I had a session with another band last night. I used it as an excuse to go out and buy a 180W amplifier. Just as well, really, I'd have been totally inaudible without it. (Even 180W is a "small" one).
It wasn't called an audition; they just said come along and play, we'll have some fun, see how it goes -- but they were going to decide on the basis of it whether to recruit me.
It was slightly farcical, because the guy had sent me a list of songs they know, of which I picked about six to work on. Most of those, when I mentioned them, they said "we don't do that one any more". Aargh! One ("Every breath you take") they were just learning, but in a different key, which totally messed up the chords I'd practised. I'm not smart enough to transpose on the fly. Having learned it in a different key was worse than not knowing it at all. So I was left with one easy thing I'd really played before (Teenage Kicks) and one I half knew (Status Quo, Whatever You Want, easy except very complicated middle section). Most of my preparation was wasted.
Anyway, in the end I just joined in on things, sight-reading from their sheets (chord letters written above the lyrics) and generally playing simple root notes. It seemed to go OK. We played a lot of things I know, but hadn't played before, like Honky-Tonk Woman, Brown Sugar, Get It On, Summer of 69, Whisky In The Jar (Thin Lizzy?), You Really Got Me (the Kinks), Paranoid . . . can't remember the rest. It was a real blast! I have no idea if they'll want me, but I was quite pleased with what I managed to do in the circumstances, and had a very enjoyable hour and a quarter. It's all good experience.
Oddly enough, though, the high point, in a way, of the evening, was this: before the audition, I'd booked a quick "emergency" lesson with Al to get me in the mood, and he was talking me through the use of my brand new amplifier. Just play Money, he said, and watch and listen to the effect while I adjust these different tone controls. So I did that, hearing the effect as he turned various strange effects on and off. And then I realised I'd just played Money (off Dark Side of the Moon) without once looking at the guitar. I didn't know I could do that!
I'd have bet, err, money that I couldn't....
