Karaoke Forums

I'm trying to imitate one of the best shows I've attended... the KJ had a few instruments for "air guitar"  -- electric guitar (unplugged), sax, trumpet -- he used these during some of the "musical breaks" (as Sound Choice calls them) or sometimes a singer would use them. They were dented, scratched, and so on, but look great from 10 feet away and very entertaining!

He also had a few percussion instruments that he played (sparingly) while the singer was singing, if they were a regular and he knew they didn't mind... tambourine, wood blocks, a single drum with small cymbal for the end of the song.

I plan to have some of these. What can be added to it?

Most-used props were, in order: tambourine, guitar, sax, cow bell, and wood blocks / dowels. Almost nobody used the hats, wigs, and masks.

Sounds like a bunch of junk to haul around with you. I'm trying to get my setup tear down to under 10 min. With my Bose system it's about 5min.

We use inflatables for events from time to time, They are inexpensive and we make the client pay for them.

I personally didn't want to go with props, but I gotta tell ya, a blow up guitar and blow up mic will really rock the room with guys with alcahol! ! At first I was like, "Oh C'MON!" no way!... but then I went ahead and bought the $1.25 item, and blew it up... and the place went nuts! ! Most were laughing AT or WITH the guy running around acting like he was playing... but they LOVED it.

A good friend of mine in South Dakota has these signs he will hold up behind you... SUPER and SEXY, or other stuff like that... you don't know what he's done until the crowd starts laughing. If you're INTO that kind of show, it really MAKES the show.

PERSONALLY, I'm a bit more serious with my show, and wouldn't like that stuff going on, but I can see the attraction for others!

I love props.  After much consideration I limited my props to: tambourines, maracas, hand clappers and a bell-stick, all of which are easily accessible by the audience.

I also have props at my table including one plastic microphone

People love the props

However, I've discovered one down-side of having them.  One night one of my regulars, a guy who had many times in the past played with the props, got so off of the beat playing the tambourine it drove everyone nuts.  Clearly, he was far from sober.  Bottom line, we had to take the tambourine away from him!

Now I am conflicted about bringing along the props, since something like this could clearly happen again.

I wouldn't consider real instruments (of which I have several) to be "props". I don't  understand why they're being lugged around and to what use they are being put.

Knight Loved your comments about the signs

The other night I went to a place that had a cowboy hat to wear if you were going to sing a country song.

Of course in my neck of the woods, a lot of the men already come with their props pre-attached....

Props are a good thing, recently I did "Freakin' at the Freaker's Ball" with fake eyeball glasses and a chicken hat.  
I had them rolling in the aisles.

Wigs, crazy hats and blow instruments are killer even if a show is flat.   Any actual instruments I think are too dangerous if someone is drunk.

My vote is yes to props

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Terryoke
Krazy Kanuck Karaokeist

Karaoke is the only social disease that you can get in public and not get arrested.

Props are awesome.  We do the blow up props.  Do carry some disinfecting wipes for the Sax, People tend to put their mouth on it (yuck).  Also a few assorted hats.  Our boa is the favorite prop of the ladies and cheap sun glasses are always fun.   I like to carry pom poms with me for when I sing Mickey.  I also like to use them when there is a birthday in the house for a birthday cheer. The glasses with the nose and mustache is always a hit too.  We also leigh each guy who comes up to sing and we lite the ladies up with glow bracelets (only on the first song they sing).  This serves two purposes:  1. people like to get things. 2. If they leave to go somewhere else people ask where they were that they got the leigh or glow bracelet.  People will come in just to sing and get one.  SO it is like advertising without actually sending out flyers.

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

From my experience the blow up guitar gets very little use. Maracas and a tambourine work the best at my shows.  :oh yeah:

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Very interesting marketing suggestions.  Thanks ISIS

Ericlater - I know what you mean about the drunk playing the percussion instrument off beat. It's VERY distracting. (happened while I was singing once - tambourine)

Your welcome.  We originally came up with the idea so that people could tell who had sung.  People bar hopping just kinda of happened.  It also helps with getting new people to sing.  Because everyone wants one and you only get it if you sing.  You can buy the glow sticks and leighs really cheap on e-bay.  We also make announcements to come up and sing and get lit or get leighed.  As well as making a specticle out of getting leighed for the first time.  It's fun.  Our bar owner actually started paying for the stuff too, because he saw how much the customers enjoyed them and that it was bringing in additional business.    Sometimes when I am not working I take the glow sticks in and just give them to customers.

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

I have never used props - doesn't seem there is time or a need for them are our shows. I can totally understand that maracas or shakers in the hands of someone who is drunk can do nothing but interrupt a singer's concentration.

Our show is different than most, I guess, in that the singers are a serious bunch of singers. There are other hosts who use them successfully and a lot and people at their shows enjoy that, but never has anyone ever suggested to us that we should get some blow-up guitars or saxes, etc. If they did, I might buy some, but the stage is already crowded enough where we play, and having people running back and forth grabbing stuff and creating a lot of distraction for these serious singers would be a negative.

However, on special nights I do go overboard - like NYE, St. Paddy's Day, Cinco de Mayo, 4th of July, I spend my own money and make sure we have a lot of special things for the people who choose to spend those 'holidays' with us.


k

Never underestimate the power of air guitar for fun..

While I had that one incident (and it was a bad one) with the drunk tambourine player,  I haven't completely given up on using the props. Considering I have 10 props that are grabbed by various people (and replaced) over the course of a show, that I've been using them every week for six months, I have to guess that the props in total were used over 1500 "individual" times.  One bad incident in a universe that size has to be weighed against the upside we find in having them.  Furthermore, it may just be a matter of us being vigilant as to the beginning of a problem and to come up with an approach to diplomatically relieve the "offender" of their "weapon".  Nonetheless, I am clueless what to do if there one "bombed" drunk keeps returning to the stand to retrieve a prop once again

Any suggestions regarding how disarm the offender and/or how to deal with the drunk?

They always sound like a fun idea.   But singers may not like the distraction stealing their thunder during their performance.   After they waited so long to get up.

Some of it can be real funny and some can be very annoying.    Still takes away the attention from the singer, the reason for karaoke.

Hmmm How interesting.. Karaoke only good for one thing then?

I've actually seen many people enjoy karaoke, and at the same time..

Please see pictures above.. People actually enjoying themselves.. ^^^  LMAO

If I have an issue with a tamborine or the maracas in a night I just take those props and put them up.  If the drunk ask about them I just tell them that someone must have it at their seat.

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

Always lie to drunks,  as they never know what is up..

JD - great pics  LMAO Now that's a party.

I think the air guitar gets ignored at my venue mainly because I don't have a dance floor. It obviously works at your venue.  LMAO The set up where I am at is more like theatre seating. I know that sounds odd, but it's kind of cool. The stage is at the end of the bar and long perminant tables are set up facing the stage with very little room between the stage and tables. It is a neat experience because you really feel like you are main stage. People do dance off to the side and at their tables, but space is limited.

Props depend on your crowd and venue. You just have to try out different things and see if they work or not. If the tambourines and maracas get abused maybe it's not worth having them.

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

Singers may just find it insulting to them, but then again why worry about what the singers think?