Performing in front of an unreceptive audience

Musicians are often requested to play/perform songs in a private party environment where they are basically a part of the party party and are not performing as such for the party. If you are lucky, people can be genuinely interested in your music. Most times, however, they just want a change in the flow of the party up until then. They also want to do something cool – like singing along while someone plays a guitar.

In either situation, you can get interrupted distracted by people being disinterested in the performance or, even worse, loud conversations. As a performing musician, I’m used to such experiences and I modify my performance accordingly. However, if someone else is singing when I’m playing the guitar, they often feel so dejected that they ask me to stop the performance.

There are two things wrong here. People talking when people are playing/performing itself indicates selfishness and lack of respect toward the performers. However, if performers reciprocate by stopping abruptly, they are just being selfish and being unprofessional.

So here’s my suggestion – do not stop in the middle of a song!

So what to do? As a preventive strategy, I wait until it’s the right time (or as late as I possibly can) to bring out the guitar. Once the initial fervor has settled down, I am quick to take the guitar back out of the party floor to avoid such experiences. When these interruptions become annoying, finish the song and slyly get to your drink and get involved in a conversation. If you can guage the audience before starting the song, don’t start it at all.

Once again, I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t react to the audience. But please don’t stop midway through a song just because someone is talking loud.

Should you be practicing right now?

If you are a musician (and even if you aren’t), you should follow this flow chart. Thanks to my dear friend Mike Perry who shared this on Facebook.

I hope this inspires all of us to practice more.

Hope It's Over

I am extremely happy to bring to you something which I consider to be one of the highest forms of expression - a song. I was inspired really by the responses that i got from the 'Hey There Alan' post which somehow re-kindled the song-writer inside me. Hence, after a really long period of about 3 years, I have written a brand new song. It's totally original and you are the the first people to ever hear it. It's called 'Hope It's Over'. The song's lyrics are given below.

Hope It's Over

When did I stop being, what I used to be
Where did I start falling, you weren't looking
What did I start chasing, it feels so long
Whom did I leave stranded, I fell so hard, I felt so low

Was it you, was it me, who knows

When did I stop listening, it was deafening
Where did I stop looking, what lies ahead
What did I start wishing, wish I'd be there now
Whom did I try faking, I tried so hard, I felt so lone

Was it you, was it me, who knows
Was it you, was it me, who knows

The hope that is left, is it too heavy to confess
The hope that is left, it's so easy to forget

Was it you, was it me, who knows
Was it you, was it me, is it over?

All I can say that it's a very sombre confessional which might not suit the style of at least a few. I have been known by my friends to only write very sad, morose music. This really stands by that claim. The lyric is open to interpretation even though the song is based originally on a relationship in my life. Please opine. Please criticise.

And finally the song...

(PS: This is recorded on a regular computer using a microphone intended for voice chatting. The guitar which has been used is not of professional quality and of course, I'm an amateur singer. Well, I thought I'd let you know before you start going overboard.)