I couldn't disagree with Gary more...

I stopped singing almost three years ago and went completely instrumental with my soloact. It works very well for me but it certainly wouldn't work for everyone - a lot depends on the gig itself. I'm lucky to live in an area with a wide assortment of places that feature entertainment, so I no longer try to play at "bars" in the stereotypical sense as I did once but focus on restaraunts that normally feature live music. And I try to play music that is fairly easy to recognize along the pop/jazz standards lines of my audience.

I've found that instrumental music has some advantages: it's more controllable volume-wise and doesn't compete for attention as singing does. People can talk to each other over my music even if they sit close by me. Even so I still get a lot of dancers, especially people who really know how to dance. I am more comfortable as a musician than as a singer anyway so my job is much easier without singing. And I still play just as many private functions, weddings, conventions etc. as I ever did.

The instrumental act allows me to be both unique and competitive with the singing soloacts in my area. If you have a good voice then I would suggest that you use it to your advantage, but my experience has proven that there are plenty of places that would also welcome a good instrumentalist. Just make sure your chops are up to the job!

[This message has been edited by The Pro (edited 01-16-2004).]