Hi all, I've been playing guitar for about 5 years and play instrumental surf-style tunes. I've played with a few guys over the years, but my schedule doesn't really allow a commitment to the time a band would take. I have good backing tracks for what I play, and I have this desire to play in front of people. Maybe it's an attempt to make up for disastrous piano recitals as a kid.

Anyone take their solo act to a park, street corner, open mic night, cafe, etc? How'd it go?

Lee

If I'd stop buying old guitars to fix, I might actually learn to play.
Bringing instruments back to life since 2013.

I started out on this path a while ago with the intention of busking, and got as far as assembling some backing tracks. I found getting the gear to play the backing tracks and getting a decent guitar sound was a challenge.

In the end we just went busking with the whole band (three of us) and it's really well received. A really good way to get gigs more than cash. (One of my secret pleasures is busking and seeing people that wouldn't get to gigs such as disabled people, kids and more senior people enjoying the music - I love it!)

There is a local guy who plays Shadows stuff with backing tracks - I asked him once if he played any surf and he backed away muttering, "No way, that sound is hard to get!"

Have fun with it. I reckon you could get a good circuit of outdoor cafes in the summer

http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/

The Johnny Zoom Hi Fi Show is also this; a guitar player backed by a machine and back tracks. He posted here once a long time ago but doesn't seem to be active (on this site, I mean). Here's a live performance and cool medley he put together.

So, yes, this can be done and if you want to you should try it. If I were to do such a thing (which I've idly entertained the notion of) I'd try smaller coffee shops and restaurants. A lot of them like the idea of having live music but you tend not to see full bands because even acoustic acts can get to be too much for the room. You can control your volume and I have had several people remark to me out of the blue over the years (especially in my car) that instrumental surf music was actually great for interacting with other people because it's enjoyable and easy to relegate to the background when you want to talk to someone.

Maybe that's not such a positive to everyone, but to these people it was. Loud live bands are obviously excluded, though I do love to stand front and center at Madeira shows and have in-depth conversations with my fellow show-goers.

The Mystery Men?
El Capitan and The Reluctant Sadists
SSS Agent #31

DannySnyder wrote:

Speaking of playing Solo, I've been asked lots of times to play solo - so low they didn't have to hear me

We need more of this!!

I still have 2 inexpensive Zoom rhythm machines that I've put bass and drums into for about 70 tunes. Some originals, many classics and even some Slacktone, Blue Hawaiians, Bambi Molesters and Los Straitjackets. I started at open mics and then did some fun gigs at coffee shops, breweries, art shows in Redondo Beach and a Vintage Auto Museum. My friend joins me with some sax and rhythm guitar, it sounds like a full band, dead on delivery from the rhythm section every time. I used a keyboard amp and now a bass combo amp for the rhythm machine. Not as exhilarating as playing with a band but it forces you to be fairly accurate and is great for timing.

I've played solo surf for gigs but I'm too lazy to record backing tracks. I do it more in the Chet style. -Marty

"Hello Girls!"

Last edited: Jan 05, 2018 18:59:36

Nice work Nokie.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

I had never thought of doing Surf tunes in Chet’s style. I’ll have to work with that. Listening to the Baronics playing Bach in Surf style as I type.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

I worked up the original Johnny Smith version of Walk Don’t Run about a year ago. It’s very intricate and employs some careful fingerings.

I do a lot of Chet tunes, but rarely get to play them in public. They are very demanding on everyone in the band, especially the bassist, whom must play very carefully to keep out of the way of all the baritone range stuff happening in the lower register of the guitar. I don’t know if Chet used notation or if there were plenty of session bassists in Nashville that were accustomed to his style, but it worked.

Surf is sort of a full circle move for me. When I took lessons, back in the mid sixties, the instructors taught a lot of Surf tunes. After years of trying to be the next Joe Pass and a lot of Jim Hall thrown in for good measure, I’ve found that Surf is a great way to keep my chops up and to utilize the techniques I learned in my Jazz days. It’s really quite challenging to play Surf precisely and cleanly.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

Nokie wrote:

That's true, Synchro, surf tunes need more practice than many outsiders think. It's great to hear of another Chet fan here. It is unfortunate that you don't get the chance to play that style out much but if you have any youtube's of you playing that or that Johnny Smith WDR, I'd like t'see it!

I’m not really setup for video recording. The recording work we are doing for the band is keeping me hopping, not just in playing the tracks but by endless post-production tasks. Hopefully we will e d up with something I feel comfortable in releasing in the next few months, and then we have to hop through the legal hoops involved.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.