A "Theme" Gig

Today I did my first "theme" gig. As in, "Today is Teddy Bear's Picnic Day, could you sing some bear-related songs?"

Of course I said "sure." Then I went home and thought "Well, I know OF a bunch of bear songs...but I don't actually know how to PLAY them."

This was about a month ago.

Cramming time. Now, if I could devote the bulk of my day to learning new songs, not only would I be thrilled, but things like this would be a lot easier. Unfortunately, I do have at least four other jobs currently, so I have to plan very carefully. And, occasionally, cram.

So, I learned them. I learned "Teddy Bear's Picnic," of course, and several more. Most courtesy of Sandy, at the Musicare celebration. Although my personal favorite of the day, "Waltzing with Bears," I learned at a grownup folk music party recently. All went relatively well, judging from people's reaction and the response I got from the store manager. Granted, I always walk away thinking of where there is room for improvement, but I'm working on that. Cause let's face it, focusing on my shortfalls does not lead to confidence in performance.

So, the verdict on doing a "theme" gig? Good. Good for my work in general, since I learned some new songs I can go on and use in other situations. Good for my programs, since I learned I can take a chance and sing a "new" song, provided I work in openings for participation.

That was another thing I figured out in preparing for this gig. Most of these songs were ones that people don't necessarily know, like "Waltzing." So I did something that I've been hearing others do my whole life - I sang the chorus multiple times, leaving out a word here and there that I knew the crowd would remember and be able to fill in. Like I said, I'd heard people do that a hundred thousand times. But this was the first time I actually tried it myself - and the weird thing is, I didn't realize I had heard it done until I tried it while rehearsing. Bizarre. But you know what? It worked!!