bar pianist

[felia]

anyone played in bar before? My new mission is to play in a bar. During the Valentine period, what is the rule for bar pianist, will you guys except the random picking of song?

please sahre the experience..thanks


felia

[dmc]

By "playing in a bar", I assume you mean as a cocktail type gig/piano bar.  If thats true, it won't be like a recital. You're going to be mostly anonymous background music.  Most folks don't listen that closely or even at all.  On the one hand this means (theoretically) that you could play whatever you want.  But from a practical standpoint I'd advise that you stick to more contemporary popular material,  jazz standards, Gershwin, bluesy stuff etc.  If you're thinking Valentine's Day, make sure you have an adequate supply of sappy romantic ballads.  Some classical pieces are OK as long as they are short and more recognizable (think Fuer Elise, Pachelbel's Canon, etc).  Finally, be prepared to deal with obnoxious requests (you're in a bar - some people have too much to drink...) and crummy out-of-tune pianos too.  If you don't know a request, try and fake it.  Most people won't have a clue.

[gyzzzmo]

Depends on the bar. Is it like a restaurant? Are there many older people? Lots of noise? Decent piano?

Personally, i prefer playing stuff i actually like to play and wich arent too loud, like chopin nocturnes and schubert pieces. But thats not really possible if there are alot of screeming kids around

good luck, gyzzzmo

[gerry]

This is practically an impossible question to answer without knowing your abilities or the type of bar you have in mind. If you haven't done so already, you need to focus on what type of bar you and your style would be comfortable in. A lot depends on the class of the joint - if you're sitting off in a corner of a small-town Holiday Inn, then you can noodle around a lot on your own - show tunes, ballads, jazz, whatever. If you are in close proximity or at a "piano bar" with patrons sitting around focused on you, then it's a different story. You will get requests (but in this case, the tip jar will be close to the patrons) - so I would suggest that you start accumulating a good stash of jazz fake books, show tune albums, Broadway, and maybe some current hits if you can handle them. Will you be encouraging sing-along or open-mike? (always good tips there!) but you should be prepared to have to transpose into singable keys (can you do that?)

There are a few very upscale piano bars I know of that might let you get away with an occasional Chopin Waltz or other light classic interspersed with the above fare but even then it would only be about 80% jazz etc. and 20% light classic. In most piano bars though, no classical. The best answer I can give you is to go to your local target bars and hang out, listen to the resident pianists and observe how the patrons are reacting. Then sit down and work out hours of repertoire and some noodling patterns to fill in between pieces.

[danny elfboy]

Don't give for granted the technique, talent, hard work, knowledge required to be a pianist in a bar or to make piano-bar (which is less of a background music and more active listening)

When we're not the ones doing something we tend to give it for granted.
I know people who think ballet is easy until they try first hand that even bending your knee while grasping the bar is hard as hell and painful. Many pianists think that playing the organ or drums is easy ... until they try it. Bodybuilders think that body weight circuits are child play, until they try it. And classical trained musicians think that arranging, harmonizing and improvizing within a more popular repertory of jazz, pop, rock, ballads is easier ... until they try it.

My first suggestion is that if you consider yourself a good musician on classical styles it is also because of your knowledge of classical culture and repertoire. The popular culture and reportoire is worth as much studying and learning ... so the most useful thing you can do is building a knowledge on that.

[gerry]

And we must not forget the ability to talk to patrons while playing. Personally, I've never been able to split my brain to do this. If I talk to someone, my playing falls apart; if I concentrate on my playing, my syntax suffers. It's a skill that helps in a bar, though.

[lostinidlewonder]

Absolutely no classical music and if you did, basic stuff like, Fur Elise (and only the main theme) would be appreciated. Classical music totally does not fit with a restaurant or bar scene, I am sorry to all those classical musical lovers, it is music that demands to be listened to closely and can interrupt a lot of people not there to listen to music.

If I play in bars there is tonns of stuff which people like to listen to as background, Elton John, Billy Joel are always piano favorites, but I will also play some Erroll Garner or some Latin or Bossa Nova for instance. There is a whole collection of popular music from the 20th century onwards, made for movies, productions etc which you can find it is just useless to list them all.

I tend not to play on these scenes unless someone I am with urges me to do so. At least then I know I have one listener, but it has always pained me when someone plays music people ignore it. When I see buskers on the street I feel the same way, its such a shame, these guys work so hard and yet no one listens closely. Oh well.

[danny elfboy]

I tend not to play on these scenes unless someone I am with urges me to do so. At least then I know I have one listener, but it has always pained me when someone plays music people ignore it. When I see buskers on the street I feel the same way, its such a shame, these guys work so hard and yet no one listens closely. Oh well.

I love soundtracks and you know, I love them more on the movies than as CD Tracks. Yet a soundtrack is a background music. So I'm not sure that just because a piece of music is received pheripherally it is wasted, less effective or ignored.

I used to listen to Mozart concertos as a young child at night.
I would put the CD on the stereo and sleep while the music spread in the room.
Many times the music has "slipt" into my dreams.
One could make the argument that I didn't really listened that music as I was sleeping and that it did nothing for me. I beg to differ, not only in the morning I recognized the melodies even if I was sleeping when listening to them but I could "feel" the impact of the music just like I "feel" the impact of a trip to a paintings museum the days after.

There are times when I'm in social setting with beautiful background music and not only my attention is focused on both the circumstance and the music but I can feel how the music is enriching that moment empowering it and making it memorable.

I'm both deeply emotionally affected by the music I have listened "carefully" with my eyes closed in a dark room and the music that I have listened as the background of circumstances in my life and I remember them with the same detailed care.

[dmc]

All good points thus far.  I assumed you'd be in an environment where the patrons wouldn't want to be distracted from their company/conversation.  But obviously a piano bar is a different scene.  In that case its all about maintaining a connection to your audience.  In my view this is a two-faceted approach:

1.  By being friendly & personable.  Don't underestimate the importance of this if you want to be asked back.  Engage & include them in what you're doing (sing-alongs, conversation between songs or during if you're up to it).  This also means NOT taking yourself too seriously.  If you make a mistake, you can laugh it off.  If you don't know a request, you can wing it and joke about it as you're butchering it.  Act like you're enjoying it and people will be drawn to that.

2.  Playing music that people recognize and find uplifting.  Unfortunately this eliminates probably 90% of the classical genre.  Most folks you would play for don't "get it" and probably don't want to.  And the venue isn't right for it anyway (too much noise).  Stick with popular/jazz/show tunes etc.  Its not about what you love.  Its about what THEY want. 

Good luck !

[Petter]

The few bar gigs I had no one payed attention to me and I just sat there smiling while playing through the cycle of 5ths. Not the glamour I expected but I got free drinks . If you´re serious about being an entertainer I think they´ll expect you to sing aswell, but like people pointed out it probably varies alot depending on where you play. 

[danny elfboy]

Unfortunately this eliminates probably 90% of the classical genre.  Most folks you would play for don't "get it" and probably don't want to.  And the venue isn't right for it anyway (too much noise).  Stick with popular/jazz/show tunes etc.  Its not about what you love.  Its about what THEY want. 

Why we give for granted that people on this forum loves classical and play jazz/blues/popular/videogames just for work? Classical is like 33% of the piano potential and it's not even the only (or better) approach to learning piano technique (and this from a classical trained conservatory student)

[dmc]

Why we give for granted that people on this forum loves classical and play jazz/blues/popular/videogames just for work? Classical is like 33% of the piano potential and it's not even the only (or better) approach to learning piano technique (and this from a classical trained conservatory student)

No argument from me Danny.  My point was just that the average Joe sitting in a bar isn't likely to get all excited about a Chopin Waltz (for example).  I've done my share of jazz & pop stuff.  My personal preference is for the jazz & classical genres.   But based on my 20+ years as a "working musican", I'm just saying the player needs to provide material thats more listener-friendly if he wants to be regularly employed.   Remember that song title by Duke Ellington:  "Nice work if you can get it...." ?   

Just sayin'... 

[gyzzzmo]

No argument from me Danny.  My point was just that the average Joe sitting in a bar isn't likely to get all excited about a Chopin Waltz (for example).  I've done my share of jazz & pop stuff.  My personal preference is for the jazz & classical genres.   But based on my 20+ years as a "working musican", I'm just saying the player needs to provide material thats more listener-friendly if he wants to be regularly employed.   Remember that song title by Duke Ellington:  "Nice work if you can get it...." ?   

Just sayin'... 

But this totally depends on the type of bar, and the time youre playing in it. Earlier on the day the average age is usually higher, and those people tend to prefer classical music. So unless the guy/woman who wrote this topic gives some more info, we cant really say anything concrete

gyzzzmo