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#354638 - 11/13/12 04:19 AM Re: How many breaks on a 3 hour restaurant gig [Re: Mockie]
Nedim Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 05/13/08
Posts: 1144
Loc: Staten Island, NYC
When i was playing live 3 hours was enough time just to warm up, lol,
3 hours is nothing basically, we played up to 4-5 hours without a break
but there was money too, i am talking 2-3000$ tips in 4-5 hours.
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#354649 - 11/13/12 07:45 AM Re: How many breaks on a 3 hour restaurant gig [Re: Nedim]
tony mads usa Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 01/16/02
Posts: 14376
Loc: East Greenwich RI USA
Originally Posted By: Nedim
When i was playing live 3 hours was enough time just to warm up, lol,
3 hours is nothing basically, we played up to 4-5 hours without a break
but there was money too, i am talking 2-3000$ tips in 4-5 hours.


$2000 - $3000 in TIPS?!?!? ... where the heck were you working? ... some sheik's family room ... like RUSS ??? rotf2 party
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#354654 - 11/13/12 08:11 AM Re: How many breaks on a 3 hour restaurant gig [Re: captain Russ]
ianmcnll Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 07/27/05
Posts: 10606
Loc: Cape Breton Island, Canada
Originally Posted By: captain Russ


It's all about finding the pulse of the room. And it's also about playing at the correct volume and choosing songs that can be played in a manner that is not to "busy".


Russ


I agree, Russell, and I must admit I tend to prefer "cocktail piano style music" rather than light classical or rock for these situations though, of course, it depends on the ambiance of the restaurant...perhaps some light rock can work in some places.

I also find Bossa Novas and Rumbas are ideal for doing something upbeat, but still remaining within reasonable laid-backness. Someone told me one time, to try and stay under 120 BPM for most pieces, as above that tempo, you are dipping into dance music territory.

But all the torch tunes and romantic jazz standards are great to just play around with and improvise a bit...it's a good time for it, as no one's really listening too closely...and that leads to the volume issue...people should be able to talk without shouting or raising their voice.

A friend of mine likes to tell the story about when he went out for a first date, semi-romantic, dinner with this nice lady, and between her false teeth, and the silverware, she made that much noise eating, that the couple at the next table got up to dance.

Ian

PS..A great book for restaurant (or nite-club dinner) music, if you are a reasonably good reader, is 150 Of The Most Beautiful Songs Ever by Hal Leonard
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#354664 - 11/13/12 10:12 AM Re: How many breaks on a 3 hour restaurant gig [Re: ianmcnll]
tony mads usa Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 01/16/02
Posts: 14376
Loc: East Greenwich RI USA
Originally Posted By: ianmcnll
Originally Posted By: captain Russ


It's all about finding the pulse of the room. And it's also about playing at the correct volume and choosing songs that can be played in a manner that is not to "busy".


Russ


I agree, Russell, and I must admit I tend to prefer "cocktail piano style music" rather than light classical or rock for these situations though, of course, it depends on the ambiance of the restaurant...perhaps some light rock can work in some places.

I also find Bossa Novas and Rumbas are ideal for doing something upbeat, but still remaining within reasonable laid-backness. Someone told me one time, to try and stay under 120 BPM for most pieces, as above that tempo, you are dipping into dance music territory.

But all the torch tunes and romantic jazz standards are great to just play around with and improvise a bit...it's a good time for it, as no one's really listening too closely...and that leads to the volume issue...people should be able to talk without shouting or raising their voice.

A friend of mine likes to tell the story about when he went out for a first date, semi-romantic, dinner with this nice lady, and between her false teeth, and the silverware, she made that much noise eating, that the couple at the next table got up to dance.

Ian

PS..A great book for restaurant (or nite-club dinner) music, if you are a reasonably good reader, is 150 Of The Most Beautiful Songs Ever by Hal Leonard


Ian ... I find that Latin styles such as bossa nova, rhumba, bolero, work VERY well to transform a standard ballad and even some light pop/rock tunes into something different, e.g. some Beatles tunes - Michelle, Yesterday, Something. etc; Billy Joel's Just The Way You Are; the standard I've Got You Under My Skin" etc. etc. etc. ... but even in a 'cocktail piano music' setting I will go beyond the 120 BPM for tunes like 'Four'. Rt. 66, etc.
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#354667 - 11/13/12 11:35 AM Re: How many breaks on a 3 hour restaurant gig [Re: tony mads usa]
captain Russ Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 01/02/04
Posts: 7285
Loc: Lexington, Ky, USA
Ian and Tony, I can tell you've "been there".

My break music is generally something like Forplay or Acoustic Alchemy. That works because I'm, generally promoted as a "lite dinner/jazz" player.

Best advice? Don't "get in the way", but rather be a provider of pleasant, entertaining supplement music to the dining/entertaining experience.


Work for me!


Russ

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#354668 - 11/13/12 11:50 AM Re: How many breaks on a 3 hour restaurant gig [Re: tony mads usa]
ianmcnll Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 07/27/05
Posts: 10606
Loc: Cape Breton Island, Canada
Originally Posted By: tony mads usa


Ian ... I find that Latin styles such as bossa nova, rhumba, bolero, work VERY well to transform a standard ballad and even some light pop/rock tunes into something different, e.g. some Beatles tunes - Michelle, Yesterday, Something. etc; Billy Joel's Just The Way You Are; the standard I've Got You Under My Skin" etc. etc. etc. ... but even in a 'cocktail piano music' setting I will go beyond the 120 BPM for tunes like 'Four'. Rt. 66, etc.


Ha Ha! Yes, Tony, occasionally I become a madman crazy and do songs over the 120 BPM...it's usually with "Light Rock" tunes, that I try to stay just under 120 bpm...but, it's not set in stone.

I like to toss in a few speedier tunes, usually so I don't put too many to sleep, or to wake up the ones I have maybe caused to drift off.

I do a pretty accurate version of Classical Gas, by Mason Williams, where I feature the T4's very slick SA Concert Guitar (I even pretend to "tune" it before starting the tune) and the piece clips along real nice, and always gets a positive reaction.

Plus, like you, I do Route 66; additionally, I do Fly Me To The Moon quite uptempo, using the Tyros4's cool Jazz Guitar Club style which is at 142 and/or Cool Piano Jazz at 130...in all, of course, it depends on the nature of the crowd, and, sometimes even the time of year (Christmas, for example)

I LOVE playing Billy Joel's Just The Way You Are, and have worked up a custom style for it on my Tyros4, that is fairly accurate to the original, whereby it starts rather gently, and then goes into a Bossa like beat...I thoroughly enjoy trying to get Phil Woods's sax solo as close as possible, again making use of the Tyros4's really nice SA2 Saxophone.

Also, the chords in that tune have to be precise to really pull it off...the few, but essential, On Bass chords make all the difference.

His tune "Piano Man" is a really nice uptempo waltz that is quite lively too...and nearly everyone recognizes it.

I guess we really are what our instruments claim to be..."arrangers".

Do you do any Floyd Cramer stuff, like On the Rebound (nice and peppy) or the classic, Last Date?

Ian
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#354691 - 11/13/12 07:05 PM Re: How many breaks on a 3 hour restaurant gig [Re: Mockie]
Uncle Dave Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 12/01/99
Posts: 12800
Loc: Penn Yan, NY
The crowd that comes to see/hear me often comes to catch up on my family and personal life too, so I am expected to take breaks. I also play mostly dance situations, so the house needs the dance floor to empty every so often for people to head back and order more drinks. A typical 3 hr party for me is 1 hr straight then a 15 min break (with music playing from my system) 45 min on, 15 off, 45 minutes till the end.

If you DO take breaks (and I encourage you to do so), use the time to get to know your clients and what they want to hear - shmooze the crowd, kiss the babies, etc ... it's a sales job. Sell yourself, then play good music.
smile
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#354822 - 11/15/12 06:53 PM Re: How many breaks on a 3 hour restaurant gig [Re: ianmcnll]
tony mads usa Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 01/16/02
Posts: 14376
Loc: East Greenwich RI USA
Originally Posted By: ianmcnll


Do you do any Floyd Cramer stuff, like On the Rebound (nice and peppy) or the classic, Last Date?

Ian


No, but I'm going to have to try "On the Rebound" thank you ... smile
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