Playing guitar on the street

Now I know that there has to be at least a few people on here who have tried their hand at playing guitar on the street for money and I just wanted to see if anyone could offer any feedback as to how it went. I have yet to try myself but I do plan on goin out soon to try and make some cash monies and have a little fun and maybe meet some new people so....anybody got any stories?

 

I also have yet to try it, but I would really like to and have thought about it a lot...I really started to think about it while I was down in Key West.

Peace

 

A lot depends on where you live. A tourist area is best, or anywhere the is a lot of foot traffic. I made good money playing where the people were leaving a ballgame but found out later that its illegal in that area so you might want to check you local laws. Good luck.

 

i was travelin and makin money playin on the street. yeah best bet is a tourist spot, like boulder, co and santa fe, nm. the best way to do it is find some kids to sit around and jam and forget that your playin for money and then all the sudden some ex-hippie guy in a business suit drops you a twenty. but when your workin your music, its an interesting game to play with yourself. as soon as you forget about the money, people start tossin in dollars, because you're into it, your feelin it. but its hard to do that when your really broke so you end up, without tryin to, watching each person that walks past and i think people catch that vibe and just pass you by. so the best method i've found is to develop a show, have a bunch of songs, some of your own, some old standbyes and just practice all day and then when your ready to put on your show act like its a paid gig. just sing your heart out, add your little personal twist, and act like everybody's watching you play. you gotta play like no one's watching, but everyone's watching at the same time, if you can understand that. then all the sudden you're totally zoned out in your own little world of music and open your eyes and theres a crowd standin round you, and when you got a crowd your golden. there becomes a synergy between your expression and a stranger's undivided attention that creates magical moments captured only in memories. i think playin on the street is a real good way to learn how to entertain people period, cuz you notice the reactions and you see the results by how full your pockets are at the end of the day. just remember to kick down a few bucks for the street kids and the home bums

 

busking is fuckin great for a broke musician. i did it in New orleans back in 2001 as a way to make a living. i'd just chill at jackson sqaure, or in front of my apartment near the french quarter, break out me geetar and singsingsing. the best part of it is when another musician comes and jams with you, sings, scats, beatboxes, plays a harp, or slaps some spoons. i would pull in an easy 50 bucks in an hour or so, depending on the richness of the tourists. havefun, man!

oh, in buffalo it's illegal w/out a street performers license, which is available in city hall for $10, and it lasts a year.

 

i agree that location is a major part.

in my town you see a lot of homeless musicians and that is how they earn their money for their next toke of crack its funny.. the crazy assortment of people you meet on the streets. its fuckin grimey out there. but there IS a lot of money to be made, especially in tourist areas.

personally i havent done it. a man i knew, a friend of the families used to play sax.. he would play in downtown sacramento, at the flea market, under an overpass. people would just throw money at him.

 

yeah you need a license in santa fe too. there was this one cop that got on my ass about it and then i told him how i was trying to get to arizona on a bus that night so i didn't have to sleep outside and he let me. i made the money for that ticket in 3 hours and went to AZ

 

i was going to try that over the summer
i suggest going REALLY BAKED and then just start playing random ass shit on the street people love it
because when your high you can always think of better shit@!

 

umm this excites me to do it even more than i wanted to already. I figured new york city would be a great place, no? I like to play stuff that is more jazzy, worldly or just plain rhythmic and melodic. Does anyone think that will actually catch peoples interests?

 

I did it once playing guitar with a friend of mine playing harmonica we made VERY little but we weren't located very good and we didn't play for long.

 

Its wonderful when you sing in the street for anyone that can hear your songs, if they like it, they can also pay you.

Once, I sang in a restaurant and everybody were listening and they also sang with me, because they ask me to sang each song that they like. It was a really good experience.

Omar

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What Great Advise!

My hubby played street guitar for years & years...influenced musicians like Guy Forsyth. He liked to play in bar districts, Westport in Kansas City is where he played the longest. Lots of the time, local-owned coffee shops will let a guitar player busk for a while. I keep hearing that Europe is a prime area for US blues guitarists to busk.

 

I have a hard time adding to this, you have just about said it all!
I can tell, you are the real deal. My hat's off to you! :cheers2:

The concept of having a show is very important. When I first started playing on the street, I didn't have a whole lot of material.
Maybe a half an hour or so played straight through.

I had yet to learn the fine art of banter!

You can really stretch your material out with some well placed, well directed banter.
This is also your chance to really connect with your audience (and their coin!)
Some basic MC/comedian skills will get you everywhere on the streets.



One last thing, If you don't need the money, don't even put out a hat....
If you're really good, people will throw money at your feet! Good Luck!

 

I love street musicians. They're hungry. They work for a living.

Talent is always worth some spare change. You bet.


x

 

My friends and I use to carry our instruments around and play at random spots around town. At one point there was a dinner party for some sorority going on around the corner, some of the people putting it on asked us to play for them, and people just started to place money in front of us...we then put out a hat and by the end of the night made a lot actually. After that various sororities/frats started asking us to play for them. I'm not a big fan of most those "establishments" so it didn't last long, but we made a fair amount of money. I've played a few times here and there when on the road and happened to have people give me money, when I didn't even have a hat out ( I guess I just look "homely"?).

You don't need any pointers man, just play your music, do your thing and if you'd like a chance at perhaps getting some money for it, then go to an area where people walk and put out a hat.

 

Great post !

Not long ago I performed in a major town which is known for being crowded by street musicians. Like, when you play in front of an open air cafe, they'll send you away in an instant. I choose a bridge with a wall as background where people would walk or bike by and I had enough space to warm up and test the grounds, and even though there was traffic going by as well, the acoustic was not bad. Playing a small accordion.

Don't place yourself to far out on the sidewalk and don't hide either.
And then your only job is to play your ass off, and not care about anything else - like, the looks i got or guys going by offensively close on purpose (women busking all on their own must be rare) - don't care ! There are people who seem to be able to wipe away the tune by just walking by and now your playing a mess instead. It's all good and just experience. It's not like on stage where you stand in the spot light, and people have paid money for sitting for 2-3 hours wanting to be entertained - nah - - - - so relax ... and focus. Play your most beloved tunes, I played them over and over again as the audience changed all the time anyway.
Whatever will be, will be ... just open to it and bow of it and give thanks through the music and be part of the dance.
And then people start to subtly change how they walk, like they feel a bit lighter and may not even be aware of and it may last only as long as 3 or 4 bars but who knows? I see it in their walk ... they lift their feet with the rhythm or they just dream away ...

 

Great advice!

That's really all that needs to be done. It's just like how you play best when you aren't thinking about anything, and the progression of whatever you are playing just seems to flow naturally. If your worried what others may be thinking, about the looks they are giving you, how it sounds etc...etc...then that will only limit your ability to play and allow for that "flow" to well.....flow. Just imagine you are playing by yourself (that's usually when I play best, as for most people as far as I've seen). I always take on the mentality that I'm only playing whatever I'm playing to release my thoughts and emotions, so pretty much I'm playing for myself regardless of who is listening. Play with that mentality and you'll do just fine....of course thinking about needing to be in that mentality won't really help either, so do YOUR thing just like with all other walks of life.

 

i want to try my hand at busking badly. Just an acoustic guitar and bass.

I dont think id play songs though, id rather just improvise for a couple hours on some chord progressions, and maybe untangle some songs as i went.

 

it's just so easy to sit down in a sunny spot and vibe free . ya , i've done some solo concerts but mostly i'd rather sit my ass humble in the dirt even if some people think i'm a poor old bum until i make them cry cuz i'll play spirit pure to the bone if i want to .

 

in my opinion unless you truly kick ass at playing, and leaving apart all the folklore it's not a big idea to get stoned before. fuck, at least attempt to take the thing seriously. first play, then get high to chill down.