So, whether you're a pro, or a weekend part-time warrior, or just an onlooker sitting in the bleachers.....what are some of your own personal "tricks of the trade" that you use when performing that you've never mentioned here before. I know most of you don't just go out and play songs at random.

I have so many I'd be writing from now into the after-life.

There is no magic secret "modus operandi" it's all a personal thing that only you as a performer can create for your audiences,....what works and how its crafted for one person could be a disaster for the next,.....
your shows have to be as unique as you are,..don't fall into the "COPYCAT" trap" make it Your Own!

Good Luck

That's true ... I always try know what kind of audience I am going to have and 'plan' a playlist accordingly ... then it depends on the dynamics of the setting - the actual audience, what they are reacting to, etc. etc. ... very seldom if ever, do I stick 100% to a prepared playlist, and that even goes for NH and AL venues ...

I don't have a playlist, other than what's in my Songbook on the keyboard, and that's about 50 or 60 song/setups.
I have thousand of chord/lyric text files in both keyboard and laptop and in my again head.
I just look at the audience and try to decide what they might like. After a few songs I can see what, if anything, gets the best response, and go from there.
There are a few songs I do that seem to transcend generations and audience types and I do those first, as a rule.

When I was working in nursing homes, I was doing country and pop from the 50s through the early 90s. As Don mentioned, there are certain songs and artists that seem to please just about everyone and I did many of those in every facility. Some of the artists that come to mind are Elvis, Kenny Rogers and Hank Williams sr. Some songs that always went over were "Rose Are Red" by Bobby Vinton ( a favorite of the ladies that make up 90 % of the residents) and "Raindrops" by BJ Thomas.

But you eventually get to know the facility and go from there. At a memory care facility, you could be playing "Comin Round the Mountain" and similar songs and going over well while some places wanted straight country. Of course, you could get sing-a-long type song requests anywhere. I got a request for the Rolling Stones in one place and that shows the breadth of the type of songs people in these places will like since ages run from 60 (or younger) to 100. I had one lady that always wanted "San Francisco" and she lived to 102.

Wow! Every once in awhile I find myself (arrrrrgggg) having to agree with Donny . In 50+ years of gigging, except for a half-hearted (and sometimes comical) version of 'Happy Birthday', we never, ever took requests (and usually had a 'NO REQUESTS' sign posted prominently on the bandstand). Of course, these were mostly jazz or 'bar jazz' gigs which attract a totally different kind of audience. In jazz clubs and other venues that primarily feature jazz, the audiences come to listen to what YOU have to offer. It's NEVER a dancing audience and most only expect to be entertained MUSICALLY. Showmanship not required (although my poor drug-addicted friend, Don Patterson, DID used to play with his tongue - hell of an organist, though). Miles was known to have played an entire gig with his back to the audience - but then again, he was Miles .

In a Nursing Home (although I've never played in one), you're playing to a captive audience and YOU are there for THEM; in a jazz club, THEY are there for YOU - big difference. Having to take requests is very demanding of the musician and requires an extra level of expertise and versatility - to be admired, for sure. For the most part, old school jazz groups (trios/quartets) played pretty much what they wanted to, sometimes with a 'set list', sometimes just winging it. The benefit was that the all the tunes well known, well rehearsed, and well liked, by the musicians performing them. I'm guessing that most 'specialty music' venues (Rock clubs, C&W clubs) were the same.

So again, paraphrasing Donny, Don, and Tony - do what feels right in the moment. Following your instincts (if you're a seasoned musician) will probably produce the best performances. JMO.

chas

chas ... you made me think back to 1978 when I saw the Phil Woods Quartet at a hotel in NYC ... we had a table right in front of the bandstand and on a break Phil came down and spoke with us ... I had an album he recorded in 1976 that had the Janis Ian song "At Seventeen" on it - after hearing his version, our band used to play it during wedding cocktail hours - so I asked if they could play it ... his response was "We don't have it in our book", and I realized that as simple as the song is, he was not going to play anything the group did not have down perfectly ...

Just announce to the audience
"Yes We take requests,.......But, we don't do them"

I too, agree with DNJ on this subject.

Gary

I'm there to please the audience. If they want to hear a song I know, I'll happily do it for them, as long as it doesn't distract from the overall program.

My experiences are similar to what others are saying. Got a request today for something by The Highwaymen. Didn’t know any of their tunes well enough to try, but have heard much of their material, especially from the PBS special that’s been airing lately.

Here ya go. Good midi file of The Highwayman
https://app.box.com/s/ujsj3p7ffievaes7xahs8rwrlre2xguu

“modus operandi” was only the header. If you’ll notice, in the body, I asked for “tricks of the trade” that you’ve learned along the way. I'm not talking about how you present your show. I'm talking what tricks do you have up your sleeve to make your show work and keep it moving along!

Example: requests....if I think I'm working with a potentially difficult group, I'll strike first.....something like blitzkreig. I fill in the action every second and don’t give anyone a chance to “request.” I’ll play a medley of songs, and when I stop playing, I immediately start talking. Then back to playing. No dead space for anyone to be asking for some obscure song that no one else is even going to know.

“Wild cards/ace in the hole” songs: I have certain songs that I keep in reserve. I call them “wild cards”.......sure fire winners. If I feel the dynamics of the group slowing down, I go to my “wild card” songs to bring them back to life. The same if I, myself, am slowing down…..I fall back on my “wild card” songs to give myself a breather. Some of my “wild card” songs are the Beer Barrel Polka or the Pennsylvania Polka, That’s Amore, Que Sara Sara, the Blue Danube.

Stories about songs: I keep a mental portfolio in my head of the history of certain popular songs. Mostly stuff I get off the Internet. To break up the music and my general patter I’ll tell the story of how some songs came to be written. I even take liberties……make up lines as I go along to augment the tale . Two topics that I’ve been getting a lot of mileage from lately are the history of how “flapper” girls came about back in the 20‘s, and the song “After The Ball” and how it changed the music scene overnight when it was written back in the 1890’s.

Songs to impress and break up the pace: "Folks, when I was a kid I remember listening to this music on the radio every Friday night at 07:30 pm. The name of it is the William Tell Overture, but you know it as…The Lone Ranger." Then I proceed to play the piece. Or, Entry of the Gladiators....."folks, remember when you were a child and your parents walked you into your first circus. This is probably what you heard the band playing."

Point being.......this is material I keep in the corner of my brain that I fall back on to keep the party (and the patter) moving. I keep “emergency” scenarios in my head “in case of emergency.” Kind of like walking over to the wall and pulling down the red handle that says “pull in case of emergency” and all kinds of musical ideas come flowing out.

To quote your past remarks, whatever you have to do to entertain people is what you do!

So, now I, myself, say “with the utmost respect“.......”hogwash” with the giving 150% of yourself cliché every time you perform. That only works when you've developed good material to work with. 150% of nothing is “nothing!”

Many years ago, a wise man in New Jersey told me to only play music people know and can dance to - he was absolutely right. And, of course, be sure to schmooze with the audiences.

Good luck,

Gary

I think that same man also said (in para-phrase) that there is no 'one size fits all' solution for every situation. I can think of a number of situations where that approach would be absolutely disastrous. Just sayin'.

chas

Mark 79100 said:

"Stories about songs: I keep a mental portfolio in my head of the history of certain popular songs. Mostly stuff I get off the Internet. To break up the music and my general patter I’ll tell the story of how some songs came to be written. I even take liberties……make up lines as I go along to augment the tale ."

I did something similar and started having a trivia quiz with the answer being a song title and I then played the song. Later, I started a trivia session with questions related to music. This was very popular and killed some time.

Gary........hmmm........"many years ago"......was that YOU I told that to?

Might have been, Mark, but DNJ said the same thing to me one night when he had 350 on a dance floor and loving life while he played his Yamaha keyboard.

Chas, OK, I'll bite - name a couple scenarios where that would not work, at least in anything other than a jazz club situation. In jazz clubs, all bets are off! ;)Jazz clubs are the only venue I have not performed at in more than a half century.

Gary

1. Concerts - large and small, jazz, rock, or Country
2. VERY upscale restaurants
3. Malls
4. Casinos
5. Most (but not all) Hotel lounges
6. Any venue (and there are many) where dancing is not allowed
7. Art shows - high end
8. Singer/songwriter-type venues featuring mostly original material
9. Hard core Blues clubs (GA is riddled with them)

I'm sure there are many more but the point is, there is no fixed formula that guarantees success in ALL situations. In my opinion, the quality of the performer and the performance is way more important than the set list and tempo of the song. Pick a very familiar and dance-able song, do a lousy job of presenting it, and see what happens.

I'm not snobbish but I would NEVER, EVER go to a music venue where 'playing familiar tunes that you could dance to' was the primary criteria for the music being offered. But hey, that's just me.

As the saying goes, 'Every general truth is a specific lie' and with those words of wisdom, Peace out.



chas

Good luck,

Gary

I have played a few places where there was no dancing. A Sunday Brunch at a seafood restaurant, Ralph and Kackoo's, an art show I play every October (BORING), political fundraiser dinners (they would have to dance on the tables, but that would probably be all right at $200. a plate!), a couple of funerals, a wedding (not the reception).
I sometimes play for special occasions in the dining room, rather than the lounge, at my "regular" job. There is no place to dance in there, but sometimes a couple will get up and dance anyway!
However, I still do pretty much the same music anyway.

They dance at the political fund raisers up here, Don, and they pay $1,200 to $1,500 a plate for finger food - they usually have a small, open space right in front of the stage where the political wannabees tend to gather with the ladies and, if they're drunk enough, which they usually are when it involves free, high end booze, they will dance a lot until the speeches kick in. Then they get bored and tend to pass out in their seats. Sure paid well, though.

I never thought about a funeral, but don't people dance at Irish wakes? Don't know - never been to one.

Gary

I play 3 or 4 fundraisers each election year at the same place, a private venue. It's really nice, but no place to dance. The prices vary according to the political office involved!

I did one for George Bush, he wasn't there, but instead, sent a representative or some sort. It took place in a huge hall in Abingdon, MD, probably 1,200 people there, mostly lawyers, building contractors and state politicians. I don't know how much they paid to be there, but someone told me it was in excess of $2,500 a plate. All the time I thought I was doing well charging them $500 for the 45 minutes I was able to play music before and after the speeches. George Bush did, however, show up on a couple big screen TVs and they were yellin and screamin just like he could see them, but I knew he couldn't cause there was no camera to telecast our end, at lest I never saw one. It was a wild night, though.

Those were the days,

Gary

The widow of a sax player I had worked with several times asked me to play at his church funeral. I balked. It was the first time I ever had such a request. She said she had already asked and received approval from the Episcopal priest. She wanted me to play the songs (all dance tunes) that her husband and I played on jobs which featured mostly 40's era swing and latin, ..also approved by the priest.
I played Embraceable You, Satin Doll, It Had To Be You, Begin the Beguine and other well known favorites as mourners entered the sanctuary and at the end of the service. I was careful to keep the volume and dynamics of each song at a respectful level

During the service the priest explained that the Widow had asked for and arranged my contribution to the service. Naturally, there was NO dancing but several in attendance sought me out with positive comments about how appropriate the music was in light of the deceased's musical interests and his wife's wishes....including the priest.

I know this is a bit off topic...but I'm sure many pros and part-timers here have been asked to play events that go beyond the norm.

Eddie

All very interesting but I don't know what it has to do with my premise that there is no single, guaranteed formula for success in the music business. Sure, dance is usually related to music but it's certainly not absolutely required for a performance to be successful. And, I don't always have to KNOW a song to be able to enjoy it. Maybe I will just enjoy a song for the beauty of it's melody or chordal structure or lyrics or just the artistry of the musician performing it. At least Don was kind enough to acknowledge that there are at least a few places on earth where there is no dancing. In my opinion, what works musically depends as much on the type of audience as it does with the musical act being presented. If you enjoy dancing the night away and trying to converse with your friends over the din of the music, then fine, but if you enjoy a good glass of wine, great listenable music played at levels that allow for normal conversation, then you'll probably choose someplace else. Some people like Jeeps and Pickups, me, I prefer MB CL550's. Luckily, we live in a world where both are available.

chas

Luckily, we live in a world where both are available.

Yep, I fully agree, Chas - why does this keep happening to me?

All the best,

Gary