Going Blank when asked to play for people

mattayou · 2009-07-16T07:08:42+00:00

So often when I am out (at friends houses etc) we are sitting round the braai & someone will bring out a guitar and expect me to play. The trouble is I never know which songs to play and end up going totally blank! As a result I end up just messing around and not actually playing full songs. Or else I play the songs ppl want but i don't know the words ? Yet at home I have tons of songs I can play! Anyone else experience this?

Byron

I have my own little set list, in which I play heavy or soft or a short solo.

Heavy: pretty much just make up a riff or play Seek and Destroy
Soft: Rich Folks Hoax
Solo : Whole lotta Love also a little bit from Paranoid

Seems to work hey ?

Thank goodness most of my friends don't play guitar so they cant see all the mistakes I make.

Neps

How glad I am that most of my mates can play guitar, and that we all are mostly Afrikaans.. So a 'Rooi Rok Bokkie' is always a crowd pleaser. The one thing I've taight myself over the years is to be able to play most songs from the same set of keys.. If they aren't music types, they will NEVER know the difference. So I've played a medely of 'bad moon rising', 'hotel carlifornia', 'sweet home alabama', '500 miles' and '7 nation army' all from E and D. They never knew the difference.. But then again, a bit of 'sauce' might have been present as well.. :goodtimes:

[deleted]

Neps wrote How glad I am that most of my mates can play guitar, and that we all are mostly Afrikaans.. So a 'Rooi Rok Bokkie' is always a crowd pleaser. The one thing I've taight myself over the years is to be able to play most songs from the same set of keys.. If they aren't music types, they will NEVER know the difference. So I've played a medely of 'bad moon rising', 'hotel carlifornia', 'sweet home alabama', '500 miles' and '7 nation army' all from E and D. They never knew the difference.. But then again, a bit of 'sauce' might have been present as well.. :goodtimes:

And I saw that you did that with Blue Eyes too... ?

Neps

Stratisfear wrote And I saw that you did that with Blue Eyes too... ?

That song is impossible to do in A (the original key) unless you've given up on your manhood like Arno Carstens. And we all should know by now I just hold a guitar to look cool.., playing the thing is another issue by itself.. And I don't sing, I wail.. ?

doc-phil

When I have people over at my house for a braai or something some dude always makes me play something, but not on some acoustic, everyone migrates to my room and wants me to play! My one friend tells everyone that I'm a brilliant guitarist when I'm actually not, he just hasn't heard many guitarists ? then everyone expects me to start jamming some faulty songs that I don't play - all they want me to play is blink 182 or other punk/acoustic/soft rock stuff. So I start busting out a bit of August Burns Red or Darkest Hour and they're like, 'dude we dont know those songs - you suck!' 8)

[deleted]

In my experience, anyway, the most irritating thing about being asked to play something (when you're out at someone else's house) is that the guitar owner never has a freakin' plectrum lying around (and the strings are all probably rusty and the action's crap). So you either have to use those things off the top of beer cans or cut up a deodorant can lid to make do, and that always just sucks. (And before I get certain people jumping on me about being prepared to fingerpick, I'm talking about playing those favourites everyone wants, which do require the use of a plectrum.)

aubs1

Hahahaha.......I find the problem with doing a "braai gig" is that I play electric all the time, so when asked to play there would be an acoustic guitar, so trying to play a song becomes a bit "difficult", since switching to acoustic is a bit........er........"different"...and your electric favourites don't always work too well on an acoustic! I then go "cold", (stage fright), my hands start sweating, and I feel a bit like an idiot. But in my music room I am quite comfortable.......(suppose a comfort zone)...... ?

[deleted]

"What is this......acoustic thing?"

That's a great line for us to use next time, Aubs.

mattayou

+1 Stratis @ the plectrim issue! Normally u say "but I need a plectrum" to which they reply "No prob here's a cut up Yoghurt tub".

Crazy! Although the more they drink the better they think the playing sounds! LOL! Suddenly you become a Legend On Old Frank Sinatra Songs!

aubs1

Stratisfear wrote "What is this......acoustic thing?"
That's a great line for us to use next time, Aubs.

Hey Strat......ever been asked to play that solo of "Hey Joe" or "All along the Watchtower" at a braai on an "the acoustic thing??".......hahahaha... ?
I think maybe I'm going to the wrong braais, or braai-ing with the wrong crowd....think I should take Doc-Phils advice and invite people at my braai to my music room, turn up my Marshall, and blow them away (litaraly) with whatever solo they wanna hear..........."Whole lotta love" or something!!!

Banditman

An easy favourite is "Haasie".

Lost you? C'mon you've all heard it.

We call it that ever since one of many bike rallies many moons ago where my bud overheard a particularly sloshed biker repeatedly asking the band (who were getting seriously irritated) to play "That song, Haasie". They still didn't get it, so he sang the first line. (I'm not making this up.)

"Haasie, a bad moon rising". It's an easy 4 chord no-brainer.

TomCat

Banditman wrote An easy favourite is "Haasie".

Lost you? C'mon you've all heard it.

We call it that ever since one of many bike rallies many moons ago where my bud overheard a particularly sloshed biker repeatedly asking the band (who were getting seriously irritated) to play "That song, Haasie". They still didn't get it, so he sang the first line. (I'm not making this up.)

"Haasie, a bad moon rising". It's an easy 4 chord no-brainer.

LOL.......same thing happened to my brother-in-law......they were playing a gig in Pretoria and a guy came up to them asking for "Haasie".....maybe it was the same guy.......

vic

PeteM wrote I suppose have grown up in the 60s and 70s has its advantages.
I learned all the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Animals, Dylan, Everly Brothers, Katz Stevens, Simon and Garfunkle typed stuff, which I still play today at Braais. The cool thing is that kids, teenagers, adults and old farts like me all seem to enjoy the stuff. If you don't remember the words then they all join in which is what playing at braais is all about. One thing though, never overstay you welcome and don't burn the boerewors!!

You're right about growing up (and playing ) in the 60's. However one has to have talent to play the music of these guys....does not matter where you play it.

« Previous Page