"I want to re-iterate was a few have said. You are there to entertain the audience...not just sing some songs. Talk to the crowd in between songs. Find ways to get them engaged in what it going on. Sometimes you will be…"
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Gerimaya Whyte
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- Three Rivers, CA
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Gerimaya Whyte's Discussions
Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants
19 Replies
I've been gigging out the past three years solo acoustic with vocals. I write originals as well but have primarily focusing on covers to hone my performance craft. I was wondering if anyone could…Continue
Tags: coffeehouse, in, gigging, Gigging
Started this discussion. Last reply by Bill Myers Oct 3, 2012.
Gerimaya Whyte's Page
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Scott Burgess replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"That was Awesome!, he must be Exhausted after a set."
Bill Wray replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"I'll offer my 2 cents on volume and consideration for your audience and allowing requests. I've been playing professionally for a long time and learned a valuable insight from my father (who I first started playing with as a kid) -…"
Blues Agent replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"Last, but not least.... remember the word "entertainer". Have fun, build up an arsenal of proven jokes, audience participation stuff, etc.. And, regardless of your contracted starts and stops, do not necessarily pack it in if the venue…"
Blues Agent replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"Re taking requests to capture the crowd... this is an easy way to showcase what you do not know... can backfire and make you like a dummy."
Blues Agent replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"ALWAYS know your levels throughout the room. This is especially crucial if people are eating... ruining a meal makes you a total amateur. You should have sound assistance (manager, friend) with the room - empty, half full and full - front, middle…"
Mike Duncan replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"Thanks. People's attentions are pretty short toward songs they don't know. Play the standards. Jimmy Buffet, James Taylor, Croce, Cat Stevens, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Bob Seger. If you tend toward country too…"
"Hey Mike that is excellent advice...yeah go on! What else you got, really helpful stuff you have written..."
Wes Millette replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"I had posted some videos of this guy a couple weeks ago, don't know if you had a chance to view but as far as loopers go this is a great example of what you can do with some honed skills and a lot of practice. The pedal Jason uses is a Digitech…"
Mike Duncan replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"My advice is have a friend come and go to the back of the room and give you a sound level. Do not yell. Second, If the age disparity is more than 20 years, play whatever you want. That kind of room is not easy to…"
Michael Swift replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"Depending how big the room is. If I am by myself I have a really nice 2 channel Acoustic amp I point towards a wall and I have a little self powered monitor I point towards myself.
The idea is to take away that booming peak from the first three to…"
"@ Michael - interesting idea...so what you are saying is one speaker goes to audience, monitor faces you, and one speaker is angled against wall?"
Michael Swift replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"I think sound impact is a huge issue in these venues. I tend to give myself a monitor and place a speaker angled upwards at a wall. This allows you to turn up a little more and keeps the speakers from blowing out anyone near you. Depending on the…"
"It never hurts your cause to throw in a Creedence song or a Beatles song..but, you would be surprised at how many people are actually listening to youeven while they seem immersed in their laptops. I also have an email list with a pen attached to it…"
Ron Murray replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"Bose L! Compact solves the sound problem. Bad audiences are more difficult; sometimes it's better to get softer and make them lean in to hear, sometimes you just can't do anything and just have to finish the gig and chalk it up to paid…"
Tony John replied to Gerimaya Whyte's discussion Gigging in coffeehouses/restaurants"I play bass in an acoustic trio (guitar, mandolin, bass) and we do a lot of open mics, etc. We're primarily a cover band but we do our own "take" on covers which, I think, helps a lot. Our guitarist says "...we don't do…"
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- Which one of the following describes your involvement in music? (Check all that apply)
- Gigging or professional musician
- How many years have you been playing guitar?
- 7-10 years
- Which of these instruments do you own or play?
- Flattop steel-string acoustic guitar, Electric guitar, Bass guitar
- The make and model of your guitar(s) and/or other instruments and gear.
- Yamaha acoustic electric FGX-04 LTD, Fernandez Strat copy, Cort 5 string electric bass
- What type of music do you like to play?
- Folk, Rock, Pop, Funk, Singer-Songwriter
- Do you subscribe to or regularly read Acoustic Guitar?
- I don't regularly read Acoustic Guitar
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