#1
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Solo guitar at a party
Has anyone made the mistake of thinking folks would like to listen to a solo guitarist (classical, steel string, or whatever) at a party?
I did it once and no one really payed attention...until a guy borrowed my guitar and stated strumming and singing. Then the place was all into it. Probably never going to do that again.
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Classical 2013 Alhambra 9P cedar 1976 Alvarez/Yairi CY140 2005 Alvarez AC60SC 2005 Alvarez MC90C **************** Steel 2002 Martin OMC18VLJ signature 2003 Mauel McCloud Custom |
#2
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Happened at a house Christmas party I attended. One of the teenagers had an acoustic guitar and played really well. Two of us were listening, but the other 20 people at the party just talked louder and overwhelmed the guitar.
The guy gave up after about 5 minutes. |
#3
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A party isn't a concert setting.
Having a soloist play requires passive listening. Having a sing-along allows audience participation. It's about matching the venue to the performer. |
#4
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Yup. Many years ago, I went toaparty held by a luthier pal. He did work for many "stars" but I thought it would be cool to take my new Guild D40.
No-oine was intersted in my feeble offerings but when "the King Of The Buskers" Don Partridge arrived everyone wanted to hear him. Hedidn't come with a guitar and so grabbled my D40 and commenced to tear into it like he did his famously gouged J200 (a little like Willie's Trigger). He gouged a large and wide "valley" of removed finish from top to bottom and pretty much ruined my guitar, and there was nothing I could do about it. Sometme later, he put his worn out J20 into my luthier pal's workshop to be rebuilt and refinished ....... and then dissappeared out of the countryfor some time, so luthier palsold it to me for the cost of repairs. I traded it a short time later. Years later Ifound myself playing at a concert that he was heading. I told him the tale. He grabbed my jacket and pleaded to buy the Gibson back. Schadenfreude.
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#5
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Different kind of thing but similar story. One of the last gigs I did with my rock band at a party we played for two hours and barely anyone was out front dancing or even paying attention. After we packed up our stuff a DJ got his crap out and started making lots of 4/4 Boom Boom Boom Boom noise and all the kids started dancing.
Damm kids these days. |
#6
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I think what sort of party it is, what sort of solo acoustic music you are playing, and how good you are, are all factors that will immediately impact whether or not it is a success.
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#7
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It depends on the people and the party.
I've been at parties where the host also played guitar and wanted others to play. It was fun and people joined in to sing. It also depends on the immediate mindset of the "audience" at the party. If they've just finished blasting the stereo with an AC/DC screamo type of tune they're probably not going to be too receptive to you playing "Homeward Bound" by Paul Simon or Macca's "Blackbird". |
#8
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I volunteered to play before the start of a prayer meeting at my church. Instrumental hymns is all I do and it was intended to set the mood and get people in a good frame of mind. Instead of quieting the folks as they came into the room, they just talked louder while taking their seats.
The guy leading the meeting said to give it up as it wasn't working, so I did. Won't make that mistake again. Dave |
#9
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Solo instrumental guitar at a private party is there to provide a wall paper sound track for the guests. Once in a while someone requests as song, but most of the time you cruse along on your set list 'til its over.
If you want to get some attention sing and play well known favorites. As Jimmy Buffett says, songs you know by heart from the Beatles, Eagles, James Taylor and others. As noted these might draw some to sing along and make for a better time for all.
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#10
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I always remember I/ we are guitarists we spend hours practicing , honing our skills we play expensive instruments, we are proud of what we do and achieve we are not as follows :
1 Items for free karaoke 2 Guitars for other people to use and abuse 3 Vehicles to allow other people to inflate their egos on our expense I always pass on these situations However I do love a great of the wall meeting of like minded musos intent on having a great time playing some good music to enhance each other
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#11
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I've been at parties where a number of guitarist friends played "pass the guitar"... everyone took a turn playing the same guitar (newly made by the luthier whose house the party was at), and all listened. Talking happened in between pieces. Very interesting to see how different the instrument sounded depending on the player, and all were good.
I've held "music and art" parties at my home where everyone attending had do something artistically, whether music, showing a painting, origami, flower arranging, poetry, short story... anything artistic. I got the idea from Villa-Lobos, who did something similar in Paris in the 1920s. I invited my guitar students, my musician friends, and their significant others. Everyone's work was highlighted at some point in the evening. Everyone was invested, creatively. There were no passive viewers. I learned, early on and by painful experience, not to play at the typical parties friends have. People are there to talk, eat and drink. |
#12
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I actually don't mind gigs where people don't listen and I get paid. You can actually take frequent breaks, get free food, and no one would be the wiser. However, if this was at a wedding or funeral where you'd want people to hear you, then I understand where you're coming from. Most people don't identify with Sor, Tarrega, Giuliani, etc. and that's a shame. I did get an occasional reaction when I started playing Song's My Mother Taught Me, Cannon in D, or Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, but it was more "I've heard that before!" rather than "I love that piece!"
None of this takes away from my enjoyment of the classical guitar though; I just use it as a means for personal enjoyment. If people don't want to listen to it, it's their loss, not ours. Last edited by Vinyl_Record19; 10-05-2015 at 01:38 AM. |
#13
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My mistake was giving into insistent requests that I play at social gatherings, a mixture of relatives and friends. As a 16-year-old who could play the anonymous, Romance, and Tárregas’, Lágrimas, on occasion, I’d be asked to play. I was shy and didn’t want to play - I hated to play in front of everyone - but would eventually give in to the prodding. I would start playing and people would begin talking as if I wasn’t performing. An interesting phenomenon was that when I’d tackle, Romance, people would tend to quiet down and actually listen. I learned it was best to play two or three songs and end with, Romance (also known as, Jeux interdits, because it was used as a theme song, played by Narciso Yepes, for a French movie with that title.)
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#14
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Quote:
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#15
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In my experience social gatherings of friends are the toughest crowds in the world.
1.They came to chat, or brag, or something. Not to hear you play. 2.Everyone in the room has a different tastes in music, and none of them are yours. As a rule I don't play at parties. If several people are really, really persistent in requesting music. I'll go along. But I try to give the people who aren't interested an out, like moving to another room. |