What about it?
So that’s how it is?
Hmmm…I believe that would be Bakersfield (with apologies to anyone who may actually live there)
Redwolf
Oops, that little Satanic looking dude didn’t come out quite right:
…somehow a one liner loses all it ever had when you have redo it…
Re: City nominations for “The Northern Part of Hell” my vote would go to Rochester, NY. There were some nice folks there but the weather was awful and the river was so polluted that we used to do chemical assays with its water in chem lab. That and it’s the home of Genesee Beer…'nuff said. burp
Although we did have a pretty funny (off color) nickname for the place.
PC
Laura, go for it! I’ll bet after you get a few performances under your belt you’ll be addicted. Please make sure to post and tell after you do it! I can’t wait to hear how it goes.
-Paul
I’ve never busked (actually put out the hat/empty case), but I have played in local parks and at the Farmer’s Market. A few people stop and listen, some slow down walking and smile, and some just keep on a-walkin’.
I have an etiquette question. When do I empty out the loot? If I have $47.50 in the hat, no one is going to want to put more in it! I suppose I just wait til there’s not anyone around? (imagine madfifer9 furtively stuffing change in her pocketses here)
So does that mean I have to leave, or do they? snerk “Move along there, buddy, you’ve heard enough.” Thanks for the tips, BTW!
madfifer9
Does anybody ever stop and say anything bad to you when you’re busking, or is them just not noticing usually as bad as it gets?
Wow! This is great! I appreciate all the input!
Blackhawk, I am blushing… aw shucks! I would be thrilled to go out West and Jam a bit. Even busk. From all these fine posts I have been reading, sounds pretty popular in the big cities. I will need to check out the laws in my little city of Lancaster.
So much encouragement. And Cranberry thanks for keeping it going with your questions. Many of my questions have been answered.
K, I am feeling the itch to do it now. However, I am still a bit shy playing in front of friends. Hmm… perhaps it will be easier. Friends who know me well, know when I mess up a song. I either, smile, shake my head or stomp my foot…thats the most noticable one I need to work on not doing. 
I do have another question.
How many tunes do you folks generally play when busking? I am thinking turnover. I can count on my hands the tunes that I have well memorized. ( on a good day ) 
Still find myself getting mindblocks… perhaps a little cheat sheet would help get me started. Little lead ins.
Hmm… It would be fun to do something on the dulcimer too. Need to sit down for that one.
If all goes well weather wise… Oh, heck, I will give it a shot.
Laura
Hammered dulcimer player Jem Moore and his partner used to travel around the country (US) in a bus and busked for a living for a time. They gave a workshop on busking at a festival in Michigan and talked about their lives as professional buskers. This is a little fuzzy in my memory but it seems to me there was a rather well known whistle player who busked for a living in England. The last time I busked my playing partner and I made enough money to have lunch at Wendy’s.
Steve
Hillfolk…if you only have a few tunes memorized, they will do for starters. You might want to move on a bit more frequently, so people who have to stay in your general area (shop or booth keepers, etc.) won’t get bored, but the passersby will generally only stop to listen to one or two tunes, if that much, so don’t worry on their score. You may want to combine the tunes you know in sets of two or more…that will keep things flowing, and you can switch them around (as well as vary how you play them) to keep things interesting.
The first couple of tunes in public are the hardest. If you’re nervous, try playing in the park or somewhere else public where you don’t have to worry about being center stage for a while (don’t put out a hat…just play and get used to people walking by you, and occasionally stopping to listen). When that feels comfortable, then moving on to the street will be no big deal.
Do check the laws in your city. Some towns have no rules one way or another, some don’t allow busking at all, some cover buskers under their vagrant laws (grrr!), and some have separate busking laws that can be quite restrictive. For example, in Santa Cruz these days, you have to stand a minimum of 10 feet from a building entrance (which puts you right at curbside in most locations), you may not sit on any of the public benches while “soliciting” (aka playing for money…it’s OK to sit on them if you don’t have a hat out), and you must move to a different location every hour…sooner if a merchant complains about “the noise.” Of course, the usual courtesies apply as well…you mustn’t impede traffic (in the street or on the sidewalk). The only exceptions I know of are, you may play in a doorway if the shopkeeper has given you permission to do so (or has even hired you to do so). They won’t arrest you for violating these laws (unless you kick up a major fuss when asked to obey them), but they will enforce them, and ticket repeat offenders.
Redwolf