question for band singers

[keymandoguy]

If you are playing an unrehearsed song on stage and somehow you find you are in the wrong key which do you do have the band start over in the correct key which is embarrasing on stage or struggle the best you can with what you have? This happened to me today and I just struggled with it but I was strained and it showed. At least Ill know the right key for this song next time http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif PS im talking about singing in the wrong key not neccesarily the picking.

[Scotti Adams]

..I personally think its better to start over...it may look bad on the onset...but everybody...including the audience...will be more appreciative for it in the end. Theres no law against starting over...you will find its the way to go.

[250sc]

Since your only starting over the first time you do the song I don't see it as a big deal. On the other hand, if it is a paying gig I'd think you wouldn't want to do it on more than once.

[Bruce Evans]

Stop and start over. Tell the audience that it's an unrehearsed song and make a joke out of it. Say something like, "Well, that was our first rehearsal of that song. That was in the key of 'L'. At least it sounded like 'L'."

[John Flynn]

The lesson for me would be: Never do an unrehearsed song in front of an audience, unless either: 1) You are sure everyone, including the singers, is sure they know the tune in that key, or 2) Your singers and musicians are so good they could handle any key on the fly, which would be rare. BTW, "rehearsed" doesn't necessarily mean months of practice. My band has occasionally been asked to do a previously unrehearsed tune at a gig and we rehearsed it in the back room during our break.

[Scotti Adams]

..even the most rehearsed songs and bands flub once in a while.....start over.

[David M.]

I've seen the great Tim O'Brien do this, but it was more due I think to forgetting the words. I think he can sing in most any key.

My feeling is continue if you can, but if you're sure on the onset that it's gonna be a bad key, start over.

These ladies in a session here recently started over on a song 2 or 3 times trying to find the key. They did it on a couple or three songs, too, which got old. Once is OK, I think.

[Don Grieser]

Or you could just shout out the new key to the band and modulate. That could be real excitin'! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[ShaneJ]

Make a joke out of it and start over. A little humor and the ability to laugh at yourselves will win the audience over, but playing out of tune dang sure won't.

It was probably the banjo player's fault, anyway! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

I totally agree with making a joke out of it. This has happened to are band a few times. We just laugh about it and start over. The audience usually get a kick out of it. It also shows that we are humans. [who make mistakes often]

[Michael H Geimer]

Start over ... Keep on going ... it doesn't matter, really if you apply the right Showmanship to the situation. Showmanship trumps all!

My band makes a running joke out of playing something brand new - often unrehearsed - at most every show. Sometimes it's a beautiful thing ... but only sometimes.

[jbrwky]

Well, you know what Jerry Garcia said at the beginning of the Pizza Tapes.

[tiltman]

I agree, make a joke out of it.
Let the audience know you're not faking it!
Kirk

[Peter Hackman]

My answer is,simply, know your keys. And you should know
the song well enough to start it in your favorite key
without accompaniment! And, although BG harmony is fairly
stereotyped you should NEVER attempt a trio,
or even a duet without having rehearsed it.

Slightly off topic. Me and a couple of friends
were to accompany a girl at a semi-public appearance.
The songs were from "Cabaret".

However, she couldn't make it to the rehearsal so
she sent the sheet music for us to work on
(that's the moment I should have stepped out!).
We learned
and head-arranged the songs well enough to play them by heart.

An hour before the performance she turned up and
we got to work on the songs. Then she complained that
the key was too low, could we raise it by a
minor third, say?
We complied, and then she complained again, couldn't
we raise it just a second? And we did and that
was the version we performed.

Afterwards some people from the audience approached us,
complimented us on our playing, then added: but why did
you play in such a low key, it didn't suit her at all.

I leave it to the reader to infer the moral of this story.