Rubric - Double Bass (Jazz) Audition Rubric

A traditional 4-level, 100-point jazz double bass audition rubric scoring pizzicato sound, intonation and line construction, time and swing feel, note length and register, and improvisation.
4 - Exceeds Expectation 3 - Meets Expectation 2 - Approaching Expectation 1 - Below Expectation
Standards, Walking Lines, Bowed Excerpt & Solo
100%
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Right-Hand Pizzicato & Sound
20%
20 Points
Big, woody, sustaining pizzicato sound with a fully controlled attack; the note speaks instantly at every dynamic....
15 Points
Strong pizzicato sound and consistent attack; sustain thins slightly in the upper register....
10 Points
Sound is thin or inconsistent; attack varies and notes do not sustain....
0 Points
Cannot produce a usable pizzicato sound; attack and sustain are absent....
Left-Hand Intonation & Line Construction
20%
20 Points
Intonation is exceptionally accurate in all positions; lines are voice-led, inventive and harmonically complete....
15 Points
Reliable intonation with minor slips; lines are correct with somewhat formulaic construction....
10 Points
Intonation is unreliable above the neck and lines are root-heavy or harmonically approximate....
0 Points
Intonation is consistently out of tune and lines do not follow the changes....
Time, Swing Feel & Pulse
20%
20 Points
Definitive quarter-note pulse with deep, authentic swing; the time anchors the entire ensemble at any tempo....
15 Points
Convincing swing and steady pulse with slight unevenness at extreme tempi....
10 Points
Swing feel is stiff and the pulse drifts; the time does not anchor the group....
0 Points
No swing feel and time cannot be maintained....
Note Length, Dynamics & Register Use
20%
20 Points
Note lengths are idiomatic and varied, dynamics are precisely graded, and the full register is used with purpose....
15 Points
Appropriate note lengths and clear dynamic contrast; register use is effective....
10 Points
Note lengths are uniform, dynamics are flat, and the upper register is avoided....
0 Points
No control of note length, dynamics, or register....
Improvisation, Interaction & Style
20%
20 Points
Solos are melodic, form-aware and stylistically authentic; interaction with the ensemble is instant and musical....
15 Points
Competent, musical solos with clear form awareness and responsive ensemble playing....
10 Points
Solos are scalar and lose the form; interaction with the ensemble is limited....
0 Points
No usable improvisation and no interaction with the ensemble....