Pushing out of my comfort zone
Feb. 9th, 2010 09:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missroseroseAbout a week ago, I was cruising Craigslist (a hobby I've developed since moving here) when I came across an ad posted by a classic rock band looking for a singer. It didn't say anything about experience level, although they did specify "no baggage or bad attitudes". I sent the dude a text telling him I'd like to try out, we picked a few songs to try, and tonight I met up with them and gave it a go.
I wouldn't say it was an angelic-chorus-descending-from-above experience, but it was pretty positive all told. Part of the problem was that they'd worked entirely with male singers in the past, so all the songs they knew were in the less-powerful part of my range (and power's a big deal when you're competing with electrically amplified instruments). And, of course, there's always the awkwardness inherent in meeting new people and getting into their groove. Still, by about the third song or so we were pretty into it, and I even managed a bit of improvisational stuff here and there. They seem remarkably willing to learn new songs that are in my range, too, so we might actually end up with something worth performing. (It helps that the other three members are all dudes in their late 30s/early 40s who've been doing this for some time and know the ropes; they don't seem to mind that I'm new to all of this, just so long as I pull my weight. I think I can manage that.) And they seem to find the idea of my singing AC/DC's "Big Balls" hilarious, so I'm guessing that one's going right on our setlist.
So, yay. I did something kind of scary and outside my comfort zone that's even vaguely in the direction that I want to take my life in general. Here's hoping some good experiences come of it.
I wouldn't say it was an angelic-chorus-descending-from-above experience, but it was pretty positive all told. Part of the problem was that they'd worked entirely with male singers in the past, so all the songs they knew were in the less-powerful part of my range (and power's a big deal when you're competing with electrically amplified instruments). And, of course, there's always the awkwardness inherent in meeting new people and getting into their groove. Still, by about the third song or so we were pretty into it, and I even managed a bit of improvisational stuff here and there. They seem remarkably willing to learn new songs that are in my range, too, so we might actually end up with something worth performing. (It helps that the other three members are all dudes in their late 30s/early 40s who've been doing this for some time and know the ropes; they don't seem to mind that I'm new to all of this, just so long as I pull my weight. I think I can manage that.) And they seem to find the idea of my singing AC/DC's "Big Balls" hilarious, so I'm guessing that one's going right on our setlist.
So, yay. I did something kind of scary and outside my comfort zone that's even vaguely in the direction that I want to take my life in general. Here's hoping some good experiences come of it.
