Open mics (slowly improving)

[krysh]

...

Hi Michael:

Audiences like to see the faces of their entertainers, so the leader was correct in telling me to "face front". (Also, I spend enough time looking at my left hand ).
I've learned to trust my ears, and reduce dependence on eyes.

cheers
R

hey ross,
if you talk about the performance of a "band" for sure you are right.
I am so into my "composing-on-the-fly-spontaneous-improvising-thing" we usually do on our jamsession, that I did not think about that.
but when we do something new in front of the audience the communication of the musicians is very important. and also for a good performance the tightness of the rhythm group.
...and I still believe when the front people do a good job, nobody looks at the bassplayer
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[Ross]

...and I still believe when the front people do a good job, nobody looks at the bassplayer
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:[/quote]

Unfortunately true!

 

[krysh]

Krysh, I never seem to be able to pull your stuff up. I wish I could. I went to your link and clicked on Hamburg #1.....nothing. Maybe it's my connection, maybe it's me. I had the same trouble sometime back when trying to go to a jam session you posted.

West

west,
did you manage it now?

 

[fungusyoung]

Anyone know this place in Tampa?

http://openmikes.org/listings/lacasadolcecafe


As I sit here at the airport in Philly with my Martin, I guess I'm a little more than seriously considering crashing their open mic tonight since the comments look pretty good. Plus, they seem to encourage or sometimes even demand original tunes, which works for me.

 

[Graham]

Anyone know this place in Tampa?

http://openmikes.org/listings/lacasadolcecafe


As I sit here at the airport in Philly with my Martin, I guess I'm a little more than seriously considering crashing their open mic tonight since the comments look pretty good. Plus, they seem to encourage or sometimes even demand original tunes, which works for me.

Go for it.

 

[Scratch]

Dang it fellas, I tried that self-defacating thing a week or so ago and it didn't go over so well... Next day, I found my specs and read this post again. Sheesh! :?

 

[JerryR]

Dang it fellas, I tried that self-defacating thing a week or so ago and it didn't go over so well...

:shock: Try Depends :roll:

(Don't worry Kenny - I nearly $hit myself on stage as well )

 

[fungusyoung]

Go for it.

I did, but I hope I didn't jinx them by showing up.

I was about 12th in line, and just as I was getting all plugged in, one of the co-hosts announced this would be their last open mic at this particular venue because the coffee shop wasn't doing well financially. What a bummer! It sort of threw me off, but I got going OK... then when the same co-host took a photo of me just at the start of the third verse of my first tune, I completely lost the lyrics... so I started laughing, said "it's OK, do over"... & went at it again. It went OK overall, but man... it was the quietest place I've played so far. Very different from the bars & brew pubs I've been to in the past, but also very cool. The people were so incredibly nice & supportive that I hated to leave at 10 PM, but I still hadn't checked into my hotel yet & it was 20 miles away... plus I had to be in meetings by 7 this morning.

Anyways, I look forward to hopefully playing down here again at some point in the future. They definitely have a cool & diverse little circuit of folks that play open mics throughout the Tampa, St. Pete & Clearwater areas.

 

[JerryR]

Fungus .... what a trouper Keep at it

 

[Ross]

Nice work Fungus! Good strategy to look for venues when travelling. That's something that I don't have to worry about, 'cause I never go anywhere The open stages here always welcome out-of towners, and someone is always be willing to lend visitors an instrument.

 

[Graham]

It went OK overall, but man... it was the quietest place I've played so far. Very different from the bars & brew pubs I've been to in the past, but also very cool.

I don't know but is that a common difference between pubs and coffee joints?

 

[fungusyoung]

Fungus .... what a trouper Keep at it

Thanks, Jerry & Ross! Jerry, I promise you a "trouper" doesn't quite fit... it's more like a masochist. You would understand if you saw me play! I'm taking it all in as experience. I really need to practice a helluva lot more than I have time for these days, but I love the feeling of pushing myself to play in front of people... it's both nerve-wrecking & at times exhilarating. Can't wait to play with my own band hopefully on stage later this year. I might bring an electric to the place on Long Island next month just to get a taste for that especially since the house band's drummer & bassist are easily swayed into joining me.

Graham, I'm sure that is the typically the case. I'm used to playing to louder and somewhat less interested crowds in bars, which I assume is the norm vs. the naturally quieter setting of most coffee houses. Guess I didn't really think about it much at all until I got there last night. I walked in & immediately started looking around for other rooms or floors, where the open mic was, but meanwhile there was a guy plugged in & playing no more than 20 yards from the front door!

 

[Scratch]

Some of you might recall an earlier thread I started when I first began playing open mics. Well, it's been just over a year now since my journey began, and I've managed to fit in 9 during these first 12 months. There were big lapses in getting out at certain points which makes it harder when I finally got back to it, but I've played out the last 2 weeks now in addition to another time in January so things are starting to feel a bit less stressful at the moment. I'm playing out again tomorrow and maybe Wednesday so hopefully that is the case!

The songs I play are ridiculously basic and I still make mistakes each time, but at least 2/3rd's of most sets are original tunes, which seems rare at least at the places I've played. Just thought I'd post some stats on my first year out, and solicit feedback from more experienced players here on what I should be aiming to do more or less of, etc. Any comments are more than welcome... they're encouraged.

- Played a total of 12 different songs
- 8 originals
- 4 covers (1 Stones, the rest much more obscure)
- Played 3 different open mic locations
- Used 6 different guitars
- Never played the same exact set twice
- Switched up the order of the same 3 songs once
- Played with a drummer 3 times

Quick funny story... last week I had my D15 out at this place in Patchogue, NY (real close to Blues Dan if he sees this), and this guy sees me open my case and starts freaking out that I have the same guitar as him and a Guild... actually, he has a late 70's D25, but they look pretty much identical aside from the finish. He was like "F*@k Martin, Guilds are the best!!!!". Anyways, this was something that made me think of my fellow LTG'ers and was enough to prompt me to post the rest of this stuff.

Good stuff Fungusyoung. About how many songs do you play in an hour?

 

[krysh]

great job, fungus young

...Good stuff Fungusyoung. About how many songs do you play in an hour?

can't help myself :twisted: :
probably more when there is no photographer around! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[JerryR]

Fungus .... what a trouper Keep at it

Thanks, Jerry & Ross! Jerry, I promise you a "trouper" doesn't quite fit... it's more like a masochist. You would understand if you saw me play!

No - really, I mean it - a trouper gets up there even though $hitting bricks and carries on, whatever :!: Between the ages of 19 and 33 I did a lot of acting (some even gave some remuneration) - and then nothing until last year. From 30 to about 42 I was in a small Folk Band in Bath (great - the other members hide your mistakes) but also did some solo. Then the band broke up and I didn't really do anything until about 4 years ago when I started playing in the local Folk Clubs.

The need to publicly perform and lay all your inadequacies and defects before the unsuspecting public is obviously a major character defect. I think just about everything that can go wrong when playing has - guitar sliding off lap without a strap, strap coming undone when standing up, string breaking, forgetting words, forgetting chord sequence, even suddenly finding you can't play one of the most basic chords for no apparent reason (and once, in one unforgettable paid gig with the band - as lead singer - getting totally drunk on whiskey and singing out of tune the whole night - yes, the kind hosts played me a tape of the awful event the next morning ). Yet still I go back for more. I still $hit bricks. Most times I don't rate what I have done and feel miserable - but just occassionaly I reckon it went well - and people come up and say how much they enjoyed it (like 2 weeks ago). Guess that's why I do it.

So Fungus - you ARE a trouper

 

[Ross]

Hi Scratch:

I can squeeze in a maximum of 15 in an hour; an average of 4 minutes each, including chat. I keep them short, and try not to get too chatty between songs. When you assemble your set list, you might consider placing your "worst" tunes second-last, third-last etc. Ask the host to let you know when your time is almost up (ie, when it's time for one last song). If, by then, you haven't done all of your planned setlist, you can eliminate your worst tunes & proceed directly to your killer ending song.

As Jerry says, fear is a part of it. I'm scared every time (and I used to work as a teacher).

Here's my personal fear clock:
1 - as the time approaches, apprehension grows. Self-defecation seems a distinct possibility.
2 - take the stage. Can't trust myself to speak, go directly to first song.
3 - fear diminishes as song progresses
4 - Fear rears its ugly head again at the first mistake.
5 - Fear vanishes completely once the audience applauds.

Break a leg. And above all, have fun!

Ross

 

[Guildmark]

Just a thought or two re: the word, "trouper". This is the correct spelling for the word meant to convey the attributes of a person who endures, despite overwhelming odds, inclement weather, disease, diabolical leaders, scathing crowds, scheming club-owners, uncooperative, unskilled and untalented bandmates, dilapidated buses, customs and immigration inspectors bent on saving the free world, clingy girlfriends/boyfriends, poor working conditions, and other unthinkable horrors - for little more than union scale, occassional exceptions to the list above, and the love of playing music.

A "trooper", on the other hand, may be brave, well-trained, and the meanest SOB in the valley, but, basically, he just does what he's told.

This is an important distinction, and I'm very happy and gratified that the right word was used in this thread.

 

[Scratch]

Hi Scratch:

I can squeeze in a maximum of 15 in an hour; an average of 4 minutes each, including chat. I keep them short, and try not to get too chatty between songs. When you assemble your set list, you might consider placing your "worst" tunes second-last, third-last etc. Ask the host to let you know when your time is almost up (ie, when it's time for one last song). If, by then, you haven't done all of your planned setlist, you can eliminate your worst tunes & proceed directly to your killer ending song.

As Jerry says, fear is a part of it. I'm scared every time (and I used to work as a teacher).

Here's my personal fear clock:
1 - as the time approaches, apprehension grows. Self-defecation seems a distinct possibility.
2 - take the stage. Can't trust myself to speak, go directly to first song.
3 - fear diminishes as song progresses
4 - Fear rears its ugly head again at the first mistake.
5 - Fear vanishes completely once the audience applauds.

Break a leg. And above all, have fun!

Ross

Man do I appreciate these thoughts! Thanks Ross... :wink:

 

[JerryR]

Just a thought or two re: the word, "trouper". This is the correct spelling for the word meant to convey the attributes of a person who endures, despite overwhelming odds, inclement weather, disease, diabolical leaders, scathing crowds, scheming club-owners, uncooperative, unskilled and untalented bandmates, dilapidated buses, customs and immigration inspectors bent on saving the free world, clingy girlfriends/boyfriends, poor working conditions, and other unthinkable horrors - for little more than union scale, occassional exceptions to the list above, and the love of playing music.

A "trooper", on the other hand, may be brave, well-trained, and the meanest SOB in the valley, but, basically, he just does what he's told.

This is an important distinction, and I'm very happy and gratified that the right word was used in this thread.

That's 'cos I'm British :mrgreen:

 

[Ross]

[/quote]

Man do I appreciate these thoughts! Thanks Ross... :wink:[/quote]



You’re welcome. Happy to contribute.

A couple of other thoughts occurred to me. If I’m telling you things that you already know, please forgive the ramblings.

As you practice your songs, make a note of the duration of each. Then, when you assemble the setlist, you’ll have an approximate total time. Allow some time between tunes for applause etc.

Once you have a working setlist, practice the songs in order. This will show you how (if) they fit together. You may decide to rearrange or otherwise fine-tune the order of songs, before arriving at a final list (with me, the final list is sometimes decided only minutes before I go on). I always take a setlist on stage with me, written in large letters so I can read it through my bifocals.

While practicing the setlist, I also practice my between-song patter. If I’m not careful I tend to ramble on (or worse, go “ahhhh…..”), and a bit of preparation keeps me focused. This may not be necessary for you, but I like to think that it helps me. I practice how I will introduce the songs, etc etc. I don’t memorize this verbatim, but I like to have some idea of what to say between each song.

On re-reading, this sounds really retentive. But preparation is my best friend.