Anyone do any busking? Is it fun?

[Erok]

Title says it all.

[colorado_al]

I enjoy it if the weather is good. It isn't a money maker. I'm lucky if I get minimum wage, but I get to make it by playing music, which beats working...

[Kris N]

I did it in my late teens and early twenties. It was always a blast, except for the guy who always yelled "Freebird!" It's just plain fun and it gives you a chance to play and practice in front of actual people, even if the crowd is small or just passing by. Get those jitters out if you ever think you'll play onstage. Even if not, it's just good experience. If you make a few bucks while your at it, heck, you've made more than just sitting at home playing to an empty room.

[Bad Monkey]

we do a bit when we're in town and the weather is not pishing down. It's fun, and we do pull some decent cash on the deal. CD/merch sales help as well. I keep a ping pong ball gun close for the jackwagon yelling "freebird". Always gets a laugh from the kids.

[MontanaMatt]

We just play freebird whenever someone even mumbles it, and crush it, and people love it!

[Ivan Kelsall]

That's something i'd love to do in good weather over here if i could find the other musicians to make up a band. I could either play banjo or mandolin these days,& to get Bluegrass music 'out there' in front of folk in the UK would be a real hoot !. I wouldn't be doing it for cash unless we nominated a specific charity,simply for the sheer enjoyment of it,
Ivan

[Erok]

Yea, it does sound like a lot of fun.

[Mike Snyder]

I worked up a streamlined version of Free Bird as a solo busker. Did not really fit in with obscure fiddle tune repertoire, but I used it a few times. I only busked a very few times in a group but quite a bit solo. The stuff that goes over good in the Midwest is tunes that your target audience knows. 60s and 70s radio rock for the farmers market crowd. Dance tempo fiddle tunes rock the really young, like 3 to 7 years. They will dance their butts off and the parents tip good. Jam band rockers seem to get the hipsters going. Tried the singer/songwriter thing with a gal pal.


I really enjoy busking, but I haul in a chair and a mandolin. No sound gear. That ups the ante in all aspects and pulls at the fun. Quick in, quick out, minimal strain. Helps to have a loud voice and an instrument that projects.
The gal singer had to have her sound system. Not so bad, but I was the guy doing fills and tasteful melodic breaks, not putting the song over. Different altogether. I try to leave very little dead air. Like sets of six or seven tunes and all dance tempo stuff. The vendors are not real fond of amplification and like my tempo. And I always hit it with little kids. I learned instant rapport with little kids on the job in ambulance and ER and it works well on the streetcorner. Helps to have a good line of BS with everyone. Good luck!

[jdchapman]

I had a friend who paid the rent that way. But that was in New Orleans. We found it a bit more difficult to do well here in Roanoke.

My favorite busking experience was as an audience member in York, England.

There was a fiddle player with a homemade marionette of Satan attached to his rig that danced when he played. Children (very small ones) walked over and stared at the puppet, ignoring the player. It would never have worked as well on stage.

[tonydxn]

Never done it myself, but I once met a guy who went busking with a ukulele banjo. He claimed his best-ever day's busking earned him £800. He used to go to crowded places, like supermarkets on a Saturday. I think it may depend on your personality. That guy was a real bigmouth show-off.

[Charlieshafer]

All the time with the fiddle club. We don;t even expect any tips, it's the "random acts of music" thing that makes it fun. Village greens, alleys, front yards, we don't care.

[Jess L.]

Make sure to check local laws so you don't end up in the 'interesting' situation I found myself in one time, I wasn't even busking but a cop *thought* I was and tossed me in jail. See 5th post at MandolinCafe Song-A-Week thread for full details.

Maybe the cop just thought my mandolin playing was too awful to be played in public spaces even when there was no one was around to hear it! Lol!

A few years after that odd little experience, I decided to try some *actual* busking, but this time in a region that didn't prohibit such things. The three main things I learned:

1. My preferred quiet well-mannered instruments were instantly drowned out by traffic, couldn't even hear myself play (no one used amps back then for busking). So I put the quiet instruments away and hauled out the fiddle instead.
   
   
2. If you do have to resort to fiddle, try to make sure that whatever you play bears no resemblance to an alley-cat fight.
   
   
3. Smile. Look like you're having fun, hopefully you actually are. Smiles can be contagious and (sometimes) a smile can transform grumpy stressed-out people into friendly people who might be more likely to listen to your music and/or contribute to your cause.

On the practicality list of "captain obvious" stuff, make sure you've scoped out in advance where the nearest public restrooms are. Time flies when you're playing music.

[Paul Busman]

I've never done it for money, but I love playing outdoors in public places like parks. As others have mentioned it's great for getting used to playing in front of people. People are not used to hearing live music in unexpected places so they always seem to like it.
If you're nervous about it, remember that you are vastly better than most of them at it! Stick to tunes you already know pretty well-- nobody wants to listing to someone playing scales and exercises.
It's a great way to proselytize for the instrument you're playing. Folks will always come up and ask about the instrument, especially if it's not something as familiar as an acoustic guitar. I generally play a penny whistle in these situations since I can stick it in my pocket en route rather than lugging an instrument case. I can easily stick it in my day pack and play on mountain tops or by woodland streams.

[onassis]

I think it depends heavily on your personality and your expectations. Personally, I don't enjoy it much. It tends to be a chaotic environment, with noisy crowds and children running amok. I have to ignore the audience completely and get into the song or tune to enjoy it, but subtlety doesn't sell when busking. It's all about loud. And being a human jukebox, which is yet another pet peeve. I'm really not into doing random requests.

[Chanmandolin]

We just play freebird whenever someone even mumbles it, and crush it, and people love it!

Been saying this to bands for years. People love it when you actually bust it out lol

[Jess L.]

...children running amok. ...

Good point, it wasn't that way years ago, children used to have self-control. Don't see that as much anymore. Ineffective parenting, or something.

-------
"Get off my lawn!"

[DavidKOS]

Yes, it can be fun, and you can make some money at it.

I'd rather have a booked indoor gig where I know how much money I'm coming home with.

[Jill McAuley]

I've supported meself busking when between jobs. I enjoy it and always found it a great way to hone the ability to tune out distractions when playing - certainly translates well to playing out live on stage, which has never bothered me. One situation I encounter regularly are comments from incredulous people wondering "why on earth" a half Korean tattooed punk rocker is playing Irish music. Pretty priceless watching the look on their face when I open me mouth to answer them!

[Jeff Mando]

It isn't a money maker.

There are many threads here about busking. Some of the points are being repeated from previous threads, but I second that you might want to check local laws first. Some areas do not allow busking and consider it panhandling. Some areas allow busking, but require a permit.

Money might depend on your location. Years ago, I'm talking the late 70's, there was a string quartet of Julliard trained musicians who played Rockefeller Center in NYC during lunch time and drew a big crowd daily. Needless to say, they were awesome sounding. The local news did a piece on them and it said they made $400 each DAILY! And that was in 70's money......(and I was "feeling sorry" for them being so talented and not able to find proper employment in their field!)

I don't know if they are still around. They probably all bought private islands by now.....

[Charlie Bernstein]

Once in a while. Yes, it's fun!

[oliverkollar]

Used to busk on the Boston T Red Line and in Harvard Square in the early 90's.
I remember making $200 on a good day, playing for about 4 hours, usually busy weekends and holidays.

It was fun, but could be competitive, with busker "turf wars" breaking out.
I never had any problems though.

You had to get a license to play in the T stations. I always just borrowed a buddy's, they never checked them anyway.

[allenhopkins]

I've listened for years to the buskers in Harvard Square when I visit Cambridge, and it seems that amplification is now a requirement. They all have battery-powered amps of some description. Of course, the Square is a very noisy environment, with continual traffic on several busy streets. The only unamplified musician I saw there recently was a hurry-gurdy player, and the instrument's nasal tone made it pretty easy to hear. I'd guess a bagpiper wouldn't need an amp (maybe a bullet-proof vest -- nah, I'm just kiddin' here...).

Don't busk myself, but do play farmers' markets where tips are a large part of the compensation. It helps to play in a place where people have to slow down a bit -- sidewalk bazaar, farmers' market, craft show -- rather than where they're just walking past on the way to somewhere else. Farmers' markets often provide a few chairs for "audience," which helps.

Having recordings to sell is a plus. Also, it doesn't hurt to remind people that "your compensation depends on their generosity." Ability to do requests is, of course, good for increasing contributions. IMHO playing at least some familiar songs seems to draw more audience and tips -- songwriters who only play their own stuff may not do as well.

Some cities require a permit, and some, where street music is a big deal and competitive, even require auditions to obtain a permit. And an engaging personality never hurts.

Also, it's not fun if it rains.

[bratsche]

I did it in my 20s a number of times, mainly baroque music on violin or viola with a partner on another instrument - cello, bass, clarinet, whoever wanted to go. Only did it alone once. We learned quickly that two people made at least 4x as much as a solo act in that genre, so we each could double our intake at a minimum. Large attractive parks and shopping districts were good.

I've often missed doing that, but where I've lived since those times, it seems people can play live music in front of passers-by in many public places, just as long as no money is seen. Put a case with dollar bills out in front of you, and some busybody will alert a cop, who will come and tell you to move along. They see no difference between some wonderful-sounding musicians and a homeless couple with a cardboard sign begging by the interstate ramp. Oddly, the latter sort gets to stick around, though.

bratsche

[Beanzy]

I hadn’t done it since university in the 80s but did a few street sessions this past summer to raise money for the Cornwall Folk Festival funds. I (mandolin, fiddle & mandoloncello) & my friend (guitar/mandolin/whistle) prepped three tight sets that could cover about 45 mins each plus banter time.
We’d do a set of tunes followed by two songs x 3.
The songs are important attention grabbers and the tune sets provide energetic interest.
The sets were Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian and English folk.

We’d move location after each. It went very well, especially in the quieter places with less traffic noise.

My son does it if he has new songs & tunes to try out and a couple of spare hours.
He did some comparisons by day & location & figured he gets more money when he plays trombone than singing with the guitar or playing fiddle.

[Chuck Leyda]

My wife and I used to busk whenever we wanted a night out. Sometimes busking paid for dinner and movie, other times just ice cream.

A friend made a killing busking with a hammered dulcimer. He was good but not -make more money than a plumber-good. Still people loved the instrument.