How to blah blah
You know your lyrics by heart, you’re on top of things when it comes to communicating with your band… but… what do you say in between the songs?
You won’t truly connect to your audience unless you speak to them. Here are my tips!
Welcome:
Depending on the songs you’ve selected, the band you are playing with, the venue, the atmosphere, you can welcome the audience to your set.
“So nice to be playing here for you. I hope you’ll enjoy our set.”
Always introduce your band members! Your audience will like it, and your band members too.
Introduce your songs in a style that fits your personality. Think of little bits & pieces, little anecdotes, little want-to-knows that your audience would enjoy.
For example, use some interesting background information:
“This song originally was written as a waltz in 1954, but Frank Sinatra took it in the sixties and made a swinging version of it. Here is Fly me to the moon.”
Or, tell them about your personal connection to the song:
“This is the very first song I heard on the radio when I was six. That’s about 10 years ago.”
If you feel like adding some humor to your performance, a great way is reading books on comedy. This is not a guaranteed route to success because you will need to know how to deliver a joke. If you are not very humorous by nature, stick to (little) stories that work well for you. Then again, you can always try… practice makes perfect.
Prepare a few interesting facts about each song that you sing in your repertoire, to always have something to say up your sleeve.
For every song, check:
- the composer & year
- written for a musical, a movie
- made famous by…
- what is the story about? Is there a moral, a lesson, a tip, a consolation, a cheer?
- maybe seek for a personal link.
The more personal links you find with your song, the more you show yourself to your audience. Generally, they’ll like you for that.
Ending your show:
Just before you’ve reached your last song, you can thank your audience and have them thank your band by announcing their names and instruments.
“This is our last song. Thank you so much for coming out. You have been listening to…. on piano, … on bass and … on drums.”
You can definitely customize to your liking, juice it up as much as you like.
Assignment
Write an introduction, introducing yourself and one song. Exercise in front of a mirror or on camera.
