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Acoustic guitar only
- Thread starter OOD
- Start date
Your voice and your groove are more important.
A looper is too much except if you've got more skills than you described.
A looper includes an amp, it's too much.
Just try with your voice and your guitar.
A looper is too much except if you've got more skills than you described.
A looper includes an amp, it's too much.
Just try with your voice and your guitar.
- Oct 18, 2012
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- Endorsing Artist: Fender, Spector, Ampeg, Curt Mangan, Nordstrand Pickups, Korg , Conquest Sound
All depends on how well you play and sing. I have seen plenty of people play this way. A few months ago I saw Rick Springfield do an acoustic show. It was just him and a couple of guitars. He sounded great.
I agree, very few folks can use a looper effectively--by that, I mean very few people can use it so it sounds natural inside the song. Otherwise it becomes an annoying, overused distraction.
Very few artists can hold an audience for long periods of time with just a guitar and their voice, IMHO. An accompanying artist can help considerably but only if they can augment the "guitar and voice" sound IMHO. Keys, yes. Drummer, not so much. Flute player...not so much, unless it's in addition to playing keys. But if it's just another acoustic guitar player with a voce, then it winds up being an attempt at Simon and Garfunkel--unless the two you can play at a level somewhat close to Simon and Garfunkel, you may not hold an audience for very long.
Everyone has missed the obvious .... accordion!
Seriously, a multi instrumentalist would be gold. Keys and flute, fiddle and mandolin, accordion and hand percussion, etc. The variety will keep an audience's interest more than hearing even two instruments all night.
Seriously, a multi instrumentalist would be gold. Keys and flute, fiddle and mandolin, accordion and hand percussion, etc. The variety will keep an audience's interest more than hearing even two instruments all night.
You can also do what folkies since time immemorial have done, and play the instrumental melody/lead parts on harmonica while you play guitar. It does does take some practice, but it's not much more difficult that singing and playing at the same time.
Talk a bar into letting you host an open mic. That way, you get paid and you don't really have to do much.
I do exactly this with a singerbabe and a looping pedal - no problems adding leads, solos, etc - folks/venues respond favorably. For bars, it's cheaper than a $500/night 'full band', significantly quieter (although we can/do get loud when the situation warrants), and we take up way less space. Check us out! Invalid Link Removed
Third the harmonica and possibly using a 12-string acoustic instead of six. Can be a little more folky, but doesn't have to be and fills in some of the sonic space otherwise left untouched in a single instrument setting. Just don't do the one-man-band symbols between the knees thing 
Go for it, I would love to see you make it, don't let anything stop you. I saw a while back, a YouTube video of a guy living on the streets of Italy and he sat on his amp, sang and slapped that cream color Fender P-Bass like there was no tomorrow. I watched that video a couple times in a row and thought, man, this guy only needs himself and his Bass and he sounds awesome, I would love to be able to sing and do the difficult Bass licks I do at the same time, then I would never have to worry about those damb big headed singers that think there better than the whole band and can't even play any instruments what so ever. So I know what you mean by not wanting to count on anybody that most likely will ditch you when you least expect it. Its hard wanting to make it in a band and you have to count on everybody sticking with it no matter what, like you. Oh, this guy on YouTube jammed his Bass and sang "Play That Funky Music White Boy" he was great, I loved it.
I'd say if can't find another guitarist, going with a percussionist (who plays cajón well) is a great idea. I've seen all these combinations mentioned, and the ones that tend to keep audience more engaged are the guitar/guitar, guitar/percussion combinations. Guitar and keys only can get quite bland after a while.
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QFT
I accompanied a solo guitarist on stage just for the fun of it and she told me how much difference a little bass made, and how much more freedom it gave her. It opens up opportunities both monetary and musically.
I saw an acoustic guitar and bass duo a few weeks ago and the bassist was treating the bass like a lead instrument. I really enjoyed it a lot. I've seen acoustic and bass duos before, but never like that.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Yeah, but I am guessing he can do more than strum open chords and sing.
Even the most well known singer/songwriter/acoustic performers, such as Jim Croce and James Taylor, were/are actually darn good players. Remember that.
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to actually make some money doing it is difficult, just like anything else in music.
that being said lots of people have done really well with it. but, be warned that there are tons of people doing that sort of thing, and you'll really need to be killin to stand out.
good luck
that being said lots of people have done really well with it. but, be warned that there are tons of people doing that sort of thing, and you'll really need to be killin to stand out.
good luck
