FEAR OF BUSKING: YOU KNOW IT DON'T COME EASY

KARSTEN

KARSTEN SYLVESTER MOLLER ANDERSEN (D.O.B. MARCH 11, 2018)

MY FRIEND, MARK CHANDLER

JEFF AND SHAY

Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues,

And you know it don’t come easy.  (“It Don’t Come Easy” by Ringo Starr)

THE UNKNOWN ARTIST STRIKES WHILST ON MY PEE BREAK:)

And now for my theme of this blog entry:  It don’t come easy.  BUSKING DON’T COME EASY.

If you want to be a busker you do have to overcome certain fears, the main one being the fear of playing a guitar in public.  This would certainly be more angst ridden than Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking.  And for sure, public singing is cause for more distress than public speaking.   

This blog entry I will introduce my formula for guitar busking success, for reducing the anxiety prior and during the actual busking experience.  In a fight-or-flight response, this is my fight formula, my four point gradation for conquering your busking butterflies.  I mean, really, should we not be the product rather than the prisoner of our life experiences to date!

1. In trademark Nike fashion, JUST DO IT. Decide to go and sit somewhere and strum, but with your guitar case closed.  You are not busking; you are just strumming.  Just the idea of sitting somewhere, perhaps in a public park, and strumming your guitar will suffice to start.

2.  Follow a plan and EXPOSE YOURSELF.  Create for yourself a series of tolerable steps you can take to overcome your fear.  Not in flasher fashion, it is necessary to expose yourself.  Start by strumming in a public park.  Move yourself to strumming on some sidewalk elsewhere, some place that seems comfortable, preferably somewhere in the mercantile section, downtown so to speak.  Again, just strum with your guitar case closed.

3.  Endure your DISCOMFORT ZONE.  I know you will hate strumming in the park or on the sidewalk will not be much fun the first few times, but I can promise you will survive to tell about it.

4.  REPEAT, REPEAT, and REPEAT some more.  Once you’ve strummed a dozen or so times in public and your anxiety level is zeroth or considerably reduced, ‘tis time to hit the road and strum with your and open guitar case.   Don’t sing – just strum.  You do this often enough and your fear will become a reflex.

SOME PHOOEY FOR THOUGHT: 

• BE GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO … and if you simply are strumming, essentially, you are getting paid to practice!  You do not need a repertoire of any prescribed length.  Just strum, strum, and strum some more.

• NO NEED TO WEAR A DUCK COSTUME.  To dress for success is to dress in whatever you’re most comfortable.

• NOD IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO YOUR CONSUMERS.   When busking you stand out among your fellow plebeians.  Always, always, always acknowledge paying customers with at least a smile and nod, though saying “thanks” aloud is certainly the best practice (pun intended).

Keep in mind that when you are a busker, you are your own Kapellmeister.  When you are a busker you get to do entirely as you want. 

Go where you want.   You can go just out your door, or down the street, or downtown, or even to another town.  I tend to thrum in my downtown neighborhood.  I busk at Shoppers Drug Mart on Mondays, the Italian Star Deli on Tuesday, and Value Village on Saturday.  This is when I’m in my city.

As a busker you never have to be blinkered into going to any particular place.  In summer I love to travel out of country and busk in places like the Dam Square in Amsterdam, the Temple Bar in Dublin, and the Jemma el-Fnaa in Marrakech.  (These are some city main tourist areas where I’ve been busking; I’ve not mentioned the hundreds of sidewalks and side-streets.)

Dress as you want.  You can dress for comfort.  When it’s cold, don in layers.  When it’s hot, doff the layers.  When it’s wet – don’t busk in the rain.  Your choice of busking accoutrements is up to you.

I always wear the same costume.  Cap-a-pie I’m always hatless.  In Americano folk fashion, I’ve messy hair, a pair of shades, a long-sleeved white shirt complete with a collar, faded blue jeans, and work boots.  Occasionally, depending on the weather, I might wear long cargo-shorts and sandals.    

Play as you want.   You can play instrumental covers or just practice your own.  If you want to sing, then sing.  You can even sing in the rain if you want.

Rarely do I sing.  This is what I do when I busk.  I make up guitar riffs and match them to my C or D or G or Am harmonica.  When I’m busking with my 12 string I am never without my harp.

Stay as you want.   Time economy is totally up to you.  Staying five minutes or five hours the choice is yours.

I’ve been known to linger in a busk-spot sometimes not longer than five minutes.  And I’ve been known to linger a couple hours.  The choice of length of time to stay is always mine.

It don’t come easy.  BUSKING DON’T COME EASY!  

Marching in my CHAUCERIAN PARADE this week is my Grand Trunk Troubadour band-mate, CORY BALDWIN.  This is Cory strummin’ and singin’ solo and pro bono at a retirement community.  He is channeling Hank Williams!

AN INSTANT INTERNET SUCCESS!