Karaoke Forums

They finish their performance. They hand you the microphone. And then they ask the dreaded "How did I do?" question.

And why is it that the question is almost always posed by someone who is, to put it kindly, vocally challenged?

Personally, I'll usually answer the question with a question... such as "Did you have fun?" or "How do you think you did?" or a statement... "Everyone is clapping, so it must have been good (smile)."

It's easy to answer the question if the performance was average or better (average is good, above average is great), but what about those who are sub-par?

I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I don't want to lie to them either... and I'm running out of ideas.

_________________
Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

When I was still hosting I'd answer with an enthusiastic, "You really sounded!" Most people aren't listening that closely to your reply . . . and finish it on their own!

_________________
Dave's not here.

It's an unfair question for any singer to ask a host in my opinion, because your job as a host is to encourage participation and protect the feelings of the singers....no matter how bad they may be.

I'd simply answer with; "You did fine." and leave it at that.

One of my favorite answers is "Did it feel good when you were singing?" They answer yes, and I say "You have your answer!"

I might come up with something equally ambiguous, but the answer isn't really in my words, but in their enthusiastic presentation!!!

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

Earl,

I ask them if they want an honest answer, if they say no I tell them they did great, if they say yes, I tell them exactly what I thought of their performance. But I always end by saying it was all about having fun!

Wow, I can't believe people actually ask you that... certainly it's not your job to critique them. I would think if you are the KJ, you are already saying, as they finish their song, "Great job! Let's give it up for so and so!!" so they should have their answer. If they still ask you, say, didn't you just hear me say it to everyone?

Otherwise I would lie because otherwise you might offend them and, they are most likely just looking for some compliments, not the truth.

I have seen some KJ's who have their books, with the list of songs, and right in the front of the book is a list of rules, like "no swinging the mics" or "no booze on stage" etc. So if you have that, you might add "Don't ask me how you sing!" if it's that big of a deal. At least that way, if someone asks you, say, sorry, I can't say, it's against the rules...

_________________
~Suzanne Lanoue~

It's like running a race. If you finished, that's mostly what counts. There are people who don't technically sing well, yet still nail the feeling and energy of a song. You can dust off an old song that nobody has heard for a long time, and whether you sing it well or not, there will probably be at least one person out there who is just glad they heard that favorite song of their's that they nobody else in the place had ever sung before.

And sometimes you can do a great job on a song and nobody in the crowd will even lift an eye from their beer glass!

Suzanne,

Most people aren't that brittle (outside of the KJs on these forums). If I have a singer that even though not really great but has potential I will even invite them to the studio to practice a few songs they want to get up and sing.

But generally in an alcohol induced fog most of them will not even give the comments a second thought.

I have been known to say to singers "That was absolutely the worst rendition of that song I believe I have ever heard", "Please don't ever sing that song again, Elvis is rolling in his grave", "Please, the Microphone is not a (@$%&#!) take it out of your mouth", (for those who hold it 2 feet away I say) "Pretend that the Microphone is a (@$%&#!) and get it a little closer to your mouth".

But then that is what some of my show are all about, a few people don't like them but a lot more do.

(I can't believe that the board edits the correct word for a male reproduction organ!)

Isn't that the truth!

one could answer as if they were simon (xfactor)

_________________
:angel:

The answer is simple. You say "That's the best I've heard that song done (or sung) tonight".

_________________
You can be strange but not a stranger

Now that is good!

One of my philosophies is this "Everyone has a song in his/her heart, I just hand them the microphone"... So along with that, it doesn't matter how "I" think they do, or anyone else thinks how they sounded,, it's simply this "How did it make you feel while you were singing?" Then they have their own answer.

I would never say anything negative. If someone asks you that question at a show, they are looking for validation. It's your job to make them feel good. do anything else and that pretty much makes you a self-serving jerk.

_________________
Birdofsong

"Your hair looks great tonight!"
"Sorry, I was mezmerized by that outfit."
"Have you been practicing?"
"Wow! What do you want to sing next?"

_________________
KNOW THYSELF

i have a long time regular who has had a few super fails, i told him to go stand in the corner and think about what he's done.
only to someone that long time and cool would i ever do that. for the rest, i usually find something good and something to work on. "it's right in with your voice, but listen to it again, the timing can get weird in a few places, (insert bands singer here) loves to do weird timings."

_________________
Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

Still a left-handed compliment, but it may work for stupid/drunk folk. Someone looking for an honest critique may be offended by that answer.

I'm one of those folks who really hate blowing smoke up ppls' behinds.

I'm pretty decent at reading a person to see if they're really looking for constructive criticism or just reassurance.

If they're just looking for reassurance, I'll say, "awesome. Great song" or something similar.

If I think they're looking for critique, especially if I know them, for example, I have no problem telling someone, "ehh, I think that song was a little out of your range. You missed a few of the highest notes." Or, 'hey... not bad. Not bad at all."

_________________
DJ Don

" I really enjoyed it"
"You did really well for a first attempt, seen a lot of people really struggle with that one".
"They're clapping <points to audience>" so they liked it"
"Wow, if you can sing that song like that you should try...."
"It's not my favourite song of yours but you did it justice"
"It's nice to see someone prove it's all about the choice and not about the voice, the audience went mad for that" etc.

One of my favourites right now is
"When most people sing a song they choose one that falls here <holds hand up at chest height> and then when they sing it they do an excellent job... You on the other one aim for great heights <holds hand miles in the air> and choose a song that is impossible for a mortal person to sing, you fall short <holds hand someone in the middle of the previous two examples> of the original but you still give a better performance than the average joe... "

I recently used this one when my partner (who sings punk and britpop brilliantly) got drunk and tried a Josh Groban song. The audience were bemused and underwhelmed by his performance, but in reality (although he sounded nothing like the original, Unless Mr Groban also developes a Yorkshire accent when he's nervous) the skills he showed during that song were far more impressive that the 100th guy walking into the bar to sing "Suspicious minds" because falls exactly in his vocal range.

_________________
'A genius is one who can do anything except make a living'. Joey Adams.

With one word........awesome!....

I have a little trick I use for my regulars. When they sing a new song and do well, I say "That one needs to stay in your repertoir". They've figured out that I don't say it for every new song they try, which means "keep working on it". This way I can be completely honest without hurting any feelings. It only works for the regulars, though.

_________________
[url=http://drugstore-onlinecatalog.com/]drugstore-onlinecatalog.com[/url]