What's even better is that last gig I was forced onstage as an actor/singer.
As the romantic lead. And the girl I was playing opposite spent a year in NYC as a professional actress, only returning because one of our best friends mother died and she was here to support her.
Now I get back to the pit, where I can even ignoring ego, which I have none, I can clearly say that I have dominon over.
in the audition info for the show I'm going for it says quote: "in order to give yourself the best chance we recommend you don't prepare anything too difficult to sightread I.E JRB music may work against you because of its playing difficulty."
one of my songs is Shiksa Goddess
what sort of contingencies should I have just in case?
If they say "hey, you probably shouldn't do a JRB song", you shouldn't do a JRB song. Find another piece.
Even if you completely 100% nail Shiksa Goddess in the audition, they're going to look at you and say, "well, there's someone who doesn't know how to follow instructions." If it's down to you and one other guy, and you're both equally talented and suited to the part, you want to give them as few reasons as possible to go for the other guy over you.
It's far from a dealbreaker if you sing it, but I still wouldn't. Yes, you have to find another piece, and it may not be as well prepared as Shiksa Goddess. But I would say that negative is outweighed by the negative of doing something the auditioners specifically recommended against. It's not about "oh god the pianist might fuck up and throw me of", it's about "I'm going to give the auditioners exactly what they want"
Also, as someone who plays for a lot of auditions, the most crazy stuff I tend to play is "green finch and linnet bird". Really, most musicians assume their accompanist will be dumb, so they do stuff from les Mis or shit.
Which still gets them parts.
if you can sing standards in a way that blow the competition away, do that shit.
However, last gig I got was one where I was called in by a lesbian fuck buddy of mine who knew I could sing without audition.
If they say "hey, you probably shouldn't do a JRB song", you shouldn't do a JRB song. Find another piece.
Even if you completely 100% nail Shiksa Goddess in the audition, they're going to look at you and say, "well, there's someone who doesn't know how to follow instructions." If it's down to you and one other guy, and you're both equally talented and suited to the part, you want to give them as few reasons as possible to go for the other guy over you.
It's far from a dealbreaker if you sing it, but I still wouldn't. Yes, you have to find another piece, and it may not be as well prepared as Shiksa Goddess. But I would say that negative is outweighed by the negative of doing something the auditioners specifically recommended against. It's not about "oh god the pianist might fuck up and throw me of", it's about "I'm going to give the auditioners exactly what they want"
frankly it's not really much of an option, I've got a couple other upbeat songs but I don't have nearly enough time to get them to the level I'd like them at
I'll talk to my singing teacher about it, but do you really think doing a song that's not nearly as impressive will put me up higher just because I listened to a tiny clause instead of doing the best I can possibly do?
The thing about JRB music is it's a distinct style. I am a shitty pianist, but I can play his stuff with no trouble. I've seen brilliant pianists get thrown off by some of his rhythms - it's not that it's tough music, but it's different from what some classically pianists are trained to expect.
For the record, I think he's a decent songwriter. He does a great job of writing lyrics and melodies that sound very natural, like the music is just an extension of the person's natural speaking voice. His accompaniments tend to fall into the same pitfalls time after time, but I happen to like his sound. He is, however, a horrendously shitty dramatist.
If they say "hey, you probably shouldn't do a JRB song", you shouldn't do a JRB song. Find another piece.
Even if you completely 100% nail Shiksa Goddess in the audition, they're going to look at you and say, "well, there's someone who doesn't know how to follow instructions." If it's down to you and one other guy, and you're both equally talented and suited to the part, you want to give them as few reasons as possible to go for the other guy over you.
It's far from a dealbreaker if you sing it, but I still wouldn't. Yes, you have to find another piece, and it may not be as well prepared as Shiksa Goddess. But I would say that negative is outweighed by the negative of doing something the auditioners specifically recommended against. It's not about "oh god the pianist might fuck up and throw me of", it's about "I'm going to give the auditioners exactly what they want"
frankly it's not really much of an option, I've got a couple other upbeat songs but I don't have nearly enough time to get them to the level I'd like them at
I'll talk to my singing teacher about it, but do you really think doing a song that's not nearly as impressive will put me up higher just because I listened to a tiny clause instead of doing the best I can possibly do?
Again, I've never had to deal with a shitty accompanist, because I'm always the accompanist, but I've had people who audition under the assumption of a shitty accompanist who have done just fine. I've always been insulted, and since my colleagues know just how good I am, they've mostly realized the insult(nothing that isn't fixed with some sex), but really, Vocal showing off doesn't need to be tied to accompanimental masturbation.
The thing about JRB music is it's a distinct style. I am a shitty pianist, but I can play his stuff with no trouble. I've seen brilliant pianists get thrown off by some of his rhythms - it's not that it's tough music, but it's different from what some classically pianists are trained to expect.
For the record, I think he's a decent songwriter. He does a great job of writing lyrics and melodies that sound very natural, like the music is just an extension of the person's natural speaking voice. His accompaniments tend to fall into the same pitfalls time after time, but I happen to like his sound. He is, however, a horrendously shitty dramatist.
For the record, I think he's got amazing potential that's squandered because he can't write a song that doesn't remind the listeners that he plays piano.
JRB could be great. He could easily be Guettal quality, and if the two had to fight on quality Musical theater would be advanced a generation at least.
e: I'm not doing Shiksa because it's a tough accompaniment, I'm doing it because it's the best contemporary song in my repertoire
the only thing that comes close is Purpose, which isn't what you sing if you want to show off
Personally I'd reccomend learning "How Glory Goes" by Guettal.
change the ending a bit maybe, but that will show off more range, acting and musical ability than anything JRB written. And your accompanist better the fuck be able to play it or slap them/sleep with them in a Dom fashion.
If they say "hey, you probably shouldn't do a JRB song", you shouldn't do a JRB song. Find another piece.
Even if you completely 100% nail Shiksa Goddess in the audition, they're going to look at you and say, "well, there's someone who doesn't know how to follow instructions." If it's down to you and one other guy, and you're both equally talented and suited to the part, you want to give them as few reasons as possible to go for the other guy over you.
It's far from a dealbreaker if you sing it, but I still wouldn't. Yes, you have to find another piece, and it may not be as well prepared as Shiksa Goddess. But I would say that negative is outweighed by the negative of doing something the auditioners specifically recommended against. It's not about "oh god the pianist might fuck up and throw me of", it's about "I'm going to give the auditioners exactly what they want"
frankly it's not really much of an option, I've got a couple other upbeat songs but I don't have nearly enough time to get them to the level I'd like them at
I'll talk to my singing teacher about it, but do you really think doing a song that's not nearly as impressive will put me up higher just because I listened to a tiny clause instead of doing the best I can possibly do?
Do you have any prior experience working with the people you are auditioning for? If they know you, doing a JRB song would most likely be less of an issue. It would also make you more fit to make a judgement call as to if they're not going to like it or not.
Other than that, I have a simple question: is it possible for you to get a different song to a high enough level of performance that you would feel comfortable auditioning with it? I don't mean "it as good as my Shiksa Goddess", I mean "I would feel confident standing in front of a casting director and performing this song."
If the answer is no, then, well, I don't think you have much of a choice.
If the answer is yes, think long and hard. My general recommendation to anybody in that situation would be to do the other song, but keep in mind that is coming form a person who has absolutely no idea what you are like as a performer, has not heard you sing any of the songs up for consideration, and knows nothing about your personality, personal life, or how long your artistic process takes.
How Glory Goes isn't upbeat, anyway, if I'm replacing Shiksa I need to replace it with another upbeat song
DeathPrawn:
they don't know me
not in that amount of time, it takes me a long time to get comfortable enough with a song to sing it in front of an audience and I've been doing Shiksa for almost a year now
I already am nervous about doing "You Should Be Loved" with so little prep time, comparatively, and the only reason I'm doing it instead of one of my fallback ballads is because I've picked it up very quickly
I can get a new song good enough to do it in front of an audience in that amount of time, but I really won't be happy with it and I'm sure the nerves will show through
How Glory Goes isn't upbeat, anyway, if I'm replacing Shiksa I need to replace it with another upbeat song
DeathPrawn:
they don't know me
not in that amount of time, it takes me a long time to get comfortable enough with a song to sing it in front of an audience and I've been doing Shiksa for almost a year now
I already am nervous about doing "You Should Be Loved" with so little prep time, comparatively, and the only reason I'm doing it instead of one of my fallback ballads is because I've picked it up very quickly
I can get a new song good enough to do it in front of an audience in that amount of time, but I really won't be happy with it and I'm sure the nerves will show through
Fuck nerves.
Are you good enough to get shit ready in short time? Do that shit.
Aren't you? fine. Ameteur hour exists for a reason.
Yeah, I'm a doucehbag. Get the best shit you can under the circumstances ready in time for the audition.
Seriously though.. if you can prepare specifically for the audition in the best way to prepare for the audition... do it. If you can't, rely on luck.
Art is tough. I'm sure you're good. Prove it to your auditioners.
I was thinking about doing something from tick, tick, BOOM, yeah
How Do You Love A Girl Like That from I Sing! could work out okay too
YaYa on
0
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Every time I think I've moved off of the showtunes kick I've been on, I look at this thread and think, "Welllll, maybe I'll just see what's on XM Broadway right now."
Not sayin it's a bad thing, but the security guy in our neighborhood caught me singing along to Schadenfreude on Thursday. Awkward!
YaYa, I'm sure you'll rock a new song, as long as you pick it soon and work your ass off.
Lost Salient on
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I really am the worst person to consult for auditions. I judge auditionees based on the piano part I have to play, and I audition on the most vocally difficult shit around.
Posts
standard requirements, two contrasting songs etc etc
the thing I'm worried about is if I'm too young for any good parts
everyone tells me I'd be a great Mark but I'm only 18 and even the audition guidelines list 20+ for every character that isn't Mimi
tiny ensemble, too
I hope you will be letting us know how it goes.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I'm learning "You Should Be Loved" from it and it's a badass ballad and I'm wondering if I should get the soundtrack
I don't even know what to do with myself when I don't have anything in the evenings.
I hated the last show I was in, but I miss having rehearsals to go to
As the romantic lead. And the girl I was playing opposite spent a year in NYC as a professional actress, only returning because one of our best friends mother died and she was here to support her.
Now I get back to the pit, where I can even ignoring ego, which I have none, I can clearly say that I have dominon over.
in the audition info for the show I'm going for it says quote: "in order to give yourself the best chance we recommend you don't prepare anything too difficult to sightread I.E JRB music may work against you because of its playing difficulty."
one of my songs is Shiksa Goddess
what sort of contingencies should I have just in case?
Even if you completely 100% nail Shiksa Goddess in the audition, they're going to look at you and say, "well, there's someone who doesn't know how to follow instructions." If it's down to you and one other guy, and you're both equally talented and suited to the part, you want to give them as few reasons as possible to go for the other guy over you.
It's far from a dealbreaker if you sing it, but I still wouldn't. Yes, you have to find another piece, and it may not be as well prepared as Shiksa Goddess. But I would say that negative is outweighed by the negative of doing something the auditioners specifically recommended against. It's not about "oh god the pianist might fuck up and throw me of", it's about "I'm going to give the auditioners exactly what they want"
But it is shittily written. Awful, really.
But then again, I have unrealistic expectations on accompanists. I expect they're as good as I am.
Which still gets them parts.
if you can sing standards in a way that blow the competition away, do that shit.
However, last gig I got was one where I was called in by a lesbian fuck buddy of mine who knew I could sing without audition.
frankly it's not really much of an option, I've got a couple other upbeat songs but I don't have nearly enough time to get them to the level I'd like them at
I'll talk to my singing teacher about it, but do you really think doing a song that's not nearly as impressive will put me up higher just because I listened to a tiny clause instead of doing the best I can possibly do?
For the record, I think he's a decent songwriter. He does a great job of writing lyrics and melodies that sound very natural, like the music is just an extension of the person's natural speaking voice. His accompaniments tend to fall into the same pitfalls time after time, but I happen to like his sound. He is, however, a horrendously shitty dramatist.
e: I'm not doing Shiksa because it's a tough accompaniment, I'm doing it because it's the best contemporary song in my repertoire
the only thing that comes close is Purpose, which isn't what you sing if you want to show off
For the record, I think he's got amazing potential that's squandered because he can't write a song that doesn't remind the listeners that he plays piano.
It's not the best performance, mostly because the singer is a communications graduate who had maybe 3 rehearsals, but here's an example of my work as a composer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKme5ChQlWI&feature=channel
JRB could be great. He could easily be Guettal quality, and if the two had to fight on quality Musical theater would be advanced a generation at least.
But he jacks off on the piano too much.
Personally I'd reccomend learning "How Glory Goes" by Guettal.
change the ending a bit maybe, but that will show off more range, acting and musical ability than anything JRB written. And your accompanist better the fuck be able to play it or slap them/sleep with them in a Dom fashion.
I've got two weeks here and I'm already learning my ballad from scratch
Do you have any prior experience working with the people you are auditioning for? If they know you, doing a JRB song would most likely be less of an issue. It would also make you more fit to make a judgement call as to if they're not going to like it or not.
Other than that, I have a simple question: is it possible for you to get a different song to a high enough level of performance that you would feel comfortable auditioning with it? I don't mean "it as good as my Shiksa Goddess", I mean "I would feel confident standing in front of a casting director and performing this song."
If the answer is no, then, well, I don't think you have much of a choice.
If the answer is yes, think long and hard. My general recommendation to anybody in that situation would be to do the other song, but keep in mind that is coming form a person who has absolutely no idea what you are like as a performer, has not heard you sing any of the songs up for consideration, and knows nothing about your personality, personal life, or how long your artistic process takes.
I'll talk to my singing teacher about it
How Glory Goes isn't upbeat, anyway, if I'm replacing Shiksa I need to replace it with another upbeat song
DeathPrawn:
they don't know me
not in that amount of time, it takes me a long time to get comfortable enough with a song to sing it in front of an audience and I've been doing Shiksa for almost a year now
I already am nervous about doing "You Should Be Loved" with so little prep time, comparatively, and the only reason I'm doing it instead of one of my fallback ballads is because I've picked it up very quickly
I can get a new song good enough to do it in front of an audience in that amount of time, but I really won't be happy with it and I'm sure the nerves will show through
Fuck nerves.
Are you good enough to get shit ready in short time? Do that shit.
Aren't you? fine. Ameteur hour exists for a reason.
Yeah, I'm a doucehbag. Get the best shit you can under the circumstances ready in time for the audition.
Seriously though.. if you can prepare specifically for the audition in the best way to prepare for the audition... do it. If you can't, rely on luck.
Art is tough. I'm sure you're good. Prove it to your auditioners.
Purpose is always a good fallback, not terribly impressive but I can do it well, it's contemporary and it fits Rent just fine
I'll see if I know anything else that'll fit the criteria
any suggestions?
If you don't mind going through a song and picking out selections to make an arrangement, Scrap or Man from The Full Monty could work well.
Look at the Sky or Run Freedom Run from Urinetown.
Since Khavall's hell-bent on recommending Guettel, Icarus.
Guettal is one of the few composers I will admit that can just outclass the fuck out of me in every way.
Thus I love him so.
How Do You Love A Girl Like That from I Sing! could work out okay too
Not sayin it's a bad thing, but the security guy in our neighborhood caught me singing along to Schadenfreude on Thursday. Awkward!
YaYa, I'm sure you'll rock a new song, as long as you pick it soon and work your ass off.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
what a good musical that is and what a fantastic movie it made
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOtMizMQ6oM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DD7VIKZnGA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouLiQ7KhmYU
Ellen Greene is so great you guys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv0klnEAZmM
And also because I want to give Rick Moranis a million hugs
Either way, I 100% agree with your opinion, Centi.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
dang now I just miss Pushing Daisies more
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0kSBiu1IGk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHWHFJTWEk4
It is hilarious and has forum poster girl Kristen Bell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO-CN9lJvYo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFGJXVhyVDQ&feature=related
I am simply but a man
It had fairly decent music, considering all the kids in it sang it themselves.
I.e.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ3uX2nragI&feature=related
i.e does it make me cry?