Karaoke Forums

1. Motivation I was trying to describe would not be denying a singer any song.  It would be trying to get singers who always sing slow songs to add to their songlist.  It has been my experience as a singer that most clap and appreciate the first few songs of a slow singer, but I they do all slow songs, they kind of get bored.  So what we are looking here for is a win-win situation.  Crowd happy, Bar happy, Singers happy

2. Well understood that it would be totally unfair to move someone way down the rotation.  So how would you feel as a singer getting moved a slot or two, so for instance there are not 4 very slow songs in a row?

Thanks

Moving me down even a slot or two, with the exception of adding new singers, still smacks of favoritism to me. I truly think you are looking at causing headaches for yourself when you start doing that. Maybe I am just more OCD about it than most. But I think treating singers' selections like a playlist is way too subjective.

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[glow=darkorchid]Musica delenit bestiam feram[/glow]

I use the tempo control on slow singers to speed-up their selection. It doesn't change the pitch of the tune and they can get off the stage quicker. I call that a win-win.

Sure the song was written to be slow but the singer doesn't have to sing it slowly, besides if we didn't like being treated like cattle we would object more to the way total strangers speak of us IMHO.

I personally tend to go with a lot of slower songs at karaoke because of poor song choices in the books. I am not going to sing a fast song just because it's fast, I have to really love the song. In my case good motivation would be for the bar I go to to update their songs. They have a lot of ballads by some artists but none of their fast stuff (which I would be willing to sing if the backing was there) This is not the only place I have had this issue with, it seems to be common.

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Te audire no possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure. (I can't hear you. I have a banana in my ear.)

I've gotten to know my folks pretty well over the past couple of months, and I've experimented with a few things, and so far they've worked out pretty well.
Granted you are going to have that one person that always wants to sing a slow song, and granted, nothing wrong with slow songs, unless they're just ultra boring or depressing. I try to pick out something up tempo that suits their voice and ask them to stay up on stage. I just ask them to trust me on this one. It's usually a song, that I can come in with them on the chorus. What happens is it gives the singer a confidence boost that they can in fact sing faster more up tempo tunes. Some folks don't sing faster tunes, cos they've never challenged themselves, they prefer to stay in their comfort zone. But they know I'm there with them, and I'm not gonna let them fall flat on their faces in front of their friends. It's worked for me on several occasions.

One thing I like to do is an open mic song. I'll put on a tune that I know everyone knows and just ask someone/anyone to come up to the mic. I may have to start the song off myself, but once someone steps up, I turn it over to them. It gives that person who's kinda hesitant a chance to come up and get it out of their system. I have yet to do this that someone didn't come up.

Another thing I do when the tempo of the tunes is really slowing the show down, is take a song and turn it into a parody. Lately I've been taking the (@$%&#!) Cat Dolls tune 'Don't Cha' and singing it from a man's point of view, usually doing the vocals in kind of a Rico Swavy(spelling, what a concept) voice. You wouldn't believe the laughs and hoots n hollers that I get, especially when I go to the front of the stage where a group of women will be sitting and act like I'm struttin my stuff. The folks really like it and it immediately brings up the mood of the show back to where it should be.

Remember you are the Captain of your ship, you have the power to either make it sink or swim. You are the KJ and sometimes, you have to take charge of your show to get it back on course. So never be afraid to step in and do a tune, act a fool, whatever it takes, it's your show. Customers are willing participants, sometimes they just need a little guidance and that's where you come in.

Now I know realistically that some of you can't do these things because of the size of your rotation. But remember the quote, 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one' Your job is to satisfy the masses, not cater to the egos of a few.

James
Maninblack

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I serve no man and am loyal to only one God.

Being critical of a person's success in any respect speaks volumes about the lack of your own.

Love as though you've never been hurt, Dance as though no one's watching, Sing as though God Himself were listening.

Kick-Axx suggestions there James. I will be trying some of that stuff out if you don't mind.

I know I only do parties right now but my friends are not afraid to tell me if I can pull something off or not.

<=====Trying to straighten up and fly right.

You know, this is an interesting topic.  This week I met Matt (Knightshow on this board), and last night we were at a karaoke place and we decided to sing "Close My Eyes Forever".  Well, the girl ahead of us sang "My Immortal" (I think that's what it's called--by Evanescence--sp?), and we knew we were next, so we just kinda looked at each other and I said, "Uh-oh, this is gonna be 2 slow songs in a row!"  But everything turned out fine.

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I love being a mom!

Slow songs are better tolerated when the singer is good, not so if they are bad.   It's much easier to sing fast songs for the beginners.  You don't have to be as good technically.    Slow songs emphasize all of the singing mistakes.    Fast rock songs seem to hide them.    I always tell new singers to try a fast song they are familiar with.   If you point them to the slow songs in the beginning, then blame yourself for creating the monster.   I still think you people put too much emphiasis on the tempo of the show.  For the most part, it's out of your hands.  The  singers are in control.   You can only do what you can do by singing fast songs yourself.   That's one time in a rotation.   I know you still have to do everything in your power to keep the nonsingers there, but you have to take it as it comes.   Most people know that if they go to karaoke regularly, whether they sing or not.

Unless you are adding a new singer in the rotation I wouldn't move someone down in rotation just because they sang a slow song. What do you tell that person when they ask why he was bumped in rotation? Do you think they will come back to sing there if you tell him you didn't like what he was singing, so you move him down? I have people bugging me to move them up all the time? are you going to crack under pressure? If someone offers you $10 to sing 2 songs in a row, are you going to let them? I found if I stick to my guns and follow a fair rotation I get a lot less headaches. My regulars know the rotation is the same for everyone - no exceptions!
80 to 90% of my patrons sing. I know this is higher than average. I have built a crowd of karaoke singers and they know they have to wait there turn. If I slip up just a little believe me I hear about it. You can't make everyone happy, but when I go home at night I can sleep because I know I have been fair to everyone. So if I get a loud complainer I've got nothing to feel sorry about - I've been professional and honest.

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...and how they speak to us. If I speak to people the way they speak to me they are often offended.

Oh well. A boarish personality deserves to get it right back. I consider it mirroring the input.

There was a karaoke DJ in my college town that limited his book to ONLY up-tempo songs. He had about 450 songs in his book and ALL of them were uptempo crowdpleasers. He would not allow you to bring your own discs. He played to a capasity bar of about 600 each and every week on Friday nights, and is still doing so to this day from what I hear.

The basic answer is your song book are the songs that your patrons are allowed to pick from, plain and simple. If you don't want to give them that option, take the slow songs out of the book. If a restaurant put steak on their menu, but everytime someone ordered a steak the chef said, "Naw, I'm not in the mood to cook that, you'll either have to wait longer or pick something else," how long do you think that restaurant would be in business?

Playing up-tempo filler music promotes up-tempo song selections, but never guarantees anything. I think that the average slow song shows off a singer's vocal acumen better than the average up-tempo song, and a good number of karaoke singers come to put their vocals on display for their friends or to try to meet people, THEREFORE, that portion of your crowd is likely to want to sing slower songs.

Just my opinion!!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

How's that working out for you?  I am a bit concerned because if you fly right you'll just go in circles like those NASCAR guys (except they only go left).

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

That's the way to do it. If you don't want people to sing certain song, don't put that song in the song book.

And just to put thing in the correct prospective, there is this karaoke bar (7 nights a week karaoke) where you hear almost 95 % of the singers sing only slow songs. If you what to sing fast song, sorry that is not the place. this place have very matured customers who come to relax have their beers and sing. The younger people find this place boring and do not go there. That is fine because there are enough people who just love singing and listening to slow songs.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Pretty well so far but I'm going nowhere fast.

I've found that the best way to get people who ALWAYS sing slow songs to kick it up a notch is to offer song selections to them.  For example, if they are always singing Johnny Cash's Hurt, I'd say "Hey, you know, I'll bet you'd do a great job of Folsom Prison Blues or Ring of Fire since you do that other Johnny Cash song so well."

As a KJ, you should know your songbook well enough that you could suggest a handful of songs to any singer based on his or her vocal range and singing style.

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Spreading the karaoke gospel

I agree, well, it worked on me anyway...

See now that is a great solution. Redo the song books, so there aren't any slow songs in it. smart smart smart! It is just like when people don't want to hear foul language at karaoke - take those songs out of the book. Now why didn't anyone think of that sooner.

I guess like everything else you have to do what works for you in your venue. I
like this idea because it will keep him from messing with his rotation.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Big Mike - that is what I do. Usually people need ideas to sing new songs anyway.
I'm always thinking about my regulars and new songs for them to try. It keeps me from getting naucious from hearing the same songs over and over everynight.
Sometimes I'll be watching tv and hear a commercial and think so and so can sing that.  LMAO The KJ in me goes 24/7.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Great point Topher!

Susie

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You do it in the shower,
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Karaoke with Full House Entertainment

[scroll]Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean...... [/scroll]

It comes down to this.   How much do you like working?    The world is full of only uptempo songs.  I have never heard a slow song.    :whistle: