At the end of the month I will have the oportunity to do a little busking.
I have never done it before, nor have I really seen it done before… (so sheltered I am)
I was at a craft shop in the quaint little town of Nelsonville, Ohio last Saturday. We were supposed to be at the Hockhocking Folk Festival, however it was rainy and cold, and the folks that I was with did not feel like jamming out-doors. So we ended up shopping.
Good thing, or we would never of found out about the Music, Food and Arts gathering that happens in the town square on the last Friday of each month. The shopkeeper invited us to join in on the fun, put a hat out and perhaps earn a few bucks in the process.
So, any comments, suggestions, or interesting stories you would like to share?
Oh, btw, at the Hockhocking Folk Fest, I got to meet the ledgendary Bill Staines.
To busk you need a seedy water weasel with the plumbing code and straw hat that’s tattered and torn. A shirt that reads ‘Will play for food’ also is required.
Laura,
I think you should go for it. It sounds like a pretty low stress environment which is good for your first time. It’s not like you are trying for Times Square or the Boston subway system. Actually it is a lot of fun because the people passing by think they are watching you when really you are watching them. It’s pretty amusing.
Mike
I busked this last Christmas, in the SF/Bay Area BART subways, and it was great. I’m NOT very good, but I’d practiced the X-mas Carols a lot so I could at least play those. In general, I think people appreciate live music, esp as part of the ambience of a faire or commute–in other words, places where, if you weren’t there, there wouldn’t be anything.
I sat down to busk–because I don’t have a music stand and I still needed sheetmusic on most of the songs–and it was fine. Had a little mat, a hat and my bag of whistles. If you are really shy, try going the first time “off-season,” meaning towards the beginning or end of the faire or event. My first time, I played AFTER rush hour, to build some confidence. Of course, you make the most money during the busy times, but you’re probably not in it to make money, but just play for people and hope everyone enjoys it.
Of course, you make the most money during the busy times, but you’re probably not in it to make money, but just play for people and hope everyone enjoys it.
I wonder if anybody actually makes a living busking or if that’s even legal to do? LOL.
Go for it! It’s fun, and you can pick up a bit of cash that way. Just relax, put out the hat, and pretend you’re playing for a bunch of friends at home.
Cranberry…I usually stand up when I’m busking, because that way it’s obvious you’re performing, not just sitting there playing for yourself (you look more like you’re “working for it,” so people are a bit more generous). Also, in downtown Santa Cruz, you really CAN’T sit down (unless you just want to sit on the sidewalk, next to the curb, but I don’t recommend it)…street performers aren’t allowed to park on the benches (nor are they allowed to play right next to buildings or in doorway niches, where one might find a sheltered place and perhaps a little more volume for the whistle…sigh!). It might be possible to eke out something of a living busking, in some areas, maybe, but most of the buskers I know do it to supplement their income (that’s why I did it in San Francisco…I barely made enough to cover my rent and meals at my “real” job, and busking gave me a little extra boost…not a lot, but it’s hard to make much of a splash when it’s just you and a little penny whistle, while down the block a pianist from the Conservatory is “busking” in tails from the back of a flatbed truck!). Other buskers I’ve met have often been “travelers” (either voluntarily, or involuntarily, due to unemployment), trying to make a few bucks to get to the next stop down the road. There are some I know of in the City who do it as a full-time thing, but they’re well-established and fairly flamboyant acts. But yes…it’s a perfectly legal way to make a living, if you can do it, so long as busking itself is legal where you are (not all cities allow it).
“Busking” is an honorable profession practiced by most Ren Faire Junkies and a great many “citified folk”. The streets of New York and its subways,as well as San Francisco have been the starting point for many musicians careers. Here are some “ground rules”…
1)Keep a good distance from other Buskers
2)Cross-roads/Gathering places are the best spots,like bus stops or anywhere people must wait in boredom.
3)Always “salt the hat” with some change or patrons will be reluctant to contribute.
4)Always leave them wanting more.
The Book “Bedlam’s Bard” by Mercedes Lackey/Ellen Guon, is based on the lives of professional Buskers with a good bit of Fantasy thrown in. (this is a fun read)
I’m one of those people who can’t chew gum and walk at the same time, so standing up and playing is a bit of a challange for me.
Question - do people ever stand on the street and sing and have people drop money in their hat? I’ve never heard of that…is it still called busking, when there is no physical instrument?
Some time back, I read a series of articles by a man who had spent quite a while homeless. He had several very interesting insights into how homeless people live and why they do certain things.
He said he usually carried over a hundred dollars on his person. Much of it was generated by sitting on a street corner singing the hymns he had learned as a kid in church. He made the best money right after church lets out on Sundays.
From where I stand (or sit! ), it’s technically “busking” if you’re doing any kind of street performing for money…singing, dancing, miming or playing an instrument. We have a regular “busker” here who dresses as a clown and makes (really good!) balloon animals, balloon hats, etc., for donations while delivering jokes the whole while (he really draws a crowd, as you can imagine). We also have a fellow who will write you a poem on the fly for a donation (I don’t know how good he is…I’d rather listen to a performer and tip than offer a donation for something I haven’t even seen or heard yet!). City laws count the tarot readers who occasionally park on the street corners as “buskers” as well…basically, anyone who gives some kind of “performance” falls under the busking laws (and there seem to be more of them every day…the laws that is).
Busking is a hoot! I always enjoy myself when I’m out there, the money can be good too. I usually make between $20-30/hour which I could happily live on but I think that I’d pretty quickly wear out my audience’s generosity so the career on the sidewalks is not really an option…Chapel Hill ain’t big enough to have new people constantly walking by.
Salting the hat (or the case in my case) is very good thing to do! I noticed that there is a definite jump in the amount that folks give once they see some other moolah in the till. I actually use an odd assortment of coins to start it off, a French Franc (as hommage to the buskers of Paris who inspired me), a ha’ penny, and a tuppence that were actually dropped in my case down here in the Southern Part of Heaven…why, I have no idea.
Folks also like fast and furious, I personally like to vary the tempo, but when you have about a 30 second window in which to try and catch someone’s attention (and their wallet) then you need to pull out all the stops. Once in a while it’s good to bring out the slow air, but those you have to play kinda syrupy sweet, the subtleties are a bit lost on the trottoirs.
Go out and do it! I was nervous as squat when I went out the first time, I thought that people would be staring at me and thinking I was a freak, but all that happened was people walking by and smiling (and relieving themselves of their spare change). Once in a while you get the nice folks who will stay around and listen to a couple of tunes (then the $5s start flying, ask them if they have a request: not “What tune would you like me to play?” but more like “Would you like a fast tune or a slow tune?” or “Do you waltz? I know a beautiful waltz!” Makes their day kind of special.).
Best of luck and Just Do It! (with apologies to Nike)
I busked in Hill City the other afternnon and made $47.50 in a couple of hours! Whee! Trouble is you can’t talk to people with a whistle in your mouth.
You live in Chapel Hill? We lived in Durham for nearly 10 years…that really is the southern part of Heaven!
I also think it’s easiest to make money if you don’t have a busker on virtually every street corner. Here, you can hardly move downtown some evenings without tripping over a busker, and while most of them are very good indeed, I don’t carry THAT much cash, so I only tip my favorites (of course, the balloon guy always gets something, because we can’t pass him without my daughter saying “plleeeezzeee???” and he’s so pleasant and friendly it would seem downright nasty to say “no” and walk on by!). Parts of San Francisco are the same. I don’t recall seeing many buskers in Chapel Hill (do you play down on Franklin Street?), so I imagine those who do get out and play would tend to collect more tips.
I’ve heard you play, lady. By all means you should busk! Run, don’t walk! For that matter you can busk right out in front of my apartment! I mean, yes. You should busk.
You live in Chapel Hill? We lived in Durham for nearly 10 years…that really is the southern part of Heaven!
Yep, although my time here is fast drawing to a close. The Hill is not what it used to be. If you talk to the right folks (who’ve been here for at least 15 years) they can remember the “old” Chapel Hill. After it got “discovered” it lost a lot of the character that made is special…
Yes, I play out on Franklinstein St. I stand in the niche made by Studio 135 and Anjana’s. For those that don’t know: It’s a nice deep niche with a sloping up cement floor and walls of glass on each side, it really tosses the sound out there. It’s also next to a crosswalk and a path coming from the university. A killer location!
PC
I might be moving across the country soon…watch for an OT post on that!
), it’s technically “busking” if you’re doing any kind of street performing for money…singing, dancing, miming or playing an instrument. We have a regular “busker” here who dresses as a clown and makes (really good!) balloon animals, balloon hats, etc., for donations while delivering jokes the whole while (he really draws a crowd, as you can imagine). We also have a fellow who will write you a poem on the fly for a donation (I don’t know how good he is…I’d rather listen to a performer and tip than offer a donation for something I haven’t even seen or heard yet!). City laws count the tarot readers who occasionally park on the street corners as “buskers” as well…basically, anyone who gives some kind of “performance” falls under the busking laws (and there seem to be more of them every day…the laws that is).
