What Do I Say? – Talking to Your Audience
by Amy Wolter
Filed under Songwriters
When I ask artists what they need the most help with or what their weak spots are in a live show, the most common answer I get is “talking to the audience.” I can relate.
Many times when I was playing live I would want to say something to the crowd; but when I started speaking, it would come out a disjointed, rambling mess.
It aggravated me so much I started rehearsing exactly what I wanted to say for a song set-up. Then I would put the first few words right on the set list to get me going in the right direction! It worked. Once I got started on the right foot, the rest would come out fine because I’d worked on it.
Artists most commonly like their music to speak for itself, but the truth is, the audience wants to hear YOU speak as well! It helps them get to know who you are and connect with you on a more intimate level.
What to say? The first and most logical thing to consider is to talk about your songs. How did you come upon the idea? What inspired you to write it? What does it mean to you personally?
Avoid clichés like “I wrote this next song about…” Just go right into the story! The audience will piece together that it’s going to relate to the next song. It’s a lot more effective to start with, “I was driving through the desert last summer, when I saw this old man sitting by the side of the road, playing an old violin…” Now a story like that is going to draw me in!
Telling a story draws people right into the song and can become one of your “moments” – especially if it’s personal. It’s much more interesting to hear a personal story, rather than “There was this guy who lost his girl and then his house burnt down.”
Something that happened to you is more compelling and relatable. And if it is a song about someone else, you can personalize it by talking about your relationship to that person and how it affected you as well.
All of this said, however, don’t be tempted to TALK TOO MUCH! No one wants to hear you talk between every song. Mix up your transitions by using a few stories, a few one-liners, and times where you go right into the next song.
For more on speaking to your audience and transitions, check out Tom’s DVD “From Infinity & Beyond.”
As always,
Rock Well & Often, (& SPEAK Well & Selectively!)
Amy Wolter, Live Music Producer
It’s true, I’ve seen many musicians not know how to communicate with their audience. They’re some nice tips you mentioned, hopefully people take them on board.
Hi Amy
That was a great article with some great tips. Thank you.
I think a lot of people (including many musical performers) have a well-deserved fear of speaking to groups. With most things, when you’re confident in your own abilities you’re actually better at doing them. It takes knowledge and practice to do anything well, and public speaking is no exception. Many years ago, I joined Toastmasters (and, more importantly, actively participate) to improve my public speaking. I highly recommend Toastmasters to all performance artists.
I like to look at other, non-musical performers to gain insights that I can apply to my own needs. For example, consider a politician as an example of a speaking performer. It’s not too much of a stretch to see certain parallels between someone who wants to get hundreds, thousands, even millions of people to vote them into office and somebody who wants a lot of people to pay for their musical performances.
Agree 100% but how do you translate this to someone who fronts say a cover band?
Hey Kevin, Amy Wolter here. If you are doing covers you can tell a personal stories that relate to the songs. Tell why you picked the song, how/why it moved you, or what memory it provoked. Even though it’s not an original, YOUR story will make the song more personal to the audience and will really make them pay attention to the lyric!
I can totally relate to this. Sometimes I get so worried about what to say to the audience that I don’t say anything at all. At other times, I seem to be able to connect and say the right things. Something I find even more difficult is trying to speak while re-tuning my guitar (to an open tuning). This lag time can kill your set!
Hi Beth, Thanks for writing in. First of all, think about the times you connected with the audience and remember (or listen back to – if you recorded it) what you said. Not that you have to always say that exact thing but it can become your template to introducing that particular song. To speak while you’re tuning is another thing but I’ve seen artists do it and talk while they are tuning. If someone else is playing with you, throw the ‘ball’ to them to say something – maybe something about your merch table to where you are playing next. If you’re ‘it’ rehearse that until you can do both at once. If you use tracks or loops, have that start and take time to tune. The audience can get into the groove while you’re tuning.