Gryf @ Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:06 pm wrote:
While it's business to us, it's enjoyment to the folks who are singing. I don't use, or appreciate personally, the Drill Sargent approach, we're supposed to relax and have fun while keeping the tempo of the room going. So long as you're meeting the needs of the crowd, you're doing fine using any style you have.
Of course, that's just my take. Your Mileage may vary
I can appreciate your side of this, and it's always good to hear the opinion on the flip side of the coin. When you are responsible for a room full of singers and have to defend why you are taking an extraordinary amount of time in dealing with people not knowing where your are in rotation, maybe the fault is on the rotation itself.
For instance, when I run my shows, I announce who's next, and will even try to find them in the audience while the current singer is singing. AND even try to find the next one after that.
Here's where the whole "rotation" conversation comes back up... how comfortable are your customers with how you run the rotation. Does it make sense to them, and can they easily adapt to "your" way of running it, because another place they hang out does it a bit differently.
Not enjoying a "Drill Sargeant" rotation (what I call cattlecall) where it doesn't allow the singers time to stand up, put out their cigarette, gulp a beer, hug a friend, order a new drink on the way to the singing booth... if you know you've been called, please try to understand that the more time it takes you to get up there, the less time other singers have to sing. A minute here, a minute there... can effectively wipe out a couple of singers by the end of the night!
Not saying that you have to have three seconds or your out... but again, that's where folks should be made MORE aware how the rotation works!