quote:

Originally posted by Brywool:
"...I guess the question is, do you soloists out there do decent with just strumming and singing, or do you need to be some kind of guitar virtuoso?

...Can I get by with just strumming and singing if both are done well, or have you found that that is a dead end? Thanks.

I'm no guitar virtuoso by any means but all my solo material is currently either me singing(?) with my guitar, or me playing guitar instrumentals. No backing tracks (wouldn't know where to start to add those!).

I've often thought about trying something like a looping pedal but I still haven't gotten around to buying one to try.

I think if you vary your material (e.g. don't play every song in the same key with the same three chords) you should be ok. There are any number of solo performers I like to listen to that don't use backing tracks, or loopers, etc, and I can listen to them all night long.

Good luck,

Stu

The looper is one thing I'm thinking heavily about. I have to ask a silly question- if you're using a looper, and the chords change to a chorus (with a different progression) how does that work? Do you just shut off the loop?

Sorry, I realize this is straying to a few topics.

I have been playing solo for...(thinking)...damn, almost 25 years (paid gigs) and there are two sides to it. Either you hit it off with the audience, they sing along, all the ladies wanna go home with you, and it's awesome!
The other side is when they couldn't care less about music... you try different songs and styles but nothing really fits the bill. Those nights are less fun and you wish you had at least a duo partner to play with...for some sort of feedback.

Anyway, you'll get by with surprisingly few chords in your pocket...you just have to work with what you got, and make that shine. Then you're on the right track. Everybody is different, some play great guitar and sing less good, so they compensate with more guitar. Some have a big nose, so they joke about it and get the audience going that way.

But what everybody here say, is true: You'll get instant feedback from your audience. Even no feedback is feedback... I usually turn it down a little those nights, and play softer songs so people can talk and enjoy each other.

I have never used a looper, but I think it can be fun if you just figure out when to start and stop it. And yes, you would stop the looper for a different progression...depending on model, I guess you can start it back up again at the next verse...or have a second loop pre-recorded for the chorus.


StuartD...a question for you on your Babicz: What T1 preset do you use for it? If it has a Baggs system, I guess you go with that...right?

When I make up my setlists, I'm usually concerned with two things: key and tempo. I try and mix up slow and fast songs (although never back and forth, always 2-3 fast, and 1 or 2 slow), and I try and change keys each song, for the most part. Of course, what constitutes "fast" depends on the gig, but within the context of that venue I still try and change it up, ESPECIALLY the keys. Just changing keys adds flavor and variety, even if you do simple three chord stuff.

If you can sing high and low, changing keys also helps because it adds variety to your vocals as well as the songs.

Hope this helps some...

Brywool

I have a jamman looper.

Here is an example of your question about different chords.

When I play "Brown Eye Girl", I first start with a kick sound (hit the guitar on the sound hole strings), then add a tamborine, then maybe a snare sound (again hitting the guitar).
Then I play the chords. At this point the loop is done and I play the lead intro.
Now, once the chorus chords come, I step on the loop and erase the last layer which is the chords.
Later on at the end, I record the chords again which allows me to finish the song with the lead intro.

So..the jamman and the boss 20 have the ability to erase the last loop without erasing the prior loop(s).

Tne boss 50 has the ability to loop individual loops on differnet pedals so you have more flexibility.

Hope this makes sense.

thanks Steve. Yeah, I think the 20 is what I'll get. I was wondering how you stopped the chords, but not the entire loop series. thanks.

Hey bry...

I am about 6-8 month's into my "dream" of solo gigging...Finally! So I am a newbie to the scene. I am 47, married to a babe so getting "some" ain't my goal, nor is it a necessary berometer to guage your performance. Having said that...If you are single...It won't suck!

Seriously though...I use a VL2 harmonizer. Been thinking about a looper but one thing I have learned is keeping it as simple as possible and letting your acoustic guitar (and of course your vocals) do the talking. In other words, I like the raw sound of the acoustic and I think when you start adding sounds it takes away from that raw, unplugged feeling. Again, the loop is cool and does allow you to add some lead to your stuff.

And I use the VL2 only sparingly...usually just for the "chorus" harmonies. In other words, as much as I love them, I would never do a CS$N tune simply because most of their songs are the three of them singing harmony throughout the entire song and I would never sing an entire song with my harmonizer.

But I think that would serve as a better tool than the looper. Just because it ads just a nice enough "color" to your songs without sounding fakish...does that make sense.

By contrast to srmbr for example, (and not being critical or judgemental srmbr..just a different approach) when I play Brown Eyed Girl, I use a mix of flat picking and strumming to create the sound and ad some "soul" to the vocals...and during the "sha la la" portion I play the harmonizer and the folks love it!

Again, I am very pro "acoustic only" during a solo performance.

And Bry, do NOT be afraid to transpose songs to fit your vocal range. I hear many of singer trying to sing in the key of the original artist they are covering and it just seems so strained and unnatural. Transposing allows you to sing in your own style and range and regardless of what folks say...it will NOT take away from the flavor of the song.

Most of the songs I do, I have transposed to fit my vocal range and style and the folks know exactly what song I am playing as soon as I do the intro. And in fact I sound more like the artist than if I tried to sing it in the original key (if that makes sense) and I am not trying to sound like the artist. But when you are in a range that allows you to fully express yourself, it makes performing soooo much easier.

Finally, I have learned to LET GO of songs I have always wanted to play simply because, they just don't work for me. One example is James Taylor. I mean...I have seen him peform 5 times. I have learned all of his songs, all the picking patterns (known them from way back) and have always dreamed of wooooing the audience to Fire and Rain or SBJ or even some of his deeper tracks. Well...I quickly discovered, regardless of the key that I try to sing in...it just doesn't work for me. Oh well...!

I usually pick about 6 songs over the course of a couple of weeks. I play with the various keys to find my vocal range, take to mic and practice them. Out of that 6 I may usually nail 1 or 2. The other 4 go into a "maybe I'll try again" file.

But I have build up to a nice song list of about 100 songs which gives me some nice variety during repeated performances.

Oh well, I have babbled on enough!

Best of luck to ya! Go for it!

Hazen

Brywool - I was at the place you're at last year. I'd been performing solo for years with just a good voice and rhythym (also some basic fingerpicking). I took some lessons and worked on some bass runs to incorporate in my strumming. It took a few months to get fluid, but was really worth it. At this point I wouldn't turn down some lead guitar, but feel that I can do well without it. DrJ

Thanks Hazen-
I'm not worried about the vocals or keys of tunes unless someone yells "Journey!" or something. I have a high voice and am a lead singer in a normal band situation. My whole... 'worry' is that the 'strummy strummy' deal (to repeat myself- sorry) will bore the hell out of the audience. I DID just buy a TCH Harmony 4 and it has possibilities. I get what you're saying about the CSNY thing, but on choruses it seems to work fairly well (Brown Eyed Girl definitely is a good use of this). I just need to remember the presets and what to tweak. That'll come in time I guess.

Right now I've got a band and duo going and I'm just thinking that it would be nice for once in my life not to have to worry about other peeps.If I wanna go play I can and not have to worry about running it by another person, etc. It would be cool to just go out and do what I do without having to worry about problems that come with working with others. Nothing against it, I've just had my share of tough situations with that.

I will probably check out the looper next and then figure out how to use it within the show. It's a hard decision to make if you're at all unsure about your abilities. Some guys that I know would be all over the solo thing, and I could see myself doing it, but I could also see it being a pretty scary adventure.

I have a pal that was in my band for a few years. He finally got sick of the weather where we live and is JUST NOW embarking on the cruise ship deal where he will be a one-man band kind of thing. He's using a lot of tracks (which I've done and just want to get away from) and I think it's a pretty brave step for him. Pretty cool. Okay, not sure why I through the cruise ship story in, but it's cool, ain't it?

I'm 47 too and married to a stone cold fox, so I'm a happy guy! "Stone Cold Fox" when's the last time you heard that??

Hazen,

I agree with your comment about transposing to a key that fits your voice. It's kind of like stacking the cards in your favor.

It's both show business and sales business. If we do a great job with what we have to work with (guitar and vocal)selling the song, then; we'll probably be doing a great job of entertaining (putting on a show).

Hey Bry

Like I said, I am interested in the loop thing too. I have heard some good solo stuff with it. Nice fingerpicking stuff combined with the rhythm. And you can really ad some great stuff with those songs that are three chord songs (ie. Tom Petty Free Fallin') And you are right, it does take away from constant "strum, strum." I have to admit, I would like to have another acoustic guitar next to me. I've done it and it was nice, especially when you can use both guitars to harmonize with each other (like the Indigo Girls).

So...hmmmmmmm...now you GOT ME Thinking!

I'd love to hear more about the looper if you decide on one. I may go out and spring for one myself!

Keep us posted.

And Bry...do go for it. I have wanted to do this since I was 17 years old. Played guitar for 30 years. Finally decided, I can do this! And I did and the response has been wonderful!

Later

Hazen

Lots of great feedback here. Reading them one can see the shared info comes from true road warriors.

Although my wife and I are a duo, she sings and I play guitar and thump a porch bd bass, one person could do everything the 2 of us do. I do not play a single lead. Not my thing. Other than a musician, your audience will not care if you do or do not play lead. It's not important to them. They want to hear songs they know played reasonably well. Find great songs (well known)that work for you. Play the songs with conviction. Like you wrote them. Look your audience in the eye and let them know you are there for them. Don't take yourself too seriously. Have fun and enjoy the audience.

ST says

quote:

If you want to keep the interest up - dynamics is probably more important than strumming or picking or whatever else, and silence is your friend. I notice this more and more. I noticed at that I can just stop playing and let a vocal line sail up into the air as the room quietens to see where it will land.

Dynamics and silence are two of your greatest tools.

I read a quote some years ago that makes perfect sense "a great song is still a great song when played with an acoustic guitar and vocals". Plenty of them out there. Find the right ones for you and your target audience.

Brywool,

You do not need to be a top notch guitarist to go solo. I have found that most folks don't seem to even know the difference between a great guitar player and an average one. I have played in bands over the past 30 years as a lead singer and guitar player. I always had a lead guitarist to do the heavy lifting in the band for lead work. This has hurt my ability to do lead work to some extent. 8 months ago I went solo and am loving it! I did my first gig as a completely solo artist a couple of weeks ago. My experience has taught me that it is more about a connection with the crowd and how fun you are along with some good tunes. You don't have to shred to be an excellent solo artist.

Anyway, thats my two cents...

Make it yours and have fun!

Yeah... what Sharkbyte said.

The groove. That's the thing. Along with basics like singing in tune and timing.

I can't think of how many times I painstakingly worked out a guitar part only to realize it didn't matter nearly as much to them as to me. On the other hand, pushing it keeps me from getting too complacent. I've recently been recording my rehearsals and I realize there ain't no finish line.

And Hazen, IMO, makes excellent points, including:

"And Bry, do NOT be afraid to transpose songs to fit your vocal range. I hear many of singer trying to sing in the key of the original artist they are covering and it just seems so strained and unnatural. Transposing allows you to sing in your own style and range and regardless of what folks say...it will NOT take away from the flavor of the song."

The thing I'll add is that by changing keys, tempos and even notes you rewrite the song to be an interpretation. Now, sometimes folks just want Brown Eyed Girl and singing it like a folk ballad won't work. But taking a song (from my repertoire) like the Beatle's In My Life and changing key and tempo and notes makes it uniquely my own (for better or worse).

quote:

Originally posted by ChrisTidestrom "roxville":
"StuartD...a question for you on your Babicz: What T1 preset do you use for it? If it has a Baggs system, I guess you go with that...right?"

The Babicz guitar has the basic LR Baggs Element installed. I don't use my Babicz for live performance very often at the moment but if/when I do I typically use the Acoustic guitar "Steel string w/cond" Tone Match setting, which is also the same one I use for my other two guitars. I am experimenting with one or two of the LR Baggs presets for my newest guitar but haven't settled on one yet. Whichever one ends up being used (on any of the guitars) I will be using - when I can - my new DPA4099G microphone on whatever guitar I happen to be using. It provides a nice improvement to the already-nice sound!

A comment I'd like to make on the subject of performing a song exactly as the original artist performed it: I'm not a professional musician by any means and I struggle to perform well. My voice range is seriously limited so I rarely have the opportunity to perform a song as the original artist performed it. While I was performing regularly as part of a duo, with a friend of mine, he added songs to our set that I had never previously heard. So I came up with guitar parts (and leads) that I made up that were within my musical limitations, etc. I had no qualms about what I contributed being nothing like the original. As long as the basic melody is there (so folks can recognize the song) I found that most folks were very accepting of listening to our version of the song.

Something that used to happen a lot: someone in the audience would yell out a song that we didn't know (Freebird?) and we'd say "...ok, here's our version of it." And we'd go ahead and play whatever was next in our set list. Folks took it as the comedy it was meant to be and no one seemed to mind.

Stu

StuartD, oh yeah i saw that (about the DPA) in another thread...sounds very interesting!

Yes, the audience LOVES being part of the show, and little jokes can go a long way to liven up their night. Sometimes I say "Im gonna play some songs that you wanted to hear, maybe some that you didn't wanna hear, and some that you didn't even KNOW that you wanted to hear!". Sometimes I tell people that my set list is carefully crafted to fit the menu, and that the next song goes very well with the she crab soup.
Little stuff like that makes the audience a lot more friendly (in most cases!).
I am also not the greatest guitar player in the world, but like everybody here have stated, that is of minor interest to the listeners, especially in pubs and restaurants. They wanna sing along and remember when they first heard that song, things like that.

So stop being afraid, and just DO IT!

I look at the audience, try to see if they react well to a song, and then pick out more songs like that. If I see that noone is listening, I try another genre.
If my voice is extremely raspy from singing too much, I apologize for that and say that I usually sound EXACTLY like Celine Dion. That ALWAYS gets a laugh. Then I sing a line or two from one of her songs with my horrible falsetto...and they get the point

The audience is usually more impressed when they are included than when you try to impress them with virtuoso.

Chris

Stuart, getting any feedback issues with the new DPA? How do you think the sound is improved... fuller?

The best thing I ever did was to go solo about 15 years ago. Now I stay working all the time. Everyone shows up on time, sober and no drugs.

I play a keyboard, guitar, banjo, fiddle and several other instruments, but I do guitar lounge acts as well. I am a full-time musician and make a decent living without a dayjob.

Trust me...it can be done.

Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm definitely leaning into this.