Playing for an audience.

Post date: Aug 4, 2015 12:53:24 AM

Jazzbanjorex's thoughts on playing for an audience.

-Respect the audience whether the age is two or ninety two.

-Play with your whole heart whether the audience number is two or a hundred and two.

-Play the songs the audience wants. You favorite song doesn't matter if it's not right for the audience. Did the audience come to hear your songs or did you go to play their songs?

-Get a feel for the audience's mood. If they want to party don't play a bunch of sad songs.

-Look your audience in the eye. One by one. And smile, smile, smile.

-If you audience is singing with you, sing with them.

-Keep you music as simple as possible without being boring or predicable. This lets you concentrate on putting you heart into your songs.

-Keep your stage set up and gear as simple as you can while getting the best sound you can. Avoid excess gadgets. This lets you concentrate on putting you heart into your songs.

-Put some emotion in your playing. Don't be a robot with your strumming. Just accenting one down stroke per measure can change the feel. Accenting the one and three beats is very different from accenting the two and four beats. Experiment and find which song likes which accents. Try different strums in the chorus than the verses.

-Put some emotion in your singing. Don't be a robot with your singing. Just accenting one word in each line or so changes a boring song into a story. Be a story teller with your singing.

Thank you.