What my audience prefers to hear (rant)

[Tate Ferguson]

I have played guitar for 54 years, mandolin for 15 years. I've gotten pretty good, and I perform regularly for pay with some of the best musicians in my city.

I can sing a tune, but my vocals are approximately 1/10th as good as my playing.

Yet audiences would MUCH rather hear me sing than play.

WTF??

(rant mode off)

[Bertram Henze]

My guess is that people need words to understand what the music is supposed to tell them. You can easily test that by singing in an uncommon language they don't understand, such as Gaelic; at the end of the song, you'll be escorted out by police under charges of alien invasion.

As a last resort, you can play electric guitar solos - then your grimaces do the telling.

And I haven't even turned my rant mode on

[Bob Visentin]

something i've learned is you don't have to have a pretty voice for people to like it. Levon Helm, Jerry Garcia and Willy Nelson for example. Not pretty but in tune and from the heart. People can feel it. I am always amazed when somebody tells me they like my singing.

[Bertram Henze]

in tune - oh yes. Without that, an angel's voice won't help you.

[Mandobart]

something i've learned is you don't have to have a pretty voice for people to like it. Levon Helm, Jerry Garcia and Willy Nelson for example. Not pretty but in tune and from the heart. People can feel it. I am always amazed when somebody tells me they like my singing.

Add in Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, John Prine, James McMurtry, Robert Earl Keen, etc....

[Randi Gormley]

Audiences ... such odd birds. Actually, when I was younger and had an album of mixed vocals and instrumentals, I preferred the vocals because I could sing along with them. and they had recognizable tunes, come to think of it. Yet when I listened to classical music, I wasn't a fan of vocals. Maybe the dichotomy has to do with expectations? Most people expect certain music to be vocal and certain to be instrumental. Jazz, f'rinstance, is perfectly fine strictly instrumental; baroque and medieval as well ... folk music, the expectation for a lot of people is songs.

You just need a more upscale audience!

[allenhopkins]

I help run a little concert series in a small town library, near Rochester; we're in our seventh year and book local, regional, and a few touring musicians who don't mind doing a Wednesday evening set for less than $200 (as a rule). Couple years ago we booked a local trio, fiddle, guitar and bass. The fiddler was really good, had played for a while in Nashville, before she decided that teaching high school music near her hometown, taking occasional gigs, was a more secure lifestyle.

Thing is, the group did instrumentals only -- no singing. I had to convince my partners that they would "draw" without vocals. After they did their evening, which finished with a standing ovation from the audience, I felt I'd made my point -- but we've never reached consensus to book them again.

There are "primarily instrumental" performers who feel they have to add vocals for audience appeal, to get bookings. Another example I'd cite, Loren Barrigar & Mark Mazengarb, who are world-class guitarists, have played extensively in the US and Europe -- plus, since Loren's from nearby Auburn NY, they have a good local following. Yet I had to convince our local folk club that "Yes, they do sing," to get them booked for a concert.

For some reason, people who aren't musicians themselves, seem to feel that -- in the realm of folk-based music -- instrumental performance without vocals is more difficult to identify with and accept. Doesn't apply to classical music, or jazz; every symphony orchestra doesn't need a vocalist, and jazz combos playing instrumentals are generally accepted. But folk, bluegrass, old-time, Celtic -- bookers seem to think that audiences need vocals.

Just helped run a Fiddlers' Fair at a local restoration, where 90% of the performances were instrumental only, and it drew thousands, as it has for 37 years, and generated much audience enthusiasm. I didn't hear anyone complain that Grisman's Quartet didn't have a vocalist, or Django Reinhardt's combo. But try to get a club job "instrumentals only," especially as a soloist, and it's a hard slog.

Maybe if you took up piano...

[Jill McAuley]

I used to get this sometimes when busking - not a lot mind, as I think the bulk of folks appreciated instrumental music played in the public spaces I played vs. the aural interruption that lyrics can provide in that setting. Every so often though, some bright spark would come up and ask me to sing a song, and tell me I'd make a lot more money that way. I would usually reply that my rate was $20 a song, and that did the job to get them to clear off!

[catmandu2]

A perennial and often vexing issue; how to connect with an audience? Specifically regarding the instrumental vs vocal problem, this dawned on me early in life, the first time a friend responded, upon me firing into classic solos - Pages version of black mountain side or Hedge's ragamuffin - after about 7 seconds, "do you sing?" Uh, no. And my family disliked flamenco out of hand ("nice, but do you sing?").

At the time, I was not a singer - coming up in the classical school. I've since learned to sing, and studied a bunch of folk music (now play/sing Bert Jansch's version of black waterside ). And I've had a great time with this over the years. Yet my passion is what is often termed "art" music or "high-art" music. It's definitely more difficult to find performance opportunities for solo art music.

Have you heard the one about the...jazz musician? He was in it for the money.

[foldedpath]

For some reason, people who aren't musicians themselves, seem to feel that -- in the realm of folk-based music -- instrumental performance without vocals is more difficult to identify with and accept. Doesn't apply to classical music, or jazz; every symphony orchestra doesn't need a vocalist, and jazz combos playing instrumentals are generally accepted. But folk, bluegrass, old-time, Celtic -- bookers seem to think that audiences need vocals.

I wouldn't necessarily put "Celtic" folk music in that same category, unless we're talking about Clancy Brothers-type bands, which is its own category. Or a St. Patrick's Day gig, where people probably expect some singing. I've done St. Patrick's gigs with an otherwise instrumental band where we hired in a vocalist to help. Otherwise we did okay as a straight instrumental group, but it was mostly background-music gigs like weddings.

On a commercial level, it's true that many of the more successful Irish trad bands like Altan, Capercaile, Dervish, etc. mix in vocals among the instrumental sets. It's interesting that this works even when all the songs are in Gaelic, which nobody in a USA audience will understand! But there are some successful pure-instrumental groups that manage without singers, like Lúnasa. They manage to fill venues like the local Triple Door in Seattle every time they come to town.

Of course it helps to have a front person with good audience interaction skills, telling stories and jokes between tunes. Kevin Burke is good at that, with his solo fiddle gigs. I've read somewhere that Lúnasa wasn't a very successful band before Kevin Crawford joined, because everyone played while staring down at their feet. Kevin's personality, and ability to connect with the audience between tunes, lit up the band.

[Skip Kelley]

Then I would sing away my friend! You can fill in between the vocals with your favorite instrumentals!!

[allenhopkins]

I wouldn't necessarily put "Celtic" folk music in that same category, unless we're talking about Clancy Brothers-type bands, which is its own category. Or a St. Patrick's Day gig, where people probably expect some singing. I've done St. Patrick's gigs with an otherwise instrumental band where we hired in a vocalist to help. Otherwise we did okay as a straight instrumental group, but it was mostly background-music gigs like weddings....

I've had the same problem I did with the fiddle trio, getting agreement to book Celtic bands that didn't sing. My Celtic group Innisfree has a small vocal repertoire so we don't get typed as "instrumentals only." I was in a Scottish-oriented band, Thistledown, and while our CD was all instrumental, we learned some vocals for live performance.

Not sure whether it's the audience, or the venue bookers, who shy away from strictly-instrumental groups. Personally, I'd much rather hear a really good instrumental, than a mediocre vocal that the musician included because he/she felt it was required.

I like to sing -- not that I'm super-good at it -- and I think that mixing instrumentals and vocals makes for more interesting programming. But I'd hate to think I was singing because I had to, in order to have a gig.

[SincereCorgi]

For most people, instrumental music is wallpaper, and going to a show is literally like crowding together to look at a big piece of nice wallpaper. At least, with vocals, there's like a brain response to hearing a voice and words and a narrative that makes it easier for them to engage.

[foldedpath]

For most people, instrumental music is wallpaper, and going to a show is literally like crowding together to look at a big piece of nice wallpaper. At least, with vocals, there's like a brain response to hearing a voice and words and a narrative that makes it easier for them to engage.

Very true on the larger scale, but the one big exception is when it's a relatively small venue in an area where the "audience" is mostly other musicians.

Some mainly instrumental performers have a niche appeal like that. Anyone who has been to a Leo Kottke concert will know what I mean. Look around the room, and most everyone sitting there is a guitar player, or the spouse/S.O. of a guitar player who got dragged along. I think Leo sings a few songs, but that's not why people go to see him. I mean, if you've heard his vocals....

[jaycat]

The bar is just that much higher if you're not singing. First of all, I'm generally not interested in hearing renditions of the same old, same old instrumentals... no matter how well you can play them. Red Haired Boy, yeah I get it, ok.... I'm not paying money to see someone who can play no better than I, or maybe just somewhat better... on the other hand, when Jeff Beck comes to town, I'm there (and yes, the audience is full of guitar players...)

[Paul Kotapish]

I've noticed time and again that pub sessions are often incredibly noisy with yakking and clinking during the tune sets, but the place goes quiet as a church when someone pipes up with an unaccompanied ballad. Most folks who don't grow up with tunes or purely instrumental music as a regular part of their lives just relate to songs better most of the time.

[MontanaMatt]

There is also the comfort of hearing a song you've heard before and the ear worm effect of being able to anticipate what's coming...
Simple minds don't like to be challenged, and most minds are simple (bell curve distributions and all...)
Some listeners devour all music, some only listen to their favorite radio station, commercials and all...

[Bill McCall]

Musical performers, like many other commercial ventures, often fail when the seller only wants to sell their preferred product, irrespective of what customers desire. I think it helps to determine what business you are in, and realize most small businesses fail. Then you can make repertoire choices with a clear focus. Of course you can appeal to the niche audience and reap the rewards.

I think the best compliment is when strangers give you money. YMMV

just saying.....

[Charlieshafer]

The bar is just that much higher if you're not singing.

And that's it in a nutshell. We'll sell out our shows either way, vocals or not, but the all-instrumental groups better be phenomenal. For Celtic stuff, it's gotta be an Alasdair Fraser/Natalie Haas level affair, for old time/bluegrass/alternative, it's gotta be on the Darol Anger/Britt Haas/Jason Anick level. And the most successful of those have great between-tune patter.

Two things happen with vocals: they get interspersed with instrumental breaks, providing sonic changes that make a tune more interesting as well as making an entire set more varied, and they also tell a story, or have a narrative. A sad song sung can be a real tear-jerker, but an instrumental that's supposed to be sad, like a one of Neil Gow's laments, better be played unbelievably well, otherwise it's just a slow repetitive slog. Any accomplished musician will tell you it's much harder to play a slow instrumental well. All your flaws in tone, intonation, expression, are revealed. With a song that's sung, it's easy for an audience to immediately identify with what's going on.

Take some tune that's a song that you really like, say, (and only because this popped in my head right now) The Band's version of When I Paint My Masterpiece. That's a tedious tune if it had no words, but the pictures the words paint are so vivid it makes it come to life. If you're an old-time fiddler, it's tough to come up with something as repetitive as Greasy Coat. But when you add the words, it's a kick. House Carpenter's Daughter is the same. It doesn't need to be sung well, but the story is a killer. All those murder ballads that are so engrossing; if just played instrumentally, where's the beef?

The bands that get the greatest responses for us tend to be the ones that can do both. They might launch into a fast tune set where everyone gets to show off a bit, then follow that with a song of some sort.it's ear relief for the audience, as much as making a show more interesting. Start singing!

[Andy B]

Nat King Cole, one of the most popular singers of the mid-20th century's pre-rock era, was a jazz piano virtuoso who began including a few songs in his gigs with the Nat King Cole Trio just to relieve the monotony of constant instrumentals. Then people told him he should sing more. As great an instrumentalist as he was, his voice was what made him a legend.

People like songs. If you are there to entertain, you should consider giving your audience what it wants. This is not pandering. A constant stream of instrumentals, no matter how well played, wears thin in a hurry. In most settings, they are the spice, not the main course.

[catmandu2]

On an American Routes interview, Allison Krause offers her personal anecdote on this effect.

...Leo Kottke...

Michael Hedges. When Taproot came out, I so wanted another Aerial Boundaries.. but as I remember his concerts were already a mixed affair...flute too..

Solo performers have a steep challenge indeed. Otherwise, you can find a Robert plant or someone to carry the vox

I'm entertaining when I'm singing - albeit I'm also playing a variety of squeezeboxes, banjos, etc - but I never practice or play this repertoire at home. So it's only for entertainment purposes. For myself, I play entirely different stuff.

[Mandobart]

I'll often throw in an instrumental slack key song on OM or mandocello, with a little intro on what slack key is for those that don't know. It usually blows them away because no one else in my area plays it, its highly melodic and sounds harder than it is. Also most people think of Don Ho or tourist luaus when they think Hawaiian music, so they're really surprised when they first hear it.

[catmandu2]

Yep when I perform entirely instrumental I impart a good deal of elucidation (unless it's a dinner/restaurant gig). A lot of my repertoire involves a long tradition, so there's plenty to draw from. It's a totally different bag - instrumental performance. I've done mixed sets/gigs, but I generally do one or the other - mostly because they're involving totally different instruments, and vibe.

[foldedpath]

Michael Hedges. When Taproot came out, I so wanted another Aerial Boundaries.. but as I remember his concerts were already a mixed affair...flute too..

Oh yeah.. Hedges. That's almost a counter-example of how you can bork an instrumental career by singing.

By the time Aerial Boundaries came out, I had already been captivated by all the fingerstyle guitar guys and was trying to copy them -- Davey Graham, Jansch, Renbourn, Fahey, all those guys. And then Kottke as the 12-string powerhouse. Then Michael Hedges came out of left field with jaw-dropping technique and compositions.

I saw him just once in concert. Small venue; some folk club up in Ft. Lauderdale FL (I was living in Miami at the time). I got there early, grabbed a front seat right in front of the small stage, just a few feet away. Spending half my time trying to figure out his GEAR... sound hole humbucker on an acoustic guitar into a small rack of effects. But it was the pure talent that knocked us all out. Everyone in the room was another guitar player, of course. Or their girlfriends (mine too, nothing sexist about that, just the way it was back then).

Hedges lost me once he started singing with those later albums, and lost a lot of the early fans too. The cat had a difficult life. But that remains one of my top ten live concerts I've been privileged to attend.

I can still play Kottke's "The Fisherman" fingerstyle on my acoustic guitar. That's about all I have left of those days. Irish and Scottish trad has sucked me down the deep well on mandolin and flute for linear melody. You have to make choices in life. Unless you're Chris Thile, you can't do it all!

[CarlM]

Doc Watson did mostly vocal numbers in his shows. That was the guy who practically invented guitar flatpicking. Before him there were no fiddle tunes flatpicked for practical purposes. And he was as good as anyone there is. Yet he played the instrumental numbers to spice up the show and kept the backbone as vocal numbers. He played such a variety of songs and styles things never got boring. Everything from old time acapella ballads to outright jazz to Merle Travis fingerstyle and some modern pop along with the traditional tunes learned from family.

There is a lot to learn about repertoire and structuring a set from listening to Doc.