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You can be note perfect, tempo perfect, expressive, best ballad singer in the world. Get a few in a string and the atmosphere can just die!

OK Stick with your small venues that depend upon 20-30 drunk boring singers. You asked a question and I told you how I solved it. We might only have one dance set a night but when the show is dying we tend to play more fill between boring singers to pick the energy up again.

This is not a religion to me where I must stick with rules or be there only for karaoke singers. I got burned out on that because it gets boring hearing the same old crap week after week. I have 100 screaming drunks to entertain and I do it with sober talented singers. My singers do not need to drink because they bring in party people. They learn and sing what the crowd wants. So stick with your archaic rules and habits.
We will party....

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OK Stick with your small venues that depend upon 20-30 drunk boring singers. You asked a question and I told you how I solved it. We might only have one dance set a night but when the show is dying we tend to play more fill between boring singers to pick the energy up again.

This is not a religion to me where I must stick with rules or be there only for karaoke singers. I got burned out on that because it gets boring hearing the same old crap week after week. I have 100 screaming drunks to entertain and I do it with sober talented singers. My singers do not need to drink because they bring in party people. They learn and sing what the crowd wants. So stick with your archaic rules and habits.
We will party....

If thats all you want to is sing then go to the all karaoke bars.

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Just stating my opinion. I'm glad you have 100's of screaming drunks, and a successful show.

My response on ballads is that it depends on the venue. I frequent plenty of places in Orlando including once next to UCF (University of Central Florida) that has karaoke 7 days a week and is always packed, but again it is a karaoke bar as I stated above not a dance party.

I'm not sure what you mean about the archaic rule part, I'm 35 I don't consider that by any means old when the majority of the patrons at the places I frequent are between 21 - 45.

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"Baby, Just Because I Rock, Doesn't Mean I'm Made Of Stone."

I get drunk and post some wierd shyat. But like most here I am karaoke only anymore I do it a tad different. Not to say it is the only way but it brought me out of retirement and my shows pick me up so I look forward to setting up. I once had your attitude and would argue with KJ'S and complain to the owner. Now when I go out I look for socialization and meeting new people and maybe getting lucky. I really dont like going to other shows because their system sucks most of the time. But I dont go there just to sing. I go there to party, sing, dance and have a good time and sometimes I dont care if I sing every rotation. Some of our college kids have the same attitude. They are too busy falling in love and meeting people. They do other things besides singing karaoke. Trends in any business seem to go against everything that worked before but one must adapt and recognize these trends. To be honest I could come into your venue and do karaoke the old way and do it good. But in 2 hours I would be bored and getting tired.

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I'd drether KJ a night FULL of THE WORLD's MOST HATED KARAOKE SONGS than a night full of BALLAD HELL!! At least the CROWD would be having a PARTYIN' FUN TIME instead of a dreary snooze!!

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

That's fine in theory, except when the majority of your patrons are bored stiff and start thinking about checking out the bar down the street, and your bar owner says, "Can't you do something?" That guy who just said that is my real customer. The one that pays me at the end of the night, and I'd better make sure I keep him happy with his show. He's not happy if people leave or complain. What I do when I see the danger of this happening in the rotation is, if my singer has more than one song request in and one is fast, I will ask if they mind if they do the fast one first, telling them it will definitely get the crowd going. If they only have one song in, I encourage them to try something faster and fun. I'm not fan of monkeying with the rotation if I can help it, but sometimes you've got to do something to keep up the energy.

Ballads are not inherently bad...but they are definitely an energy zapper. A good host will know how to handle it and keep everyone happy.

birdofsong
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Actually one of the best responses I get is when I do "The WreckOf The Edmund Fitzgerald" Maybe because we're a port city and understand the dangers of sailing. One night a woman came up to me and thanked me. Her father was one of the 29 dead. It was quite an emotional night.

On average we probably get no more than two slow songs an hour. The slow songs do give couples a chance to get a little bit closer. I have never seen/heard a ballad hell at our shows. Our singers will, on their own, come up and juggle their selection to avoid hell.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Sing for 5 measures.... break for 5 measures....
Sing for 5 measures.... break for 5 measures....
Sing for 5 measures.... break for 5 measures....
Sing for 5 measures.... break for 5 measures....
Sing for 5 measures.... break for 5 measures....
Sing for 5 measures.... break for 5 measures....
Sing for 5 measures.... break for 5 measures....
Sing for 5 measures.... break for 5 measures....

The "musty old church" is the Mariners Church in downtown Detroit right next to the tunnel to Windsor, Canada. So every year for a week before the anniversary, I get to hear that song over and over again....

Pretty song..... very sad..... very depressing....... mood killer.



I think they change it because they recognize they are already in ballad hell.

If I did come into a situation like that, I'd probably put myself in rotation and sing something fresh and upbeat to break up the monotony. My worst karaoke night ever, I was doing a Monday night (dead). Only two that were there were a couple of old country lovers (came in with the Stetson hats and wester garb). They sand old slow country songs, badly, ALL NIGHT! I swear, if we were going to get more business, they probably walked right back out the door soon as they heard that!

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"K-Jay"
www.kjayskaraoke.8m.com

Given a choice; I would prefer a karaoke bar where ONLY BALLADS and SLOW classic Rocks are sang. Maybe this is a niche market; or maybe I am odd.

Having said that, I don't mind going to karaoke bar that only like those'approved' songs.

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

If I were at your show, you'd have at least one who sings ballads well and has a large list of ballads that I can do. My strength is ballads from the likes of Journey, Styx, Boston, Asia, REO Speedwagon, Lionel Richie and others. Does this make me a serious singer, no because I'll sing songs outside my comfort zone as well. What takes the fun out of a show to me is to watch so and so get up three times to my one because that is the night I CHOOSE to sing nothing but ballads. I don't care whether everyone chooses to sing ballads. Granted I hardly ever go out anymore to sing and only when I have a short rotation do I sing at any of my shows.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

I don't know where that post went, but I'll try to remember what I said. I still don't get it. If all of my AUDIENCE is paying attention to the BALLAD singers, are staying at the venue, are spending money, and having a good time, how is it BALLAD HELL?
Is this just a term reserved for (KJS ONLY)? Would it be POP MUSIC HELL if all of my singers were singing only POP MUSIC, or is HELL reserved for BALLAD SINGERS ONLY? As many shows that I've been to, and contests I've been in, I've never heard anyone say, "be careful, you don't want to be singing a pop song, or rock song, but I have been told " you shouldn't sing a ballad. Maybe, it's not the audience who thinks about BALLAD HELL, but just the KJ, or other JUDGE. I still don't get it.

Rosario

Many times I will hand slips back to singers and tell them that the song is too slow. That's if they don't know the show. We sing high energy all night or not at all. The people that don't like it can go somewhere else. I run the biggest small bar shows in the area with attendance from 80 to 120 nightly.

Short answer: It's not.
If all things are as you say, then it's NOT "Ballad Hell".
However, having said that, how many of us are actually lucky enough to experience the situation as you put it?
I can say in my experience, it hasn't happened yet, nor am I expecting it to anytime soon.

That policy/position, I can understand. In fact if I were in your position i would have pruned off all the slow songs from the book. That way you need not have to explain yourself.

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

My opinion to a tee ! The crowd eventually will pick itself back up or spend the whole night singing ballads no big deal let them control it not you.Youre there for them.

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Kelley
Star Sounds Karaoke & Mobile Recording Studio


[shadow=black][scroll]You have to respect your audience. Without them, you're essentially standing alone, singing to yourself....KD Lang[/scroll][/shadow]

Wow, it took a page and a half of replies before someone came up with this?!? Sometimes there might be 6 ballads in and 2 upbeat songs. I want to make sure there are never 2 ballads back-to-back. That goes back to the days I spent in Top 40 radio where there was a similar programming "rule" - never play 2 slow songs in a row!

Never forget you're there to entertain...not just be a button pushing karaoke jukebox robot for the next singer. Most karaoke bars have at least as many non-singers as singers. People come to bars to forget their troubles, not to hear one depressing ballad after another.

As KJs I think it's up to us to set the mood and tone of the show as best we can.

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[font=Lucida Console]DangerousKaraoke.com[/font]
[font=Lucida Console]"Sing for the day, sing for the moment, sing for the time of your life!"[/font]

DangerousDanKaraoke said:


BINGO! GIVE THAT MAN A CIGAR!

There is nothing inherently wrong with a ballad in itself, but a few in a row can suck the life right out of a room and make it a somber place to be. Sprinkled in your mix and it gives a chance for those that want to slow dance (and possibly hook up).

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Again if the crowd is having such an aweful time, they will correct themselves. Why should someone who has been waiting to sing have to change their song?

Answer: They shouldn't, and you shouldn't force them or suggest it. There are plenty of singer I know who can't sing anything but one or two songs and feel uncomfortable singing something else. I'm not there to make them feel uncomfortable.

That person complaining should put a song in and sing what they want to hear.

You also state:

That's fine in theory, except when the majority of your patrons are bored stiff and start thinking about checking out the bar down the street, and your bar owner says, "Can't you do something?" That guy who just said that is my real customer.

hmmm. and the guy who is singing isn't?

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"Baby, Just Because I Rock, Doesn't Mean I'm Made Of Stone."