​What tunes do folks like the most?   What tunes make the children dance, the women cry, the men nod in appreciation?  What reels really rock the riverside (if you happen to be near a river)?  What brings coin into your coffee can?

Hi. My son does some busking. What we have found is that a variety of music works well. Different songs appeal to different people. The main things I look for in busking songs-- are the songs familiar and/or fun.

He plays tunes like Danny Boy (which is very familiar) to Swallowtail Jig (which is not really familiar to most non-fiddlers, but is fun). He also plays some movie theme tunes and Broadway tunes, pieces like Over the Rainbow, theme from the Godfather, to Music of the Night.

We like to mix it up a bit. From faster pieces like Devils Dream, to slower waltzes like Westphalia Waltz. There are many factors to consider, mainly depends on the setting and the audience.

Good luck.

Simple tunes like Liza Jane, Jambalaya, Diggy Diggy Lo. Don't forget the slow stuff like Ashokan Farewell.  Pedestrian stuff to a seasoned fiddler, but beloved to the non-playing masses. We also have a jazz improv bent. So we'll play All of Me, Moonlight in Vermont, Honesuckle Rose, In the Mood, etc. Nobody but an OT fiddler has ever heard of Baby Stepped on a Shingle Nail, or The Hogs Head Blead Seventyeight kinds of Red, so we don't play that stuff.

always have a few childrens tunes handy, twinkle,lullaby,3 blind mice,etc will get you some coin and a thank you when you see mom coming with a stroller or children in tow. I learned the art of busking from an old black street musician and one thing he told me was to always have a few tunes you can play that will appeal to certain folks. If you see cowboy hats coming up the walk break into Ghost riders, which isnt to hard a tune on fiddle. Good luck and remember to have fun with it as thats what really gets the coin.

I change between one for me and one for them, an Old Time Fiddle tune or two and then something they may remember like Danny boy. Don't overdo the common stuff; they can hear Danny Boy (or equivalent) by spending their day in an elevator.

Little Billy Wilson, Soldiers Joy and Fisher's Hornpipe always get me applause.  I think it's the sheer springiness and jauntiness of the tunes.  With Little Billy Wilson,   the triple meter feel probably helps too.

Little kids:  Itsy Bitsy Spider, Old McDonald, Pop Goes the Weasel.

Older folks: Tennessee Waltz, Mockingbird Hill, Turkey in the Straw, Golden Slippers.

Pre-teen and early teen girls- Irish tunes, including O'Carolan Harp tunes.

Twenty-somethings- modal stuff. (sounds more exotic!)

Mature adults- stuff they might have heard in a movie soundtrack, including Ashokan Farewell (The Civil War) Shove That Pig's Foot (Cold Mountain) and similar stuff.

Boomers: Beatles tunes or anything from the sixties or seventies. "Those Were the Days" (That one's good for Russians, too! Quite a few in Sacramento, or so I hear...)

Dog owners:

Where O Where Has My Little Dog Gone? and How Much Is That Doggy In the Window.

Lively fiddle tunes well played are good for energetic young people, but they usually don't have much money... still, throwing in a few will establish your credibility as a fiddler.

Playing a variety of tunes and responding to different kinds of people who are listening will impress others with your overall musicianship, and you'll get some contributions just on that basis.

Normally I wouldn't play too much of any one thing before going on to something else, especially if there are vendors or others who can't get away!

However, there are different situations... while it wasn't busking per se- I was hired to perform at a Farmer's Market for a small farm town, and I played more major hoedowns, waltzes, and when I went to guitar, Johnny Cash and Buck Owens songs.

On subject but still slightly off, I just heard about an International Buskers Festival held in Victoria, Canada.  I'm going to work on that idea as a local fundraiser.....

Any tune that gets the kids involved brings in money..

In playing tunes, for the most part I don't think the actual tune selection as much of a factor for fiddling. Especially solo fiddling. For the vast majority what draws them in is not recognition of the tune (even if they do). For songs, without the words and played on a fiddle, recognition goes way down.

Just good solid fiddling, rhythmic, lively and spirited, is a more significant factor than recognition of the tune. Kids especially are naturally drawn into about any lively fiddling. No doubt though certain tunes in your repertoire might have more of a "wow" factor for adults.

The other things that can play a role to drawing folks in are; Singing, esp. while fiddling, for many reasons increases draw. Dancing or using feet as rhythm instrument while fiddling, even just using one foot as a strong audible bass drum beat. Certain trick/gimmicky fiddling. Certain visuals to draw attention, clothing, props, signage...

Most important factor in coin to coffee can, IMO, is personality and attitude, to proactively engage the audience. Not only when playing the music, but to the outgoing interaction (mostly verbal)  with strangers before, and after the playing.

Edited by - alaskafiddler on 08/09/2012 19:47:12

This is what can happen if ya busk to much!    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrXCzsWcK5Y&playnext=1&list=PL60C554FDFB280140&feature=results_video

Wow!

Ol' boy in central park is a trip!    Folks tend to like what they can recognize. Since we play old time tunes almost exclusively, there's really only a few of those, such as Turkey in the Straw, Eight of January etc. So we spread them out through the time we intend to play. Like everyone else has said, the jaunty, energetic strongly rhythmic tunes attract children, and often get them dancing. Where the kids are the parents are. I will sometimes allow ( with direct physical contact) a child to bow my fiddle. That is a judgment call, but it's almost always worth a substantial tip, especially if a photograph is made. Ladies for some reason really like to hear The Kiss, or The Gael (same tune, the theme from last of the Mohicans.) Always take requests if you can. If you can't (or won't) play the tune  always offer a substitute in a similar style. Who can say what the men like, probably the same kind of tunes as the kids. Don't play for too long at a stretch without engaging the folks in conversation.. Don't forget to make eye contact while you're playing, and smile a lot. We don't sing, but I think an occasional song helps the tip jar.

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Originally posted by Larry Rutledge

This is what can happen if ya busk to much!    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrXCzsWcK5Y&playnext=1&list=PL60C554FDFB280140&feature=results_video

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LOL!!!  Why, that's disBUSKing!

There IS a temptation for people who busk for a living to go for extreme attention-getting ploys, and he's got a whole bunch going on at once.... the most musically pertinent to us being the ability to sing and play something more than a simple accompaniment on violin at the same time.

Edited by - fiddlepogo on 08/10/2012 13:51:14

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Originally posted by leemysliwiec

Any tune that gets the kids involved brings in money..

 

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YUP.... nearly always.

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Originally posted by AZJohnB

I change between one for me and one for them, an Old Time Fiddle tune or two and then something they may remember like Danny boy. Don't overdo the common stuff; they can hear Danny Boy (or equivalent) by spending their day in an elevator.

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Yeah, one for me, one for them... that's a good balance.

One for you to keep your sanity, one for them to keep the money coming in.

And actually, the one for you MAY be interesting to some people who DON'T want to hear all "chestnuts".

doesn't much matter what I play as long as it's with a steady rhythm and I stomp my foot loudly. Fancier crap brings in the ducats, lancashire clogs and bach etc. If I'm drawing a crowd the march/strathspey/reel formula will usually get some meathead to clap along and cause a commotion which attracts more people then I end it when the crowds at its largest and take a bow and pass my hat.  playing a waltz or an air into a faster tune is another common thing that I do.

I don't do it like I used to, their was a time where I pretty much did it for bread and roof. 

Someone will invariably ask me for 'devil went down to georgia' and people will dosey-do or try to do a jig, there's always that young male who eyeballs my hat waiting for a moment where he can snatch it and the police and store owners shushing you along. So it's got its ups and downs - but I can usually make as much or more than I would from most gigs in less time and on my own terms.

I usually find women and folky hipsters tend to drop bills, toddlers with parents drop coins and older men on dates feel obliged to drop some bread on you to look good for their dates. beware of the talkers and crazies - make eye contact and smile. 

I like the idea of passing the hat when there is a crowd.  A lot of people would probably tip if the hat came to them and they didn't have to walk over to an open fiddle case and drop in money.  I haven't tried that but it sounds like a good idea. 

i'm going to be in Charleston SC next week, and thought i might hit the street one afternoon just for the fun of it. i always enjoy it, and it tightens things up, performance-wise, at least for me.

my wife( wisely) suggested that i look into the legal issues ( she's there more frequently than me), and what i found was a real eye-opener: not only a displayed peddler's license,fees paid, but a prior background check, and a quite hefty fine (+/- $450) for being out of compliance.

was Charleston plagued by buskers at some point?

I've only busked in Lambertville, which isn't all that far from Philadelphia. Golden Slippers is usually a HUGE hit, because everyone recognizes it from the Mummer's Day Parade. Other than that it's anything that is happy and upbeat that puts bills in the case. So these (among others) are always played when busking--

Yellow Rose of Texas

Old Yeller Dog Come Trottin Through the Meeting House

Squirrel Heads and Gravy

Maggots in the Sheephide

Cluck Ol' Hen (and yes, I do chicken noises for this one, and sometimes manage to sing.)

Little Liza Jane

Julianne Johnson

Shootin Creek

Susannah Gal

The most important thing, when busking, is to get people's feet moving in time to the music. If you do that, you will make some dough.

Edited by - bj on 08/12/2012 15:46:31