Do you play for yourself or for the audience? (POLL)

[hintz]

It really *has* to be a mixture of both to be successful. Too much self-indulgence can be boring and too esoteric but on the other hand no one wants to watch people pander to them. I think we have all seen the slick-but-bored wedding/corporate band performance that is "perfect" but ultimately boring as hell.

This/\...

I played in a corporate/wedding band for 2 years, it wasn't boring though...the front man was very energetic and entertaining for both the audience and his bandmates...i actually would've stuck with it had I gotten the pay raise that myself and others were promised...

AFAIK, they are still very successful to this day.... Anyways, there has got to be balance, to use this group as an example, we played alot of "standard" bar band songs like "hit me with your best shot", "mustang sally", etc... But we also did gimmicky/showy things like an Elvis medley where singer dressed up like the king, or a hillbilly for "devil went down to Georgia" then we also played meatloafs "paradise through the dashboard light" and a grease medley... It was fun, crowd pleasing, and enough challenging stuff to keep it interesting...

That's what I call doing the cover thing the right way...originals...well that depends on your goals and style of music...ya wanna make it big your playing to a audience, if for yourself you just do your thing, throw it against the wall and hope it sticks

Ps, not that I've "made it" or anything, but these are my best observations...ill also add that for me if people aren't grooving one way or another, whether tapping their foot or dancing, something, I'm not doing my job, the groove always has to be there

 

[Jughead6]

I see a lot more bands taking special songs and making them mediocre and generic.

True. I have a perverse admiration for the human capacity to drag everything down to the lowest possible standard.

 

[jjmuckluckjr]

Playing in front of a crowd is a different social dynamic as they bring their own expectations to a gig. People like familiar tunes, it's very comforting for the most part. Hearing new music can be a jarring experience for some. Seriously,of all the popular songs ever,you gotta pick something you like. Because you can be stuck in Dante 's seventh circle of hell playing Free Bird for the millionth time contemplating Kurt Cobain's retirement strategy .

 

[Lowness]

I play for the brunette in the third row, left of center stage.

 

[Eidolon0274]

I play for the brunette in the third row, left of center stage.

Hope your band plays above the skill required for the songs, has plenty of energy and don't require rhythm section baby sitting....then watch girls. That's my strategy. Oh, I hate 90 percent of pop music so it's all business for me.

 

[MrBKerth]

I play music for me, but I perform at shows to entertain. That's why I split my time between super self indulgent progressive jazz and very fun rock. The rock I love, but there's a strong entertainer element. The jazz is just for me though

 

[Phalex]

I've found that with the right drummer, I can have a great time playing anything. More gigs equal more stage time with the right drummer, and playing songs that get you gigs is the key to getting more gigs.

 

[FA108208usat2]

I think there should be a "Mixture of Both" option. Maybe right under "Carrots."

I make music because it brings me a certain kind of pleasure I haven't found from any other pursuit. I played for 3-4 years before I started gigging (and I was still pretty dang young when I started gigging.)

But while the whole reason I play may ultimately be "for myself," when playing live I always hope to give the audience something.

I'll never forget my first gig at an actual club (after playing a few house & basement shows.)

Somewhere in the first song I finally took my eyes off the floor and the neck of my bass and looked out at the audience. Guys were pumping their fists up, chicks were bobbing their heads and smiling. The whole audience looked like one dancing organism.

When you see that, and receive that energy back, and you know you are part of what is feeding the audience and making them feel good...that is the most addictive feeling in the world to me. Outside the love of my family and friends, there is no drug, no kinky sex act, no fine dining, no spiritual catharsis, nothing that can equal that feeling. For me, at least.



There is no shame in this at all. I went from playing in bands that did mostly originals with 3-4 covers per set to bands that did mostly covers with 3-4 originals per set.

You know what? I had the same amount of fun, and playing covers paid a LOT better.

My only criteria is that--for the most part--we had ot be playing covers I liked. I would bite the bullet and play stuff I didn't dig (and still had fun) but I wouldn't want to be in a cover band that only played music I didn't like or found boring. Because then I don't get as much of MY part of the pleasure of playing.



I haven't gigged in several years (and I miss it terribly.) I hope to get back into it soon, and when I do, I'm stealing that.

Let's just say that carrots is "Mixture of Boths"
Because you can't make polls on TB without carrots as one of the options It's a tradition

but just look at the OP's tone, decided he hates tunes and doesnt wanna play them simply because they may be popular. from his initial post I think he may have not even heard the tunes he doesn't wanna play. I mean he's young and thats just fine and not everyone has to like all music, I know I don't, but sometimes peoples greatest obstacle is getting out of their own way.

Hmm... You have a good point, I should reconsider a few things, and loosen my ego.

Anyway great responses so far, I probably would start playing some mainstream songs for the audience, maybe throw in some cheesy pop songs in there
but still play some rock songs aswell .

 

[Humbled]

I don't really care what genre I'm playing as long as I'm filling the role expected of me. So...

Bass playing is really never about me. I hope the audience likes it, but the bottom line is I'm playing for my band-mates, especially the one that hired me.

 

[P. Aaron]

In between sets right now at a wedding gig. The bride requested 6 songs we HAD TO learn & play tonite. That's the job.

The professional finds enjoyment in every song and executes because it's about the audience. Their positive reaction is the reward. I play it solid and on the money, they dance & have fun.

I'd rather be known as a good time and then as a musician.

P.S. The Big Al & the rig sound awesome so, besides a paycheck, there's something in it for me.

 

[jmverdugo]

I little bit of both so, carrots...

 

[StinkFoot]

because why please others, when you are not enjoying it yourself.

If you're getting paid and need the money, this is not a question. It also helps you to learn new things - even if you're not enjoying it now, later what you learn could come in handy for something you do enjoy. Billy Sheehan has said many times that he got so good because he spent years playing other people's music for a living, to pay the bills.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I write and record songs that make me happy.
Hopefully those songs will make others happy. If they do, I'll play them live.
I play cover songs to make others happy.
Sometimes I get lucky and play cover songs that make me, and the audience happy.
So is the case in the Zep tribute I play in. Actually, 2 Zep tributes I now play in.

 

[gregmon79]

I play for both. It started for me. Then I learned how to play and write a little. I wanted to share what gets me off. So now, I play for me and them. My ultimate goal is to give people goosebumps like the stuff I listen to does me. If I can do that, I'll be happy.

 

[MegaSwing]

I am friends with all the members of another band. They play classic rock/top-40 and are all decent players. Their nightly set list is the safest bunch of tunes you could ever choose. I could show up off the street and literally play their entire show with no rehearsal. You never want to be that predictable, even if audiences seem to respond well to the music. A band's repertoire should be an adventure, not a straight rehash of common music. You ARE putting on a SHOW, right?

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Back in the day, I went for artistry and authenticity. I gave them a shot, but I couldn't make them pay. Chastened, I now say the happiness of the audience is the thing. I've heard it said that if you play for applause, applause is what you'll get. I tried the road less traveled, and it didn't take me anywhere. So now I'm driving down the middle of the six-lane highway. As some German guy wrote, "First feed the face/and then come right and wrong"

 

[jjmuckluckjr]

Back in the day, I went for artistry and authenticity. I gave them a shot, but I couldn't make them pay. Chastened, I now say the happiness of the audience is the thing. I've heard it said that if you play for applause, applause is what you'll get. I tried the road less traveled, and it didn't take me anywhere. So now I'm driving down the middle of the six-lane highway. As some German guy wrote, "First feed the face/and then come right and wrong"

Writing a good song is pretty easy, there have been countless decent songs forever lost when bands break up. But writing a hit song, that's hard. Harder still is grabbing a wide audience. 20 - 30 years ago that meant moving to La or NY. You'de think YouTube would help but literally millions of other bands got there first. And dispite the sheer number of music options, people have become more narrowly focused with their musical tastes.Play the hits and pocket your coin.

 

[Muddslide]

I am friends with all the members of another band. They play classic rock/top-40 and are all decent players. Their nightly set list is the safest bunch of tunes you could ever choose. I could show up off the street and literally play their entire show with no rehearsal. You never want to be that predictable, even if audiences seem to respond well to the music. A band's repertoire should be an adventure, not a straight rehash of common music. You ARE putting on a SHOW, right?

Well and truly spoken. I love a lot of classic rock and popular stuff of the 60s and 70s, but I gotta imagine audiences get tired of hearing the same local classic rock band playing from the same repertoire of the same 60 songs that every classic rock cover band in every pissant town across the nation plays...the same 60 songs the audience has heard their entire lives on every classic rock radio station...

Back in the day, I went for artistry and authenticity. I gave them a shot, but I couldn't make them pay. Chastened, I now say the happiness of the audience is the thing. I've heard it said that if you play for applause, applause is what you'll get. I tried the road less traveled, and it didn't take me anywhere. So now I'm driving down the middle of the six-lane highway. As some German guy wrote, "First feed the face/and then come right and wrong"

Great post.

 

[10cc]

I play songs that make the audience happy. In my case that happens to be sings I write. Wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[hrodbert696]

If there's an audience, there is no excuse for not making the effort to connect with the audience. That may mean song choices of the audience's favorites, or it may mean something else. But if you don't care if the audience enjoys the music, don't torture them. Play at home if you're playing for yourself alone.

The thing is that audiences vary. There are audiences that want to sit and drink and listen, there are gigs where you're background music to their restaurant-table conversation, there are audiences who want to hear their old favorites and there are audiences who want to hear something new and different. It's all about knowing your audience and playing accordingly. One of my bands is a classic rock power trio. We have a lot of deep cuts for jamming and solos and stuff that's fun to play: and we have a lot of ole reliable crowd pleasers for crowds that want to dance and sing along (the "usual suspects..."). We never use a set list; we call it as we go, depending on what kind of a crowd we're getting. If there are ladies who want to dance, out come Summer of '69, Gimme Three Steps, and Mustang Sally. If there are a lot of dudes who want to drink and hear loud rock, out come Day of the Eagle, I'm Bad I'm Nationwide, and War Pigs. Just depends.