Karaoke Forums

Would you rather sing in front of 5 people r 500 people?

for me i will take the 500 everytime, ... i always felt with 500 people most r doing there on thing, talking, r whatever, anything but listening to you/me sing....
on the other hand...with only 5 people listening i feel all ears on on you..

After singing in clubs for yrs. i started singing gospel music, churches, benefits, different outtings....i loved it, but i felt that for the most part that I was being used...i sang for free anywhere and everywhere, i was no longer singing for myself, i had my day, my 15 min of fame....i was singing for god and just maybe it would help others in some way, haveing been payed all my life to sing it was time to give something back i thought....but i quickly found out that for the most part, those that weren't good enough to sing in bands started going to church and singing...most just for the chance to sing and no other reason....most weren't very good....but haveing said that, the ones that sang from there heart, even tho they weren't very good singer just blew me away with the emotion they put in a song... but if u drive for 1 r 2 hrs to get to a singing and ask nothing in return u expect to get up and sing more then 1 song...well i did anyway...that wasn't always the case...the churches felt it was time to showcase THERE singers, so in some cases, i only sang 1 song...
again i wasn't singing for myself but for god...so i over looked it...for awhile, till it happened more and more, then i finely got out of singing gospel music all together....seeing as this is gopel music wk. i felt my little story was ok to share...maybe not...

i guess i found out that unless ur getting payed to sing they the/churches...but not all, feel that you owe them for some reason...never understood that...altho i have had some great times singing gospel music... but i was let down, i guess i expected to much...i thought that if ur singing for god that all were singing for god...thats NOT the case at all, i found....

anywho, back to the subject...i found that in churches , most if not all or sober.....something i wasn't use to...so they just sit there and listen...sometimes they clap sometimes they don't....boy did i ramble on this one.....just give me the 500 ok......sorry for the book...i still love singing gospel music...but i never felt like i was singing it very well...i guess thats why i love country gospel so much...a blend of both....

ok theres about 10 different subject in this...so pick any one you like......again sorry for rambling on....

PS... but i will say the best singers i have ever heard were gospel singers

I have a hard time believing that your audience did applaud relentlessly for each of your songs... Well, I know I would. You have the gift, and know exactly what to do with it.

I am most afraid of singing to someone I care about, and who's opinion matters to me, for the first time. I seem to have overcome my absolute terror of general public stuff (singing, speaking, whatever). I have not overcome the 'first-time-for-someone-you-know' phobia.

Even here, when a see a new face on one of my subs... I cringe, just a little bit. Heck, I remember the first time you (OWN) commented on one of mine -- I was petrified. Then I read your comment.

The only time I can sing is at karaoke, or when others are singing.

I have a lot of problems singing when I am at home and my BF is in the same room. I just can't do it. I feel weird. (Although he is the most honest, and will let me know when something does not sound good)

Or, in the car when other people are there. Can't do it at all. I can sing by myself, but not when someone is there.

Even at Canadian Idol Auditions when everyone was practicing, I could not do it. We had a pre-idol contest before the real one, and me and my friends (good friends) stayed overnight at the mall.

Well, at like 3:00 in the morning, we had a practice session of what we were going to sing. I felt so stupid singing in front of them (although they hear me sing all the time, as I record with them, and they are karaoke buddies). It was strange.

The next day, it was okay though, because there was a big crowd, and I rocked my song.

I think Canadian Idol, in front of the one judge, was the hardest I ever had to do. I sang Power of Love by Celine, and had a very hard time singing it to a woman. It just felt odd.

Anywho, that is my ramblings for the day

Hi OKWN!!! Well , I've never sang at church,(usually all the great singers start there) heck I never even sang in front of my own husband until a few years ago! But since then I have had some scary experiences!!! Singing in front of alot or just a little group can be very stressful!!! I've sang at a large wedding, sang at a coordinated party theme party and a few karaoke places...etc....but the scarest time was when I was asked to sing on a Cruise Ship as part of an American Idol type show!! I sang in front of 2600 people and I did badly! People tell me I didn't... but I did!! It was with a live band and in a huge theatre show room!! I could go on about the many excuses/problems but the fact was I was very disappointed in myself!!! I didn't even know there was such a show! I wandered into and sang in one of their theatre bars just having some fun and later was given a sheet requesting my appearance. They chose 6 people after two days of auditions!!(unbeknownst to me). I didn't even know the song very well I picked to sing and was in a hurry to go to another scheduled activity!!!! Just having fun!! Boy was I shocked at the crowd and how much of a huge show it was!! Live and Learn!! From now on I will take my time picking songs, etc.!! One girl on board however will be/did try out for the American Idol in Arizona. She was very good and won the competition!! She deserved too!! There were 4 judges with one "Simon". It was alot of fun but what a trip!!!! I was overwhelmed and unprepared but still what a great opportunity!! Love Dona

I usually do my best when frightened, so I try to be a little scared no matter where I'm singing. It all disipates when I kick off the first bar and get into the song BUT........The scariest place I sing is at a club where the Karaoke starts at the tail end of dinner. Its a popular eating place so most of the people are there to eat and usually the applause and even recognition is light to none. That isn't the scarry part. The scarry part comes sometimes after I do a song and actually get a strong response. They were listening. Now that's scary.

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Jazz and Swing Live (as long as I do).

I always get very trembly, my stomach knots up, my throat closes up right before I sing to strangers. I have to imagine myself in my living room, singing alone to get over the feeling. Once I sing the first song, I'm okay.

The scariest moment??? Great question, as there are so many to think of.

Probably the first time singing karaoke is right at the top of the list. Next, would be singing a song that I'm not really familiar with in front of any size crowd (size to me doesn't really matter since I just try to tune crowd distractions out anyway when I sing). Also, going to a karaoke place I have never been to and singing one of my "patented" songs (refer to my subs in Singers Showcase to see what I mean), even though seeing the shock on some of the faces in the crowd can be priceless.

The more I sing the less scared I get. The hardest thing for me is to sing a song I really like, to someone I care about - and do it badly. I tried a Jim Croce song - once - and sang it to my fiance on her birthday (Time in a Bottle). It was horrible. Both in my implementation and doing it in front of a crowded room. I'd rather sing in front of a large crowd as it seems less personal. Even if I bomb it's not personal the way singing to 4-5 people is.

I teach technical classes and teaching to 10 people is easier for me than teaching 1 or 2. You can draw more experiences into the class and it's less personal in some respects. It's not you and a student - it's you and a class. It's just more comfortable for me that way.

I always get a little nervous before I sing the first time each night or start a show. Now that I warm up a little, and don't drink alcohol (or only 1 drink a night) I'm much more relaxed when I first start singing.

If you get nervous a little warm up beforehand always seems to relax me and prepare me for singing. Sort of calms the nerves and gets your mind on the performance instead of the crowd. Of course it jsut be that I'm weird (ppl tell me that all the time) and this won't work for you....

Only a couple of things scare me, one being trying to sing a song in the wrong key for my voice, the other being if I know someone is in the audience who doesn't like my style of music. I guess songs with cold starts have to figure in there too.
I always prefer a large audience to a small one. I have this thing (and I don't really understand why) of demanding the audience's attention (with the song) and I love it when they are focussed on me and the chatter is non existant. Even better if they sing along. That always bring out my best performance. In three weeks, I will be singing with a live band at Harvey Dixon's Country Music Show (check it out on the web) and I can hardly wait to sing to a packed house again!

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Those who bring sunshine to others cannot keep it from themselves  
Snoopy

guess i have to agree with snoopy on that one--i love having a crowd focusing their attention on what i'm doing with the mic in my hand. like billy says, i'd much rather be in front of the large crowd--just can't do it in front of a small group, like many of you said. however, i do start in front of a crowd by picking out a few--maybe one table of folks, who seem to like what i'm doing, then i kinda feed off that and then take in the whole place. it's a terrific feeling when you feel like you're in charge and they're into what you're doing up there.

I get a bit of butterflies when I'm going to try a song for the first time. I did a cold read the other night of a Moody Blues song I saw on VH1 the night before. Oy!
The other thing is when I do a song that I had messed up before. All those thoughts running in my head; how many measures till that note? What did I do that I don't want to do again, what didn't I do that I should do? That sort of thing.
In the end, I just open my mouth, and let the notes fall where they may. You can't pick them up, scoop them back in your mouth, so just go for it. Nine times out of ten, the crowd will not beat you with a herring.
The only thing scarier than all this is if they are out of the beer you normally drink! AAAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!

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Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans
~John Lennon~