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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → HELP-busking tips.
My friend and I are a bit short of cash and thougt we'd have a crack at busking (we're 14). We both have steel string acoustics and can both play reasonably well. Are there any tips for songs or stuff for us to play. Neither of us can sing so we're relying completley on our guitars. Also are there tips you can offer on choosing a place to busk and special tricks to increase your chance of money?
Thanks.
First find places where people wait......................for busses, boats,trains, planes, restraunts, movies and concerts...... play at shopping areas, malls, outdoor markets , art festivals and the beaches...................... Dress alike , wierd, cool or different than every body else on the street................... something to grab attention................... so they stop and listen to what you are playing. Play older songs or blues everybody grooves to blue tunes............. easy and fun jamming for instrumental stuff...... if you guys don't sing find some dancers or pretty girls to pass the change jar! Remember people are walking around pretty bored all the time........ an interesting and fun presentation will help you get a lot of change and gigs..... be sure to have a flyer or cards to hand out at least have pen and paper to give out your info if you are good enough, people will hire you to play elsewhere. Good luck post back after you try it! let us know how it went IMPORTANT.... Always ask permission if you are near a restraunt or if there are other street performers be courteous wait for them to finish or leave before claiming your spot
One big flaw in your plan guys; "Neither of us can sing so we're relying completley on our guitars."
IMHO you'll get far more money busking if you can get attention with some singing. This doesn't need to be sweet, note perfect singing just something to bring the song alive. Look at alot of rock'n'roll, those guys weren't great singers, they made the song and vocals support each other. Have a look at 'Return To Sender', you can almost just read out the lyrics and it works. Put a bit of theatre into it ('She wrote UPON it!') and you've got a crowd puller.
At first I hadn't a clue where you live, but I looked it up, and it's down under.
MY TIPS:
1) Be sure that you don't violate the law, is it allowed to play on the street or in the subway, stations for bus and train, in fact public transport. I really liked it when there was someone playing guitar, for me there is an "extra" value created by people who play and sing.
2) see 1, but now: what about playing in a restaurant? Most of the customers, are there together to eat. In Europe, especially in Belgium, France we have an "eat-culture" and people don't like to be disturbed whhile they eat.
3) What kind of music do you play? Play songs people know very well, like YESTERDAY (not that easy on guitar, but if you are able to play it: using 2 voices can create a beautiful harmony, same for the guitars. READ CAREFULLY WHAT OUR NEW FELLOW CHORDIAN WROTE. HE'S 100% correct.
(very welcome) sound88 is this your year of birth 88? You will find a lot of easy and well known songs on this site. To mention some names and songs like John Denver: Leaving on a jet plane, country roads take me home. Some CCR stuff maybe: who'll stop the rain, a few Beatle songs, some Rolling Stones (Their slow songs, like Lady Jane).
Sometimes people will ask to play a song and that's the tricky part. NO ADVISE HERE.
4) Important of course is that you know at least the melody, and lyrics. Can you play some songs from "down under" groups? I try to say: play some Bee Gees, sounds always nice, or Crowded House (4 seasons in one day). Try some blues, no need to sing, just jamming.
5) Look for artists and/or songs, try to look in a songbook, print and there you go
6) A LOT OF LUCK, AND COURAGE TO PERFORM IN PUBLIC. Don't forget this tip, when you are sitting, put already some money in your "hat" AND
7) PRACTISE and PRACTISE and PRACTISE. I am jealous on the fact you have the balls to do this. I think of making a trip with one of my 2 best friends (both divorced, both at home, he: unemployed me because of being disabled after a car crash), maybe that can help to receive more, certainly if I can hire a wheelchair and we leave here with some guitars, and play somewhere on a parking on a highway. Dream, dream dream.
Thanks, I might try to sing. We just need some classic songs to play that will grab peoples attention, we know a jazzed up version of 'I will survive' and I can just manage to reach the notes on ' Horse with no name'. We'll also play a few acoustic versions of songs that we have written nad we can just jam as well. Oh yeah, we'll play little wing as well, and mabye an instrumental version of 'sweet home alabama', are there any classic aussie songs that we could play? I tried playing some crowded house but it was just out of my range. Thanks for your help. I live in a country town with a population of about 45'000 and the main CBD is just 2 blocks. We've found a spot on one of the main streets outside a food bar sitting on a park bench, does this sound good?
We went busking yesterday downtown. We had to get a busking permit which was $10 but we made this back in about 5 minutes. We busked for 2 hours and made $76. We had to share it between us though. We both played guitar and didn't sing. Most of the time I played the melody and my friend played the chords. By far the most popular songs were sweet home alabama and the red hot chili peppers song snow ((hey oh)). We got about 17 2 dollar coins and 2 five dollar notes. All in all it was a sucsses and we are planning to do it again.
Well Done Altex keep it up and really enjoy the experience.
That is great Altex. I am so pleased that your venture worked out OK.
Roger
ALTEX, my chordian friend. Did you see the T-shirts, if you wear both our "chordian" T-shirt, they will even spot you more. AND ONE IMPORTANT THING I SHOULD DO: selling at the same time T-shirts. But that's one for ROGER.
Well, what can I say: super. You need "stress" and you have a victory by playing in public.
I think a lot of us like to do this, even I do.
Sooner or later, my "guitar friend" are going to France, over Germany, the mountains to end in STRAATSBURG with 2 guitars , and there is a reality that we start playing just on a rest stop, or probably at a lake there. Nothing is confirmed yet. MY "BIGGES3 problem was and maybe is" still a fear that people hate what we do. On the other hand, thanks to my car crash and the fact that I don't work (last news was very bad and hard), made me stronger, more assertive, and I have learned to say (finally) NO. Thanks to my disability, the pain, I am stronger.
So I wanted to know if there were problems with a police officer? CONTINUE to play. Your 76$ will raise, the more you and your friend learn.
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GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS YOU SHOUL BE JEALOUS HERE, THEY DO WHAT WE WANT.
No problems with any police. We followed all the regulations on our busking permit, although it did say to busk on the guttered edge of the path but all the other buskers were playing on the shop side so we did as well. All we had to do was ask the shop keeper and that was it. We were thinking maybe to get some bongos to give a bit more of a beat. We are 14 so we don't look that young but my little brother who is 10 has a great sense of rythym and we were thinking about getting him to play as well, the only disadvantage of that is that we will have to share the money with him as well. :-)
Altex, again my deep respect and admiration. I don't care about your "play"level, I care about the fact that, well, you did it.
BUT nosy as I am, what guitar brand you use? How long do you play, the longer the better, but playing for an audience: a kick!!!
You wrote something about other buskers, so what did people passing there? Did they stay long enough to listen? Don't worry, I've been almost everywhere, and I saw buskers in almost every big city. Sometimes the police removed them, that's why I asked that question. Did you play acoustic? electric? I have seen older buskers, playing real bad (but probably thinking they were Clapton) and young players, who were real talented.
Please keep me informed. I just bought in a music store a BOSS BR 600, but I still don't have a clue how it works. My intention was to record own songs, and put them on myspace, because you can hear very good songs, and I don't have a video camera, so I hope I can tell you soon: I HAVE A SONG ON MYSPACE.
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GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: THERE IS ENOUGH SPACE ON MYSPACE
I used a new $800 tanglewood acoustic and my friend used a 20 year old fender acoustic. We played for about 2 hours. ITs funny, most people walk past, hear a song they like, walk another 10 metres then stop, get some loose change and drop it in.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → HELP-busking tips.
