The audience didn't like me

[rkwestcoast]

Ronnie Scott's view on audiences & his own club!

[ChrisDowning]

Haha! Probably was you they didn't like, it was what you were playing. Don't take it personally or this sort of thing will drive you nuts. Just accept it as a mismatch. Move on and try to get better matched to the venues you play. You can't please every audience - sulk about it for a while then move on. Its not them, its not you, its just life.

Sounds to me like you are in the process of joining the World of professional musicians. We have all had blow-offs, its an occupational hazzard - but way less dangerous than stuff that happens on building sites. It just pops the ego each time - and that's probably a good thing. Go watch the movie "Revolver" and then think about what happened to you.

[MarkRhodes]

This thread reminds me of the great old Rick Nelson toon, "Garden Party." (The "Garden" is Madison Square and the event was a concert---a gathering of once-popular acts---that didn't go as well as he had hoped.)


"But it's alright now
Learned my lesson well
See, you can't please everyone
So you got to please yourself."

[KirkP]

I've found that eldercare residents are generally appreciative if you mostly play tunes they grew up with, play them well but fairly straight and melodically, have a gracious but relaxed stage presence, and play at a comfortable volume. It's definitely not a beebop crowd.

If it didn't go well with that group try to understand where you missed the mark with them so you can nail it next time. Ask some folks on the staff for candid feedback.

While it's true you've got to please yourself, if you want more eldercare gigs and you want appreciative audiences, make sure you learn something about entertaining from each gig.

[Drumbler]

"I played and sang my mid-day volunteer gig for a group of incapacitated older folks today."


The definition of a "captive" audience.

[Irez87]

I really don't want to sound standoffish, I have a lot of self doubt and have been used to being the worst guitarist of the bunch... but, hear me out here:

I've been going to more jam sessions as of recent. I mention Hep a lot on the forum, because I actually know the guy in person. Well, he helped me get comfortable playing in real jam sessions again (thanks Hep). Before that, I was playing with a great group in Brooklyn (Hep, you should sit in) that takes place in this guy's basement. That's where I play with that vibraphone player who studied with Milt Jackson...

Anyway... I started going to more jam sessions. With audiences and all.

Well, I'd play my tune and take my solo and think "shit, I messed up on the bridge. Crap, I was too quiet. Damn, I got nervous and tensed up. I couldn't double time where I wanted to."

After the sessions, people come up to me and smile. They'd say "that was great playing" or "I wanna play with you, what's your number?" or "I really enjoy when you come to the session" or "you played beautifully on that ballad".

Now, let's go back to my history. Like I said, I am used to being the WORST musician in the room. After thoroughly thanking the people who compliment me, I stand there dumb founded and think "Did I really play that good? What are they hearing that I'm not?"

I think I may have an idea now. Being the teacher I am (I teach History next year, woo hoo!) I love to share things that make learning easier, especially if I've struggled with them in the past myself.

Okay, okay. Here's what I noticed:

1. I ear train. I mean I ear train like crazy. Like people ask me why I always listen to my iPod and I say "that's my study guide. That's my gym (thanks Orri for that metaphor)." That means, on stage, I try and hear every chord and every note in my head before I play it. Is this always possible? Heck no, I've still got a heck of a lot more ear training to do to get even closer to that point. But I try, that's my goal.

2. I practice rhythm. A lot. My girlfriend got me the best birthday gift ever, a set of bongos. Now she regrets it. Recently, I've been shedding Mike Longo's concepts on the bongos. When I am in the subway, I drum on my chest. I've also been practicing hearing bigger chunks of time without a click for each quarter note or half note, and that has done wonders for my phrasing and keeping my place in the form. Let me know if you wanna know more.

3. Back to ear training, but I sing solfedge. Movable Do, to be exact. This really helps me hear single notes clearer in my head. I sing through tunes and progressions. It's hard work, but I am getting better at it.

4. I listen to jazz a lot. In the past couple of years, I've revisited the blues, classical, bluegrass, classic rock, funk, and hip hop. On my gig bag handles I have two quotes written in silver marker. The first is "Music, not labels!" and the second is "never forget the blues!". Those quotes are reminders to me of what's important when I play music.

5. I try and learn the melodies to a lot of standards. I'm not perfect on the chord progressions, but I know melodies pretty well. I am trying to learn the lyrics to these melodies as well. It helps when I take a solo.

That's my story. Please keep in mind, I am only beginning to accept that I might actually be enjoyable to listen to. I guess that's my nature. Take it or leave it.

[Irez87]

Hope that didn't come across to much as "humblebrag" as the kids say. I meant everything I said in the post. If I find something that works for me, I wanna share it. I recognize (especially as a teacher) that everyone learns differently, but at least I brought my thinking to the table. Maybe it will work for someone else, I hope.

[ChrisDowning]

Irez - what's going on in your head isn't visible or can be heard by the audience. When you make a mistake you know, but the audience doesn't. As musicians we are different to your average audience member - in fact I feel as nervious in the audience as I might if I were actually playing. It's because we understand what it feels like to play and we probably hear and see a whole different gig to the average punter. We notice band cues, looks and glances between band members, we hear errors in endings (mostly) and solos that get lost, we hear comping errors and harmony problems. Yu know what, when I talk to a friend who doesn't play its like we have been to differents gigs - so don't be tough on yourself. The audience are mostly non-players. Unlike a Herb Ellis evening I went to in a pub in Bristol (yes just a pub and I stood alongside the man when he was waiting in line to get a pint in the break!) anyway, Heb says at the start after the first number, "I feel like I am playing to a room of guitarists? How many players are in the room? (100 hands went up - everybody!)" Now that would scare me.

[Eric Rowland]

"I feel like I am playing to a room of guitarists? How many players are in the room? (100 hands went up - everybody!)" Now that would scare me."

If I were you, I wouldn't have worried too much...a room full of guitarists would have meant a GREAT deal of Guinness would have been quaffed!

[ChrisDowning]

Nah. That's Ireland - Bristol is a big Bitter Beer drinking area - you know that stuff you guys hate - flat, room temperature, and lots of hops and flavour. I remember finding some beers like that in bottles in Knoxville - but they were usually in the fridge - too cold for us Brits. But the great people I always met in Tennessee made up for any beer dysfunctionality - hope to come back soon. But there certainly was a lot of beer drunk, so you were right!

[zappafan99]

I'm subversive by nature. When it comes to a room bent on displeasure, I find the person with the most misery on their face and do my best Sonny Sharrock/Pharoh Sanders directly at them. I turn directly towards them and stare directly in their eyes and give a thousand times their energy in return. I feed on their displeasure and re-severe it to them with a side of my largest smile. I celebrate it. Often you own pleasure infects the crowd and can turn a few of them. BTW, I earn my money teaching and not gigging. As poorly as musicians are treated and payed these days, we should sing and play what we want. On the other hand, I'll give everything I can to an audience there to enjoy themselves. I'll try to read their mood and compliment it. On the other, other hand, a wise man once said: "You can't please all the people all the time, but you can be shot at Ford's Theater." We used to hand out candy and do magic tricks and jokes between songs when I was in high school. Get them to laugh and they might open up a bit.

[Irez87]

I might take the other route, though I understand your qualms with those miserable audience members (especially the ones on their freaking smart phones, I HATE smart phones )

I might try to put some modern popular song quotes in my solo to hook the audience. Playing a quote from Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" or Beyonce's "Single Ladies" or Maroon5 in my solo isn't above me. I want the people in the audience to have as much fun in their seats as I am having on the stage. I actually say, screw the jazz snoobs in the audience and play for everyone. You can still have have fun doing this, trust me

[jazzbow]

So in my bass playing yoof in the 80's we were promoting the new album and were booked into a few select gigs around London.
We played at a place called 'The Rock Garden' in the Soho area. It was a bar, restaurant and music club.
So our record label gave us loads of tickets to give out to friends and acquaintances to create a 'buzz'.
I personally gave out around 50 and had high expectations.......
Come the night we exploded onto the stage only to find an empty room except for two mohican punks at the bar.

There's more

So being the professionals we launched into our set. Part ways in these two mohawks started to pogo around for a song or two, back to the bar for a beer and then made their way over to the stage.
Next thing they sat on the stage where I was stood and proceeded to make out>heavy petting.
Up to this point I thought they were two guys, but the more I 'accidentally' looked down at the four armed writhing mass I could see 'slight' differences.
The remainder of the set carried on, none of the diners upstairs came down, they probably thought the multi coloured love-in was part of the stage act.
We rounded up and finished, Mr and Mrs mohawk stood up and thanked us and went.

Then...

We packed our gear away and the club manager called us into his office. Stood inside with him was the club sound engineer. 'Well guys,' he said 'good gig. Not many in eh! Because you didn't get many in we can only give you £20.'
'Ok,' we said, '£20 each'
'No, £20 and that's it. Oh, it's customary here for the band to tip the sound engineer....'

After a heated debate the managers parting words to us as we left was 'You'll never play at the Rock Garden again!'

Ah the memories...

[jads57]

Unless you're usually well know by the audience (local or national) people don't respond as well to Jazz or instrumental music in general. That said, if YOU can tell a STORY, either musically or vocally they usually respond well!

[MarkRhodes]

So in my bass playing yoof in the 80's we were promoting the new album and were booked into a few select gigs around London.
We played at a place called 'The Rock Garden' in the Soho area....Ah the memories...

Great story! I really enjoyed that. I wonder if Mr and Mrs. Mohawk are somewhere telling their friends the story of that night....

[Irez87]

Story telling...

I'll say it till I'm blue in the face.

Get comfy with some jazz vocabulary

Then forget it and focus on story telling

Then get back into the vocabulary

Then story tell

Then ear train

Then story tell

You can practice story telling. Unfortunately, too many teachers focus on the technical and leave the creative process as an elusive mystery...

That's bull shiest! You can learn how to tell a good story just like you can learn to write a strong essay. Natural talent is over rated and over hyped... Those guys and gals practiced too. They just started earlier, were exposed earlier, and practiced in different ways.

I'm looking at you, Beethoven and Mozart.

Bach...

Well, Bach was a space alien...

Or maybe a time traveling human thrice evolved.

How else would he have come up with all that great music?

[pushkar000]

i just came back from my first jam session...audience did not like me at all

[ah.clem]

i just came back from my first jam session...audience did not like me at all

Yup. Welcome to jazz. Congrats on getting up there. It never happens for lots of folks. Woodshed, jam, feel a little less humiliated every time; rinse and repeat. Good on ya, pushkar! It might not have been as bad as you think.

[edh]

The next audience might like you. Keep on choogaling.

[henryrobinett]

Story telling...

I'll say it till I'm blue in the face.

Get comfy with some jazz vocabulary

Then forget it and focus on story telling

Then get back into the vocabulary

Then story tell

Then ear train

Then story tell

I wish I knew how to teach telling stories. I haven't figured that part out. I'm pretty good at it myself I guess. Melody. One thing follows the next. Vision. Motif. Variation. Turns into stories.

[pushkar000]

Thanks guys. I told them I'd be back.

[destinytot]

I wish I knew how to teach telling stories. I haven't figured that part out. I'm pretty good at it myself I guess. Melody. One thing follows the next. Vision. Motif. Variation. Turns into stories.

On the other hand, who better to teach this than someone who has successfully navigated a path to avoid centipede's dilemma? No matter how hard one tries (or how often you 'Pick Yourself Up'), it's all too easy to keep falling into the same ditch.

I struggle in several areas, but perhaps the biggest challenge is to articulate rhythm in a fluid and nuanced way.
I imagine a (personal) storytelling approach can be taught through reflection, exemplification and practice - and I wish I'd had a teacher who'd shown me how to control pace and flow from the outset.

[Groyniad]

playing the tune and embellishing it a bit with fills has to be a very good way to start story-telling

you just use the story that is the tune - and try not to fuk it up with your embellishments

work on making your fill flow straight into the melody note that starts the next melodic phrase

(if it sounds like i can do this easily - that is misleading - when i do do it i am a very happy camper)

[destinytot]

Sending encouragement to the OP.

(Personally, I try to keep in mind a chapter in Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way entitled 'Recovering a Sense of Strength', which says: "Artistic losses can be turned into artistic gains and strengths. [....] in order to move through it and beyond it, we must acknowledge it and share it. [....] We must remember that our artist is a child and that what we can handle intellectually far outstrips what we can handle emotionally.")

[boatheelmusic]

We need Irez87 to weigh in here, he has good insights on this.