Here's my advice for people who want to start up. You need a loud guitar and a big voice, otherwise the background noise of the street will drown you out. The narrower the street, the better your voice will bounce back of the other side. Don't take a break if a few people have stopped, pull out your best material and try to build up a crowd. It is, in my experience, at least 10 times more frightening to busk for the first time than get up on a stage for the first time. Bring another musician with you if your'e nervous. You've gotta play a few times before you start learning the tricks, don't give up after one bad experience. You'll meet a lot of nice people. I just love it when the little kids pull up their mothers dead in the street and stare with their mouths open.

Here's a couple of busker stories; a guy was singing a Bruce Springsteen song on the streets of Copenhagen years ago. The Boss was walking by, stopped, joined in and did a couple of songs with him!

We had an exceptionally nasty drunk hassling us, couldn't get rid of him by conventional means, then he makes a move on our money in the middle of a song. I sang, played my guitar and kicked him where the sun don't shine all in one move without missing a beat. The crowd liked it and it sure felt good.