There have been threads about allowing "guest singers." Obviously, it's common for some one to ask a fellow musician to sit in but those threads were about allowing someone who ASKS YOU if they can sing. Or their buddy can sing. This can get out of hand and it turns into karaoke. Not only do you have to contend with drunks who can't sing but they get tangled in your cords and lean on your equipment, etc.

BUT... what about if you are hired to do a private party... and the host thinks she can sing. Do you allow her to sing on your stage?

If you do, you might lose control in this situation, too. Others see her singing and think it's karaoke time. Just wondering how you view this.

I'm too easy, I have let people sing and I am thinking of starting to tell people, no matter who they are, even if I know they can sing, that "my new insurance policy does not allow guest singers of any kind." Or something like that.

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

Bill-

As a general guideline, I just don't allow it. 99/100 times someone asks me, I politely turn then down...

The only exceptions I recall making is one other muscian who joins us on stage to sing the counter melody in "Memories ar made of this" by Dean Martin...

Bill

We play regular on private parties and sometimes we get these requests upfront, f.i. the wife wants to sing a special song for the husband or vice/versa...

We do allow this IF She or He is willing to come to our studio for rehearsel!
This way we can transpose the song if needed(I can tell you that is mostly the case ) and also we find out IF she or he can sing.
If NOT we record the session and let them listen
Works great.

Fred

I politely tell them that I do not allow guest singers to use my equipment because it voids my insurance coverage if something were to happen. Additionally, I only have one mic on stange--my headset mic. If I need a guest mic for announcments it's an Elcheapo Radio Shack mic plugged into one of the spare channels with no effects. I never place it on a stand, therefore, most folks don't know it's there--not even the drunks.

Bill, the bottom line is allowing someone to sing is inviting disaster.

Cheers,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

No one sings unless we sit together (at the job) and get their key and the name of the song. Backing up a singer in any key was not a problem. Finding their key once they started to sing took a few measures but we got there. If they look like they do not have it together I put them off till later in the evening, which never happened – followed by an apology of course, it’s business.
If they sing well and the audience likes them we go for an encore. If they are bad I normally take the mic and ask for applause, then I do not return the mic.

I once played for a woman who sang terribly, she made an error and turned and looked at the band with an expression on her face like putting the blame on the band. In the middle of the next chorus I told the band to change key of the song, they booed her off. Aaaaaah.

With a live band I never worried about losing control, we had the instrument and we owned the mic --- and I controlled what happened on the bandstand.

As a OMB I would have doubts, to busy working the keyboard and trying to back up the singer to be in control. If I were using midi files, I would not touch it – very, very little control over what is happening.

John C.

I get this all the time.. I usually do this if a person asks, I tell them "I would let you on, and you probably would do a great job, but I've had like 15 others ask me, and they sound terrible! And if I let you, have to let some of them sing to, and neither you nor the crowds wants that, trust me!"

If this doesn't work, I let the guy do one number, which is usually terrible. When the crowd think is karaoke time, the next one who asks me I say: "I would, but did you hear that other guy?? man that was awful, we can't have more of those, and if you get up and sing, we most definatly will have more of him, and you don't want that do you?"

This usually works.

Doc-Z

[This message has been edited by doc-z (edited 11-29-2006).]

Just play jazz gigs, at jazz clubs, with jazz audiences. Then this won't be a problem.

chas

Some years back I worked a residency, 5 nights a week for over 7 years. During the week it was just me on arranger keys and vocals and at weekends the woman who owned the place with her husband used to sing. She had been professional and had a pretty good voice even though she was no spring chicken.

Sometimes the owners friends would come around at closing time and they would pay me extra to stay into the early hours to continue playing but mainly to let their friends come up and sing.

They would use the mic the girl singer used which belonged to me which was a pretty good quality EV one.

One night, one of the "friends" got up to sing. I didn't do uptempo numbers because joe public cant keep the beat and I always try to work out their best key and give them a loud intro ending on the dominant 7th chord of the key to lead them in. If you make them sound good you get good tips.

The guy who was singing had sung before and had a half reasonable voice but this night he had been drinking and after I had played his intro he started to sing a completely different song in another key!!!

I have backed cabaret for years and pride myself on being able to follow the most dodgiest of acts as most of the dots they provide are rubbish and basic at best and I also play by ear.

As I was trying to find this guy's key he was trying to change it to find mine which ended up in a farce as you can imagine.

He stopped singing and glared at me. His friends, who normally give him a standing ovation for doing a reasonable job were now laughing at him which was more than he could bear.

He used the mic as a weapon in true Roger Daltry style swinging it around at me and smashing it against my equipment.

The mic was trashed but luckily enough the rest on my stuff and me were reasonable unscathed other than yet another scratch on the wood of my Leslie 145

The club replaced the mic but as they had purchased it they seem to think that they could get anyone up at any time after that to use it. I left soon after and I have never allowed anyone I don't know to sing and I never will again.

Do it at your own peril

Keith

Pretty simple for me;

Whoever pays the bill, can do pretty much whatever they want as long as they are happy and speak happy things about me. They wanna sing and make a fool of themselves, go right ahead.

I do draw the line, however, at someone playing my instruments and using my microphone. I use a spare crappy mic for guest singers, and I NEVER let anyone play my keyboards and especially NOT my drums!



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Al Giordano
www.al-giordano.com

Tyros 2, Yamaha P-250, Korg Triton Extreme 76, Roland VK8-M, DW Collectors Series Drums

i see what is the majority's oppinion about this. however, when i do the musical program for a wedding or any kind of event, sometimes i have requests for allowing people to sing. but even more, sometimes, i invite them to be part of it. usually, is about some singers that need the accompaniment anyway, which i do. but even if someone wants to play my keyboard, i let him/her. usually, only for one song though!
i have no insurance for any of my equipment. maybe if i had, i wouldn t alowed everybody playing my keys...

most of the times, there is a request from the guests to invite the bride or groom for a song. but also the viceversa is true.

i had no problems with that yet, the people are doing their best and sometimes is quite funny to have them singing. i do recall one time when i had to refuse a guy, who was obviously willing but definitely not able to sing. he was so upset, he started singing anyway. for about five-six seconds... then he quietly went back to his place, not that happy, but at least he tried, right?

When im performing at bars/clubs i have a strict no guest singer policy. Unless i see another singer/musician i know, then i might invite them on stage for a couple of songs but not otherwise (that is provided my regular crowd knows the musician)

At private gigs however its a different matter. If at the end of the day a person is paying me handsomely to perform, i dont care if they come and do a song. but again, i keep it strictly ONE SONG, and thats it.

its funny, recently i did a gig where there were like 5 people who wanted to sing. and i didnt know there were 5 of em until i asked the first one to comeup. the nextthing you know, the stage is packed with wannabees. and i stuck to my one song policy and at the end, the organizer of the party was pissed off that i didnt let people sing more and accused me of being afraid of them "stealing my thunder"!! LOL!



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~Jay

Yamaha PSR-3000
Korg i3

I think playing for a private party is different than playing for a 'corporate' function or a 'public' gig, i.e piano lounge, restaurant, etc. ... what also must be taken into consideration is the audience. Example: I played a 'piano lounge' where the bar clientele was the same crowd, Friday and Saturday every week ... during the evening I would only allow people I knew to get up and sing, and I would introduce them as a 'personal friend and fellow entertainer' ... any others, I would explain that since I did not know them, I did not feel I could do justice in backing them up ... BUT, near the end of the night some of the bar regulars would come around the piano bar and start singing ... the owner loved it, the remaining audience loved it, and the tips were good ... so I figured "knock yourselves out" ...

Playing a private party, everyone knows each other, and more often than not also know who is going to get up and sing, whether they are making a fool of themselves, or performing well ... In this case, I don't think a poor performance is a reflection on the paid entertainer, but on the 'sit-in' ... especially if the paid entertainer is otherwise doing a good job ...
If the host requests in advance that someone sing, I try to get the song they will sing in advance of the function ... if necessary I would work out the key during a break - LOVE that 'transpose' button ...

I would not allow 'sit-ins' at a corporate party if I did not know them because there the reflection of a poor performance usually falls back on the entertainer ...

PS: chas - love your response ...
t.


[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 11-29-2006).]

One of the main problems with allowing ANYone who is not a pro entertainer to sing... tripping over cords, leaning on equipment, being drunk and spilling drinks, etc.

There is no doubt in my mind that not allowing ANYone to sing would be best but so far, I have been too easy. And it recently got out of hand and I had to get rough. Literally. Well, verbally.

I didn't knock her teeth out, she didn't have any.

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

It's a thin line, with no perfect answer. I'm more in line with what DocZ does.
There are times when you have to let someone sing. I've made 100-dollar tips that way, and there are two reasons I'm in this business: I enjoy it and to make money!
I always carry a guest mic, one of the cheapo Samsons. The mic sounds good and if they drop it, oh well it's $19.95. I've never had one used as a weapon against me! That might change my whole attitude!
I like to be able to invite other pros to sing. However I don't always, and they generally understand when I decide it's not the right time or setting. A real pro NEVER asks to sit in. He waits to be asked.
Occasionally someone will stink it up. I usually say something like, "Let's give John a big hand for that effort. Tomorrow I'm going to get drunk and go help him on HIS job. (at the Bank or where-ever if I know what he does)."
You can always get by with letting someone do one song. You can never let them take over.
I always have control over the mic volume and occasionally the mic will unexplicably quit before a song is over.
I try to never let anyone use MY mic. I used to do this, but learned my lesson long ago. Using a mic after a drunk smoker makes me ILL. So does kissing one. And then there's the girl with an inch or so of lipstick to smear on your mic. Gag.
Just rambling. Good thread.

DonM

Check any female vocalist's mic and you will see the results of lipstick ... it's the result of pronouncing 'b' and 'p' while they are singing ... even if they DON'T hug the mic ...

And fret not, Don ... you're a good 'ramblin' man' .. ...
t.

If there paying you let them do whatever they want....as long as you do you part professionaly...most times they suck so you look even better up there......but let the client make the call remember your just a worker especially at a private function.

Agree, Tony...I play several repetitive private jobs where everyone knows each other. It's so informal that, If someone wants to sing, I let them (an old mike, of course).

Most corporate jobs are more structured, so, unless there's extra money and a rehersal, it dosn't happen!


Russ