As it's been over a month since I last embarrassed here (and I'm somewhat relieved to see I'm not alone in this ) I'm wondering what hints and tips folks have for a newbie busker (mainly trad. Irish and English whistle)?
I can confidently play around two dozen simple tunes from 'Michael Flanagon' to 'Whisky in the Jar' and I've plucked up the confidence to practice down the street where I live. About an hour, no negative response, and I even had one lady tell me 'thanks', so was encouraged. Should I be? Or should I wait till I can play more accomplished stuff before I try putting my hat out?
If people like you, put your hat you. You wouldn't believe how much i averaged my first day out busking. I use to think that people were joking when they said "you should open up your case" or "put out a tip jar!". I was very surprised at my earnings.
just go and play AND put your hat ! If people don't like it, they just pass by.. and if they like it, they'd put a coin. I did a lot of busking in my earlier times : made quite some money, and it made me practice and get much better, When you busk, you have a public, makes you play for somebody, and in the same you're not imposing anything, people can just go away if it's not their stuff...
I've never busked but I got to meet many buskers over the years and also stopped to listen to many of the better ones.
Choosing a good pitch is very important where you are least likely to upset the authorities or, more importantly, fellow buskers who have been known to get quite "heavy" over such things.
Depending on where you are, it maybe doesn't matter too much whether you can play well or not. Some people might just feel guilty and drop a coin in your hat before walking on "just to get a bit of piece". However, in certain recognised areas, they may be used to a certain standard.
I'm sure that developing a "brass neck" is half the battle and the experience can do you no harm as regards developing your confidence.
Once upon a time, when the world was young, busking was my sole income. It was amazing what I earned. Interestingly, I earned much more when I busked with a guitarist than on my own. (And, before someone suggests something unkind, the guitarist made much more when he played with me than when he was on his own.) Perhaps it's the atmostphere and banter you can create when there's more than one person, and you can batter ideas between the two of you (or three or whatever). It's good training for gigs and stuff 'cos you get an immediate, financial, measure of what works and what doesn't. Plus, you don;t get any arguments between the musicians as to what works or not. Just try it. See how much money it makes. Then try it the other way.
In case anyone's interested, this was back in Cardiff. We did have one really scary moment, when some skinheads came right up close to us, demanded to 'try' our instruments (we didn't let them) and then threatened to 'rip our f*****g 'eads off'. Didn't come to anything. Last time I checked, mine was still there.
Ethical, you made a living off of busking by itself? That's intense. You know, the first day I tried it, i thought about that, but everyone has convinced me that you can't make a living unless you have a real, steady income job. It's a nice thought though.
It lasted about 5 months. Then I got a job as a bus driver. But yes, busking was making me enough money to live on at the time. And to feed certain habits that are thankfully long gone.
If you have two dozen tunes you have about 22 more than a lot of buskers I see.
I did it years ago - the advice about pairing up is very good. Passers-by react better to the spark of two people than one, and you keep each other "energised".
We usually played markets rather than just standing on the street (and you must stand - sitting, unless you'e unable to stand, looks like you can't be bothered)
Always made good money to supplement the dole, but those were innocent days before busking licences etc.
We took requests from stallholders (apart from STFU) - so we'd play, or learn , "Never on Sunday" for the Greek guy, or "Ten Guitars" for the Polynesian and so on. That usually resulted in a donation of notes rather than coins.
Some years ago I had a middle aged chap come to me for accordion lessons. After about three months he could pick out a few tunes. He asked me to teach him an old Irish tune called 'A Mother's Love's a Blessing' and a country tune called 'Nobody's Child. This I did and armed with the two tunes he went busking. He told me later that he made around 70 (Irish) pounds in one day. One woman gave him a 20 pound note for playing 'A Mother's Love's a Blessing'. Seemingly it was her late mother's favourite song. He eventually went to London, so if you ever meet a chap in his fifties busking in the 'Smoke' and playing those tunes, he was once a pupil of mine
The thing to remember about busking is that it is a performance, pure and simple, and the more you connect with, and please the audience, the more you take in. So chat them up, find out their favorites, and give them what they want. Like in Free Reed's story, only a few tunes can go a long way when you have the shtick to go with them.
My large front porch faces Main Street, downtown, with lots of passersby. I often sit out there during the summer and play my fiddle. It's not exactly busking, but it's in public. The funny thing is, because people are passing by and hear me only for a short time, I can play the same tune over and over and nobody knows the difference, kind of a glorified practice session with the added encouragement of having an audience for at least some of it.
So I can see how your student could get away with knowing only two tunes.
A long, long, time ago, and in a galaxy far, far away, there was a busker playing in the long tunnel between the Piccadilly and Northern lines at Leicester Square station. He only seemed to have one song; Tom Paxtons' "Bottle of Wine", and he was there more or less continuously for about 6 weeks.
Don't know how much he made..........
Busker's Hints
Busker's Hints
..or should that be "Buskers' Hints"?
) I'm wondering what hints and tips folks have for a newbie busker (mainly trad. Irish and English whistle)?
As it's been over a month since I last embarrassed here (and I'm somewhat relieved to see I'm not alone in this
I can confidently play around two dozen simple tunes from 'Michael Flanagon' to 'Whisky in the Jar' and I've plucked up the confidence to practice down the street where I live. About an hour, no negative response, and I even had one lady tell me 'thanks', so was encouraged. Should I be? Or should I wait till I can play more accomplished stuff before I try putting my hat out?
Cheers
Tim,
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by TimWhistles
Re: Busker's Hints
embarrassed myself here, hic ;)
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by TimWhistles
Re: Busker's Hints
If people like you, put your hat you. You wouldn't believe how much i averaged my first day out busking. I use to think that people were joking when they said "you should open up your case" or "put out a tip jar!". I was very surprised at my earnings.
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by fiddlelearner
Re: Busker's Hints
just go and play AND put your hat ! If people don't like it, they just pass by.. and if they like it, they'd put a coin. I did a lot of busking in my earlier times : made quite some money, and it made me practice and get much better, When you busk, you have a public, makes you play for somebody, and in the same you're not imposing anything, people can just go away if it's not their stuff...
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by Nikita Pfister
Re: Busker's Hints
I've never busked but I got to meet many buskers over the years and also stopped to listen to many of the better ones.
Choosing a good pitch is very important where you are least likely to upset the authorities or, more importantly, fellow buskers who have been known to get quite "heavy" over such things.
Depending on where you are, it maybe doesn't matter too much whether you can play well or not. Some people might just feel guilty and drop a coin in your hat before walking on "just to get a bit of piece". However, in certain recognised areas, they may be used to a certain standard.
I'm sure that developing a "brass neck" is half the battle and the experience can do you no harm as regards developing your confidence.
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by Johnny Jay
Re: Busker's Hints
Dear, dear..... I meant to say "just to get a bit of PEACE", of course, although you might get fed too.
Piece=sandwich in Scotland
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by Johnny Jay
Re: Busker's Hints
Once upon a time, when the world was young, busking was my sole income. It was amazing what I earned. Interestingly, I earned much more when I busked with a guitarist than on my own. (And, before someone suggests something unkind, the guitarist made much more when he played with me than when he was on his own.) Perhaps it's the atmostphere and banter you can create when there's more than one person, and you can batter ideas between the two of you (or three or whatever). It's good training for gigs and stuff 'cos you get an immediate, financial, measure of what works and what doesn't. Plus, you don;t get any arguments between the musicians as to what works or not. Just try it. See how much money it makes. Then try it the other way.
In case anyone's interested, this was back in Cardiff. We did have one really scary moment, when some skinheads came right up close to us, demanded to 'try' our instruments (we didn't let them) and then threatened to 'rip our f*****g 'eads off'. Didn't come to anything. Last time I checked, mine was still there.
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by ethical blend
Re: Busker's Hints
Ethical, you made a living off of busking by itself? That's intense. You know, the first day I tried it, i thought about that, but everyone has convinced me that you can't make a living unless you have a real, steady income job. It's a nice thought though.
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by fiddlelearner
Re: Busker's Hints
It lasted about 5 months. Then I got a job as a bus driver. But yes, busking was making me enough money to live on at the time. And to feed certain habits that are thankfully long gone.
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by ethical blend
Re: Busker's Hints
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/index/search?search_start=0&name=busking%20tips
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by gam
Re: Busker's Hints
If you have two dozen tunes you have about 22 more than a lot of buskers I see.
I did it years ago - the advice about pairing up is very good. Passers-by react better to the spark of two people than one, and you keep each other "energised".
We usually played markets rather than just standing on the street (and you must stand - sitting, unless you'e unable to stand, looks like you can't be bothered)
Always made good money to supplement the dole, but those were innocent days before busking licences etc.
We took requests from stallholders (apart from STFU) - so we'd play, or learn , "Never on Sunday" for the Greek guy, or "Ten Guitars" for the Polynesian and so on. That usually resulted in a donation of notes rather than coins.
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by Bren
Re: Busker's Hints
Some years ago I had a middle aged chap come to me for accordion lessons. After about three months he could pick out a few tunes. He asked me to teach him an old Irish tune called 'A Mother's Love's a Blessing' and a country tune called 'Nobody's Child. This I did and armed with the two tunes he went busking. He told me later that he made around 70 (Irish) pounds in one day. One woman gave him a 20 pound note for playing 'A Mother's Love's a Blessing'. Seemingly it was her late mother's favourite song. He eventually went to London, so if you ever meet a chap in his fifties busking in the 'Smoke' and playing those tunes, he was once a pupil of mine
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by Free Reed
Re: Busker's Hints
The thing to remember about busking is that it is a performance, pure and simple, and the more you connect with, and please the audience, the more you take in. So chat them up, find out their favorites, and give them what they want. Like in Free Reed's story, only a few tunes can go a long way when you have the shtick to go with them.
# Posted on November 9th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: Busker's Hints
Well if Pete the Jiggy can do it in Galway, I think you will do grand.
# Posted on November 9th 2011 by Scots_Niall
Re: Busker's Hints
My large front porch faces Main Street, downtown, with lots of passersby. I often sit out there during the summer and play my fiddle. It's not exactly busking, but it's in public. The funny thing is, because people are passing by and hear me only for a short time, I can play the same tune over and over and nobody knows the difference, kind of a glorified practice session with the added encouragement of having an audience for at least some of it.
So I can see how your student could get away with knowing only two tunes.
# Posted on November 10th 2011 by sara505sings
Re: Busker's Hints
A long, long, time ago, and in a galaxy far, far away, there was a busker playing in the long tunnel between the Piccadilly and Northern lines at Leicester Square station. He only seemed to have one song; Tom Paxtons' "Bottle of Wine", and he was there more or less continuously for about 6 weeks.
Don't know how much he made..........
# Posted on November 12th 2011 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Busker's Hints
Cheers all!
x
I'll put my hat out.. one day soon, hopefully!
tim
# Posted on November 14th 2011 by TimWhistles