I may be telling the veteran players here a lot of what they already know, but I thought I would give something back to the site that maybe the newer players could benefit from.
I've been playing the acoustic for about a year and a half now and have usually stayed away from playing for others, as I felt I was not good enough and would get crippling “stage fright†even considering it. I certainly have no ambitions to play guitar as anything else but a rewarding hobby, but I have really wanted to try playing for friends and family.
This long weekend we camped with two other families and assorted kids and dogs. My friend's teenage son is quite a good player, and kept offering me his Fender acoustic at the campfire. I said no thanks the first night, but did sneak away with it the next morning to get the feel of it. That night I ran through a dozen or so tunes with pretty good results. The second night was even better with me and the lad trading the guitar back and forth for ‘mini-sets'. My observations:
People love music, especially if they can sing along! Familiar songs are the best ie: Blowin in the Wind, Last Kiss, Horse with No Name, Hey Jude etc. Play what you know cold, no time to try that new tune you think you know well enough!
The simpler the playing the better I found. Especially after I had a few beers! The ornamentations and instrumental breaks are usually lost in the commotion of crackling fires, wind, and alcohol enhanced voices. Strumming seems to work better than picking, especially in the dark!
You have to sing, at least at the start. People are used to the recorded version of the song and unless you cue them you will have a dozen versions happening at once. This also allows you to set the key, sort of. However, they probably will not want to sing all four verses of Hey Jude and will charge into the “na-na-na-na†part too soon. Go with the flow.
Once you start, don't stop if you goof up. With any luck people will carry the melody and you can jump back in. The foul-ups are all part of the fun.
So, I say don't pass up an opportunity to play for people who want to hear you play. I can't wait for the next chance! My wife was right, I'm not as bad as I think I am! I certainly would not do an open-mike or anything yet, but who knows..
