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  #16  
Old 08-09-2012, 11:35 AM
Bluepoet Bluepoet is offline
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Originally Posted by tfs4473 View Post
Amen to that. Still working on it.

I'm also still coming to the realization that while 3-4 chord strumming songs may be a little boring to play, people really like them. I'm doing Petty's "Learning to Fly," and I thought it'd be too simple to go over well. Well, I was wrong about that.

Thom
Yes! This just hit me, full on, a week or so ago, when I started attending a local jam group meet...we were all supposed to bring a song to share, with copies to all, so that we could play and sing together. Not knowing much about these types of meetings, but knowing that there were beginners, intermediates, and pros, I brought a simple Dylan song, "Love Minus Zero/No Limit"...what I noticed, a bit too late, was that, even though it's a simple three-chord song, it was not a "sing along" type song. I felt a bit stupid, about that, but you're right--people really like the simple songs that have a lot of repetitive hooks and a snappy chorus!

I think it's because it's not only easy to sing along with, even in one's head. It's because those songs bring back good memories, too.
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  #17  
Old 08-09-2012, 03:13 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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"You will NEVER overpower a noisy room with MORE VOLUME!"

Have a watch with you that is set to the same time as the establishment's clocks... I always research the venue, beforehand, to see if there's a "clock on the wall" that will be visible to me when I'm playing... I don't like wearing a watch, so I just set it next to my tuner and music books, where I can see it easily...

Whenever possible, GO OUT IN THE ROOM and listen to your guitar and voice mic, so you are sure of the sound that the audience is hearing...

ALWAYS be on time, ready to go at the agreed upon starting point...

Just because two people at the bar are laughing and talking, DO NOT ASSUME that they are laughing/talking about YOU!
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  #18  
Old 08-09-2012, 05:29 PM
thelowerlip thelowerlip is offline
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If you think you´re not doing well, just forget about it and do your job anyway. The best you can. I have had times when I thought the crowd was not liking my work and I managed to keep myself from feeling discouraged. Then I go on break and folks say how good I sound.

Some crowds just listen quietly so don´t sweat it.
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  #19  
Old 08-10-2012, 12:59 PM
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Looking around: I always remind people that when you get in front of an audience, your #1 job shifts from musician to entertainer. If you engage them, they will probably like you. This applies directly to the simple songs idea too.

Case in point: I went to hear Johnny A a while back. Fantastic player, but it was obvious that he didn't care if there was an audience or not. He tried doing some song intros, but didn't present them well. The feeling of his isolation from the audience was palpable while he was playing. Bottom line for me: I'll buy his albums but I won't go see him again.

Always, always, always be professional. Even when others are not. If you've got your own act together, it's a lot easier to work around problems.
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  #20  
Old 08-10-2012, 01:13 PM
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If you think you´re not doing well, just forget about it and do your job anyway. The best you can. I have had times when I thought the crowd was not liking my work and I managed to keep myself from feeling discouraged. Then I go on break and folks say how good I sound.

Some crowds just listen quietly so don´t sweat it.
Good point. It's easy to be over-sensitive to crowd reaction, either an adverse reaction, or them just being unresponsive.
Even great musicians can suffer from it. I once saw Buddy Guy stop in the middle of a cool funk groove he'd set up, because he sensed some restlessness in the audience - a few people were calling out for some straightahead blues shuffles. So he changed tack and gave them what they wanted, whereas the majority of the crowd were probably quite happy with the funk groove (I certainly was); we just weren't whistling or cheering enough, apparently.

Stay confident in what you're doing. You may not win them all over, but you'll certainly lose them if it seems like you're not sure what you should be doing. You're in charge, not them.
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  #21  
Old 08-14-2012, 07:28 AM
oldhippiegal oldhippiegal is offline
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Your mother was right: sit up straight! (unless you're moving some other way for effect)

People in bars and coffeehouses don't care about numbers of chords, difficulty of fingerings, or other matters of musicianship. They do care about groove--don't lose your groove.

Even more, they care about your evoking emotion for them. Have sad songs ready if it's a quiet crowd. Have funny songs. Have celebratory songs.

I have good luck with songs that sound a bit goofy when I list them for musicians, but they get people of a certain age engaged: Secret Agent Man, These Boots are Made for Walking, I Will Survive. For a younger crowd, perhaps a TV theme or two would work well. Don't worry about seeming sophisticated. It's about them, not about you.

Last edited by oldhippiegal; 08-15-2012 at 06:52 AM.
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  #22  
Old 08-14-2012, 08:26 AM
4mer618er 4mer618er is offline
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Don't pay any attention to the drunk guy yelling FREEBIRD!
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  #23  
Old 08-14-2012, 09:23 AM
scienceisgolden scienceisgolden is offline
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Play simple songs, simple songs and simple songs.

'I wrote this song..."..nobody cares. don't! (unless you are Bob Dylan) They want to hear the familiar...something they can sing or hum along to.

Always have a couple of 'pick me up' crowd pleasers you can play anytime. Get that crowd noise on your side. Know 10 songs with the same 4 chord pattern. If that's all you played all evening nobody would notice.

Nobody gives a hoot about your guitar ability. It's all about tempo and rhythm. I will get more positive response playing 'fake' Spanish sound than any 'proper' Spanish classical guitarist...again, nobody cares about 'technique'

Super advice about not trying to play above the crowd chatter....they will just talk louder.

If i haven't been in a crowd for a while I will practice playing with the tv turned up, random traffic going by. Little light.
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  #24  
Old 08-14-2012, 11:03 AM
71jasper 71jasper is offline
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Great stuff, Sci/Gold, every bit of it the truth.

Another thing no one ever told me was about set structure. In addition to knowing when you're supposed to start and stop, find out how the boss wants the sets divided - 45 on/15 off, 60 on/20 off, whatever. It's also good to have a clock where you can glance at it. Don't look at your wristwatch on stage.
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  #25  
Old 08-14-2012, 11:07 AM
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Never make them happy twice.

Happy when you're starting,

Happy when you're done.
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  #26  
Old 08-14-2012, 02:53 PM
tfs4473 tfs4473 is offline
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I'm bookmarking this thread... thanks everyone for the responses!

Yeah, and I'll echo be ready to play in pretty much darkness or bring a small, clip-on reading light. Couldn't see the lyric sheet last Sunday. Fortunately, it was a short "set" (five songs), and I had the lyrics memorized.

Thom
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  #27  
Old 08-14-2012, 04:09 PM
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riorider riorider is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oldhippiegal View Post
I have good luck with songs that sound a bit goofy when I list them for musicians, but they get people of a certain age engaged: Secret Agent Man, These Boots are Made for Walking, I Will Survive. For a younger crowd, perhaps a TV theme or two would work well. Don't worry about seeming sophisticated. It's about them, not about you.
This was great advice... and reminded me of the Greyhound bus scene in "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" (Steve Martin, John Candy) when Martin suggests "Three Coins in a Fountain" for a group sing (which falls flat) and Candy responds then with the "Flintstones" which draws everyone in!

Great movie, great advice...

Phil

(just found it on YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh0nmrOSFHw
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  #28  
Old 08-15-2012, 02:48 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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Originally Posted by 4mer618er View Post
Don't pay any attention to the drunk guy yelling FREEBIRD!
Especially if you ARE playing Freebird at the time...

I once did a gig where we were churning out the usual good time rock'n'roll, soul, Chuck Berry, etc, and a woman came up and asked if we could play something they could dance to....

"We're playing it, madam, but don't worry, you don't have to dance if you don't want to." (is what I was too polite to say.)

(I guess she may have wanted a foxtrot, or some banging techno, it was hard to tell.)
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  #29  
Old 08-15-2012, 03:05 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scienceisgolden View Post
'I wrote this song..."..nobody cares. don't! (unless you are Bob Dylan) They want to hear the familiar...something they can sing or hum along to.
Depends. At a bar gig, where everyone's out to have a good time, and you may well be the background, yes.
At a more intimate gig like a folk club or open mic, people expect - and usually appreciate - original material, even amateur quality.
At the same time, don't explain at length how you wrote the song, or what it means, or who it's for. "This is one of mine" is plenty - let the song speak for itself.
You need to avoid the "I've suffered for my art - now it's your turn" vibe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scienceisgolden View Post
Nobody gives a hoot about your guitar ability. It's all about tempo and rhythm.
True. Everyone understands strong melody and rhythmic groove. Nobody (much) cares about fancy chords or scales, or clever guitar trickery.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scienceisgolden View Post
Super advice about not trying to play above the crowd chatter....they will just talk louder.
Yes.
Sometimes the opposite strategy works. Play quieter, and eventually they will quieten down as they wonder what happened to that background music noise... At least, you will get those at the front (who do want to hear you) shushing those at the back.
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  #30  
Old 08-15-2012, 05:45 AM
K-vegas K-vegas is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scienceisgolden View Post
Nobody gives a hoot about your guitar ability. It's all about tempo and rhythm. I will get more positive response playing 'fake' Spanish sound than any 'proper' Spanish classical guitarist...again, nobody cares about 'technique'.
One of the best crowd responses i've ever witnessed to a busker envolved this advice. He was playing everything to 3-4 sets of reggae drum loops. Simple guitar skills. The crowd was engaged. My friend (not a musician) turned to me during one song and said something i'll never forget. "He's got a great beat don't you think?"

So yeah. tempo and rhythm connect.
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