busking
busking
anybody have experience with busking (aka street performing)? tips, tricks? i'm in san francisco, so i'm thinking i either wanna go to the haight ashbury or else the subway downtown. how long do you reckon a good set would be? if you've done it before, how much have you made?
-
Caravan Ray
- bono
- Posts: 8665
- Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 1:51 pm
- Instruments: Penis
- Recording Method: Garageband
- Submitting as: Caravan Ray,G.O.R.T.E.C,Lyricburglar,The Thugs from the Scallop Industry
- Location: Toowoomba, Queensland
- Contact:
I used to do it all the time when I was a Uni student.
I would get out of bed around lunchtime. Walk into town with my geetar and sing some Monkees songs until I had enough money to buy a pie for lunch. Then go home and watch the afternoon soapies on telly. Ahhh...that was the life!
The main thing to remember is that your audience is moving. You have about 5 seconds to win them over and get that coin. Make every 5 seconds count.
I would get out of bed around lunchtime. Walk into town with my geetar and sing some Monkees songs until I had enough money to buy a pie for lunch. Then go home and watch the afternoon soapies on telly. Ahhh...that was the life!
The main thing to remember is that your audience is moving. You have about 5 seconds to win them over and get that coin. Make every 5 seconds count.
Just went for my first time a few days ago. Very awesome experience.
Have a full post on it here if you want to read it. Though I did it for charity, so I don't know how I'd fair for just personal gain.
Like Mr. Ray pointed out, you have five seconds to win them over. Your guitaring, or whatever you're going to use, basically doesn't mean a damn thing. People are there to hear you sing [except for the occasional musician who walks by, but musicians are poor, so you're not really playing to them]. I've found that your singing doesn't even have to be technically amazing. If you can really work your falsetto, people will be impressed.
On the other hand, you could go for completely instrumental stuff, and the only way you'd win people here, I think, is if you were playing an exotic or strange instrument. Next week I'll probably go out with a melodica, and see how that goes.
It's a great way to work up your live performance though. You have to be ready for anything.
Have a full post on it here if you want to read it. Though I did it for charity, so I don't know how I'd fair for just personal gain.
Like Mr. Ray pointed out, you have five seconds to win them over. Your guitaring, or whatever you're going to use, basically doesn't mean a damn thing. People are there to hear you sing [except for the occasional musician who walks by, but musicians are poor, so you're not really playing to them]. I've found that your singing doesn't even have to be technically amazing. If you can really work your falsetto, people will be impressed.
On the other hand, you could go for completely instrumental stuff, and the only way you'd win people here, I think, is if you were playing an exotic or strange instrument. Next week I'll probably go out with a melodica, and see how that goes.
It's a great way to work up your live performance though. You have to be ready for anything.