What do you do.. - 2008/04/11 17:32What do you do when an accompanist at your audition doesn't play your song well?
I've had this happen a few times - chosen a well known song as an audition piece (most recently "Shy"), which the pianist played way too slow and missed half the notes. I kept going, at the correct tempo, hoping he'd catch up. I ended up doing as well as could be expected, but felt sort of "cheated" out of what could have been a great audition.
My Mom said that the director & staff are all theatre people who know the song and could recognize that it wasn't being played right and I shouldn't worry about it. But I was pretty upset, so she suggested I go to the 2nd night of auditions and explain that I felt that I hadn't done as well as I could have (not blaming anyone), and ask if I could audition again after everyone else had auditioned. But I didn't feel that was appropriate.
Any suggestions on how I should handle it, if this happens again? (I regularly attend community theatre auditions at some po-dunk little towns that struggle to find good piano players for auditions.)
Thanks for your help!
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bwaybound77
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Re:What do you do.. - 2008/04/11 22:05The accompanist should be able to play virtually anything you put in front of them, the way you want them to. That is what they are paid for. Make sure before the song you go over the tempo with them and mark anything else on the music. If you ever can, bring your own accompanist because you can usually work better with them, but I know that isn't usually allowed. Sorry you've had such a tough time with this. Hopefully you can find a solution or just keep on truckin'.
Post edited by: bwaybound77, at: 2008/04/11 22:05Name: Devyn
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triplethreat
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Re:What do you do.. - 2008/04/11 22:43We do bear a certain responsibility to communicate what it is we want from our accompanist, by having clearly marked music, and going over tempo, etc before we start. This not only avoids misunderstandings, but also sends a message to our audition panel about how professional you are. (Besides which, if the accompanist does not do as you have specifically asked, the panel are much more likely to know whose fault it was)
That said, sometimes accompanists just aren't good, are having a bad day, were a last minute replacement, or whatever. When this happens, our options are pretty limited. Sometimes having a "fool proof" song with you works, if you hear from the auditioners ahead of you that the accompanist is having difficulty. The problem is of course that you can't change your song once you are in the audition - 'cause that would be rude, and that is NEVER something you want to do. No matter how awful the accompanist is, you just can't let it show.
What I have done once or twice in really terrible situations is say, "I'm sorry, I haven't practiced this with the accompaniment as much as I would have liked, could I please try it a capella?" Yes, it makes me look less prepared, but if it means I can start over without terrible piano distracting me (and the panel), I'll take it. I've only done this as a last-ditch effort though, when I've had to stop anyway, and I don't have anything to lose._____________ Kris MTA Admin
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Andrea
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Re:What do you do.. - 2008/04/12 09:38My daughter and I had this happen recently. The accompanist is fantastic but can't sight read. She didn't do too bad with my song, but she totally screwed up my daughter's. Fortunately, the producer of the show is a good friend of mine, and she grabbed me afterwards and suggested we come back the next day and reaudition. We did and both sang a capella.
In such situations, I would talk to the director or someone who has the director's ear and explain that you feel you didn't do well and ask if you can try again. Then sing a capella (but you might want to ask for the first note so you don't start out of your range!). Also, I've seen a lot of people bring in CDs for auditions. But I suspect that's another thread.Andrea
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misselphie
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Re:What do you do.. - 2008/04/12 20:07It is not uncommon to go to the accompanist before you start and dictate the tempo for them, that way they know the speed you would like.
A GOOD accompanist (and not all of them are amazing, it is true) should also be able to follow the singer and adjust to their tempo.
I have seen singers blame the accompanist for messing up the tempo of their song, when really the singer was going at twenty different tempos and the pianist just couldn't keep up with all the changes (I'm not saying that is what you are doing, I'm just pointing out that it happens - especially when nerves kick in).
That being said, like others have already said, there can just be bad accompanists. But I still wouldn't be afraid to ask for a moment of the panel when you walk into an audition and speak very briefly to the accopmanist about tempo, etc.I'm Samantha. But you can call me Sam.
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HippieGIrl
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Re:What do you do.. - 2008/04/16 08:52Thanks for all the great replies! My music is always very clearly marked, but I always feel like it's presumptious of me to tell the pianist how to play. I'll make an effort in the future to talk to them about my music.
I guess the audition wasn't as bad as I felt it was. I did get a call-back & read for the part along with 7 other girls. I wasn't cast, but when I talked to the directer afterwards, she told me that she was torn between me and another girl, and chose the other girl because she's 3 years older than me.
If I had a dollar for every time I've been told that - or that I look too old for a part in my age group, I wouldn't need my college fund!
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