I played background music at a corporate function last week. It's been a while since my last one. Sometimes, the crowd is low-key, while sometimes, they are a rambunctious crowd.
Last week, they were the latter. I could barely hear myself. In my 25 years of gigging, I have learned that in those situations, it really doesn't matter what you play so long as 1 - you don't stop and 2 - you play fast songs.
I improvised. I repeated songs. I sight read. Other than my ears ringing afterward, it was good.
My friends and I were supposed to be in Japan for Spring Break (as in, right this minute), but our plans fell apart, well before the March 11 disasters. Since we can't be there to help, we have been helping out from home. We've made cranes for Japan and have also signed up to help with the Calgary Japanese Community Association's Earthquake and Tsunami Relief efforts.
Which brings me to this week's challenge. My sibling and I (both being musicians) have offered to perform at some of the upcoming CJCA events. This means rapidly re-learning some insanely fast Jpop and JRock songs on piano, learning how to sing two new Japanese songs and getting more coordinatedwith accompanying myself on piano while singing with the songs I do know.
It's a case where practicing is just much more fun than bookkeeping. However, I did promise myself that I'd deal with the not-so-fun aspects of managing a business (administration) before practicing today. Wish me luck.
(c) 2011 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.