# Learn the music.



## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

Nobody wants to watch performers fumble with their I pad on stage. Its a bloody epidemic for un pre paired musicians. Sick of watching it. Opinions ?


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Isnt this a given?


----------



## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

Budda said:


> Isnt this a given?


Does not appear to be. All summer long that is all I am seeing. People that have not used that crutch for many years all of a sudden can not get by without it. Yesterdays matinee just put it over the top 4 me. Third set was a disaster.


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Guess it's better than music stands across the front of the stage.


----------



## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I used to be able t remember lyrics but as I get older it is harder and harder. The music is easy but the lyrics not so much. Should I quit playing in public? I prefer a binder with the lyrics. I can't rely on an iPad. A binder with some clips to hold it against the wind always works. I try to use the notes just to jog my memory but what is worse, forgetting the lyrics mid song or occasionally glancing down at the lyrics?


----------



## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

At 7 and 8 bucks a beer they are going to have to start installing the chicken wire again.


----------



## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

I don't think it's a bad thing to have lyrics/music in front of you. In the few gigs I've done, I've tried my best to memorize everything, but it doesn't always happen, so I have used lyric sheets for some songs. Orchestras are full of music stands and no one complains. For me, fumbling with something might be an issue, rather than having some chords/lyrics within easy viewing distance. 

Whether it's an iPad or a binder, perhaps part of rehearsing should be how you get your next song queued up. Banter a bit while you do it, get a footswitch that changes the screen...something. Make it smooth and part of the ongoing activity, as opposed to a big deal between songs. Of course, if it bugs you a lot, you're going to notice it no matter what. The band at my cousin's wedding on Saturday night had lyric sheets and music on stage and it didn't seem to stop anyone from enjoying the dinner and dancing.


----------



## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

jdto said:


> Whether it's an iPad or a binder, perhaps part of rehearsing should be how you get your next song queued up. Banter a bit while you do it, get a footswitch that changes the screen...something. Make it smooth and part of the ongoing activity, as opposed to a big deal between songs.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

People forget that transitions are important.


----------



## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I arrange the binder in order of the set list. That’s another reason I prefer a binder. It’s much easier to turn a page than scroll to find a song.


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

It depends. 

Fumbling? No. It's totally unnecessary, even if you don't know the music. If you can't operate an iPad as smoothly as a binder, go back to a binder, they're more efficient and reliable anyway. Turn the page and away you go, assuming you're organized. I have an iPad but refuse to go on stage with it and I refuse to join Luddites Anonymous. Yeah, I know, some folks have it mastered, but the print can't be big enough for me and I don't trust powered things.

In my last blues/rock cover band if I didn't have something memorized I could play it by ear. I usually had a binder off to my left side, mostly out of sight behind PA cabs, but rarely to never looked at it and also used it to hold my slide, Ebow, spare picks, etc. From pictures I've seen it doesn't look like I used a music stand. 

I do a lot of one-off gigs in support of other singers and soloists where I won't memorize anything but am highly familiar with everything, so in those cases I read the music a little more closely with the stand quite obvious but still off to the side a bit. I like to line the stand up to my left with my left hand between my eyes and the music. I have to turn my hand/eyes a bit to see it but it doesn't sit between me and most of the audience...vainly supposing the audience has any interest in actually seeing me.

For the rare solo set I need the binder for a little lyric prompting and the odd chord change, but can perform mostly without.

After a lifetime of music and half a lifetime of dealing with people with learning disabilities, I have come to believe I have my own learning disability. I do not memorize well, though strangely it seems to have improved a bit in recent years. It's a fact that I took a lot of blows to the head as a youth and into my 20s, so maybe I can be forgiven for some things...the rest is just me fucking up.


----------



## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

I'm not a big fan of them. Its' probably better than sheets on the floor but looks terrible.


----------



## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

I'm hoping this thread got put in this section by accident, and is not particularly about anyone's 'member's performance videos'.
Maybe @davetcan or somebody can move it into the 'music' section.

As far as the thread topic, I wouldn't hang around for anybody on stage playing along with non-humans.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Distortion said:


> Nobody wants to watch performers fumble with their I pad on stage. Its a bloody epidemic for un pre paired musicians. Sick of watching it. Opinions ?


What fumbling? I just swipe my iPad's screen to go to the next song. I know most by heart anyway but it's nice to have a backup for my poor brain.


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

I use an old Samsung tablet mounted on my mic stand, works perfectly and is pretty unobtrusive, much less so than a music stand with a binder on it. Played a gig last weekend backing up a female vocalist. I had just over 1 weeks notice. Only 12 songs so not a big deal but i used it as a "just in case". Set it up with a set list, all songs in order, and didn't look at it once, but it was there if I needed it. The audience couldn't have cared less. If i wanted to be completely transparent I could have added a bluetooth page turner.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

davetcan said:


> I use an old Samsung tablet mounted on my mic stand, works perfectly and is pretty unobtrusive, much less so than a music stand with a binder on it. Played a gig last weekend backing up a female vocalist. I had just over 1 weeks notice. Only 12 songs so not a big deal but i used it as a "just in case". Set it up with a set list, all songs in order, and didn't look at it once, but it was there if I needed it. The audience couldn't have cared less. If i wanted to be completely transparent I could have added a bluetooth page turner.


Just get the singer to swipe the pages for you, what else do they do between songs anyway?


----------



## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

I don’t recall seeing anyone using an iPad or any other aid unless it was a full fledged orchestra or concert pianist. Seen a few players fake it once in a while but that’s about it. 
@davetcan......25 year old page turner in hot pants and bikini top then no one will worry about you forgetting the chords.


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Electraglide said:


> I don’t recall seeing anyone using an iPad or any other aid unless it was a full fledged orchestra or concert pianist. Seen a few players fake it once in a while but that’s about it.
> @davetcan......25 year old page turner in hot pants and bikini top then no one will worry about you forgetting the chords.


LOL, I'm in 

Actually only used it for lyrics in the past. We had about 70 songs in semi regular rotation with me singing most of them. Came in handy occasionally.

here's what I see.










and here's what the audience sees, if they're even looking. Excuse the mess in the background, I'm "re-arranging" things.


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Yes, an iPad is smaller and less obtrusive than a binder...but...back when I could see without glasses, and well before iPads, I used a half size binder on a smaller home made music stand that attached to my mic stand. It was awesome at the time, but those damn eyes.

For what it's worth, I have been a page turner for a pipe organist many times. I only read some of it (because I'm kind of distractible) mostly for fun, but I have to be able to count like crazy. You wouldn't want to see me in "hot pants and a bikini top", but maybe fishnet stockings with the seam up the back and something that hides the Depends.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

If it's someone playing cover songs I don't really care.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

davetcan said:


> LOL, I'm in
> 
> Actually only used it for lyrics in the past. We had about 70 songs in semi regular rotation with me singing most of them. Came in handy occasionally.
> 
> ...


Song #8 is what the bikini wearing page turner said.


----------



## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I quit my last band because of it. It is just lazy and allows people to not practice. I hate watching it too.


----------



## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Tons of world-famous bands/artists use teleprompters and other on-stage aids in their shows. The iPad on a clip is sort of the scaled-down equivalent for the local performer.


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I've seen people use them effectively, but most have their eyes glued to them. I've even seen people stop the song to scroll.

A bluetooth page turner certainly can make them less obtrusive, but I would rather hear a few mistakes than watch a performer with their eyes glued to a screen (or binder, for that matter). 

I keep my set list on a tablet, but if I'm performing solo (or the "frontman"), the tunes are memorized. Backing someone else, I'm not opposed to using a music stand or tablet, especially for a one-off.


----------



## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

1SweetRide said:


> Song #8 is what the bikini wearing page turner said.


I was thinking more like this


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

bw66 said:


> I would rather hear a few mistakes ..


I would make up lyrics to cover.
Works for Ozzy and Steve Tyler.


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

laristotle said:


> I would make up lyrics to cover.
> Works for Ozzy and Steve Tyler.


I've repeated verses a few times over the years


----------



## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

davetcan said:


> I've repeated verses a few times over the years


 satanic ? 

or was that ... curses ? 
my hearing isn't what it used to be .


----------



## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I use an Etch-a-Sketch for my lyrics.

Between songs, I'll shake and clear it then sketch out the lyrics for the next song.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

sulphur said:


> I use an Etch-a-Sketch for my lyrics.
> 
> Between songs, I'll shake and clear it then sketch out the lyrics for the next song.


That's why you strap the thing to your ass.


----------



## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

davetcan said:


> I've repeated verses a few times over the years


"Fillet of a fenny snake, 
In the cauldron boil and bake; 
Eye of newt, and toe of frog, 
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, 
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting, 
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing, 
For a charm of powerful trouble, 
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."
Sounds like something from a Death Metal song.


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Don't be throwing Shakespeare at me


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

"Cry you mercy, I took you for a joint-stool."


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Electraglide said:


> Sounds like something from a Death Metal song


_I eat crayons with pencils in my hair.
You're father sucks cock, but your mother don't care.
Destroy! Destroy! Destroy the paper cup!








_


----------



## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

I see no problem with it. Alot of bands have aged, and with that there are problems. I dont get the guys who go see bands they saw in the past, and then complain they can barely play anymore. Alot of people are attacking guys like Vinnie Vincent because he doesnt shred like its 1983 anymore. Some guys have a huge catalogue and with an older brain, their memory might not be the greatest, so what wrong with having that Ipad there to make sure they can concentrate on giving a good performance in other aspects. I think its great, but I would want a much bigger screen, my old eyes have trouble with those new fangled things. Do they make a bigger screen?..........


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Accept2 said:


> I see no problem with it. Alot of bands have aged, and with that there are problems. I dont get the guys who go see bands they saw in the past, and then complain they can barely play anymore. Alot of people are attacking guys like Vinnie Vincent because he doesnt shred like its 1983 anymore. Some guys have a huge catalogue and with an older brain, their memory might not be the greatest, so what wrong with having that Ipad there to make sure they can concentrate on giving a good performance in other aspects. I think its great, but I would want a much bigger screen, my old eyes have trouble with those new fangled things. Do they make a bigger screen?..........


Check the Accessibility Tab. You can get the font so large it's essentially one letter on the screen at a time


----------



## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

1SweetRide said:


> Check the Accessibility Tab. You can get the font so large it's essentially one letter on the screen at a time


I will try that on an Ipad......."Alright C is the first chord, A is the next chord, WTF is an H chord....Oh these are lyrics. Fuck!" I dont think it will work...Might be entertaining.....


----------



## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Accept2 said:


> I see no problem with it. Alot of bands have aged, and with that there are problems. I dont get the guys who go see bands they saw in the past, and then complain they can barely play anymore. Alot of people are attacking guys like Vinnie Vincent because he doesnt shred like its 1983 anymore. Some guys have a huge catalogue and with an older brain, their memory might not be the greatest, so what wrong with having that Ipad there to make sure they can concentrate on giving a good performance in other aspects. I think its great, but I would want a much bigger screen, my old eyes have trouble with those new fangled things. Do they make a bigger screen?..........


You can always go this way so you don't have to be obvious when you look at the words. 








It even comes with a remote.


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Reminds me of Frank Soda


----------



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I'm all for using this as a reference, especially in a very busy mix of arrangements. Particularly by big artists that have studio pros working with them on stage. But I do think that it's being used waaay more as a crutch now for your average joe performer. I've been to open mics where someone will get up and perform a minimal set of even 4 - 8 songs with either an iPAD type device or a binder and a stand for lyrics and song structure/chord progressions. Is this acceptable or even necessary? Well yes, for a young music student performing in front of a crowd full of parents and siblings/peers. Not so much for a live gig at a bar or open mic, paying or otherwise.

I also don't think this should be equated with live Orchestral music in any way. Those performers play their music through sight reading and sheet music. It's part of the gig in that respect. Not so much for country joe playing a handful of country tunes at "live night at Ronnie's".


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Accept2 said:


> I will try that on an Ipad......."Alright C is the first chord, A is the next chord, WTF is an H chord....Oh these are lyrics. Fuck!" I dont think it will work...Might be entertaining.....


Yes, make sure to post the video.


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

As I understand it, a lot of orchestra players have their music pretty much memorized. The score is often just there to jog the memory, and provide a spot to keep notes with respect to the conductor's interpretation as to how different sections should be played.

As far as teleprompters go, I don't mind them as long as the performer remembers that they are performing. Same goes for tablets. If I don't notice that you're staring at it, it's all good.


----------



## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

On a Friday night by the time the band comes pn most of the audience has had a few and won't notice anyway.


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

If the band films themselves to post on YT or their webpage, it sure don't look good.


----------



## bluebayou (May 25, 2015)

What is your opinion on standing versus sitting when performing?? MM Mainline used to mostly sit. Some solo performers sit. What was the origin of being required to stand when playing music?


----------



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Sitting is fine if it fits the Act. If I go see a Hard Rock/punk/Metal etc... band live they're gonna be in some trouble for sure though. Unless it's an Acoustic set.


----------



## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

bw66 said:


> As I understand it, a lot of orchestra players have their music pretty much memorized. The score is often just there to jog the memory, and provide a spot to keep notes with respect to the conductor's interpretation as to how different sections should be played.l good.


 Bingo. I watched 4 ladies from Hamilton philharmonic play at the library. After the show went up to look at the old violins and was looking at one of the scores they just stopped playing and it was a totally different song. None of them had the scores for the songs they were playing but they were all looking down like they were reading it note 4 note.


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

bluebayou said:


> What is your opinion on standing versus sitting when performing?? MM Mainline used to mostly sit. Some solo performers sit. What was the origin of being required to stand when playing music?


Personally I like to stand, but I don't care what other people do - as long as I am entertained.

I perform standing because I find that I can use my body language to convey the emotion of the music better - even though I can't play as proficiently when standing.


----------



## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

The older you get the harder it is to stand. Johnny Winter sat alot in his later years. Akira Takasaki played sitting down for about a year while he was experiencing problems. Its one of the problems of an aging planet. The other problem being crotchety old fuckers complaining alot about how other people do things. Go figure.........


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

I have advanced osteoarthritis in my left knee.
I've had to quit one band because getting home at 3am after a gig and trying to wind 
down with my knee throbbing and spending 2 days to recuperate, just did me in.
Doc says that I'm too young for a new knee. If I can deal with the pain, than stick it out.
OHIP coverage is basic, for cheap, 15 year lifespan.


----------



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Hey laristotle. I have arthritis in my left knee as well. I can tell you, every single time, that it's going to rain in exactly 2 days when I feel it the first time. Really weird.


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

I know what you're saying.
Mine will give me a 5 hr heads up.
The more pain, the more severe the storm.


----------



## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Dorian2 said:


> Hey laristotle. I have arthritis in my left knee as well. I can tell you, every single time, that it's going to rain in exactly 2 days when I feel it the first time. Really weird.


Going by my ankle and knee and shoulder we're in for it within the next 3 days, from the south west. Probably rain but maybe snow. Every place I've broken or cracked a bone has become an indicator depending on the weather. If it's my lower back and right foot I go hide. I should have had my right knee replaced when I was still on the exs blue cross a few years back. Only lasting 15 years is no problem for me. 
When we had mom cremated they wanted to know what we wanted to do with her knees, depending on what was left. My sister said get rid of them but I guess some one missed something. We found that out when we spread her ashes at the younger brothers.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Accept2 said:


> I see no problem with it. Alot of bands have aged, and with that there are problems. I dont get the guys who go see bands they saw in the past, and then complain they can barely play anymore. Alot of people are attacking guys like Vinnie Vincent because he doesnt shred like its 1983 anymore. Some guys have a huge catalogue and with an older brain, their memory might not be the greatest, so what wrong with having that Ipad there to make sure they can concentrate on giving a good performance in other aspects. I think its great, but I would want a much bigger screen, my old eyes have trouble with those new fangled things. Do they make a bigger screen?..........


The only problem I have with that is it looks bush league once a band reaches a certain level. If you're playing regularly for 1000+ people, I think you need to go with a teleprompter. More convenient for the performer and less distracting for the audience. 










Of course, Joe Blow in pubs can't justify that so iPads make sense. But it should be subtle and not right in the line of sight between you and the audience. IMO


----------



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Using a table is not hard. Practice using it before you go on stage. A touch screen can be inadvertently be touched at the wrong time. It happens to all of us. Just remember to use the back button to avoid long pauses.


----------



## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Honestly, I don't like anyone in my band to have anything in front of them as I expect each one to learn their stuff. But singers are the hardest to get out of that habit. I had someone who wouldn't give up her tablet even if we're playing original songs. I find that funny because, in reality very few people actually know the lyrics of the songs we played. So it was more of a crutch. My new singer in this r&b cover band also can't get rid of her tablet. Considering we play the same songs and set every time for the last 2 years, it's just crazy. I only use a tablet or 'notes' when I'm starting with a new band where I am not familiar with all the music. But most of the time when I do that, it would be one sheet of paper with all the chord progressions of all the songs we are playing. I usually do that with my Celtic music gigs on St Patrick's Day as I only play that gig once a year and can't be bothered trying to memorize all the chord progressions.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Chito said:


> Honestly, I don't like anyone in my band to have anything in front of them as I expect each one to learn their stuff. But singers are the hardest to get out of that habit. I had someone who wouldn't give up her tablet even if we're playing original songs. I find that funny because, in reality very few people actually know the lyrics of the songs we played. So it was more of a crutch. My new singer in this r&b cover band also can't get rid of her tablet. Considering we play the same songs and set every time for the last 2 years, it's just crazy. I only use a tablet or 'notes' when I'm starting with a new band where I am not familiar with all the music. But most of the time when I do that, it would be one sheet of paper with all the chord progressions of all the songs we are playing. I usually do that with my Celtic music gigs on St Patrick's Day as I only play that gig once a year and can't be bothered trying to memorize all the chord progressions.


That’s because you’re more of a professional at this thing than most of us here.


----------



## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

1SweetRide said:


> That’s because you’re more of a professional at this thing than most of us here.


Thanks but I don't consider myself a 'professional'  Not even close but thanks. I think it's got to do with most of the bands I've played in before where it's always a requirement to learn and memorize the songs. Notebooks or folders are frowned upon. Specially in a rock group. Just looks silly to me too. Although I know a lot of artists nowadays have teleprompters.


----------



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

"LEARN THE MUSIC!" 

Binders or tablets are OK, in certain situations, but please make the friggin effort. 

Our singer brings two huge binders with him to every gig and practice. They contain every song he has ever learned. Lots of time spent waiting while he rifles through this shit with stuff falling on the floor. He can't even remember what key it was in, and often forgets how the melody goes. Especially the songs he has written himself. 

We all have our weaknesses, but do we try to overcome them or indulge ourselves in laziness?

I realize that my brain remembers words and his brain remembers numbers, but when my job required presentations of numbers, I would memorize everything. And even practise writing the figures upsidedown so that they faced the customer. Not fumble through a bunch of paper. 

Last gig, a couple of new toons were sprung on me by guests. I made a big show of having to look at the sheet, like it was something unusual, not something "par for the course". 

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Given that everything else is equal, who do you want playing for you? The guy with the binder/tablet, or the guy with it all upstairs? 

My two cents. No disrespect to anyone's talent.


----------



## dolphinstreet (Sep 11, 2006)

Agree on that. It’s about being prepared and knowing your stuff. I guess there are certain types of gigs where it may not matter that much, but when I am there to watch and listen attentively, I can’t help feel a bit disappointed when the musicians have to read, regardless of if they use papers or iPad. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I think basic musicianship and music/chord knowledge has a big part to play in this trend at times. Not always though. Not just playing live neither. I've been to jams where new person X comes in with a full binder of tunes and starts to play and sing expecting everyone to follow along. I ask him what the chords changes or key are. "Oh, I don't know what chords they are, I just know the shapes. Never bothered to learn the names. Here, it's the one that looks like this....". I usually will just smile and wave, but in my head I'm yelling "Learn your shit man, don't be expecting someone unfamiliar with the form or key of a song to just 'follow along and watch what you play' ". It's bad form.


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Dorian2 said:


> I just know the shapes


----------



## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I get that being prepared is crucial to playing live. What I don’t get is people calling others lazy. I know I have a problem. I can’t memorize lyrics. The music is easy. Play it once or twice and I have it. I have spent hours and hours trying to memorize lyrics and fifteen minutes later they are gone. I have learned to compensate by having a binder with the lyrics available so I can glance at them at the start of each verse. That’s all I need but without that I just look the fool stammering my way through a song I’ve played hundreds of times. I have learned to have the binder out of the audiences site line but where I can easily glance at it. I am not lazy. I just want to put on a good show and losing your way in the middle of a song is not a good show.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I, too, can't remember lyrics. But I can memorize them, with a lot of work. 

I didn't listen to 'the lyrics' growing up, I was always listening to the guitar parts. But I've trained myself to sing a dozen+ songs from memory - and full harmony parts in twice that many songs. Meanwhile, I can play 100s of songs from memory, including the little guitar bits that often make the song fun. 

We all have our specialty but that isn't to say we can't expand other parts of our toolbag. Hell, my memory's so bad, I'd forget my wordbook/iPad most of the time I went out to play, so I don't really want to have to rely on one.


----------



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Kerry Brown said:


> I get that being prepared is crucial to playing live. What I don’t get is people calling others lazy. I know I have a problem. I can’t memorize lyrics. The music is easy. Play it once or twice and I have it. I have spent hours and hours trying to memorize lyrics and fifteen minutes later they are gone. I have learned to compensate by having a binder with the lyrics available so I can glance at them at the start of each verse. That’s all I need but without that I just look the fool stammering my way through a song I’ve played hundreds of times. I have learned to have the binder out of the audiences site line but where I can easily glance at it. I am not lazy. I just want to put on a good show and losing your way in the middle of a song is not a good show.


Your previous post came to mind when I made mine, Kerry. If you have tried and just can't do it, no one can call you lazy. A little cheat sheet is infinitely better than a botched performance. Keep rockin bro, no offense meant.


----------



## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

I wish I was off-book primarily because it takes my eyes away from interacting with the listeners. If I was doing country gigs these days, I'd absolutely be off-book because I already have those songs in memory and I feel the changes in my bones.

Now I play songs from the jazz age, give or take, and I work from a pool of a few hundred songs that I rotate into an onstage book of about eighty, most of which just live there because they're particularly great songs and I love them. I've played some of them hundreds, perhaps a thousand times. I Got Rhythm; Bye Bye Blackbird; It Don't Mean a Thing…. I could take them off-book with a little effort, but there are other songs in my book -- ones that I've just recently discovered, or decided to learn, or include from my source book, just to keep things fresh -- and I need the book to perfom them. So I order my sets in the book and play them more-or-less in order, skipping any song I don't feel like playing at the moment.

OTOH I hate it when people sing songs in alphabetical order. *shudders*


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

LOL

I like to play them in alphabetical order --- of the keys.


----------

