playing guitar at a restaurant

[KyleC]

Hi everyone. This is my first post here, so be gentle.

I'm looking for information, advice, suggestions, cautions, warnings, tips and helpful hints about securing a job playing guitar in a restaurant type environment. Specifically, my desire is simply to play classical guitar at some small, local restaurant but I don't know the first thing about how to set something like this up.

I'm not looking to become famous or to build a following or tour or sell CDs or anything of that nature. All I want is to sit down a few nights a week at a local spot, play my guitar, blend into the restaurant's ambiance, and perhaps earn a little bit of spending money for the effort. Is this even a reasonable goal?

Some of the many questions I have:
- What are the typical places of venue for this sort of thing (i.e. what kinds of restaurants are best suited for this)?
- How long does a usual evening's session of playing last?
- How much material should one have prepped?
- What is the typical negotiated payment for this kind of playing?

Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks!
-Kyle

[Jeff G]

First time out, let them know its your first time. Charge very little if anything.
don't play loud, Don't play anything you can't nail, do ask the manager to let you know if wants you to change anything on your setup.

If it goes well then you can start worrying about fees. The setups will come naturally the more you do it.

[ljguitar]

Hi Kyle...
Hello and welcome to the group. We are glad you joined.

Probably others here who do this more regularly than I - my gigging buddy and I have played at local coffee houses on Thur for the past 4 years, but the coffee shop is closing, so we need to pursue a new gig.

Keep us posted...

[cotten]

Hi Kyle, welcome! You have a Private Message (see link in the upper right hand corner of this thread).

cotten

I can look at this from both sides, having been an entertainer in those types of settings, as well as a consumer in those types of settings:

A) from the point of view of the entertainer. Be sure you have a good grasp of what the proprieter is looking for, in
your performance. Many Restaurant owners are rather closed mouthed, UNTIL they hear or see something that they don't like. Be as open and candid, (he probably auditioned you, I would suspect) as possible about your presentation and
content.

I agree that you should NEVER play only a part of a song and quit. Be prepared, know your material, (cheat sheets are ok, but don't read them .....just glance at them for hints for the words, for example). I'll say that again....KNOW YOUR MATERIAL.

Don't try and make every well known song sound exactly like the way the people heard it on the radio. They will be far more critical of your performance if you do that. It's easier to put your own spin on it, and even perform your own material if you have any yet (don't worry about what YOU think of your own material.....let them decide), to keep them interested.

Finally, NEVER play over their conversations! Keep your volume at a respectable level so that the folks can enjoy their conversations and food.

B) From a consumers point of view:

Just reverse the things already mentioned....most consumers like to hear some individuality to the performance, either by the musicians own material, or by a musicians twist on a familiar song.

Most consumers (me included) don't like to have to yell across a two-foot table to be heard over the musician. Be respectful of their space.

-Soupy1957

[thedict8or]

i have to say that i agree with just about everyone here so far. here's some more specific answers for you from my experience.

most restaurants that have live music in your genre are going to be pretty fancy type places. the kind of joints that have sunday brunches and an expensive bar. there aren't a lot of dive bars that do the classical thing. the best way to find a place that's going to be into your style of music is to check the arts and entertainment section of your newspaper, or whatever your town's version of the city pages is to see where other people playing your style of music are gigging. then go out to see them play. whoever is on the scene in your area doing what you want to be doing will be a wealth of information for you. getting to know other musicians in your area is the best way to know where the gigs are. google and myspace are also big helps when hunting for gigs.

in my experience, the typical restaurant gig last between 2 and 4 hours, with a fifteen min. break every hour or so. have enough stuff to cover that amount of time.

dress for the gig, and even if drinks are on the house, don't have more than 1 per set. i learned that a long time ago.... the hard way.

and don't worry too much about the money at first.

hope some of this helps

myspace.com/brookswest

[Chicago Sandy]

I don't know what city you live in, but if it has a Zagat guide, is on OpenTable.com, or a local weekly or monthly mag, check out "neighborhood gems," "contemporary American cuisine" or "casually elegant" in the descriptions. Eat or drink there first and bring a CD if you have one (burn a demo if you don't) and leave your contact info.

[KyleC]

Thanks for all the great tips so far. This has been very interesting information.

So for longer gigs, say 4 hours, would it be considered bad form to repeat material? For example, playing 2 hours worth of material twice?

Several folks have said not to worry too much about the money, and I'm not (seriously!). But without a frame of reference I can't know what's too much or too little. What does a typical gig pay?

Thanks again for all the advice! Keep 'em coming!
-Kyle

[Herb Hunter]

Welcome to the Forum!

If none of the patrons in the restaurant heard the songs from an earlier set, I suppose it is okay to repeat them but I consider it bad form to repeat songs anyone in the audience has heard earlier in the evening.

[Caldermt]

Beware of Joe Montana.

[thedict8or]

i agree with herb hunter. if someone heard you do a tune earlier, don't do it again. also, it's best to have a lot of material. if you are really having a good night, people may stay for the whole evening, so don't count on the fact that the entire restaurant will turn over.

as for the money, in these parts (central pa) the going rate for a solo bar gig of the 3 hour variety is $150 - $250. a lot of times when i do a gig in a new place for the first time, i will do it for less so they can "test drive" me. if they, and their customers dig it, and the bar makes money, we go up to my regular rate.

also, rates tend to be dictated by the person who wants the gig to happen.

if you are asking them for a gig, expect to play for whatever they will pay you.

if they are begging you to play in their place, you have a lot more leverage in the bargaining process.

since you are just starting out, you will most likely be in the first category for a while.

Good luck,
myspace.com/brookswest

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by KyleC

...Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks!
-Kyle

Hi Kyle...
If I'm asked to go do a noon-time gig at the coffee house for a bank for their senior/investors, I charge $100.

If it's for the senior citizens organization it's free but they feed me lunch.

My basic questions have to do with whether it's a concert or if I'm to be Musak-with-arms. I can do both.

[lodi_55]

If I'm playing a bar/club/coffee house/private party, I do not repeat any material. If I am playing a restaurant, I will maybe "check back in" with a popular song or two near the end of my last set. Restaurant patrons (unless it's a supper club or if there's a full bar where people can hang out) usually will turnover 1-2 times during a multi-set night.

Originally Posted by KyleC

Thanks for all the great tips so far. This has been very interesting information.

So for longer gigs, say 4 hours, would it be considered bad form to repeat material? For example, playing 2 hours worth of material twice?

Several folks have said not to worry too much about the money, and I'm not (seriously!). But without a frame of reference I can't know what's too much or too little. What does a typical gig pay?

Thanks again for all the advice! Keep 'em coming!
-Kyle

[Chicago Sandy]

For a 3-hr./3-set restaurant "background" gig I don't do any repeats--I pad my set list with about 1/4 cover tunes. For a 4-hr. gig, unless it's the kind of restaurant that has one single seating for multi-course tasting dinners (and they generally don't hire a solo folkie), I think it's okay to repeat your first set. I think doing a 2-set repertoire twice in an evening would be taking a chance.

As to charges, I've gotten everywhere from $200 for a 2-hr. lunch gig for a religious charitable organization (and donated half back, since I'm a member) to $300 for a 3 hr/3 set gig at my local "upscale casual" restaurant to $600 for a 2-set corporate party lunchtime gig for which I'd had to hire a drummer and bassist. All included a meal and a drink or two (and I often decline alcohol, at least till afterward and if someone else is driving), which I don't consume till I've gotten packed up or at least neatened my playing area.

Caveat is that ALL of the above were "background music" gigs and not concerts--for the latter, the irony is that expecting the audience to pay attention IS part of your pay and the monetary compensation is commensurately lower. Higher the ego strokes. the lower the pay and vice versa.

I don't usually set my rates unless asked to--and I ask for scale (I'm a Local 1000 member; unlike members of other AFM locals, we can take non-union gigs) if they can afford it; if the budget does not provide for it, then I take the gig on their terms, even for food, tips and CD sales if it might lead to a paying gig (or if it's a place I often patronize and like to play anyway). If it's a charity, I take what they pay me and assume that if they don't ask me my rates or offer a fee, it's a free gig for bread on the waters.

[KevWind]

As a side note some restaurants want to feed you as part of the pay be careful about eating first before the gig if its Italian or Mexican or some other really spicy type. One might develop untimely gas problems I know I learned the hard way .