Yes, but this thread is mostly aimed at, and about 'entertainers' (I have a far less polite word for them) who don't actually play or sing anything at all...!

Sure, we use sequencers, arrangers, drum machines, you name it... But at the end of the day, I am sure most of us are using those tools to accompany our own playing and singing. How much or little of that you actually do is up to each and every one of us, but the thought of the technology ALONE, with no input from us at all, being passed off as 'entertainment' is just downright dishonest. I'm sorry, but I don't have a sympathetic bone in my body for these scabs

If I want to get 'entertained' by technology alone, I can turn my friggin' TV on, or fire up an iPod And it won't cost me a penny... I will NEVER, in my entire life, pay good money to see ANYONE lip-synch or play-synch.

This is because I know that, somewhere down the street, there will be a good LIVE musician playing, and they will be working at a club that has a remnant of taste and dignity, and they will be listened to by whatever dwindling section of society still cares whether the guy on stage is a fake or not. I can only hope I would bump into most of you in there, and that you are not still watching the idiot with no playing or singing ability dance around and PRETEND that they have...

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 08-17-2008).]

Uncle Dave-

I don't mean to put down, indirectly any sequence users, but what do you think of the guy who buys 3rd party sequences, loads them and fires them from a keyboard he rarely plays...and passes himself off as a keyboard player?




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Bill in Dayton

Go to South East Asia and tell that dribble to all the thousands of Karaoke singers its beloved by all there. Its entertainment plain & simple.
http://www.helium.com/items/531933-why-is-karaoke-so-popular

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 08-17-2008).]

Joe....good post! Short and sweet, direct, to the point, and.....right on the money ("the bottom line is how well our audience is entertained").

My motto used to be "give them good music and plenty of it" as Mama Leone in her restaurant in NY used to say about her food. Now I find, with certain senior groups, I'm starting to give them more patter, more humor, more stories about songs and experiences that trigger their memories, more physical movement, old time dance demonstrations (Charleston, Black Bottom, Ballin' the Jack, etc), and whatever else comes into mind at the moment.

I'll quote you again: "the bottom line is how well our audience is entertained!"

Lucky

Doh!

Don't karaoke singers actually SING? And don't they JUST sing, and not pretend to play as well?

Karaoke singers are the essence of honesty (making absolutely no effort whatsoever to hide the fact that they are merely singing over a track) by comparison to the scab who lip synchs and play-synchs, but tries to fool the audience that it IS him playing...

Karaoke is an audience participation fun thing in the far east. Only we greedy Westerners pervert it into something dishonest and dirty, in an effort to grab the Almighty Dollar.

Don't think lip synching is a bad thing..? OK, go ahead and lip synch your next show. Save your voice, turn down the arranger. Just pretend to play... You know, with luck, they MIGHT not even notice. But stand up in the middle of the show, and to a packed house, go "OK, guys. I confess. I am merely lip synching to everything I did tonight. I didn't actually play a damn thing, and that wasn't me you heard singing or playing. Who wants their money back?"

Don't expect to make much, that night! And do it somewhere where you don't really ever want to play again

As most of you know, I have a real problem with using arrangers at all. I don't use them if there's any alternative, but use them when that's the best way to get the job done.

That being said, my attitude is, everyone should do what they're comfortable with. I won't use a laptop, MP3's or sequences of any kind. but that's my thing. It's right for me, but "splitting hairs", since I do use the arranger for about 25% of my work, so I have no right to take a "purist" attitude.

In a perfect world, I'd play B-3 and Rhodes with a drummer and as many other players as I could justify (read afford).

In my world, I walk out when I see a laptop, sequences or lip-synching. That's where I draw the line. But again, that's just me and in no way an indication that it's the attitude everyone should have.


Russ

(P.S.) I'd stay to hear ANY and ALL of my friends here...laptop...MP3's...whatever. And I'd enjoy the visit).



[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 08-18-2008).]

Hi Bill,
I used to front a band in the 70s - never played much, but I sang my butt off. Today, if a singer wants to have that same energy behind his vocals, sequencing is a viable alternative. Personal, created, purchased - it matters not HOW the sequence is obtained, just how it is used.

I am not a fan of faking anything, but as a singer who accompanies himself in many ways - I like the options of using anything that can help me "sell" a number. Do I fake the kb? Nope - I sometimes play simple lines to trigger harmonies or fatten up a part with a nice string pad while a sequence provides the rest, but my hands, my HEART, my mind and my experience are always hard at work at every job.

Lip Syncing is something I will never do, but I refuse to relate it to any form of automated kb/drum sequences. These two elements are mutually exclusive to me.

Remember this one important item - senior centers, nursing homes etc present a different set of challenges to a performer. As life wears out the body, and taxes the memory ... sometimes it's nice just to see a smiling face come to your dining room for an hour and brighten your day. If they can bring some sunshine and happiness with them, then that's good too! I know performers who tell stories to the residents, bring pets, draw pictures, sit and hold hands with them - whatever you do to reach a "seasoned" soul will come back to you tenfold.

Let's keep our eyes on the prize...we'll be the ones in these homes one day, and I hope I get to see some performances that make me smile when that day comes.

UD, I MIGHT break my "no nursing home home" rule for you (you are older than me, aren't you?), but I AIN'T HOLDING YOUR HAND!


Russ

Russ, am i older than YOU????? As Al Borland might say .... "I don't THINK so..."
You'd love to have me in the audience - I'd be the only one who recognizes your song selection!

Russ lay - None of the hits, ALL of the time!"

Get your tired, jazzass out to Philly b4 school starts up again!

I'm older than both of you and I AM NOT going to hold your hands!

Gary

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Travlin' Easy