Most requested songs

[Paul Edwards]

So I hear a lot of about what songs to know for jams, etc., but I was wondering what loved ones or audience members like to hear a lot?

[Mandobart]

My family's favorite sound is the door behind me closing as I go out to play...somewhere (anywhere) else.

[JeffD]

I have found that, for the most part, there is nothing I enjoy playing that family, non-musical friends or general public want to hear. I have tried and tried. So I tried things they might want to hear, whether I enjoyed them particularly or not. You know, samples of mandolinny stuff. Carnival of Venice, Never On Sunday, Tales of Hoffmann Barcarolle, Beatles, REM, and many many other things.

Nothing. The response is uniformly, "thats nice".

I think I would get a better response if I could sing. But then the mandolin would be irrelevant.

I have concluded that they are just being nice when they ask, and don't really want to hear anything. So I either tactfully decline, or just play what I want, usually some Bach. At least it sounds like I have accomplished something after all these years.

The main advantage of festivals is that you can find folks who really want to hear you play those tunes you love to play.

[rgray]

Freebird!

[catmandu2]

Of course depends on the audience. But IME ones which have widest appeal are standards from the American songbook (Gershwin, Ellington, Porter, Cohn, Rodgers, Joplin et al). Even folks who are unfamiliar with much music--many have heard lots of these songs, lyrics, melodies...

[JeffD]

Joplin is a good choice. People respond to a well played rag. Even if they hadn't planned to.

[catmandu2]

People respond to a well played rag.

Yep...and rags seem to appeal to young and old as well

[yankees1]

My family's favorite sound is the door behind me closing as I go out to play...somewhere (anywhere) else. Your family must be collaborating with mine!

[JeffD]

My family is great. They have put up with me and encouraged me and have nothing but patience and love for me. When they ask me to play the mandolin, it is to show that they take an interest in my activities, and has nothing to do with wanting to hear the mandolin. Exactly like my fishing buddies and my cigar club associates, and folks at work.

I have delusions of someday blowing them away with something so beautiful and well played that they suddenly understand the worthiness of music and mandolins.

83806

[Marty Henrickson]

How is it that we all have the same family?!?

[Mike Bunting]

Too bad for you guys, my wife played autoharp and clawhammer banjo, my youngest daughter who had a 7 year run as a model in Europe, once came back to Canada a little early so she could go to a George Jones concert with me and now has taken up clawhammer too. She has also turned me on to some pretty cool modern music too.

[catmandu2]

I must say that I prefer making music for and with family than in many less sober venues. Maybe I'm just lazy--I'd rather make music in my nice comfy living room with smiling, happy people, than...well you know. Dad's crazy and is always singing and playing...so my kids have no choice, really. But they're not too abused--there are worse things than Rodgers and Gershwin

[Randi Gormley]

My husband and I were once practicing our Irish in the living room where his father was reading the paper and he stopped to watch us. He said he was fascinated watching my right hand hit all those different strings without my looking.

My kids just bail when we take out the instruments; even when we play choro, klezmer or gypsy, they say it all sounds the same. We get eyerolls from anybody else (family) who comes over, except my cousin, who plays classical guitar. I will say that my kids now recognize all the music the pipe band plays at the St. Patrick's Day parades. They don't ask us to play them, though.

[Paul Edwards]

I don't have any kids.. but when I do play.. my dogs even leave the room. My goal is to get good enough where they wont flee after the first few notes are played..

however, my corn snake comes out when I start playing, but I think it might be because he is being disturbed and not because he enjoys the vibrations. :)

[JeffD]

How is it that we all have the same family?!?

:)

[JeffD]

My newphew asked me, in all innocents, why I play music. "Isn't that something that musicians do?"

[Lukas J]

I've got people asking for "Wagon Wheel," "Fall on my Knees," "Wayside" by Gillian Welch, and "Man of Constant Sorrow" (that's the only one we will NOT play unless someone bribes us). Lately people have been requesting my originals, which is one of the most gratifying feelings!

[Tomando]

Well put!

[wsugai]

Blurb on Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker:

http://seattletimes.com/html/musicnightlife/2021049743_dariusruckerxml.html

Very good singer, even on a song that I have performed in bars and taverns as many times as Proud Mary.

[bookmn]

I love it when someone picks up an instrument and plays a little - maybe people who play make the best audiences. Most of my freinds and family are polite, at best. :confused:

[bratsche]

My family is great. They have put up with me and encouraged me and have nothing but patience and love for me. When they ask me to play the mandolin, it is to show that they take an interest in my activities, and has nothing to do with wanting to hear the mandolin.

I hear ya. I was (am) the black sheep musician in the family, growing up. Then, years later, I married a stone cold tone-deaf man.

:))

bratsche

[Russ Donahue]

Its so bad in my house that when I play the dog howls, and howls and howls. Nothing worse than man's best friend as man's worst critic....

[OldSausage]

Rocky Top.

Not my family, though - my 4 year old's favorite is Red Prairie Dawn. She makes me play it every night.

[LA Mando]

When I travel to see my mother, she asks for TN Waltz. I can get a lot of toes tapping with E TN Blues/Rag (that discussion about its name/genre is elsewhere on this forum!).

Like Paul, I have 2 corn snakes and they come out when I'm playing. I'd like to think it's because they have a taste for fine music. Then I think about what I sound like when I practice and, well, I'll vote for the "disturbed snake" hypothesis.

[mandocrucian]

http://img0106.popscreencdn.com/156625562_lynyrd-skynyrd-t-shirt-free-bird-l.jpg

:)) :grin: :)) :)) :crying:

[MikeEdgerton]

Dueling banjos. Got to be the number one audience request in my case. We actually worked it into an introduction to Glendale Train. Audiences generally like to hear what they know. Go figure.

[Pete Summers]

Far, Far Away. That's where they want me to play, not the song.:)

[Pete Counter]

I love it when someone picks up an instrument and plays a little - maybe people who play make the best audiences.

This statement kind of explains the whole bluegrass counter culture doesn't it?

[bratsche]

Far, Far Away. That's where they want me to play, not the song.:)

Reminds me of when I was a kid with my violin. At family gatherings, someone would ask me if I'd play a solo, and then somebody else would invariably chime in, "Yeah, make it 'SOLO' we can hardly hear you!" :disbelief:

bratsche