Open Mic Etiquette

Cohumulone

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I wasn't sure where this thread really belonged. The gigs and shows forum didn't appear to be the place for this.

I'm curious about standard open mic expectations. I realize that many will have "house rules," but in general, what should I expect?

Specifically:
Do songs need to be completely from memory, or is there usually accommodations for holding music? My memory isn't what it used to be.

Do songs need to be originals or are covers pretty common?

These types of things. Talk to me, folks.
 
Great topic for a post. I am far from being good enough for open mic, but still very interested in what the etiquette is.
 
I think there's usually a moderator/organizer who will have the master list and will tell you When and How Long.

They probably have the 'guidelines' in their heads, if not on paper, so I think your best bet is to see the person in charge and get the 'scoop' from him/her!

Great way to keep the uke in front of people! :)

keep uke'in',
 
The open mics that I attended usually work like this. There is a sign up sheet for the order in which you play
They give you say 10 minutes/2 songs or 15 minutes/3 songs. Songs can be covers or originals.
You should be tuned up and ready to go when it's your turn. Short intros to the songs, not long drawn out versions. Give the respect to the other musicians that you would like to receive while you're playing.
 
Some open mics want only originals, others will let you play covers. Most allow you to read from sheets but its probably better to know your material.
As far as etiquette, my number 1 rule is to stay to the end. Most of the people at open mics are there to perform and some will leave after they have done their song(s). I stay and listen to the others.
 
As far as etiquette, my number 1 rule is to stay to the end. Most of the people at open mics are there to perform and some will leave after they have done their song(s). I stay and listen to the others.

All open mics have their guidelines, do you research before hand and prepare.
Visit the venue and check out the set-up (stage, sound system, etc.)

Listen to the other musicians and be respectful, remember without them you may not have an audience.
 
What SailingUke says in spades - the golden rule applies. At any new "venue" try to attend a couple of them before signing up - you'll get a feel for how they run things and what the audiences tend to like and, in some cases, you might even discover that a particular venue might not even be for you. Much better to discover the latter before you are standing "on deck" with uke in hand!

I've never seen an open mic where using a lead sheet or what have you was not permitted - but you may be expected to have your own stand and be ready to hustle on and off the stage with it with as little fuss and muss as possible. Plan in advance and figure out how you're going to accomplish that without knocking microphone stands over, etc.

I know one guy who just needs a touch of extra help to remember chord progressions for songs so he tapes a simple cheat sheet to the back of his guitar that lists the song and chord progression in simple notation. He'll stare at that pretty intensely through the set just before his and then jump on stage and usually never look at it again. Nice to have it there though if you go to start a song and draw a blank!

John
 
As far as etiquette, my number 1 rule is to stay to the end. Most of the people at open mics are there to perform and some will leave after they have done their song(s). I stay and listen to the others.

Yeah, this is a really good point. I've seen whole groups of people get up and leave after someone finishes their set - they were just there to support a buddy and then they're gone. Extremely rude, IMHO.

John
 
Great tips so far. Thank you.

I certainly wouldn't come to play then leave. I agree with you folks who said it's rude.

Checking out the venue a couple times is something I hadn't thought of yet. Another great response.
 
Some open mics want only originals, others will let you play covers.
This is important. If they say "no covers" the likely reason is that they do not have the requisite performing rights licenses to allow the use of copyrighted material in their venue. These licenses can be prohibitively expensive for a small venue that doesn't normally present live music, like the coffee shop that only has an occasional open mic.

ASCAP/BMI can and will send out undercover agents to audit open mics at unlicensed venues. If they find copyrighted music being played, the venue can be in a world of legal hurt over infringement or be forced to purchase licenses they couldn't afford in the first place in order to stave off legal proceedings.

If covers aren't allowed, besides your own originals, you can play material that is in the public domain.
 
I am too new to playing to even think about performing, but I would love to attend some. How do you find them in your area? I did join the Tree Town Ukulele group and went to my first group stum last night. At that they annouced a small book store/coffee shop that was having a local play this Saturday. I'd like to find more to attend. Any tips for finding them?
 
Thanks for this thread. I want to start playing in front of other people as early in my ukulele playing life as possible so I will be looking out for these type events and opportunities.

Paul
 
If it helps, there may be groups listed in your area in an app or site called "meetup." Also, if you're on twitter, I found lots of open mic sites designated by city. Found "OpenMicPhoenix" for example, for me.
 
Thank you guys - my university offers open mic nights at the on-campus Starbucks. I plan to start playing live, and this will be a big help.
 
I can chime in here with some experiential insight.

For the last few years, I have been the regular host of the longest running Open Stage in NJ. We have a regular Friday night acoustic concert series (The Minstrel) in Morristown, NJ and the second Friday of most months is our Open Stage.

We start at 8:00pm and go until 11:30 with a short break in the middle. There are a total of thirteen 15 minute performance slots. Six of those are available by advance registration, one goes to a volunteer and the remaining slots are distributed via lottery 15 minutes before show time. I tell newcomers about the general house etiquette before we start. Be in the audience for the other performers, be ready, be in tune, be quiet and respectful, etc...

We are an extremely enthusiastic, nurturing group of folkies and our Open Stage is a fantastic place for anyone's first performance. You can be nervous, fumble, make mistakes... and we will applaud like you were Eric Clapton. We tend to attract a fairly broad range of performance levels, from beginners to professionals. It is fairly well known that we sometimes book opening acts for our regular concerts from the Open Stage.

Over the years, the regulars have gotten into the habit of giving up songs to anyone that doesn't get a slot in the lottery. I also keep things moving quickly enough so that I can sneak one or two people in for one quick song. We actually managed to get 18 different performers on stage one night. (Another night, it just happened that everyone that signed up had really nice guitars, so as I introduced each performer, I also mentioned the instrument they were playing.)

If any of you live within driving distance of Morristown, NJ I would love to see you at our venue! Ukuleles are always welcome (I actually threw a Uke festival there last year and have started booking the sequel for this year).

The Folk Project' main page can be found here:

http://www.folkproject.org/index.shtml

The Open Stage instructions are here:

http://www.folkproject.org/minstrel/openstage.shtml



Scooter
 
I recently played in an informal ukulele open mic with no guidelines. During the first act an audience member started playing along with his acoustic bass guitar. He is very good but off a little on occasion and I was a little uncomfortable with his unsolicited accompaniment. The event was advertised as an open mic and not a jam session. I felt that his event was to promote individual and organized ensemble participants and not the skills of the bass player. I thought he was rude. I think most others thought it was OK. Any thoughts? Thanks.
 
I recently played in an informal ukulele open mic with no guidelines. During the first act an audience member started playing along with his acoustic bass guitar. He is very good but off a little on occasion and I was a little uncomfortable with his unsolicited accompaniment. The event was advertised as an open mic and not a jam session. I felt that his event was to promote individual and organized ensemble participants and not the skills of the bass player. I thought he was rude. I think most others thought it was OK. Any thoughts? Thanks.

It sounds to me like the bass player violated the rule of being "quiet and respectful." Open Mic is a performance, and if it would be inappropriate to whip out an instrument at a symphony concert, it would be inappropriate to whip out an instrument at an open mic. I think that at the very least, the bass player should have asked if the performer wanted accompaniment and should have respected the performer's answer.
 
Two of the rules we use at our groups open mic:

Never apologize about your playing.
Always thank your audience when finishing a song.

Regards,
Bill
 
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