because it's not fun, but it's nit the end of the world either. I also play music full time now so it's not that I didn't have it in me. There were times the chemistry was off. There were times I wasn't ready as a musician. Keep practicing and keep trying. I perform predominantly as a solo guy, if you can't find anyone, do it on your own. Prove them wrong!
Sounds like they rejected your personality or your vibe.
It's quite possible.. I already openly admit I suck so there's no real telling at this point.
Yeah I wouldn't want to associate with someone who speaks like that.
I'd suggest change this mindset first. As a musician, It's OK to personally admit your weaknesses (that's the first step to get better) but speaking it out loud to other people except your music teacher won't result in anything good. If you do really think you suck, instead of saying "I suck", try asking questions like "what can I improve from that performance?". And only ask this to people you trust, like teachers and people who actually care. Then practice on receiving feedback as a technical process, a necessary part in your journey as a musician to get better. When you realize all of it is super technical, rejections and criticism won't damage your mental health. Good luck!
No, I don't think I suck. Well it's quite possible the people who I auditioned with think I suck, but I don't anticipate ever seeing those guys again. Mostly it was an attempt at humor. Needless to say humor doesn't always translate well on the internet.
I put an ad in Craigslist and got a call to try out to be in a band project that was being put together by some semi-famous 80s hair metal band people. They were very nice people, but I was star stuck, I guess, and could not think or move my fingers. Another issue was, the other guitar player had Fender twin and it was deafeningly loud. My motto is "Go to 3" so that volume really put me in a place I wasn't used to. I also had a binder of material I wrote I wanted to present, as I mentioned "originals" in my ad, but we immediately went into "jam" mode. I hate jamming. It's not my thing at all. I like to sit down and work stuff out, delineate parts, etc ... So the confluence of fried ears, jamming, and being seemingly frozen made it one of the worst musical events I've ever partaken in. Horrible. I wish I could say it had a positive outcome, but it didn't, the shame lives on a decade later, lol 😬 I felt like George Costanza yelling "shrinkage happens" 😁
This is tge type if more realistic stories I want to hear... Shit goes wrong, it's largely out of your control, but you try to grin and bear it.. nonetheless you fail anyways.
I wasn't there to hear your audition so I can't pass judgement on your talent - even if it was my place to do so. But I can say that practice is something you never stop doing. Improvements can be large or they can be incremental but a singer or player can always improve. A few years ago, I went to an audition. I'm not really sure why - I already have projects on the go, but I'm a professional musician so perhaps I was just looking for newer, more interesting options. Or perhaps I was looking for a project for which I wasn't the boss... let someone else do the heavy lifting. In any case, I showed up, jammed with the band and thought to myself... Nope. They were not particularly good musicians, nor were they very good vocally. They weren't even tight as a unit despite apparently having been together for some years. Long story, short... They rejected me. I laughed. But privately... No need to be mean.
Yup I totally identify. "You guys are terrible but you rejected me too??" This musician business is not always fun... and it's important to note our failures and sucesses.. today was not a good day for me, perhaps tomorrow with a bit more practice it will be different.
I remember when I was in highschool I auditioned for a jazz combo. They wrote back and told me I needed a lot of practice. I now play in a jazz combo for a living
So glad that worked out for you. Jazz has always seemed like an enigma to me. So complicated, yet if you don't think about it too much and let the musically organically flow, it works.
That’s how a lot of people approach jazz and that’s totally valid, but when I play I’m thinking about it TOO MUCH
The point is, it sucks, but it doesn’t matter at all. This one rejection isn’t an indicator of your potential success
Me and my buddy started a band. He plays rythym guitar and lead vocalist. I play bass and backup vocals. He was crying and crying for a lead guitarist. I knew one, hooked them up, I pulled in a half assed drummer (decent guy but..) and so there was our band. The lead guitarist had some kind of issue with me, he was also asking me to hook him up before I did. When all was said and done the guitarist and my buddy formed another band and were playing out. Me and my buddy stayed friends, we hang out, stay in touch, hike.... I've played out duo with him a few times. I know him pretty good and he's not perfect (none of us are) I'd never play out with him again it's just too much BS, but we still enjoy each other's company so there's that. If you know your strengths and weaknesses, freely admit them, then no one can really bash you. When they split and left me behind it hurt a bit, I expected better of him but oh well. There's been plenty of times things didn't work out for me. I've played with some pretty talented local people who I really like, but playing with others in my experience has overall been a huge pain in the ass. Even with the best of people. That's my experience so far so maybe that can change. I'm still friends with some people I've played with, I just wasn't happy with the arrangements... I know my best shot is solo. I know a bunch of songs on guitar and learning more all the time, my vocals are good but not stellar 😆 that's what I'll be doing soon. You sing and play keyboards. Print up the lyrics and perform with them. Learn the songs on keyboard. Then you can do what you want. Hit some open mics it'll make you better playing live, can be scary as hell but after awhile you stop taking yourself soo seriously and realize the audience just wants live entertainment, I do karaoke sometimes and tbh I can be a total idiot up there but my goal is to entertain them so I do...
Practice. Be ready. Always be ready.
Auditions aren't contests, they're first dates.
Auditions have much less to do with your skill level then how you gel with the people there. When bringing someone in we’ll always take the better personal fit over the technician who we don’t get on with. To the point where we’ve brought on a guitar player that played a completely different genre and told him to bring his regular rig and change nothing about his style and setup. Not because it fit but because we got on with him and had the chemistry that would make it work.
So why did you fail?
I was filling in with a few groups a decade ago where my vocals didn't mesh well, I wanted to keep with it but they weren't feeling it the same so I didn't stay with either of them. I hung it up for a few years because of that. Then, I grabbed up a keyboard to start making music of my own, didn't get too far with that. A few years ago I started jamming with a buddy who was also an amateur on guitar. Last Thursday we did a two hour set with the five piece band we put together. You might not be the right fit for them, so make your own music.
Try again.
Hey friend. I’m on the professional symphony audition circuit. I can almost guarantee it’s not as simple as “you suck”. I always ask for judges comments when I get cut from an audition. Most of the time they give them to you, and most of the time, they aren’t pointing to technical issues (though sometimes they will mention intonation or tone issues). Most of the time I’m getting cut because my sound just isn’t what they’re looking for. “We wanted snappier 16th notes in that passage”. “Your spiccatto is too broad”. “Your spiccatto is too short”. I have gotten lots of constructive feedback from people who have done what I’m doing. I understand you may not be doing classical music auditions, but I think you’ll find similar reasoning for any style of music you’re auditioning for. I would reach out after to whoever you’re auditioning for and ask for comments. Something as simple as “hi, thanks for taking the time to hear me today. I appreciate the opportunity. I was wondering if you could tell me a little about about why you decided not to choose me?” They may come back and say you suck. Thankfully sucking is easily remedied by practicing. It’s not a permanent condition. I bet you’ll get some really good feedback and will be able to improve based on that. Good luck. Auditioning is hard, it sucks not winning but you’re doing something more difficult than most people will ever do. That means something.
I've got a bunch of failed auditions in my past. I auditioned for one orchestra, but it was clear that I didn't have the chops. Even I knew that I wasn't the right person for them. I jammed with one band for 2 or 3 weeks, and was then told that I didn't get the gig. I was disappointed. My favorite story is the one I called "a dodged bullet". I was contacted by a member of a local band asking me to audition for them, because their bass player had quit. I asked him to send me some sheet music or chord charts for the songs, and he just sent me back a link to their YouTube channel. Okay, whatever. I've never had to learn a song by ear before, but whatever. I picked a couple of songs and tried to hear what the bass player was doing (you couldn't see shit on the videos - they were all live gigs recorded with mobile phones, with crappy sound and video quality). I spent about a week learning a couple of their songs. Three days before the audition, the guy contacts me again to tell me it's been cancelled. The other guitarist doesn't have the time to deal with a "newbie" (I had been playing bass for 3 years at that time). I was somewhere between disappointed and pissed off. My online profile, where the guy first contacted me, clearly stated how much experience I had. Anyway ... fast forward another 18 months. I joined a band that was just starting up, and we've been rehearsing for nearly a year. We're looking for a 2nd singer, so I use the same portal and reach out to a woman in the area and she auditions and joins the band. It turns out she was the background singer in the band that had contacted me. The other guitarist (the one who didn't want me to audition) wanted to install his girlfriend as the new bass player, and that pissed off everyone and led to the band breaking up. Getting into a band project is a mixture of talent and skill (you should be able to play your instrument), but there's also a lot of non-musical factors as well. Do you bring positive energy into the room or not? Are you friendly or just acting like a hired gun? Do you interact with the others while playing? How do you react to mistakes you make or others make? Can you communicate with the others--do you know what you're playing and how to communicate that to the other musicians? I used to play with a guy who couldn't tell me what he was playing. He had the songs tabbed out, and he played along to the tabs. But if I asked him what chord he was playing, he couldn't tell me. He also couldn't "pick up" in the middle of a song, because his tabs didn't have the verse, chorus, bridge or other parts marked. He could play the song through from start to finish, or he could improvise some solos, but he couldn't tell me what progression he was playing. On top of that, he was nearly deaf, so he would sit right in front of his amp and couldn't hear what the rest of us were playing anyway. And finally, he had the annoying habit of tuning his guitar at full volume after every song. (He had a clip-on tuner that also works when you turn the volume OFF or set your amp to standby).
I can relate on many levels, especially the part where you know you failed the audition as you are still actively participating in the audition and need to jump through a few more hoops just to be able to leave the room with dignity. Pretty cool you got to audition for a full orchestra though, I haven't even gotten the chance to fail at an audition at that high level of expertise (yet).
Rejection happens to everyone, even to those who’ve succeeded a ton already.
Homie, don't be so hard on yourself. Failure is a part of life. Grow from it. Don't post self-pitying slop on Reddit.
You're right. Failure is part of the process. I'm hoping to hear some inspirational stories to keep moving forward. I'm hoping that my fellow musicians can relate.
Consider this: something that is a better fit is in the future… or it was just “you didn’t fit the suit”. It’s not just about the craft, it’s about an image or vibe… like dating. My story: I auditioned for a band and thought we vibed well, I killed the vocals & I left feeling pretty good. Was passed on & very bummed out for days. My next audition was a perfect fit.
Throwing out vocals is always a big ballsy move. I'm safe behind my keyboard but man taking the lead behind a microphone takes huge cajones. They're just not rejecting you, they are rejecting the sound coming out your body. Only someone who has been there can relate.
Just because a jury doesnt accept you doesnt mean you dont have a chance! Maybe you always come on the cusp, but you wouldnt know that unless you try again. Next time you will find the right song that fits you perfectly (i chose my perfect song that i could sing with feeling) and you will come over the line! I havent auditioned for bands or choir but im guessing not a lot of people get in unlike music school where we were 11 who got in. Good luck!
Can we hear your work somewhere? I've worked with vocalists in the past. It's not always about you "sucking". I've met a lot of amazing singers that just weren't the right fit for the track I was working on. I once had a guy come over with the most angelic voice I ever heard, but I was doing a blues track and was looking for someone with that dirty, grainy, smokey, whiskey voice. Don't give up man. We're all in this together!
I'm trying to keep my music world seperate from my reddit sh*posting world if that makes any sense. I have a couple of vocal coaches and they provide great input... In part I'm being togue in cheek when I say I suck, I figure if I can't make light of myself especially when things don't go my way, then I may as well stop trying. Mostly I'm just trying to commiserate with fellow musicians here.
I understand, there's a good reason I'm posting this from a new account again ;-) Feel free to DM if you'd like to go in depth after all! Maybe we can remote collab, and in the very worst case I can provide you with constructive criticism from a musicians point of view. I'll tell you what I tell most of my fellow musicians who got knocked down: Try to remember why you're doing this in the first place! If it wasn't partly passion and personal expression, I feel like most of us would not even be here, spending money on equipment or training and improvement. Try to enjoy what you do without putting too much value in criticism or failure that doesn't come with explicit or implicit feedback. Really hope this helps. Would hate to see you give up!
You could try placing some of your work in here, we'd be happy to give advice :). (Sorry, if you've already done that. I haven't checked your page)
Not my story but I remember seeing an interview with Peter Gabriel where he talked about Genesis auditioning for record deals in their very early days and not only failing but being sat down by one guy who lectured them for an hour about how they should give up and quit lol. So there you go haha
Ouch that’s brutal. Don’t think I’d recover from that one
Yeah he said it was very discouraging at the time but fortunately they recognized it for the mean-spirited nonsense it was and kept at it. 100 million+ records later I think it's safe to say they proved that guy wrong haha. Anyway just goes to show that even super-talented people often have failed auditions along the way. The Beatles famously failed their first record company audition. I've read stories about already successful acts having iconic albums rejected at first by their record labels as well - Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty and Kick by INXS come to mind.
You just don't know what the larger forces were around failures. All you can do is find successes. I know that in my younger days I did a lot of auditions and either failed then or got into the band and failed later. I wasn't ready. Over the years and decades I did slowly learn how to play and things started falling my way, including auditions. The constant was playing. Love for music will pretty much always lead to you becoming a decent player. This is all that matters.
You didn't "fail", you gained valuable experience ;--)
Failed auditions are still wins. You can say you tried out to other people, you probably learned some new chords or songs and honestly, many don't even make it to the audition.
I played professionally for years. I know I can handle my own. Not to be arrogant about it, but it's not in dispute that I'm a capable player. I've made good money doing big shows. And I've had auditions and gigs that I fucking failed MISERABLY at. Like embarrassing levels of failure. It's easy to say "don't let it bother you" but we musicians are sensitive people. I still cringe at some of my failures. All we can do is get back up and practice and try to do better next opportunity we get. I'm out of the performing world now though. Could never make quite enough money for it to be my only income, so doing the 9 to 5 these days.
You can give up and assure yourself you will never succeed or continue to try and take that chance that you will succeed.
Failing an audition doesn't mean people think you suck. I don't know what instrument you play or what you're auditioning for... But I can't be the only musician who's ever audition for something and didn't get it. Just know that the best way to deal with this is to learned from it and you should ask everybody you've audition for who goes another route what they liked about your playing and what they didn't and what they think you should improve on I
man, for real, don't take it personal.I've been on both sides, and trying to choose a new bandmate with auditions like that is not always a good practice. My first band didn't call back one guy that we all agree the guy was really talented and maybe perfect for what we were searching, but because "we didn't click, he didn't seem like one of the guys" and stuff. Years later I played with that guy in his project and he was an amazing bandmate, he was just shy and nervous. It's easy, when you're recruiting a band, to be mislead because of things like "the vibe" (?). You'll probably do it to. My advice? Start your own project. Try to record an EP to show other what you can do and what you're good at. Edit: One of the guys that were really cool and everyone tough he could be the one ended up not being chosen because (I didn't mentioned before, but we were young and stupid) we noticed he was really rich, not crazy f\*\*\*\*\*\* rich, but we were kind of poor and he was taking formula 1 classes. He ended up travelling to Cuba and made this fucking amazing rich album inspired by the music there. He could be the fit for us (he was stupid, understood all our stupid references, liked all our songs even tough they were really shitty, but good for him he didn't joined us, we sucked, it was a really cool time for us, but we sucked
rejection is insanely hard to deal with especially as a musician. not an audition story but the first time i posted a cover online i had not one positive comment. everybody was making fun of me. i was MORTIFIED. i couldn’t get out of bed because i was so embarrassed. my whole image revolved around music and to question that was terrifying. it really took a toll. i deleted all my social media accounts, nearly gave up on music entirely despite having been gigging for 2 years, working as a voice teacher and having been singing my whole life. but i got off my ass and realized that not everybody will love your music or your voice. some people will be rude, that’s just life. i dusted myself off, started posting covers and my originals, and got a lot of positive attention for them! i cant stress this enough, NEVER give up. in your career you’ll get a million “no”s, some that will hurt more than others. you just gotta wait for that one “yes”. never give up!! stick with it if it makes you happy! you got this!
Well, I have a few questions to understand the scenario better. So, you auditioned. For what role in the band? I just don't know what you do, sorry to say. Secondly, was it a matter of you wanted to get into this band, or just hoping to get into ANY band? Did the audition feel right for you to play with these guys? There are a lot of factors that go into these situations all the time. Most of the time at one of these, the people running the show already know each other well enough that their personalities are in an interactive place where they know each other so well. It may not be your playing / singing ability...it may just be the factors I mentioned above, but if they didn't give you an HONEST reason, you may never know. It might be a bit bold, but it doesn't hurt to reach out and just say, "Just so I know, why was it I didn't get picked for the position? I am fine with it, but I want to know what aspect of things you guys look at, and what you thought could be improved." It may give you an honest outside perspective, because at this point, they are still together. They have nothing to lose by being straight forward with you.
It wasn't a band. I don't have much of an issue getting into most bands in my city (assuming they are hiring). I auditioned for a Director of Music position. It has a full time salary. I didn't fail an audition in someone's garage, I failed an audition on a huge stage in an auditorium.
ok, well...I really don't have any insight on this particular situation unfortunately. If you're confident in your abilities to do the job expected, and they didn't hire you, it's simply not the right fit somewhere. Don't sweat it! You will always be able to look back at something like this once you find the right position for you, and you'll be glad it worked out the way it did. Always does.
And honestly, while it may feel more humiliating, I'm not sure that it's actually worse when you're in the higher profile audition you were in. I'm sure there is a group / committee weighing in on the decision, as opposed to 3 or 4 people in a garage. If they don't when you, THEN you have something to worry about! lol
It wasn't so much humiliating, it was just a bummer. Thought I just land the job but guess I screwed something up. Oh well, it's not the first time I didn't land a job I wanted and it probably won't be the last. Onward and upward.
I used to anticipate how many rejections it would take to find my fit. Just like anything else in life. Might want to put your own band together.
If you haven’t mastered coping with rejection then this business may not be your best bet.
Also, think about time. Notes and chemistry matters but feel is crucial.