Etiquette and Tips for Open Mic Musicians

Etiquette and Tips for Open Mic Musicians

Helpful hints for emerging performers

Rules for open mics, jams and song circles are all slightly different. But for Open Mic's:

1. Take the house rules literally, but err on the side of courtesy. Three songs does not mean four; neither does it mean a set consisting of "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands," and "In-a-Gadda-da-Vita." Ten minutes does not mean fifteen, either. Be considerate of the audience, those going on after you and especially your emcee--often, if one person sneaks in an extra song because her friends or a scout may be there, hosts feel hard-pressed to rein things in when it comes to subsequent performers. Trust me, nobody ever dishes dirt about someone who played too *short* a set. When in doubt, leave 'em wanting more.

2. Be prepared! It's okay to be an amateur, but know the piece you're performing. (It's also okay these days to use a cheat sheet--many clubs even provide a music stand--as long as you mostly make eye contact with your audience). Decide what you're going to play in advance; if you need to make last minute changes due to another performer's choice of material or requests, make sure you KNOW the song(s) you choose as alternates.

3. Nobody notices your mistakes more than you do. Keep going. If the "clam" is so obvious that it cannot escape notice, "own" it (e.g., say you meant to do that, with a nod and a wink). Nobody expects a virtuoso performance at an open mic except from a pro--and the crowd usually knows who those folks are.

4. If you have to choose between impressing your audience and entertaining them, go with the latter. Hopefully, you will eventually do both. If you do not enjoy what you're doing, don't play yet--nobody likes to watch discomfort (schadenfreude is rare at open mics).

5. Try to stay for the entire evening if you can. It's good etiquette to be supportive of the other performers and of the management. The only excuse for coming late and leaving right after your set is an emergency, illness, another gig or unavoidable committment. Order something, even if it's only soda or coffee. Tip your server as well as you can. (S)he may eventually become the booker. And you may eventually make your living playing for tips.

6. Listen to your fellow performers--you'd want them to return the favor.

7. Get on and offstage efficiently. Use as simple a rig as possible--if the club is set up with a vocal mic and guitar mic (or if they offer you a house cable), they're trying to tell you something. I can't tell you how many times I've seen guys come up onstage with complicated looping and effects pedal rigs (if you MUST use them at an open mic, at least pre-connect them on a single pedal board!) and literally clear the room in the ten minutes it takes to set them up and test them. Use the house equipment unless it truly stinks (and don't diss it if it does).

8. Don't be a diva. The PA is most likely "set-and-forget;" don't tell the emcee how to set your levels unless (s)he offers and/or you have a specific song that requires a momentary tweak or two. Don't blame the house equipment either, unless it completely fails (I've seen that happen and as a result, the performer utterly charmed the room playing totally unplugged). If someone before you breaks the rules, don't follow suit--and don't complain except privately to the emcee. Nobody likes a cheater, but nobody likes a crybaby either. And don't blame the crowd!

9. Tune up in advance! That's what bathrooms are for (okay, that's not their primary purpose, but you get the idea). And tune up where you aren't going to distract the audience from the performer onstage--go outside if you have to, even if it's chilly. You may have to tweak onstage due to hot lights, humidity, or the passage of time, but at least be in the ballpark before you go up there. To that end, use a self-contained tuner that doesn't require you plug into the signal chain (unless the club has its own already set up--in which case they mean for you to use it).

10. Make sure your equipment works--your cables are good, your batteries fresh, your strings in reasonable shape, your pipes warmed up. (There is no shame in doing vocal warmups in the john--people do far more embarrassing things there and you do want to sound as good as you can).

11. Do what you need to do to relax--as long as it's safe, legal and doesn't make you look like a schmuck up on stage. Don't perform drunk--you'll only embarrass yourself and others. If you need to be barefoot or carry your lucky teddy bear or whatever in order to be comfortable, be good-natured about it and get the audience on your side.

12. Do not pester the emcee for a gig your first time out. Don't even ask at all your first time out unless you have totally wowed the crowd. (If you were THAT good, they'll offer). Ask politely when (s)he is not busy or engrossed with another performer, to whom you should speak about a possible booking, and leave a card.

13. If you have a CD or other merch, make brief reference to it and then sell it discreetly and politely once your set is over--do not take over an entire table or section of the bar if the place is crowded and do not detract attention from subsequent players. If you have other appearances to promote, mention them BRIEFLY and then have some small flyers ready to hand out--again, DISCREETLY: it's really bad form to table-hop during someone else's set.

14. If you brought folks out to see you, urge them NOT to get up and leave en masse once you're done. Nothing is more demoralizing to a newbie--or even a veteran--to see the room empty out when they get up on stage.

15. Repeat after me: it's not your night. You own just your time slot. It's not about you except during those ten or fifteen minutes.

16. Choose the material that helps you best connect to your audience. If you know standard crowd-pleasers and can be totally yourself (or appear at ease) doing them, go for it. If your originals are really good, it's okay to do them if they are not too long and others can truly relate to them. If it takes more than 30 seconds to introduce a song to the point where the audience will "get" it (unless the stage patter itself is entertaining), perhaps the song is wrong for the room. Know your crowd--original political satire will tank in a bar full of noisy hard-drinking college-and-gen-Y patrons; and alt-rock or profanity is all wrong for a coffeehouse full of post-boomers and parents with kids in tow. (And if five people have already done Dave Matthews tunes--and done them well--perhaps you need to change the pace a little if you can). You will eventually develop both the repertoire and the instinct to know how to go with the flow and tailor your set to best segue from the performer before you while still maintaining your uniqueness. And for pity's sake, don't go up there with the mindset of "blowing the other guy off the stage;" it almost always backfires.

To reiterate: be courteous, be efficient, enjoy yourself and let it show. Everyone gets some stage fright from time to time--a little adrenaline can give you the edge you need; but if performing makes you so nervous you'd rather be anywhere but onstage, perhaps you aren't ready even if your chops are terrific.