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Busking
Hi Mona and Lisa
Hope this post finds you both doing well, and are enjoying the nice summery weather these days, as much as possible despite all the craziness still going on.
These days I dream sometimes of my last vacation back in the fall when we spent a few days in Montreal Quebec before boarding our east coast cruise. We found this nice European style square in “Old Montreal” with beautiful walkways, and quaint sidewalk patio coffee shops and bistros. In this square there was a lone musician busking with his guitar hooked up to the amp and playing some really beautiful folk/ rock music. People would gather nearby, sit at the many park benches, and people at the coffee shops would all turn in the direction of the music. The music created a beautiful captivating mood throughout the square. After about 20 minutes he stopped playing, the magic moment that captivated everyone lifted and gave way to the bustling sound of the city. You could feel the power of music that made just a regular fleeting moment in the streets something much more special.
One of my most memorable music listening experiences was seeing a piano player who busked with his small upright acoustic piano on wheels on the side walk in Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market in the 90s. His name was Jonny Hahn, and during the height of my piano lesson taking days, I use to go down to Seattle a lot, and Pike Place was one of my favorite places to visit, and he would always be out there, rain or shine playing his piano. Really beautiful new age stuff like George Winston. He played with these gloves that had the ends cut off so his fingers would stick out, because it got cold there in the winters. He might have had a part in some of my piano playing inspiration back then. His playing I remember just captivated me and I would stand there and watch him for a long time. I visited Seattle about 5 years ago, and I saw him again after some 15 years later, and this time he had some CDs he was selling, so I bought it. It was so heartwarming to see him again, like seeing a long lost friend! He stopped and notice me because I stood there overwhelmed watching him for so long and applauded many times.
My question is about “busking”. In some posts you mentioned busking in Australia, and in front of the Cavern the first time you visited Liverpool, and in some of your earlier videos, we can see glimpses of you both busking outside. Can you share your experiences with busking; what was it like, what did you like the most about it, were there nerve wracking moments or was it always fun and enjoyable, when/where was the last time you did it, were there any favorite places to perform, were there any busking moments that really stood out, what songs did you play a lot, did you play with other people etc? Thanks.
All the best and big hugs to you both from across the big pond! Stay safe.
Jung
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4 Replies
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Hi Jung!
What a sweet, touching story – thanks for sharing it with us! I wonder if he is still out there, playing and fighting the good fight.
Busking is such a unique experience and we made many precious memories because of it. We have also heard some incredible music by other buskers, they are very often a vibrant, quirky mix of people.
In our opinion, busking is perfect for getting over any sort of “stage fright” or anxiety connected to performing, especially when you are just starting out. Because no one is ever forced to pay attention to what you do, naturally only the people that enjoy the music will stop to listen, the rest will simply go on about their day.
It taught us how to be comfortable while playing early on.
We’ve busked in Austria, the USA, Ireland, Australia, Croatia and honestly can’t think of many negative experiences. Yes, there was the odd drunk over-excited guy here and there but those were far and few between.
As a whole, people have always been kind and we have learned a ton doing it. Not to mention the extra pocket money we were able to make in our teens 😉 In Adelaide I once bought a prom dress entirely with 1 and 2 dollar coins made from busking earlier on that day. It felt great, although I can only imagine what the cashier must have thought while counting stacks of coins, haha!
The last time we probably did it was in Liverpool, a short time after we had moved here. We played with a bassist called Jason for a short while who owned and played a double bass quite well, so we took advantage of that as you can use it in an acoustic setting 🙂
You asked us what we played while busking – pretty much exclusively covers, which was the “downside”. Anything that was well-known, attention grabbing and not too intricate because very often nuance and finesse fell to the wayside when we were playing in a busy mall entrance or noisy street corner. Lots of upbeat Beates covers and songs that would put a smile on people’s faces as they walked by.
Phew, that was a lot but I hope it answered all questions! It’s fun to reminisce about these times, so thanks for that 😉
All the best from us all to Canada!
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Hi Mona!
Thanks so much for that, really appreciate it. I so thoroughly enjoyed reading your busking experiences! ? Love the story about buying that prom dress with the money you earned from busking, it must have felt very special wearing that dress. And wow, you busked in 5 different countries! That’s really interesting insight about how busking is perfect for getting over the anxiety connected with live performing. That has just given me inspiration one day when I get good enough on the piano to maybe play on one of the public pianos the city has donated at different parks and public gathering places for anyone off the street to play. Never thought of that until just now reading what you wrote. During these past 4 months or so of isolation at home, I’ve been dreaming that when I decide to retire, I really want to focus on the piano, maybe even take some formal lessons and delve into music theory too. Retired pianist sounds nice! 🙂When things ease up enough and it’s safe to travel again, I will go back to Seattle’s Pike Place Market to see Johny Hahn play his piano again, hopefully he is still there. I dug up that CD I bought from him. You can see his hands on the piano with his signature outdoor piano gloves. This time I hope I can get a chance to tell him how much I appreciated his performances over the years.
Warmest wishes and much love to you all from Canada! ??❤
Jung -
Hey Jung, Mona….
Funny you should mention, Old Montreal, Jung, I’ve been there a couple of times in my life, a beautiful spot to visit, yes, I agree about its quaintness, the historical vibe, etc…I too, have seen buskers, the same for in Toronto, when I’ve been there as well….
Ottawa is a plethora of buskers, well, not so much at the moment…but ususally around this time of year, for a week, or a few consecutive winds, Ottawa would host a Buskers Festival, it was cool, to go downtown to Sparks St. and take in all the different performers, whether musical, comedy, mime, etc…..Unfortunately, this year not happening, it was cancelled.
Here is a clip link to show you what it about…
https://ottawabuskerfestival.com/about-ottawa-international-buskerfest/
Glad you enjoyed all your busking opportunities, because as you ‘ve said, it helped you in preparation for what was to come in your future…??
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Jacki, wow a festival for Buskers! Sounds like a music lovers heaven. Last Sept/Oct I almost made it to Ottawa, but just ran out of time as we arrived in Montreal just a couple of days before the cruise departure out of Montreal. Originally planned to do a day in Montreal and another in Ottawa before the cruise, but with only two days we had, driving back and forth between Montreal and Ottawa would have taken 4 hours out of our 2nd day, so we decided to just spend the 2nd day in Montreal. But Sparks Street in Ottawa sounds awesome, and I guess I should make pilgrimage to the Canadian Parliament buildings there at least once 🙂 . Will make sure to get out to Ottawa on the next trip out east in Canada.
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