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focus vs versatility


pogo97

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I keep telling my duo partner that we need to be focussed on what we do best -- songs from ca. 1900 to 1950 -- and that we need to do so both for marketing (a clear simple image) and to be at our best doing what we do. Meanwhile, I have another, more casual, trio where we play mostly originals and rootsy folksy stuff -- and I play guitar rather than piano. And I'm talking to another friend about working on early R&B material -- Louis Jordan, Fats Domino, Ray Charles-type stuff.

 

So I'm a bit of a hypocrite on the subject. But I'm also almost 60 and have spent my life playing -- I've had time to learn all these idioms fairly deeply.

 

My question, then, is "where do you find the balance?"

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To oversimplify, I think a good variety gets you the biggest variety of gigs and the more focused approach gives you a more focused clientele that probably pays better. I'm a variety guy personally, and besides generally sounding good, that's the number one area of positive feedback I receive. People love the variety. And they lament that other acts are chosen that don't offer the same versatility. I started really nineties-heavy and have spread out from there. Not too many acts are playing Bob Seger and TLC back to back. Perhaps for good reason. Still, a master electrician makes more than a handyman who does electrical. Until the versatility reaches spectacle level, like what Eight String was doing when he was around here.

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The question, to me is moot...balance is not needed...just skill and will.

I will say versatility/eclecticism has served me well over the years. The ability to play multiple genres got me 'fill-in' and 'pick-up' work in country bands, wedding bands, rock bands, and studio gigs.

Specializing, however, has resulted in the high paying and high profile gigs for my band.

My solo act is very eclectic, ranging from 'standards' to classic rock, 60s/70s pop, folk, country, rockabilly, etc.

My band experience taught me to try to not do what I see my competitors doing, and thereby create a niche that no one else is filling. Hopefully the void exists for me to fill.

I don't see why you don't incorporate the Louis Jordan, Fats Domino, Ray Charles material into the 1900-1950s thing...it all fits if you let it.

[my band covers a bunch of Jordan, Ray Charles, Nat Cole Trio, etc...great stuff, especially if you stay away from the better known material]

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The question' date=' to me is moot...balance is not needed...just skill and will.[/quote']

 

This is exactly what I was going to say. I guess it depends on your goals and desires. Do you want to only focus on one type/genre of music, and/or do you want to only focus on certain clientele/gigs? I would say versatility will pretty much always give you more gigs, which in turn almost always equates to more money. But that could also depend on where you live and what other musicians are competing with you.

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I like the skill and will theme and will just add energy level. Sometimes we have the will but not the energy. I also say there's nothing with with multiple focus projects, or even incorporating multiple genres.

 

This summer I have performed with an eleven piece Jimi Hendrix/Gil Evans tribute band, a five piece Jazz/ Gospel band, a twenty piece wedding ceremony group, a semi regular blues jam, my own solo gigs (blues, jazz, reggae, pop...), my Top 40 duo (Rock, Soul, Motown, Eighties...), a thirteen piece Gospel choir, a Smooth Jazz trio, a regular Saturday high energy Soul/R&B group, an eclectic Forties to Seventies band, a pop duo w/keyboards, and also backed up a very good Elvis impersonator. Oh yes, and I did sound for a weekly outdoor summer concert series, and provided sound for a bunch of other gigs as well. Frankly I'm exhausted, and I'm not sure if I bit off more than I could chew, but work is work, and I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity. I've had other summers where I worked a fraction of what I did this year, so I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

I say diversify, if that's what floats your boat. Just commit to each genre with the appropriate amount of energy and attention. Of course doing that is what can wear you out!

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... many good points ...

I don't see why you don't incorporate the Louis Jordan, Fats Domino, Ray Charles material into the 1900-1950s thing...it all fits if you let it.

[my band covers a bunch of Jordan, Ray Charles, Nat Cole Trio, etc...great stuff, especially if you stay away from the better known material]

 

It's about who we are. Diane spends her days flitting from thing to thing -- she produces, directs, and acts and she has also recently created a revue. She does not focus and she's not about to spend the sort of time I expect learning a new style and repertoire. She grew up listening to and singing standards (she studied opera as a kid but started singing with a big band when she was 15). She's a wonderful singer at what we already do -- musical, smart, and dependable. She's intrigued by the R&B stuff and would love to sing it but Tom -- my proposed R&B partner -- lives and breaths the stuff -- a wonderful, soulful guitar player who could probably sing a full set of Sam Cooke right now if he wanted to. So I'm trying to keep each of my projects as strong and distinct as I can. And I don't see performing "Tea for Two" with Tom, either.

 

At my next solo gig, I'll play strictly 1920 to 1945 pop songs. I'm going to try to get most of these songs off-book, so it's important I play them a lot. That, I think, is the next important thing for me to do -- getting the jazz/swing stuff off-book. Ironically, I could easily play full nights of 70s pop and country and stuff off-book. But I learned that stuff a long long time ago when I was a more limited player and it's certainly not what I'm best at -- so why would I do that?

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Being able to play different places that require different genres of music has been pretty good for me over the years. This also means being able to fill in with different bands.

 

What's seems to be lacking with versatility is having an image and a consistent following. Some people may feel that you're selling out by covering Country one week and Easy listening the next. But I get compliments on my variety - going from Bob Marley to BB King to Alan Jackson.

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I play a variety of music and love it.

 

I find it fulfilling and challenging. We played a Cuban/American wedding reception and were dubbed "Latinos" by the guests. We played on a cruise ship and a big Reggae band told us we were the first white band that did Reggae right. We've played 1950s parties, Tropical Pool Parties, easy listening dinner sets, sonic wallpaper gigs, dance gigs, and so on.

 

I find that when I put on a different genre 'hat', I try to play that music, get into the groove of that type of music, and get into the feeling of expression that type of music, and it's both challenging and rewarding.

 

Plus for us it's good for business.

 

We have played every week for 6 years at a marina, and will start our 7th in October. We get to play everything in that gig, and it depends on who shows up. One afternoon can find us playing Blues, Classic Rock, Standards, Calypso, Salsa, Country, Dance, Jazz, and whatever. And the regulars who come almost every week expect that kind of variety. And because of that variety, it's my favorite gig.

 

I don't think either approach is wrong. Whatever works for you is what you should do. But in my area, being a chameleon gets you a lot more work - and for me, the variety makes it a lot more fun.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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And by saying being "good at variety", I'm talking more about the presentation. I agree 100% that acts that focus on a narrow genre will be better at that genre than a variety act that spreads itself out thinner. What makes a variety act good is not that they play a little bit of everything, but lies in their ability to tie it all together and present it to the audience in a manner that makes sense and flows throughout the evening. In fact, to a certain degree, it requires that you NOT be as good at any particular genre as an act who specializes in it so that there a bit more homogeneous - ness to the material.

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Like anything else in life, too much of one thing no matter how good, eventually begins to fell mundane. I think Pogo is on the right track by diversifying through being in different configurations...even if each one is a 'pigeonhole' to itself, he can move between them at will. I can't tell you the number of times people have told me..."I didn't know you could play that! I thought you were strictly a [insert genre] guitar player."

 

Also, frankly, musicians are pretty anal about genres, whereas the general public is not quite as uptight about it. Musicians think the public is really hung up about purism, and set listening limits; [that' sadly' is becoming more true now than it was in the past, with everyone being their own DJ on their iPods]. They know what they like, and they like what they know...but you can always try to throw the slurve at them and see if they swing at it.

 

 

I also think if Diane is given the opportunity she will take to the 'classier' aspects of the R&B material like a duck to water. Especially some of the Louis Jordan and Ray Charles material. I mean, 'Georgia [on my mind]' was written by Hoagie Carmichael...the links are there...she can connect the dots. But, maybe she doesn't have the time or the will...but she has the skill...

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I also think if Diane is given the opportunity she will take to the 'classier' aspects of the R&B material like a duck to water. Especially some of the Louis Jordan and Ray Charles material. I mean, 'Georgia [on my mind]' was written by Hoagie Carmichael...the links are there...she can connect the dots. But, maybe she doesn't have the time or the will...but she has the skill...

 

We already do "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens", "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" and a couple of other LJ songs plus "Hit the Road Jack." We don't do "Georgia." Not because it's too recent --written in 1930-- but just, well, we don't happen to do it. We do a version of "Try a Little Tenderness" that goes back to Bing rather than Otis. We're working on "Harlem Nocturne" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," which were early songs covered in the 50s or 60s, and a couple of later songs that fit the genre like "What a Wonderful World" and a few of my own songs. So there's some overlap. But I draw the line at "Blue Bayou." That's just one step away from Ann Murray and we're not going there.

 

Diane also likes to perform bossa nova, which we can play pretty well for non-specialists. But last time we did a set of bossa, it emptied the room. So I think we'll set that aside for a bit, too.

 

Of course, if it was all cut and clear it wouldn't be worth yapping about.

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We do Blue Bayou and I don't mind that one at all. I just put my head into that mode and go with it. But we do it well and Leilani sings it with the kind of burning ember passion that the Brazilian Bossa singers in the 60s had, I sing a harmony in parts that I found myself and not covering another arrangement I've heard - and I play a steel drum solo on the windsynth (we could even do an Ann Murray song but we'd inject some passion into it).

 

There is only one song in our repertoire that I don't care to do, the dreaded "Yakety Sax". I only play it when it is requested. It's not too difficult but difficult enough that you have to pay close attention to it. I've played it thousands of times. For some reason, the people who request it are cheapskates, they don't tip, and when they do it's rarely more than two bucks (by contrast, I've made $60 to play "Night Train" and never less than $5 for Harlem Nocturne). It's boring with that country-polka oom-pah backbeat. But you what's funny? As soon as the music starts, I put the sax in my mouth, I forget how much I don't want to play the song, and have a fun time playing it in spite of myself. Sometimes the brain gets in the way.

 

I've never been much of a purist. I like too many kinds of music, so I really don't care what kind of music I'm playing.

 

If I had to choose to be in a focused only one genre type of band, I'd have a very, very difficult time deciding which genre I wanted to play.

 

On the other hand, my very favorite sax player, Stan Getz played jazz and nothing but jazz and it worked for him. Other favorites like Plas Johnson played everything from Rock to Jazz and that worked for him too.

 

Whatever works for you.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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There is only one song in our repertoire that I don't care to do, the dreaded "Yakety Sax". I only play it when it is requested. It's not too difficult but difficult enough that you have to pay close attention to it. I've played it thousands of times. For some reason, the people who request it are cheapskates, they don't tip, and when they do it's rarely more than two bucks

The reason why the Yakety Sax requester don't tip is because that's the Shuck and Jive song for sax players. They request it because it's the only 'sax' song they know and once they get you to dance for them, they're happy. It's a power trip thing for them. Maybe they'll throw a nickel at you while they laugh. Few people, if any, actually WANT to hear that song.

 

It's like the people who come up to the stage and request a song and, if you don't know that one, will keep requesting songs until they finally hit on something you can play. Those people never tip well. They just want to be part of the show or just want to feel like they made you dance. They don't really want to hear a specific song and certainly don't want to pay for it.

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So would you guys mix a number of eras and genres into one set? I have trouble making transitions from one genre/style/groove/sensibility to another without losing mojo. How can you avoid that?

With the band, I slide around eras effortlessly, from swinging some Louis Jordan, to burning some Wolf or Muddy, to early R&B, to a slow minor blues, to 'Get on the Right Track', to a Bo Diddley-esque tune...it is far less about era, or genre than it is about the pacing within the set. You need to view them as individual songs, and not worry so much about being 'period correct'. We also intentionally avoid the 'typical' songs by Ray Charles, so the band doesn't do 'Georgia", but I do in the solo act.

 

I also do "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," but only in my solo act, not with the band, mainly because they are too lazy to learn all those changes. It is, in my opinion, the hardest song I sing...and I still sweat that half-step 'drop' to the V in the bridge every time I do it.

 

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The reason why the Yakety Sax requester don't tip is because that's the Shuck and Jive song for sax players. They request it because it's the only 'sax' song they know and once they get you to dance for them, they're happy. It's a power trip thing for them. Maybe they'll throw a nickel at you while they laugh. Few people, if any, actually WANT to hear that song.

 

It's like the people who come up to the stage and request a song and, if you don't know that one, will keep requesting songs until they finally hit on something you can play. Those people never tip well. They just want to be part of the show or just want to feel like they made you dance. They don't really want to hear a specific song and certainly don't want to pay for it.

 

Interesting insight.

 

I suppose it's the motivation for some. I'd think others just want to 'touch the band' in some way or feel like they are joining in the show.

 

I really don't mind it though. As long as people come up with a friendly attitude (and by far most of them do), I'm happy to know what they want to hear and happy to play it for them. The tip isn't necessary, just appreciated. Actually all that is necessary is for them to enjoy themselves while they are listening to us.

 

Here is a tip story. Back in the 1980s the "Theme From New York, New York" was very popular here in South Florida, perhaps because there are a lot of retired people from New York here. So we were at this dinner club and a guy comes up and gives us $5 to play "New York New York", we're happy to oblige. A few minutes later he comes up again, tells us it was great, pops another 5 in the jar and asks us to play it again. We wait what we think is an appropriate time, announce the request and play it again. It happens a third time and we wait and play it again. When he comes up the fourth time Leilani gets on the mic and says, "I have 5 dollars to play 'New York New York' again, do I hear ten not to play it?" Nobody out-bid the guy, we played it again, but he didn't come up and ask for it again. Leilani read him correctly, he didn't get angry, saw the humor in it, and stayed the rest of the night.

 

Back on topic...

 

I play for the audience at hand. If it's a mixed audience, I play a variety of music. If I get booked in a blues room, I'll play blues all night. If I get booked in an easy listening room, I'll be sonic wallpaper all night. Wherever I am, I'll do my best to read the crowd and use my experience to deliver what I think is the best song for that particular moment. I don't do set lists and I try to pace the audience to give them what they need, when they need it.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

 

 

 

 

 

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Notes, I bow to your ability to do it on the fly!

I work with a set list, both as a solo and with the band, for one good reason: to keep it moving. When I tried to 'wing it' as a solo, I found myself spending too much time trying to pick 'just the right song' [i would never 'wing it' with the band]. With a preset list, I/we can move immediately from song to song, but it also allows me to skip or replace as I sense the mood of the room/crowd.

This is one main reason I don't work with tracks (per se) in the solo act, because of the time to call up a song would negatively impact flow...I could stop and tell an amusing anecdote while fiddling with the tablet, but, meh...I want things quick. I'm already tapdancing somewhat with the harmonizer (I try to keep the settings changes to a minimum), and once the BeatBuddy arrives, another distraction to master...

 

But I do agree that you need to pay attention to the audience. I have tossed entire sets out (I usually prep two complete extra sets just for this purpose, one more classic rock, the other more 60s pop) as well as combining sets on the fly based on how the room is reacting.

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I tried set lists, but I wasn't clairvoyant enough to know what the audience wants even 10 minutes in advance ;)

 

The first thing I do is size the audience up before the first song, especially if I'm not particularly familiar with them. I look at their hair color, hair styles, shoes, dress, the way they carry themselves, etc., and make my best guess for the first song. To play it safe, something that fits what I see but also has broad appeal. Last night they were still eating dinner when we started, so we played some 'soft rock', bossas, and light jazz first.

 

I have my backing tracks on a laptop computer arranged in alphabetical order in Windows File Explorer. I click in the window, type enough letters to highlight the song and hit enter, it starts playing in Media Player. I begin most of my backing tracks with 2 measures of drums so I then immediately hit Alt+Tab and the computer's focus is back in Windows File Explorer as the track plays.

 

While I'm playing, I'm watching the crowd, and from the middle of the song on, I'll notice, do they look tired? Do I think they need a faster one? Is it time for a line dance? Or whatever ... and I'll choose a song and hit the first few letters on the laptop until that song is highlighted.

 

Then when the first song is done, I immediately hit enter, and the two beats of drums of the next song start with no 'dead air' -- while the drums are playing I hit Alt+Tab to get back to File Explorer and repeat as needed.

 

Sometimes 2 seconds of dead air between songs can kill the dance floor, so while they are dancing, especially moderate to faster songs, it's important to keep the songs flowing with no break in between. That's where the 2 measures of drums come in, it's a count off, gives me a chance to get my hands back on my instrument, and a 2 measure drum solo doesn't kill the dance floor. Fortunately I can make my own backing tracks, so I have the luxury of my own beginnings and endings along with key, tempo, arrangement and so on.

 

When the audience starts looking tired on the dance floor, I'll take a bit between songs, do some talking, and play what I call 'specialty songs'. When they are tired, nothing can keep them there (I play for adult crowds) so that's the perfect time for a pause.

 

Last night we had some ballroom dancers who asked for tangos, merengues, etc.. Perfect timing, play a tango or merengue, the bulk of the crowd is sipping their drinks, and they get to watch the ballroom dancers.

 

Then it's time to play something to get them back on the dance floor (usually a slow song or line dance will do it around here).

 

Other specialty songs might be another ballroom dance like a cha-cha, samba or whatever, an audience request that isn't a dance number, a Happy Birthday if needed, some Reggae, Salsa, Polka, or even a showcase number we want them to listen to. Lately we've been getting good response out of Etta James' version of "Damn Your Eyes", The Viscounts version of "Harlem Nocturne" (on sax), my own Zydeco version of "Toot Toot", or the Catherine Zeta-Jones version of "All That Jazz" - the audience likes them and we always get good applause. We might also do a comedy number like "Shame And Scandal". Of course, all this depends on the audience and what they are reacting to.

 

Then when they've had their little rest, it's time to tire them out again.

 

There are times when I fail to call a song in time, or I make the wrong decision, but I'd say over 95% of the time it works perfectly.

 

I like to play just about any type of music, and I'm there to give the audience what they want and need, even if they don't know what they want or need at any particular time. The more fun they have, the more positive feedback I get from them, and the more fun I have playing for them. It's a "Give to get" syndrome.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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.... We might also do a comedy number like "Shame And Scandal"...

 

Out of curiosity, wherever did you find "Shame and Scandal"?

 

I wrote a paper on that song back in 1989 when I was still in school and read it at a folklore conference. It was published in the Journal of the "Canadian Society for Traditional Music." In a nutshell, the theme was a joke in the early 1900s. The theme comes up in a

and a related poem by Robert Service. Then it surfaces as a Calypso in the 1940s and -- where I first heard it -- localized to Minden Ontario by country singer "Little Joe" Nicholson who took it from a record someone brought back from the Caribbean.

 

Anyway, it's a song of some interest to me, so I'm curious.

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I first heard it done by a guitar player / dive master / friend in the Bahamas who did dive tours in the day and played at the Green Turtle Club at night. Then when I worked on the cruise ships I found a few cassettes with the song on it (that's how long ago I did cruise ships). Most had 3 verses, so I wrote 2 more myself. In retrospect it was probably one to many.

 

I haven't seen Brendal in many, many years but I hear he is still working there.

 

I believe it was done originally by Calypso Singer Sir Lancelot (Lancelot Pinard) and he even did a PG version in a movie. I saw the movie a few years ago but don't remember the title.

 

I tried "Big Bamboo" but for some reason they don't go for that one as well.

 

There is a Soca song by a Jamaican band, Lovindeer, "Big Panty Lady" that's very cute and I've seen it go over well when black groups play it, but like Big Bamboo, for some reason it doesn't go over as well when white groups do it. Something I accept but really don't understand.

 

We do a parody version of "Winter Wonderland" that Leilani and I wrote talking about Florida things like golf, tennis, and even plastic pink flamingos on the lawn. We play this on our Tuesday gig whenever it's really, really cold and nasty up north. Since that gig is populated by either winter residents or transplants from 'up north' it goes over very well.

 

We also do a parody, "What Are The Words To La Bamba" that's pretty cute.

 

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[video=youtube;N4hmp9A99S8]

 

Not the same plot as the "the girl is your sister" version, it seems. Odetta covered this version, which puzzled me when I was researching the song. Back then, of course, you had to depend on actual records and books to do musical research.

 

The Merrymen (a white group from Barbados) did well with Big Bamboo, so you can never tell. Also "Zombie Jambouree," which is a fun Halloween song (starts at 4:40).

 

[video=youtube;veUS9UyLyes]

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