Performing -- The secret handshake

Subject: Performing -- The "Secret Handshake"
From: Fortunato
Date: 05 Apr 01 - 12:18 PM

During a long conversation with a long time friend, a rockabilly guy whose songs and style and performance made the Straycats possible (putting it judiciously), he said:

The 'Secret Handshake' is the audience is supposed to have a good time. Not 'you' the performer.

I agree. Oh of course, we can have a good time and should, but our good time in not the fundamental transaction.

Chance/Fortunato

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Apr 01 - 12:43 PM

Not sure about that, Chance. If the performer has a good time, it should spill over into the audience, shouldn't it? I can think of exceptions, but I don't think it is that cut and dried.

kat

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: Fortunato
Date: 05 Apr 01 - 12:54 PM

Kat,

Folks have often said to me after a set, "You guys look like your having a great time, and that adds to the show". So I know what you mean. The statement means to suggest that the secret is what a performer should focus on in order to succeed. Of course I could be all wrong, witness my previous marriages.

regards,

chance

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Apr 01 - 12:56 PM

LOL....so that's what happened to my past marriages?! Yeah, I'm not sure, either, but it sounds a noble intent and that is all that matters, eh?

kat

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 05 Apr 01 - 12:58 PM

Sincerity is the important thing. Once you learn to fake it, you have it made!

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: Fortunato
Date: 05 Apr 01 - 01:00 PM

Dick, you must have know my ex-wifes!

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: Armen Tanzerian
Date: 05 Apr 01 - 06:22 PM

Oh...I thought this was a reference to Geoff Muldaur's next-to-latest CD, The Secret Handshake.

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: Sean Belt
Date: 06 Apr 01 - 12:18 PM

De-lurking briefly...

I think the key is to include the audience in the good time that the performers are having.

Here's the reason: Way back when Hector was a pup, I played in a band that consisted of myself on guitar, a fellow alternating violin and oboe, and another playing saxophone. The music we played was completely improvised. We'd start out by stating the key we were to play in and play until an alarm clock went off signaling the end of the piece. Sound awful? Well, in retrospect, yeah it mostly was. Sometimes the music was beautiful. Sometimes it was dense and hard to listen to. And probably most of the time it just sucked. But this was the 'sixties and that sort of self-indulgence was common, if not accepted.

Now, we were having a blast, mind you. We really loved playing togehter and stretching musical muscles that we didn't usually get to use. But the audiences hated us and we were seldom asked back to any of the venues we played.

Flash forward to now. I play with a group of people who do small gigs together playing mostly old-time fiddle tunes. We have a terrific time, but we also make sure we project that good time to the audience and are as inclusive as possible. We play music that our audiences can connect with, we take requests when we can, and encourage people to dance if they want to. And people love it! I guess it all comes down to communicating musically with and audience instead of performing at them.

- Sean

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Apr 01 - 02:19 PM

If the performer isn't having a good time, it's a drag, no matter how technically clever or adept at "entertaining" they are.

And if a performer doesn't care whether the people listening are enjoying themselves, that's a drag too.

What makes folk music different is that, at its best, that distance between the performer who is active, and an audience, which is passive, is minimised, and can even disappear entirely, with it becoming a collaboration.

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: BRG
Date: 06 Apr 01 - 03:16 PM

I agree that if the performer is having a good time it spills over, but only if the audience is included.

I attended a Gordon Lightfoot concert years ago where the performers had a great time - with each other. They often turned their backs to the audience and exchanged private jokes. The music was good but I left that one feeling kind of cheated.

Saw Cheryl Wheeler just a few weeks ago, on the other hand, and left feeling like she had been in my living room. That's the kind of experience I cherish.

I play in front of small groups in a small town where almost everyone knows me. Including the audience is never a problem since half of them usually join us!

Bruce

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: GUEST,Sam Pirt
Date: 07 Apr 01 - 09:56 AM

I have to disagree with that I am afraid. I know that I for one play music becuase I fundamentally enjoy it. The positive result is that because I enjoy it I play it a lot and get better and the result of that is that I end up performing more and more. Now what came first me wanting to please the audience or me just wanting to play music?

When you first start to play an instrument you don't actually have any audience. The reference 'closit musician' may apply here. So if you don't have an audience how do you please them? you don't you please yourself, and so you should.

I do uinderstand though that when you are playing to an audience you have to be entertaining and I actually think it is more important than the playing.

There is nothing worse listening to a musician who's presentation is flat, boring and almost disinterested? If though you can see they are emersed in what they do and love it and enjoy it, and you can see this, then the evening becomes something out of this world.

There is far more to music than just notes, technical ability and speed, thats why I am a folk musician.

Of couse you may disagree

Cheers, Sam

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: GUEST,kat's friend
Date: 07 Apr 01 - 11:12 AM

the performer should try to include the audience in the fun.

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: Matt_R
Date: 07 Apr 01 - 11:16 AM

When I get an encore
I got home feeling like a king
It's a 2-way situation
I get a lot of pleasure when I sing

--Christy Moore.

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: old head
Date: 07 Apr 01 - 12:07 PM

it ain't what you do.it's the way that you do it.A TRUISM.

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: Hollowfox
Date: 11 Apr 01 - 10:09 AM

I'm with you, McGrath, and BRG, you explained why.

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: ddw
Date: 11 Apr 01 - 09:41 PM

I used to go to open mikes sometimes, but I quit going to one place because it seemed to attract a bunch of people who thought performing was all about THEM. Lots of mediocre-to-bad kids would get up to perform, usually either singing their diaries or covering tired old rock and folk-rock tunes very badly. The "performers" were having a great time, even when the audience was leaving in droves, but it was so obviously just ego-tripping (HEY, LOOK AT ME! I'M ON STAGE!) One kid in particular brought groans every time he showed up — which was almost always. He screamed the same five self-penned "songs" every week and each song sounded exactly like all the others, spending five to seven minutes on each song. (The OM rules call for 15 minutes each.) One night he asked my opinion of his set, so I told him he should learn that performing is about the audience, not the performer. He looked at me blankly and said: "What do you mean? If I'm enjoying it, that should make everybody happy."

I never went back to see if he was pulling my old leg or if he really didn't get it.

david

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: Deni
Date: 12 Apr 01 - 12:10 AM

The more you play the more feedback you get, and the feedback 'gently' (HA) guides you in the 'right' direction untilyou are giveing them/us, what they/we want. After all the minute you step off stage you turn into an audience..well not all by yourself, you need a few others and some beer and where more than a few are gathered...there is...a church? Selling beer?

How the hell did I arrive there?

I'll go back...

Cheers

Deni from Devon where such wafflings are acceptable, even encouraged.

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Apr 01 - 04:15 PM

when you start playing you have an audience, you. As you play for friends, some of them enjoy what they hear and join yuour audience, some don't. As you play in front of "audiences" some will like you some won't, different tastes, different lifes. There's one person turns up to every performance, he/she must like you. Others will, not all

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Apr 01 - 04:16 PM

when you start playing you have an audience, you. As you play for friends, some of them enjoy what they hear and join yuour audience, some don't. As you play in front of "audiences" some will like you some won't, different tastes, different lifes. There's one person turns up to every performance, he/she must like you. Others will, not all

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: GUEST,davetnova
Date: 12 Apr 01 - 04:16 PM

when you start playing you have an audience, you. As you play for friends, some of them enjoy what they hear and join yuour audience, some don't. As you play in front of "audiences" some will like you some won't, different tastes, different lifes. There's one person turns up to every performance, he/she must like you. Others will, not all

Subject: RE: Performing -- The secret handshake
From: GUEST,davetnova
Date: 12 Apr 01 - 04:17 PM

when you start playing you have an audience, you. As you play for friends, some of them enjoy what they hear and join yuour audience, some don't. As you play in front of "audiences" some will like you some won't, different tastes, different lifes. There's one person turns up to every performance, he/she must like you. Others will, not all