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  #61  
Old 10-30-2018, 10:48 PM
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Originally Posted by The Kid! View Post
Playing short sets of music that YOU wrote without charts??

Hell, even I could do that!
Yep, but you'd be surprised how many people do that and still rely on their iPads. It becomes a dependency thing, I guess.
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  #62  
Old 10-30-2018, 11:35 PM
The Kid! The Kid! is offline
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Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire View Post
Yep, but you'd be surprised how many people do that and still rely on their iPads. It becomes a dependency thing, I guess.
If that's the case, and it detracts from the performance, then I agree. If I need help, a quick glance down to the first line of each verse gets me by. Once I've played the song a bunch of times, it's memorized.

Last edited by The Kid!; 10-30-2018 at 11:47 PM.
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  #63  
Old 10-31-2018, 06:54 AM
MikeBmusic MikeBmusic is offline
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Originally Posted by Stratcat77 View Post
Let me try to explain... Those people you mentioned are not really true pros. They are just sellouts showing up to make money.

A true pro always plays all of their memorized songs from the heart. That simply cannot be done when glancing at words on a device. A true pro is deeply emotionally engaged with their audience with constant eye contact. Of course this also means they NEVER look down at their instrument - to do so would be, um, very unprofessional. Because of the deep emotional aspect of connecting with the audience, tears are often involved and, of course, this would make it difficult to see a prompter clearly. A true pro also never uses a written set list. This would distract from the emotional freedom to play whatever comes to mind at the moment, even if the rest of the band has never heard the music. They, too, must be pros and flawlessly follow along as they also are all making constant eye contact with the audience.

I hope this helps.

Lots of laughs on this one.

A 'pro' can read cues and lyrics and the audience doesn't even realize it. The pro isn't 'staring and reading'. In a typical venue, people further than 15 feet from the performer can't see where their eyes are looking anyway. You're disillusioning yourself if you think otherwise - because I've had people say to me 'how do you memorize all those lyrics?' - they literally could not tell I was glancing down at a lyric sheet.
When I saw Elvis Costello on his solo songwriter tour, he had 3 playing areas (2 with guitar, one with keyboards) and a video prompter screen in front of each one. Most people probably assumed they were audio monitors.

But, I do agree that using lyric sheets or any tablet/reading device becomes a crutch and it becomes necessary as the brain relies less on memory and more on instant reading access. And I do see plenty of people who are 'reading' the song as they play, and it's obvious - but these aren't 'pros'.
Those who use a tablet should use an ap that puts the lyrics in white and background in black, though, so it's not acting like a bad spotlight.
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  #64  
Old 10-31-2018, 07:59 AM
Stratcat77 Stratcat77 is offline
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Originally Posted by Stratcat77 View Post
Let me try to explain... Those people you mentioned are not really true pros. They are just sellouts showing up to make money.

A true pro always plays all of their memorized songs from the heart. That simply cannot be done when glancing at words on a device. A true pro is deeply emotionally engaged with their audience with constant eye contact. Of course this also means they NEVER look down at their instrument - to do so would be, um, very unprofessional. Because of the deep emotional aspect of connecting with the audience, tears are often involved and, of course, this would make it difficult to see a prompter clearly. A true pro also never uses a written set list. This would distract from the emotional freedom to play whatever comes to mind at the moment, even if the rest of the band has never heard the music. They, too, must be pros and flawlessly follow along as they also are all making constant eye contact with the audience.

I hope this helps.
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Originally Posted by Slothead56 View Post
I only hope you’re joking. Otherwise, let us know how the view is from the mountaintop.

OF COURSE I was joking.. really?

I was trying to use humor to avoid saying what I really think of the silly point of view that using an ipad makes me somehow less of a pro. I'm actually wondering if those with that view are performers? The truth is, it wouldn't bother me one bit if I paid big money to see James Taylor, Elton John or John Mayer and noticed they had an ipad or prompter on stage.

This is an "acoustic guitar" forum, right? And I'm assuming most of us are either couch players or local performers, not national acts? For local acoustic entertainment, I don't believe there's generally an expectation that you are going to see a produced "show". My crowd probably gets more of a kick out of having me try a request that is unrehearsed and pulling it off vs a polished perfect performance of something I've rehearsed! And it's interesting that most of my following thinks I do this for a living, so they must think I'm a "pro". The truth is I have a day job. Please don't tell anyone as that might suggest I'm not a "pro"! I actually do quite fine staying booked and getting paid well for entertaining. And (shame on me) I use an ipad, a looper and a vocal harmony pedal!!?!!!??!
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  #65  
Old 10-31-2018, 08:13 AM
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There are also many bar-player's who have apps on their iPads that they can refer to on the spot to pull up lyrics and music for songs they don't really know but recognize. If you get a request for a song you don't know, you can pull it up and play it on the day without going home to learn it - which brings in more tips.
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  #66  
Old 10-31-2018, 09:16 AM
TheJackal TheJackal is offline
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Originally Posted by steve223 View Post
What do you guys use on Android tablets?
I use LyricPad on my Android tablet. Works well.
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  #67  
Old 11-01-2018, 01:02 AM
The Kid! The Kid! is offline
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Originally Posted by Stratcat77 View Post
OF COURSE I was joking.. really?

I was trying to use humor to avoid saying what I really think of the silly point of view that using an ipad makes me somehow less of a pro. I'm actually wondering if those with that view are performers? The truth is, it wouldn't bother me one bit if I paid big money to see James Taylor, Elton John or John Mayer and noticed they had an ipad or prompter on stage.

This is an "acoustic guitar" forum, right? And I'm assuming most of us are either couch players or local performers, not national acts? For local acoustic entertainment, I don't believe there's generally an expectation that you are going to see a produced "show". My crowd probably gets more of a kick out of having me try a request that is unrehearsed and pulling it off vs a polished perfect performance of something I've rehearsed! And it's interesting that most of my following thinks I do this for a living, so they must think I'm a "pro". The truth is I have a day job. Please don't tell anyone as that might suggest I'm not a "pro"! I actually do quite fine staying booked and getting paid well for entertaining. And (shame on me) I use an ipad, a looper and a vocal harmony pedal!!?!!!??!
Haha! This post is the comeback of the year. You totally had me with the previous one! Well played.
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  #68  
Old 11-01-2018, 01:17 AM
The Kid! The Kid! is offline
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I love this forum for so many reasons. Not the least of which is the many knowledgeable and helpful people here. However, I almost equally enjoy the old man shaking his fist at the clouds faux outrage over the silliest ***** that doesn't even matter.

I've seen heated debates over tan pants, Hawaiian shirts, cargo shorts, music stands, ... and now iPads is shaping up to be in the running for yet another installment of, "Why Does Anybody Give A ****?," theatre.

The next time you're at someone's show, and you're upset about any of the above "issues," remember that they're gigging at that moment, and you are not. That's right, despite the fact that they're wearing tan cargo shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and are reading off an iPad on a music stand, they are the one working at this moment.

Let that fact sink in as you complain about not being properly entertained as you pontificate on how much better you'd be doing if you were the one on stage right now. Just remember that you're not.

Well, maybe you just came from a gig and stopped by this spot for a drink. Maybe you even played a double already. In that case, nobody else cares. Finish your drink and go memorize some more songs and have a fantastic evening!
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  #69  
Old 11-01-2018, 04:44 AM
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I'm reasonably certain this will be a minority opinion but...

(Disclaimer...I have an iPad to use as a travel computer.)

My old fashioned binder with black print on white paper which is easier to read and doesn't require scrolling, doesn't have built in obsolescence, doesn't use batteries or power supply (sure sometimes a small lamp is necessary), may take up more space but the stand serves to hold other accessories too, may well have a smaller carbon footprint...

Former band mates spent more time screwing around with their iPads at practice and soundchecks than they ever did with paper.

I'll go back to shouting at the clouds now.
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  #70  
Old 11-01-2018, 05:11 AM
Nymuso Nymuso is offline
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If I use an iPad at all, it's for lyrics only and only for off the wall requests. I have an AirTurn Bluetooth pedal for scrolling. For whatever reason, I don't see the iPad as being lame at all; I do view the use of a binder as being the mark of an amateur, especially when they're flipping pages looking for something.

My core repertoire of about two hundred songs is memorized and I frankly feel I do a better job of presenting those songs that way as opposed to reading. However, in a pinch the iPad gives me what I need.
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  #71  
Old 11-01-2018, 06:46 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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I do view the use of a binder as being the mark of an amateur
Or someone who can't afford an iPad, or is just too old-school to understand them new-fangled things....
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  #72  
Old 11-02-2018, 08:50 PM
The Kid! The Kid! is offline
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Originally Posted by JonPR View Post
Or someone who can't afford an iPad, or is just too old-school to understand them new-fangled things....
I use iPad as a general term. There are some non-apple "tablets" that are less expensive. One might be able to find some good refurbished or used deals too!

I added a ton of songs to my repertoire with mine and it resulted in a lot of bookings. Printer ink isn't cheap either, and over the long run, a tablet isn't that crazy of an expense if you find a good deal.
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  #73  
Old 11-03-2018, 11:46 AM
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The evolution of my binder started in 1972 when I started playing guitar sorta kinda semi serious like. Even now I have and use some of my original hand written song sheets. (It's fun to pull them out for bandmates or students!) To use a tablet would require an entire reconstruction of my work...I'm not sure I'm up to that. Besides, an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper is significantly larger and easier to read than the iPad screens I've seen.

Maybe I should hire a page turner like some professional concert pianists use. If I exploit their physical appearance (trying to stay politically correct here) it would add to the band's appeal.
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  #74  
Old 11-03-2018, 12:42 PM
DavidE DavidE is offline
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Default why all the ipads and iphones on stage??

My thought is if you have a problem with this, get over yourself. Welcome to 2018 and aging performers.

Also, if you’re at someone’s gig and you don’t like that they have an iPad, if you’re so superior why aren’t you playing your own gig?

Last edited by DavidE; 11-03-2018 at 01:00 PM.
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  #75  
Old 11-03-2018, 12:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Stratcat77 View Post
OF COURSE I was joking.. really?...The truth is, it wouldn't bother me one bit if I paid big money to see James Taylor, Elton John or John Mayer and noticed they had an ipad or prompter on stage....
Good. Because they do. They look like monitors but on the performance side, they are prompters because even the most seasoned pro playing songs he/she's played for decades forgets.
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