"How Many Songs" for a 3-Hour Solo Gig?

[Old No7]

Ahoy the forum from the coast of Maine.

I haven't played out solo or in a band for decades (agreed, that's way too long!), but I'm starting to get the "itch" to get back into it -- for the challenge & fun, not for the money.  I'm curious what you all think about the number of songs needed for a 3-hour solo gig playing background music (solo piano, or maybe with a 2nd board for pads & synths) during a brunch, lunch or dinner at an upscale brew pub or pub-style restaurant.

At 4 minutes per song, that's 15 X 3 or 45 songs, but I'm thinking I'll have twice that number for sure to change up the mix based on the clientele, or to allow for a few requests of styles/groups/songs.  Some of you might have 2 to 4X that many songs already memorized; or possibly even more songs, if one used some lead sheets on an iPad.

Any thoughts on the number of songs, and the use of an iPad/lead sheets to expand your playlist for this type of gig?

Thanks in advance.

Old No7

[Bill H.]

Assuming 15 minute breaks, 12 songs per set should do it. When I started out I only had around 35 songs, but that rapidly increased once I got going. If you like tips, you're going to want a couple of hundred at the least. 

[ProfD]

Background music gigs are different from a stage band or concert gig.

 

Most of the audience will eat, drink, talk and laugh; paying little or no attention to the noise in the background.  That doesn't mean they won't be appreciative of the music.  Don't take it personally.   

 

For Popular music, a repertoire of 50 songs at a minimum will get through 3 hours without repetition.  It also provides enough variety that in the event someone does request a tune and it is not within the repertoire, an alternative can be played.  Of course, being able to read music opens the book.

 

Improvisation goes a long way too.  Jazz musicians have the luxury of improvising on tunes.  As a result, they can play the same tune for 10 minutes or something similar  reducing the number of tunes actually being played.

 

Play well enough to add to the ambience but keep in mind that it's not a concert.  Time flies on those gigs.  Have fun.😎

 

 

[Adan]

7 minutes ago, ProfD said:

 

Improvisation goes a long way too.  Jazz musicians have the luxury of improvising on tunes.  As a result, they can play the same tune for 10 minutes or something similar  reducing the number of tunes actually being played.

 

This is an important point.  Improvising over jazz can eat up lots of time, but improvising over rock can create a sameness that isn't necessarily good.  Also, if you're instrumental and not singing, then repeating verses in a rock tune may not be the best thing.   That's part of the reason why I tend to string rock/pop tunes together into medleys.  It also just makes it more interesting for me.  But then you have to have a lot more of them.

[Mighty Motif Max]

50-60 so you have options if the room isn't feeling a particular style. Me personally, I have around 400 on tap and just bring a list of the names sorted by genre, with maybe about 25 of those needing any sort of sheet music to perform. But that's from nearly 13 years of gigging on multiple instruments. So for a standard 3-hour gig with no breaks, ~60 should be fine. Keep in mind you can make your own arrangements on those songs as well, so the length is sort of whatever you want it to be. Improv solo piano versions of pop tunes can actually be quite fun - try some reharmonizations as well because it will get boring after a bit. A few "jazz" chords can spruce up an otherwise bland pop tune (have to love going down to a Ebmaj7).

[drawback]

My piano sets are basically 45 minute medleys and I tend to string together songwriters. I’ll sometimes squeeze an extra verse/chorus out of a short one with a key modulation, but basically they’re between three and five minutes each, segued into the next. So that would be, what, average 15 songs per set. Fifty tunes ought to get you through a three hour gig.

[Stokely]

As an aside, I've loved the coast of Maine when I've visited.  Hoping to do the reverse retirement and leave Florida for somewhere in New England at some point   

Our guitarist does solo gigs but these are guitar and vocals.  He sometimes does a 3-4 hr solo gig and then has to rush to do a band gig where he then sings a lot more (even though we will tell him to lay back, especially with any harmonies.)  I've done two gigs in one day but man I feel it when I do and my voice is usually shot.

He has started doing more looper stuff with soloing, partly to give his voice a break. 

[Bill H.]

3 hours ago, Old No7 said:

Ahoy the forum from the coast of Maine.

  I'm curious what you all think about the number of songs needed for a 3-hour solo gig playing background music (solo piano, or maybe with a 2nd board for pads & synths) during a brunch, lunch or dinner at an upscale brew pub or pub-style restaurant.

Old No7

 

I should mention that as a group the brewpub gigs are looser with more audience engagement than the typical background restaurant gigs around here - particularly at night.  There's singing and dancing in all the brewpubs close to me during Friday and Saturday night shifts. Anyway it's something to check before diving in. 

[MathOfInsects]

Yeah, if you're the story of the night, you need to pay attention to "how long is too long" and have a nice arsenal of tunes to draw from. Particularly if it's been a long time, you'll find the songs go by faster than you expect. Though if you're the boss of the time, I don't think the old "45 on, 15 off" is as relevant as it used to be. If anything, people are more likely these days to do a very long first set and nice healthy break, so that your second (last) set is maybe an hour at most, often even less. Two long sets--particularly if the first one is very long--feel easier than that grind of on-off-on-off from the past.

BUT...if you'll be background music, ten minutes a song is not unthinkable at all, with a nice pause between tunes. I've done duos and trios where if we did five songs in an hour, even if they were purportedly "pop" songs, that was a lot. It's not the song that gets old, it's the vibe. Just have fun with vibe and feel and you can play as many or as few songs as you want. 

One other item people haven't mentioned: it's pretty unlikely that the same people will be there at the end of hour 3, as were there at the beginning of hour 1. if it comes to it, for a first time out of the gate I wouldn't rule out having your first five or so songs, also be your last five.

[KuruPrionz]

It's important to have a variety of genres and a span of decades in your sets. 

Rock, reggae blues, jazz, country, pop, etc. Do a couple songs by Elvis Presley and a couple of Motown tunes. 

Make the tunes your own, they aren't going to sound like the record anyway so put your spin on them.

 

The estimated number of tunes seems good so far. More is better but you gotta start somewhere. 

[obxa]

3 hours ago, MathOfInsects said:

One other item people haven't mentioned: it's pretty unlikely that the same people will be there at the end of hour 3, as were there at the beginning of hour 1. if it comes to it, for a first time out of the gate I wouldn't rule out having your first five or so songs, also be your last five.

 

I still affectionally call solo gigs "Musical Wallpaper".  They notice when you start, they notice when you stop.

  When I had a steady Hotel gig in NY I used to sneak in crazy songs ( Zeppelin etc.) and inside joke songs  when friends would visit- and  pretty certain no one else noticed. 

 

As Math said, most crowds are fluid and in transition.  I did lots of Norstrom mall, and still do Airport gigs.  In the course of a  5-6 hour shift,  I absolutely repeat stuff- but play it in a different style for my own amusement and to fight the boredom.  Especially with Holiday tunes.  Worse case,  the bartender or hostess may notice, but not often.

The beauty of using an Ipad loaded with a bucket of Real books and charts, is you can cover just about anything- and also try new stuff out if solo.   In the old days, all I had was my memory and what I brought on paper.

                                                       

I try to play to the room,  but know I'll never be able to make any tweens or under 20's happy - and will sound goofy trying.    I try not to pander, but if someone comes up and lets me know they're visiting from a particular country, (e.g. Brazil, Italy, Germany) I'll lean on some regional stuff.

  I play mostly the American Songbook,  60' -80's tunes and a ton of Jazz &  Latin.   Often do min-sets of 3 or 4 songs (e.g. Sinatra, Beatles). 

 

 This topic is right on time:  my last long 4 hour gig, I realized I needed some more current stuff. 

 

 I recently went searching and was amazed how little there is out there with most of the new stuff like Billie Eiish not really lending itself.   But songs by Adele, Ed Sheeran, and other  traditional style singer-songwriters work well.  Also been re-working non usual suspects like Toto or Prince. 

 

I'm curious how others feel about this:  I've been experimenting with adding  some tasteful drum loops (something I haven't done since the 80's...) using SoftDrummer app.   I'm just still not sure if it brings it into "Cheesy Midi Guy Territory"- but does make it more fun. 

 

[MathOfInsects]

3 hours ago, obxa said:

I'm curious how others feel about this:  I've been experimenting with adding  some tasteful drum loops (something I haven't done since the 80's...) using SoftDrummer app.   I'm just still not sure if it brings it into "Cheesy Midi Guy Territory"- but does make it more fun. 

 

Trigger alert, but I think solo artists all have to loop in 2023, no matter the instrument. Straight piano "brunch-jazz," maybe not so much (though also maybe so), but IMO a solo artist who doesn't loop now is at a competitive disadvantage and may be thought less of by the "crowd."

I feel less strong about the 80's thing with the drum machine, since it's hard to get cheese out of the upholstery. But even then, if you can own it and do it with any hipness baked in, I think it goes farther than any solo instrument does right now. 

[Mighty Motif Max]

I have maybe 3-4 songs with midi backing tracks I use, mainly for some upbeat pop covers. Otherwise, I bring an electronic kick drum pedal with a drum module and use that for some tunes as well - once you get the timing down, it can add a lot.

[bill5]

If all you play is Yes, you can get by with three or four songs.    

[obxa]

Apologies to Ol 7  for hijacking this thread.  I'm glad others are doing some loops & Tracks.  I see Tony Monaco doing drum loops when he's solo a ton and he makes it work.

The soft drummer app is understated  and has enough randomness that it doesn't  scream "drum machine". 

 In the old days I used to use the Kurzweil or Yamaha Upright bass sound with layered ride cymbal- so not that far off. 

With so many acoustic guitar guys doing the looper thing- Math's comment about it being a competitive advantage and more prevalent is strong food for thought. 

58 minutes ago, Mighty Motif Max said:

Otherwise, I bring a lab electronic kick drum pedal with a drum module and use that for some tunes as well - once you get the timing down, it can add a lot.

Max : that's impressive.  I'm ok kicking/ playing bass, grabbing  my drink, and occasionally trying to have a conversation with  clients/guests/servers  while  playing- but I'd be scared trying to do that!      

[nursers]

With a three-hour solo, you'll only need the one song

[Adam Burgess]

I'm off to do a couple of sets solo piano in an hour, I have a nice Frank Sinatra Duets book or two which are nice to play (around with). First set of 45 will be one of those almost cover to cover 🙂 I'll make it last 45.

Often thought about taking my lovely little Korg i3 to 'modernise stuff(?)' a bit, but then I think I'll just carry an iPad.

[Adan]

A lot of what I do on solo gigs is geared towards keeping myself entertained and engaged.  The theory is that if I'm feeling into it I'll play better.  The audience may not notice what it is that's inspiring me but, in theory at least, they'll know I'm playing better.

 

Most of my solo gigs have been on real pianos in places I play regularly, with a lot of people in the audience who hear me over and over while most other people in the audience loosely fitting a general demographic.  A scenario like that has pros and cons.  The tipping is probably better in places where the audience is more changeable fluid.  On the plus side, it's fun to evolve a repertoire that's known to your audience, and then it's sort of like having a new conversation with them every gig.  I'd say these are not "wallpaper" gigs (I've played many of those too).  It's common for regulars to say things to me like "I like how you played Waiting on a Friend this week, better than last week," etc.

[Reezekeys]

Rule #1 - nobody is actually listening to you. I could noodle for 20 minutes straight on random chords and as long the progressions were mostly diatonic and I avoided crazy jazz slash chords, you're fulfilling the purpose of the gig - audio wallpaper, as many have noted.

 

Maybe it's luck that as someone steeped in the jazz end of things I have a pretty big repertoire of tunes I can noodle on 🙂 . Solo gigs can get boring though, and when I'm playing my rig rather than a real piano I definitely include some backing tracks for a few - not the majority - of the songs I play. These are tracks I've sequenced myself with some very decent plugins - there's no corn factor here (IMO anyway!). Who wouldn't want to add a little sonic spice to a three or four-hour long gig? I also like to try playing familiar tunes in new keys, so these kinds of gigs make a good practice session for working on that. Alfie in F#, Caminhos Cruzados in B, etc. That can be fun.

 

I guess I haven't really addressed the OP's question! OK here's my .02- try some improvising inside each song you play (you know, noodle!); go for a few choruses. That will probably reduce the number of songs needed! Solo on a few verse sections, or modulate to a different key then go back to the original key - knock yourself out, again, nobody is listening!

[Old No7]

Thanks to all for the comments and feedback above -- very good stuff for an "old semi pro" like me (who is "old" NOW -- yet was "semi pro" well over 40 years ago...) to think about, for sure.

 

I HAD planned to respond with select quotes from the first 5 or 6 postings of points that resonated with me -- but there's SO much good stuff above, I'll just share my thanks to all for taking the time to reply.

 

Cheers!

 

Old No7

[Daniel Heslop]

I play solo piano in a high end restaurant every weekend.

I do roughly 12 songs per set but it depends on the songs. I do American Pie but not all those verses because it’s instrumental. On the other hand I do Hotel California complete including guitar solo and Bohemian Rhapsody so those are both pretty long.

I have over 300 songs on my iPad, and occasionally get a request I don’t have but often I can find it on MuseScore or if I know it well enough, I’ll use ultimate guitar for chords and lyrics. I’m not singing but if I haven’t heard the song in a few years the lyrics help remember the melody.

 

I more or less structure sets based on demographic.
Usually older diners are earlier so my first set is heavy in 60’s and 70’s and lighter fare.

Second set is younger and some families with kids so a few current pop songs and classic Rock. I try to keep up with stuff like We Don’t Talk About Bruno or the current Bloody Mary Sped up type thing.

Third set is heavier stuff, Guns n Roses, AC/DC 90’s pop like Wannabe, Baby One More Time, and slower material as I wind down.

I’m in Canada so I always do a Tragically Hip tune or two. If I see some cowboy hats I do some country. If it’s very old I through in 50’s and classic movie stuff. I make up a set list each night but rarely follow it to the letter. 
I think you get almost a psychic ability to intuit what’s songs will go over and bring in tips.

I also try to think outside the box and do songs people don’t expect a restaurant pianist to do.

[summerinstereo]

I play 2-4x 4hr gigs each week as a solo act, without any backing tracks or loops. Just mic and guitar straight into the mixer.

 

This means I have no way of slyly extending the length of a song, there's nothing to hide behind.

 

I play about 13-15 songs per set, with 15 minute breaks. 

Some nights I wind up playing for longer.

 

The maths says, you would need about 45 songs then, for a 3hr gig.

 

But the math would be wrong, because there will be nights where you look at your setlist, and instantly skip the next song because it doesn't fit the vibe.

And the next one. And the next one.

 

Then you'll finish a song, and someone will come over and ask if you've got any Luke Combs. Or Johnny Cash. Or country in general. Or Wonderwall. Or whatever, you get the picture. Maybe you do, maybe you don't, the first time.

 

But the first time is the only time that's really acceptable (I still haven't added any Luke Combs, in fairness).

 

So you're going to need more than 45 songs, just to be a little flexible with the vibe of the room, and then you're also going to need to be adding to your repertoire over time anyway to fulfill common requests. You notice the same genres, artists and even songs are often requested in certain venues, towns or entire regions.

..and you should be adding them, so you keep everyone happy and keep your job.

 

Your job is to sell alcohol. IMO. Maybe people disagree, but as someone that makes most of their income from playing live music - I feel my job is to keep people happy.

People happy = they stay longer. Staying longer = more alcohol bought. More alcohol sales = venue makes more money. Venue makes more money = I get asked back.

I get asked back = my calendar starts to fill out. Calender fills out = have to knock some venues back. Knocking venues back = in a position to raise my rates.

Raising my rates = seen as better. Seen as better = more sought after. 

 

etc etc it's a cycle. I've already reached the point where I've raised my rates on some venues, it's been accepted and I've already booked plenty more dates.

 

 

My point here is, you absolutely need more songs than the bare minimum.

 

For a first gig - I would get together 50-55 of the most popular songs you know and then add 5-10 commonly requested songs on top of that.

 

I would recommend a grand total of 0 songs that aren't popular for a first gig.

 

So I suppose for a 3 hour gig my recommendation is at least 60 songs, then - all of which are well loved and popular.

 

You won't play all 60. But you'll be glad you had some spare at the end. If you turn up with 45 and get asked "one more".. then "one more".. then "one more".. etc etc.. you're kinda boned, yeah? You *need* more than the bare minimum.

..and just as importantly, IMO, they need to be songs people know and love, at least at first.

[bill5]

On 1/26/2023 at 12:01 PM, Old No7 said:

Any thoughts on the number of songs

If you're doing Yes covers? Three.  😉