A Band Thing

So a few weeks ago, I was invited to play bass in a rehearsal to sort of "try out" for this band that plays some Christian tunes, metal style. The rehearsal was a lot of fun, it was nice to play something interesting on bass for once, and the words not only immediately afterwards but even later were very positive in regards to their opinion of me. They know I play more than just bass, and I understood there was thought given as to whether they would rather have my services on piano, and they were also trying another bass player the following week to really explore players.

Apparently, the other guy was ok, but they didn't mesh well. Last night, they played with one of the guitar players (who incidentally owns two basses, one of which I played that couple weeks ago) playing bass, and naturally, his playing was superior to mine and he did some little slaps and fills and flairs and such. They knew that was the sort of player they are looking for, and they've decided to keep looking.

I shouldn't feel any kind of resentment for this, but it kind of irks me just a little. Why would it? It isn't a bother that I wasn't chosen. That isn't the part that gets me. You see, I went into that rehearsal having only gotten recordings of the music to hear it the day before. I prepared some lead sheets for myself during work the day of the rehearsal. I basically threw them together without trying them out. I went in there and held my own on music I barely knew with people I'd never played with on lead sheets that I was only mostly sure would work. So, you're telling me that since my style didn't quite match the guy who has been playing these songs on guitar for months, that I'm just not right? What kind of comparison is that? 

That's like being fired on your first day of the job because you're just not as efficient as the twenty year veteran.

Oh well. I needed to vent because of how I was compared, and that I was basically never given a chance to improve or show any kind of ability. They got to meet my personality and they liked it (so I hear), which is about as much as one can expect on a single three hour rehearsal. It surprises me that they expected what they did.

At the end of this post, I'm not so much resentful as annoyed.  Yeah, I'm sure if they wanted me for anything, I'd still be game. I don't hold grudges, but it doesn't mean I don't get annoyed sometimes.