Busking

[OzBuckley]

Hey everyone, just wondering ifanyone can give me some tips on busking if you've ever busked?I've never tried it so any info would be great.


Rick

[answering bell]

when the drugs dont work by the verve thats like the buskers version of ther bible!!

[tj]

Right,


When you get a pile of small change then stick it under neath your guitar bag or case or put it in your pocket when it builds up therefore people won't think "oh everyone else is giving this person change...ah this will do!" And when you get lots of big change like 1 dollar or 1 euro or something keep it there 'cos people don't wanna look nasty giving you like 2cent or something!


The rules for weather are:


If it's raining you'll get very little money.


If it's sunny you'll get lots of money.


If it's sleet or snow you'll be lucky to get anything...


Buskin' is a great stepping stone for gigging...it gives you confidence and after wards you know you could play to anyone who wants to hear you because when you are busking you are playing to every random Joe that walks by.


If you are busking for the love of it and not for the money stick to originals if you can...people will take more notice of something they haven't heard before if they are interested at all.


If you want to busk don't think you're going to have to learn lots and lots of songs just to play for at least one hour. After say half an hour you can start repeating the songs you've played only in a different order...so don't worry about the amount of songs you can play.


Anywho, I hope that helps and if you do decide to go busking - good luck!


TJ

[october]

i go busking in cork the odd time, we usually play untill we have enough money to go to the pub and macdonalds, the best places to go are near banks, not big shops with snobby people (brown thomas) i have noticed that the buskers that make the most money are the ones that put on a show as well as play their music, i saw a guy pus on a show for about half an hour he spent most of the time telling jokes and insulting people, but when he finnished he said he wasnt being paid by the government or any local authorties, but he was relying on the generosity and good will of the people of cork, and any scumbags like that one walking away there (yes he was pointing at a guy (me) nah it wasnt) ,anyway, he held out an umbrella (family sized) he turned it upsidedown, and said come on now cough up, andhe filled the umbrella,id say he made a bomb,so that seems to be a good idea for busking, , , ,

[october]

f**kin hell that was my longest post yet

[ali*]

yeah, i liked the bit where u said pus.......
weeeeeeeeeeeeee, i should be studying, ive a HUge tschaikovsky test 2moro, but he's dead he wont mind.

[october]

u would have to point out my mistakes wouldnt u,

[ali*]

well now whats that supposed to mean mister??
anyway i just wanted to say pus.......now is that a crime?alright then.. (shakes booty after quoting J-Lo 'song')

[october]

go on shake ur booty, it depends how you say it, maybe it is a crime, ill investigate that 1 for u

[OzBuckley]

Thanks everyone... do you guys need to have a licence to busker around where you live? I live in Australia and in some parts e.g.near Sydney Harbour Bridge - that area of Sydney... i know your supposed to have a licence. the licence costs like $30 a year or something so it aint too bad and you dont have to do a testfor it! smileys/smiley1.gif


'the drugs dont work' by the verve is a great song, actually some of their other songs would be good to busker too. what songs do you guys like to play? covers i mean.


thanks and bye!

[tj]

I like to play a few songs by Van Morrison, The Frames, Bob Dylan, Damien (i sometimes play Bottom Shelf, Eskimo and Blower's Daughter - it gives me the shivers when I play it, or is that the cold?). I play alot of my own stuff aswell.


You need a licence to busk anywhere in Ireland I think...

[Enoch]

If I had the balls to Busk here's what I'd play:


Wildwood - Paul Weller


Ryan Adams - Winding Wheel


Tom McRae - You Only Disappear


Green Day - Good Riddance


Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here


Damien Rice - Cannonball


Ryan Adam - Come Pick Me Up (with harmonica!)


Turin Breaks - Save Me


Bob Marley - Waiting in Vain


Van Morrison - Into The Mystic


Cat Stevens - Father & Son (don't laugh I love that song)


Neil Young - Needle & The Damage Done


Neil Young - Long May You Run


Robert Johnson - Walking Blues (Clapton Version though)


Bob Dylan - Simple Twist of Fate


the finale ....


Wild Mountain Thyme (Traditional Arrangement)


I've been considering it for a while actually - not for the money but for the practice and to see if I can alter the course of a person's day.

[october]

we play our usual set list for gigs when we are busking, ill type it up when i can find it again,

[Scrappy]

I like to play a few songs by Van Morrison, The Frames, Bob Dylan, Damien (i sometimes play Bottom Shelf, Eskimo and Blower's Daughter

could you post up the tab for "bottom shelf" in the "tabs" section, it's a great song and i can't find the tab for it anywhere..

[OzBuckley]

Thanks everyone again!


Hey Enoch, do you have the tab for Walkin' Blues (Eric Clapton version)? and i'm guessing your talking about the version he played on MTV Unplugged right? Thanks.


Yeah make sure you post your setlist up October... i'd love to see it.


Actually I got another question... when busking, do you guys mainly stick to strumming kind of songs and not the finger picking ones? i was just thinking you would need to find a pretty quiet spot (not near traffic, etc..) to play the finger picking songs.


Thanks, Bye...


Ricky

[Enoch]

Hey Enoch, do you have the tab for Walkin' Blues (Eric Clapton version)? and i'm guessing your talking about the version he played on MTV Unplugged right? Thanks.





Yep, I get hell for it but I prefer the Clapton version.


http://mxtabs.net/tabs.php?path=Guitar,e,466,Eric+Clapton,Walking+Bl ues,81758&PHPSESSID=b0f18ef4df1fe510fa6a51d5e7b23c e5 (http://mxtabs.net/tabs.php?path=Guitar,e,466,Eric+Clapton,Walking+Bl ues,81758&PHPSESSID=b0f18ef4df1fe510fa6a51d5e7b23c e5)


Have fun with it!

[tj]

I like to play a few songs by Van Morrison, The Frames, Bob Dylan, Damien (i sometimes play Bottom Shelf, Eskimo and Blower's Daughter




could you post up the tab for "bottom shelf" in the "tabs" section, it's a great song and i can't find the tab for it anywhere..


I don't know how to write tabs...


But I can give you the chords for it...


It's G, C and D....if you mess around with them you should get the jist of the song...


Sorry I couldn't help any more...

[Tomarse]

So then, where exactly is the best place to busk? In a subway leading into town? In the town centre itself? Somewhere else? I'd quite like to give busking a go but I'm not sure where would be best. smileys/smiley1.gif

[Illusions]

yes me too, also does anyone know how or where to get a liscense? im in the states mind you...boston. still would anyone have any clue?

[unexplainedmuse]

im not so sure you need a license to busk in the states..


ive only seen one busker in pittsburgh.....he was traveling across the states off the money he was making.......blah...it took everything in me to not just pick up and go off with him.


now that i look back....wow i wish i would have..


but yeah...i dont think you need a license for it in the states..


over here its looked at more as bumming...and im guessing its more respected overseas than over here..


but if you do need a license over here someone let me know!


cuz once i find someone to play guitar with me on the streets ill be doing so as well


wow i wish i had longer fingers :(

[OzBuckley]

Hey Enoch, thanks for the Clapton tab! Its a bloody accurate... its a great song too. I love the Clapton Unplugged, brilliant!

[Canadian Island]

i am reading through half the internet on this subject because i hope to finance a travel through parts of europe by busking when it gets warmer and found two articles i'd like to share:

busking can pay for travel in europe (http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0403/making_the_scene.shtml)
and
wandering and wondering - a busker looks back on 20 years (http://www.juggling.org/jw/91/1/essay.html)

[JCpatriot66]

I always enjoy just starting a song with 2 or so songs planned in advance, then seguing right into them with some jams and things. If the spirit so moves me or I come up with something, go right into another song. I played an hour and a half straight of songs and jams once, not stopping playing until I ended up at the song I started with.

Kind of pointless for the people from whom you're trying to get money, but I don't really do it for money that much. Pretty amusing to myself and the people working at the stores where I am playing though.

[Cerque]

yeah, i liked the bit where u said pus.......
weeeeeeeeeeeeee, i should be studying, ive a HUge tschaikovsky test 2moro, but he's dead he wont mind.

:smiley36::smiley36::smiley36:

I wish i studied music in College