Outstanding Dennis! I can barely play in front of my wife!
Pete
A funny thing happened at my first open mic performance...
BRAVO!!!D
Man you must a big set of balls.First the announcer(could not have been any dryer)(or stoned?)Then a little mess up on the chord change at the start of the song.Then just to show them you had all the control, you say(Hell lets just do that chorus again)Like it was no big deal to change the song from the way your use to on your first open mic.Yes sir D that a big set,I must say.It's a great feeling to no people enjoy the music that you have labored and love for.Not a bad way to spend a night,Sharing great music with great folks.Hope you do many more and have the time of your life.BRAVO!!! D BRAVO!!!
Kevin
Man you must a big set of balls.First the announcer(could not have been any dryer)(or stoned?)Then a little mess up on the chord change at the start of the song.Then just to show them you had all the control, you say(Hell lets just do that chorus again)Like it was no big deal to change the song from the way your use to on your first open mic.Yes sir D that a big set,I must say.It's a great feeling to no people enjoy the music that you have labored and love for.Not a bad way to spend a night,Sharing great music with great folks.Hope you do many more and have the time of your life.BRAVO!!! D BRAVO!!!
Kevin
Since a few people have speculated as to the size of the nether region of my anatomy, I thought I'd address the issue by saying that, although I won't comment as to the specific girth, I'll just say that I've never received any formal complaints. Well, not in writing anyway. Okay, not in handwriting.
Tony: After I read your note about including Jamie and Heather in a future open mic, I asked Jamie if she'd be willing to sing "The Difficult Kind" in front of a live audience. She thought about it for, oh, seven milliseconds, and said, "I'm in." Clearly, I'm not the only one in the family with a pair. And I know Heather would be totally stoked to do "Killing the Blues." Thanks for the suggestion.
Jay: Thanks for saying I look like a seasoned pro. I'm about to look a lot less like a seasoned pro in my "Autumn Leaves" video. Yikes!
Dermot: I actually felt more confident than I had any right to feel. Then I got on stage and noticed the audience.
Mark: Hahaha ... that's one of the funniest posts I've ever read. Really. A man crush. (Note to self: remind Mark we were supposed to keep that private.) One of the great things about bringing a good song to an open mic is that you know immediately that the audience is with you. Almost from the first couple of notes I played, I saw people smiling and toes tapping. That's a good sign, and it made the rest of the song easier. By the way, any time you want to learn this, shoot me a PM. It's a hugely fun song to play and a real challenge to sing to. And because it's so unlike anything else I've heard, it'd make a really good lesson, too.
Chris: Yeah, way to go! You managed to refer to two portions of my anatomy in one sentence. That deserves a prize. I'm going to you "Sad Songs & Waltzes." But not in Dutch. Maybe Aramaic. As always, I appreciate your comments.
Stuart: I've been practicing my open-mic songs standing up for the past week. Man, what a shock it is the first time you try it -- the guitar feels like it's about seven feet away from you, and you can no longer easily see the fret board. I also practiced with a mic so that I'd get a feel for backing away from the mic during interludes, then approach the mic when it was time to sing again. One other thing I practiced was playing these songs with my eyes closed so that I wouldn't have to be a slave to visual cues from the fret board. You'll see in the "Autumn Leaves" video that I was able to move around fairly easily, including doing that repeated slide, without having to gawk at the guitar. To answer your other question, no, my success with "Country Honk" didn't remove the jitters from my "Autumn Leaves" performance, because that song is always tricky to play, it's very slow, and I didn't have a clue how the audience was going to react to it. More on that later.
BobR: Thanks for the comment. I think the announcer did a great job getting the audience on my side. And having them sing was a real blessing.
Dave: I really did have fun during the first song. Not so much in the second song. By the way, Dave, you don't need monstrous chops to play an open mic. You just need to walk up on stage and start doing what you already know how to do.
Pierre: Man, I love your posts! I intend to go back and do another open mic, and when I do, I won't let the announcer off so easy. And I agree with you about standing up -- it definitely adds something to a performance. Thanks for stopping by.
Al: I return the admiration a hundred-fold.
RicksPick: Nah, the intro was no sweat. I knew the moment I heard it that it would work to my favor. Thanks for watching the video.
Songman52 (Jerry): It's good to hear from you. I may have looked like a veteran up there, but that's not how I felt -- especially in the second song. At one point, as I flubbed the chords completely, I looked down at my guitar and thought, "What is this odd wooden contraption I'm holding?"
Cori: Hahaha, knocked 'em dead. They only looked like they were dead because their eyes rolled upward.
Pete: Don't be shy about playing in front of your wife. She seems to like it when I stop by and play a song or two. But seriously, playing in front of your wife or partner is the first step toward playing to a wider audience. I'm lucky to have a wife who's hugely encouraging and supportive about my playing. She actually thinks it's a gift when I take my guitar out of the case and start flailing away.
Scott (dsmarion): Thanks so much for your comment. I appreciate that you took the time to watch the video. I don't take that stuff for granted.
Kevin: Not sure what more I can say about the announcer, except to mention that what he said to me was one of the more clever things he said all night. That should give you some indication of how successful he was at introducing people. You may be the only person who noticed that I blew a chord at the beginning of the song. Good catch, Kev. Do you know the song? And you're so right about it being a good feeling knowing that people are enjoying what you're doing. I remember standing up there, about to start bawling "They like me, they like me" ... like Sally Fields receiving her award at the Oscar ceremony.
Tony: After I read your note about including Jamie and Heather in a future open mic, I asked Jamie if she'd be willing to sing "The Difficult Kind" in front of a live audience. She thought about it for, oh, seven milliseconds, and said, "I'm in." Clearly, I'm not the only one in the family with a pair. And I know Heather would be totally stoked to do "Killing the Blues." Thanks for the suggestion.
Jay: Thanks for saying I look like a seasoned pro. I'm about to look a lot less like a seasoned pro in my "Autumn Leaves" video. Yikes!
Dermot: I actually felt more confident than I had any right to feel. Then I got on stage and noticed the audience.
Mark: Hahaha ... that's one of the funniest posts I've ever read. Really. A man crush. (Note to self: remind Mark we were supposed to keep that private.) One of the great things about bringing a good song to an open mic is that you know immediately that the audience is with you. Almost from the first couple of notes I played, I saw people smiling and toes tapping. That's a good sign, and it made the rest of the song easier. By the way, any time you want to learn this, shoot me a PM. It's a hugely fun song to play and a real challenge to sing to. And because it's so unlike anything else I've heard, it'd make a really good lesson, too.
Chris: Yeah, way to go! You managed to refer to two portions of my anatomy in one sentence. That deserves a prize. I'm going to you "Sad Songs & Waltzes." But not in Dutch. Maybe Aramaic. As always, I appreciate your comments.
Stuart: I've been practicing my open-mic songs standing up for the past week. Man, what a shock it is the first time you try it -- the guitar feels like it's about seven feet away from you, and you can no longer easily see the fret board. I also practiced with a mic so that I'd get a feel for backing away from the mic during interludes, then approach the mic when it was time to sing again. One other thing I practiced was playing these songs with my eyes closed so that I wouldn't have to be a slave to visual cues from the fret board. You'll see in the "Autumn Leaves" video that I was able to move around fairly easily, including doing that repeated slide, without having to gawk at the guitar. To answer your other question, no, my success with "Country Honk" didn't remove the jitters from my "Autumn Leaves" performance, because that song is always tricky to play, it's very slow, and I didn't have a clue how the audience was going to react to it. More on that later.
BobR: Thanks for the comment. I think the announcer did a great job getting the audience on my side. And having them sing was a real blessing.
Dave: I really did have fun during the first song. Not so much in the second song. By the way, Dave, you don't need monstrous chops to play an open mic. You just need to walk up on stage and start doing what you already know how to do.
Pierre: Man, I love your posts! I intend to go back and do another open mic, and when I do, I won't let the announcer off so easy. And I agree with you about standing up -- it definitely adds something to a performance. Thanks for stopping by.
Al: I return the admiration a hundred-fold.
RicksPick: Nah, the intro was no sweat. I knew the moment I heard it that it would work to my favor. Thanks for watching the video.
Songman52 (Jerry): It's good to hear from you. I may have looked like a veteran up there, but that's not how I felt -- especially in the second song. At one point, as I flubbed the chords completely, I looked down at my guitar and thought, "What is this odd wooden contraption I'm holding?"
Cori: Hahaha, knocked 'em dead. They only looked like they were dead because their eyes rolled upward.
Pete: Don't be shy about playing in front of your wife. She seems to like it when I stop by and play a song or two. But seriously, playing in front of your wife or partner is the first step toward playing to a wider audience. I'm lucky to have a wife who's hugely encouraging and supportive about my playing. She actually thinks it's a gift when I take my guitar out of the case and start flailing away.
Scott (dsmarion): Thanks so much for your comment. I appreciate that you took the time to watch the video. I don't take that stuff for granted.
Kevin: Not sure what more I can say about the announcer, except to mention that what he said to me was one of the more clever things he said all night. That should give you some indication of how successful he was at introducing people. You may be the only person who noticed that I blew a chord at the beginning of the song. Good catch, Kev. Do you know the song? And you're so right about it being a good feeling knowing that people are enjoying what you're doing. I remember standing up there, about to start bawling "They like me, they like me" ... like Sally Fields receiving her award at the Oscar ceremony.
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Hydroman52
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:52 am
- Status: Offline
Dennis,
That was very entertaining. I like your selection of the "disguised" song, too. Nice work . . . . that's a big hurdle crossed.
Hydroman52
That was very entertaining. I like your selection of the "disguised" song, too. Nice work . . . . that's a big hurdle crossed.
Hydroman52