not wat ye wanna hear

[dingadong04]

this is probably not the best place to talk about this (on a midi site lol..) but i have found myself playing more without the midi backing .just me and me geetar ..tonite i have just played a whole show no midis used .. i have been mixing me show for a while now between the midis and buskin ..and playing a lot of songs that i have,nt played in years ..and now i have been offered every Friday night + Sunday afternoons for the forseeable future.. just wanted to hear if any other members are moving back towards the live shows and if so what are there feelings ..

cubb

[cptkay0s]

Cubb
We normally do a couple of sets "acoustic" (generally while the punters are having their meals), and then ramp up using midi for the "dance" sets later in the evening.

Regards
Warren

[shyamwestwind]

Cubb, we can never ever stop yearning to play LIVE. We all started our careers that way, didnt we ? Its a totally different high, playing LIVE with a band or as a solo performer or with another guitarist.
Live playing will always be appreciated and applauded. Music is being "shown" LIVE and there's no substitute to that.
I can still remember sitting on the steps of our house and singing raw and loud and friends would join me with their harmonicas, tambourines, and even plastic mugs to make music - thats pure magic. !!!!!
With Midis, no one compliments the backing, only the singing.
Nice going Tubbs.strum your way to their hearts.
Good luck and all the best.

[gibbo]

I love it when we get a chance to play "herbal" (all-natural-ingredients, no-additives!).
Just voice and acoustic guitar is fine by me. We do a 5 star restaurant once every blue moon where we just use acoustic guitar, the in-house piano and our monitors. We get to play a lot of material we wouldn't do at the "normal" gigs, I just love it.
I guess for most of us, that's how we used to play for years. I've had bands of all shapes and sizes, worked solo with just acoustic guitar for years until I bought a drum-machine, started a duo with my missus on piano, brought in a percussionist, graduated to using midi-backings, and now I love getting back to basics and playing with live musos or herbal.
I love the freedom of expression too, I can go anywhere with it; change keys, tempos, songs etc whenever the mood takes me.
It seems to me that the punters today expect to hear the whole kit-and-caboodle, they expect you to sound like a 6-piece-plus-strings! I guess it's what they're hearing on CD, FM and MTV.
I have plenty of CDs and watch MTV but I still listen to old vinyl LPs and can happily listen to a guy-and-guitar all night; I don't need to hear all the instruments, I enjoy the simplicity of it.
It's a good point, Cubb, and I think we're seeing a revival of the acoustic-musician here in Sydney... just wait 'til summer when all those new Beer Gardens open up in response to the smoking ban. I predict lots of low-volume acoustic gigs!
Cheers, Dave.

[shyamwestwind]

Nice term - HERBAL !!! I like that !!!!

[rogerb]

For several months now I've been working with a four piece me on keyboards/vocals, bass guitar, drums and a girl singer totally live. We've been offered some good work for the season and for me it's a return to my roots after six years of working solo with a mix of midis and keyboard styles. I'm enjoying every minute.

[themd21]

I completely agree Cubb.
Although I now play keyboards, my first instrument was guitar and I still sometimes sit and strum, thinking out fresh arrangements to modern or contemporary tunes.
Problem is, everybody wants music at 100mph these days.
My set is now down to 1, occasionally 2, slow or slowish songs per half. Nobody listens anymore.
Theres one club I play though, compact, low lighting with a more mature audience.They have a taste for a bit of jazz or swing.
So I slipped in some Nat King Cole, Sinatra or general swing songs, keeping the arrangements minimal or just piano.Went down a bomb.
Great thinks I, until I came back 2 months later, tried it again.
"That was fair" I was told, " but a guy here a few weeks ago was fantastic, sounded like a big band, what a player!"
I know the guy, he can't play the spoons, air keyboardist, with an action like a Thunderbird puppet!!
I gave up.

[Emerald Midi]

themd21 said:

I completely agree Cubb.
Although I now play keyboards, my first instrument was guitar and I still sometimes sit and strum, thinking out fresh arrangements to modern or contemporary tunes.
Problem is, everybody wants music at 100mph these days.
My set is now down to 1, occasionally 2, slow or slowish songs per half. Nobody listens anymore.
Theres one club I play though, compact, low lighting with a more mature audience.They have a taste for a bit of jazz or swing.
So I slipped in some Nat King Cole, Sinatra or general swing songs, keeping the arrangements minimal or just piano.Went down a bomb.
Great thinks I, until I came back 2 months later, tried it again.
"That was fair" I was told, " but a guy here a few weeks ago was fantastic, sounded like a big band, what a player!"
I know the guy, he can't play the spoons, air keyboardist, with an action like a Thunderbird puppet!!
I gave up.

Jimmy, this is more or less my experience too. A couple of years ago I try going back to how I originally started out, acoustic guitar and a drum machine and although I occasionally had the odd Goodnight it was never consistent.

Last night I played at a 50th birthday party where I performed everything from the fifties and sixties right through to the seventies and on up to today, without hardly a breather because everyone was loving the " Show Band Experience." Something that would have been almost impossible for any one man performer to carry off without backing tracks, whether midi files or mini discs or whatever.

Now and again I like to include an acoustic element into my existing set up, and now and again it is well appreciated, timing being the key factor but the general rule of thumb, at least in my experience, is that using good, lively, professionally created backing tracks ensures a great night for all concerned.

[dingadong04]

some great.. and spot on replys .. Iv,e always been very lucky when it came to me music so being able to get work playing live again is absolute heaven .. i don,t travel too far anymore so a lot of the clubs i play know me so its a big help knowing the crowd ..so again very lucky
and as Jimmy said putting yer own wee slant on the songs i love that and as most of the crowds are in my age group ( gettin old ) i,m getting a good reception ..i don,t take meself too serious at this game i,m just a busker but ba jasus am i enjoying meself

all the best fir nigh
cubb

[rogerb]

Rock on Cubb - a man after my own heart. All the best, Roger

[belle]

whataboutye Cubb,

So where are you playing the regular gigs?

[don]

Good on Ya Dingadong however if you are playing only an acoustic guitar (I myself used to play like that) I found that it can be annoying with the same strummed sound even if the tempo is varied it is still one instrument along with the voice. I have never had a bad
"experience" with my midifiles and that may be because I spend hours editing them to get the sound "mine".
Any way good luck with your well earned Gigs.
Don.

[pdiroma]

I have to admit, nothing replaces "live". However, who is gonna pay them and most club
owners want the total band sound....So, I will stick with midi...