Profile
Name:
Skeet
Channel Views:
23,001
Total Upload Views:
10,547
Age:
62
Joined:
Oct 12, 2010
Latest Activity:
2 weeks ago
Subscribers:
672
Website:
General information about buskers and busking including "how to be a busker".
About Me:
I've gotten paid to play music for pay since I was 7. Yes, you read that right. I started busking on my front porch when I was 7. I grew up in a fairly urban environment, my family's front porch just off the public sidewalk. Fortunately for me, there was a bus stop right in front of the house.
My Uncle Joe loaned me a small, Gibson J-40 acoustic guitar. Wish I had that guitar now! He had a weekend Country and Western trio with his two brothers, Clarence and Don. They were locomotive mechanics at the railroad yards. My uncle Rudy (another musician in the family) taught me to play the three chords in a Patsy Cline song on the radio at the time. The song was "I Fall To Pieces" and it was a huge hit at the time.
Now I had a repertoire. Albeit, a very small one (one song!) But I thought, once I've taught myself to perform it satisfactorily, I should seek an audience. It took me a few days to figure out the audience was right outside my front door. At least five days a week and a brand new audience every twenty minutes. So I gave it a try. After the very first performance of the Patsy Cline song, I got a very good response. Several nickles, pats on the head and even a smattering of applause. Wow! I was impressed.
Over the next few weeks, I made it my business to learn a few songs each week from the radio. Rock and Roll mostly. It was a great time to be a kid interested in music. Little Richard, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Eddie Cochoran, Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry!
Over the years, I played in bands mostly and lived in Los Angeles for 30 years. I had many "real" music jobs over those years but I always busked intermittently. There is just something about the freedom and independence of street performing that excites and invigorates me.
I'm semi-retired now and back to busking pretty much full time again. I also play a few dates in clubs and restaurants. I travel for work but try to stay pretty close to home these days. I play about 250 classic rock songs. All covers, I don't write. I never have. It works for me. But that doesn't mean you can't busk with original material. I know several people who busk with songs they've written and do so very successfully. But you still might have to do a few familiar songs to get things going.
Busking takes skill and perseverance. The skill comes from practice (at home and on the street!). It also takes lots and lots of experience to get the money. What to play, for whom. And timing too. There's only one place you can get that experience. On a street corner, in front of the world. Just do it! Who cares? You'll never see them again anyway. Just get out there and do it. Fall on your face. Fall on your ass. People all over the world are really cool.
I've gotten a great deal of information over the years from other buskers. And , not just other musicians, mind you. Clowns, mimes, jugglers, magicians, statues, everyone with experience at this has great insight to share. And I hope http://www.buskersbeat.com is not limited to information about busking musicians. I'm going to attempt to share a little of what I've learned from busking over the last 50 years, talk about music and, hopefully, learn a thing or two myself. But, its really wide open as far as topics go.
Hometown:
Los Angeles, CA
Country:
United States
Occupation:
musician
Companies:
http://www.buskersbeat.com
Schools:
hard knocks
Interests:
singing, music, busking
Music:
Everything from Vivaldi to Pink Floyd and beyond!
Books:
Read contemporary fiction mostly.
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Droppin' some love on your page! Love and hugs...BlackieSteele...xoxox
passing of the familiar and rejoice the awakening of the new
with equal earnest and limit.--Strike a Chord of Silence
Joy to you, always, my friend,
CG
May peace and blessings be with you in life's changes, my friend,
CG