When the band you're auditioning for,..

I wouldn't sweat it. Enjoy the experience and move on. Drumming is fun.

I auditioned for some guys in an old warehouse once. Ran through all the songs - they didn't give me a setlist for the audition. I thought it went all right. Get an email from them a week later that they were going to keep looking. No prob. A couple months later I'm speaking to a drummer buddy who is a great drummer, he'd been out to audition too. Fast forward A YEAR, they email me back, they couldn't find anyone and would I be interested in a second go at it. lol. In a year, no one met their standards. Every drummer in a 100km radius must have been out to audition, and no one was good enough. lolol. Some guys are just weird.

I've learned a few things in auditioning for bands over the last few years.
1. If they say they have a kit, bring yours anyways. Even if it stays in the car, I can't count the number of times 'the kit' looked like they found them on the side of the road.

2. "Here's our setlist, learn the first 5 songs." This is a lie. It takes 15 minutes to run the songs, then they will invariably say, ok lets keep going and run the rest of the list. Now, if I'm interested in the band, I'm going to learn every single song on the list, and make notes for anything tricky. it's fun to play new stuff anyways, so I do my homework. They don't have to be perfect, but nail the start and end.

3. Be on time. (arrival)

4. just be yourself. It can be nerve wracking, it's almost like a job interview. Most of the time, personality is a bigger factor than your playing, so just try to be yourself.

5. Play at home for an hour before you go, so you'll be nice and loose.

I went for almost a year and a 1/2 auditioning for bands and couldn't catch a break, and it was ripping up my confidence to no end. Slowly I learned these tips the hard way. Now I've been gigging steady in a band for 3 years, and I'm the backup for 6 other bands. Go to jams, get out and play and meet people. It'll come around and you'll find the right fit for you.
 
You've gotten some great advice already, but I'll add my 2-cents anyway.

I've been auditioning/playing in bands for about 40 years and have learned to not take it personally when I'm not chosen. Last year I auditioned for a band that I thought was pretty good (not great) and they didn't choose me. I thought I played well, but obviously they found someone else they preferred.

Then I auditioned for another band that was much better and I thought possibly a little out of my league, and they were almost begging me to join. Sometimes, their decision-making process goes beyond your playing (if they have multiple players auditioning that are good), and take many other factors into consideration including your personality, stage presence, reliability (not easy to predict), and maybe your gear.

Don't look back and keep auditioning ...
 
Many times.

I've come to realize much of why I was rejected is they don't have their own (bleep) together and rejecting me is just an excuse to cover up their own issues.

In most cases, said band broke up soon after.

The rest, well, they were still looking for a drummer months later (because apparently, no one on earth is right person) then they broke up.
 
A band that sucks usually think they're great, & be constantly searching for a drummer that makes them sound even better. Of course, no matter how good the drummer is, that's not going to happen, but they'll blame that on the person auditioning before they'll ever question their own performance.
 
it's funny. Some people actually think somebody that sucks is great, especially if they suck themselves,(which they usually do), or their buddy that played with them before did, so that's the level they're familiar with. A lot of the time somebody that sucks plays better with others that suck than a truly great player. Kind of like a shaky train ride that stays on the tracks, but becomes a wreck when a sufficient player comes into the mix and upsets the slop cart. So, you may not have played well with them simply because you were above their level. Those that suck typically only listen to themselves, and want you to follow everything they do, (which can be impossible if your time is good and theirs is terrible), so trying to reel them in can make them feel their inadequacies.
 
I got rejected for a band and they instead picked a drummer who had no sense of dynamics, essentially played the same groove in every song, and fell apart coming out of fills.

I didn't take it personally because I felt like they made themselves weaker as a band by picking him and it wasn't my problem.
 
drumhammerer said:
it's funny. Some people actually think somebody that sucks is great, especially if they suck themselves,(which they usually do), or their buddy that played with them before did, so that's the level they're familiar with. A lot of the time somebody that sucks plays better with others that suck than a truly great player. Kind of like a shaky train ride that stays on the tracks, but becomes a wreck when a sufficient player comes into the mix and upsets the slop cart. So, you may not have played well with them simply because you were above their level. Those that suck typically only listen to themselves, and want you to follow everything they do, (which can be impossible if your time is good and theirs is terrible), so trying to reel them in can make them feel their inadequacies.
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How oversized would your ego have to be for you to reject a drummer with better time because he had BETTER TIME?
 
Push pull stroke said:
How oversized would your ego have to be for you to reject a drummer with better time because he had BETTER TIME?
Click to expand...

that was my point. Maybe they don't think he has better time, because they may think someone with better time isn't as good because they don't play well with them. And, I'm sure there are bands out there that are terrible, but think they're bad ass. Delusion runs deep in some people.
 
Well sounds like they just want to try and play for fun-and little effort. You ever think about they may have loved your drumming and just realized you maybe too talented for their agenda and effort -and that you would likely quit cause even they recognize they suck. Nothing wrong with sucking-though the goal should be not to. It's like a blind squirrel finding a nut-cause even a sucky band can screw around and sound great sometimes. I would have already forgotten about it.
 
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