Re: [Harp-L] Blah Blah Blah...

["James Sterett" <jsterett@xxxxxxxxx>]

good points both you and Randy ("play to people that paid to 
get in") make, Iceman.  It all depends on just how far you're trying to go on your music. vocation or avocation makes a big difference to one's perspective.

>>> <icemanle@xxxxxxx> 2/22/2007 1:16 PM >>>
There seems to be a few levels to this awareness - 
 
1. Be happy about what you play - this seems to reach out telepathically to the audience and they pick up on the good vibes - sometimes a happy player w/out much talent will touch more in the audience than a full blown artist playing in a bad mood.
 
2. Play to the audience, not a small specialty group within. Bigger and faster advances in your musical career will usually occur.
 
3. Playing what you like or your original ideas may eventually catch on, but is riskier than  point #2 above. I've seen a lot of performers try to lay their trip on an audience unfamiliar with the material receive a cold reception. Sometimes the performer insists on being the "Artiste", misunderstood, but willing to stick with their convictions. It's great for self-image, but may be a longer road to acceptance and fame/fortune. I like the idea of starting out pleasing the audience by understanding them and once you've got them, slip in a few originals. If they warm to the originals, slowly ramp them up and phase out the "covers", keeping the audience on your side.
 
Until an audience is willing to pay a cover charge to experience you and your original material the way you want to play it, it seems to make sense to work using #2 above.
 
The Iceman
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: BiscuitBoy714@xxxxxxx 


W. Bee  writes:
"The most important person to please is your  self."

there's a point I agree whole-heartedly with.  I've been  in bands that 
started with a bunch of us just having fun, playing for  ourselves, and moved 
onto 
playing out.  with this approach, we achieve  some level of success as far as 
people digging us and being invited to play  gigs and festivals (as opposed to 
having to scrounge and scuffle for every  gig we could get.)  in a few of 
these bands, there's been a member or  two who lets this small measure of 
success 
get to them, and wants to try to  capitalize on it by shifting into the 
territory of presuming to know what  the people want to hear... which has always 

ended poorly for that individual  or the whole band.  
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