|
|
|
|
|
|
#199548 - 05/18/05 09:40 AM
Re: Audience should see you playing the keys?
|
Senior Member
Registered: 12/08/02
Posts: 15560
Loc: Forest Hill, MD USA
|
Bill, They just want to be entertained. Most of us who have been doing this for some time had dozens of times when people come up to you while you're singing, watch your fingers doing their thing, stand a foot away and begin asking questions as if you could sing, play and hold a conversation at the same time. My dear departed father had an old saying for those individuals. He said "Keep in mind that common sense is not very damned common these days!" He was right. If you want to hide your laptop, place it on a standard, heavy-duty music stand, position it off to the side, and then maybe they'll think you're looking at sheet music. NAH! Gary
_________________________
PSR-S950, TC Helicon Harmony-M, Digitech VR, Samson Q7, Sennheiser E855, Custom Console, and lots of other silly stuff!
K+E=W (Knowledge Plus Experience = Wisdom.)
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#199550 - 05/18/05 11:19 AM
Re: Audience should see you playing the keys?
|
Senior Member
Registered: 12/01/99
Posts: 10427
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US...
|
Yes, we all gotta be good entertainers (at least to some degree) to succeed as musicians, but I for one am specifically billed as "keyboard-vocal musician" and audiences (at least mine) expect no less. I realize there are many differing arranger keyboard entertainment markets out there, from: providing dance hall entertainment, restaurant background music, karaoke club informal bar-lounge entertainment, to: more formal intimate lounge club music & stage concerts where people actually come 'specifically' to hear you play & sing live. Some of these venues require very little traditional keyboard playing skills while others expect it. Though all audiences expect to be entertained, differing venues attract different audiences, of who have differing artist performance expectations. Considering myself foremost: a vocalist-musician & interpreter of song, I most appreciate the intimate concert venues, where I'm able to 'express my heart' thru my music with the audience returning their attention & appreciation. For this reason, I find the intimate concert venues most personally gratifying, especially for my kind of one man entertainment, and the type of venue where the audience may be more apt to be interested in seeing you play the keys. On another note: I remember it being brought up adamantly by Uncle Dave (and a few others here as well) that they felt utilizing a MusicPad Pro onstage, a terrible audience distraction. After viewing the impressive pics of Donny's laptop setup onstage: I find it no less (and more likely more) of an audience distraction than the MusicPad Pro is. The laptop looks like what it is: a computer, of which is stereo-typically expected (by the public) to be 'stared' into. On the other hand, my experience with the MusicPad Pro is that the audience rarely notices it, because it looks like merely a flat device, no different than the tilt up screen on my Tyros. As a followup to my MusicPad Pro+ purchase a few months back, I still feel it was the best music equipment investment I've made in a LONG time, worth every penny, and suitable for all performance venues. A laptop's 'music viewing' features & capabilities simply don't approach the abilities of the MusicPad Pro+. If you're a professional musician currently using music, leadsheets, or lyrics onstage, consider the MusicPad Pro. It's worth the investment. Scott [This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 05-18-2005).]
_________________________
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#199554 - 05/18/05 01:44 PM
Re: Audience should see you playing the keys?
|
Senior Member
Registered: 12/08/02
Posts: 15560
Loc: Forest Hill, MD USA
|
DJs ding weddings in this part of the world knock down $800 to $1,200 for a 4-hour wedding reception, and even more when the do both the wedding and reception. Often, however, the actual pay to the DJ is far less, and the lion's share of the proceeds goes to the catering company or wedding planner that put the package together. Sometimes there's an $800 charge for the DJ, and the DJ gets to keep $150 for 4 hours work.
Scott, are you trying to tell us that no one has ever walked up to you while you were singing and playing, and started talking to you? This happens to every OMB entertainer I know on the planet, and that's regardless of wheter you use a laptop or just sing from memory. I've even had people come up and ask questions while I was playing a 12-string guitar and singing, and that's while I was on stage with three other guys. I don't believe the computer has a thing to do with this problem. At the end of the night, even before I played a keyboard and worked with several country bands, at the end of the night you would get a check where the item line said DJ Music.
Cheers,
Gary
_________________________
PSR-S950, TC Helicon Harmony-M, Digitech VR, Samson Q7, Sennheiser E855, Custom Console, and lots of other silly stuff!
K+E=W (Knowledge Plus Experience = Wisdom.)
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#199556 - 05/18/05 03:01 PM
Re: Audience should see you playing the keys?
|
Senior Member
Registered: 09/21/00
Posts: 43703
|
The mere fact that the audience hears more then ONE instument coming from a keyboard eg: drums, bass, rythym secions etc etc ....is in their head not computing to the laymans ear no matter how good a player you are.....with that in mind they obviously know something is different and somthing is being done by the person on stage other then playing just ONE instrument.....either they think, its a computer, DJ, tapes, CD's, mini discs, mp3's doesnt matter at that point unless there is ONLY A PIANO to look at. Explaining all this technology to them is futile, you must realize what we do is Entertaining in whatever form it takes and whatver you the musician want to believe in your own mind....the bottom line is to make the client happy, make the audience happy, get paid for your services, and get repeat business to make a living. A purist musicaianal attutude in todays high tech world is a thing of the past....go with the flow and enjoy the fact that your doing something enjoyable in whatever way YOU do it .....there is no rules or right or wrong....the music speaks for it self and always will!!.
[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 05-18-2005).]
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|