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13 Dos and Don'ts Of Performing At Open Mics





13 Dos and Don'ts Of Performing At Open Mics

by Robin Yukiko August 3rd 2012



DON’T play and leave.

DO talk to EVERYONE and remember their names. You can even write their name and description and review it at the end of the night. They will be so impressed the next week.

DON’T expect to be discovered. This is a networking opportunity with other musicians. Open mics only lead to gigs if you work your contacts and follow up.

DON'T just say "Good job". Be specific and sincere like "I really liked your hook" or "Your low range sounds great!" so they know you were paying attention.

DO introduce others. Even if you aren't interested in collaborating with someone, maybe you can give someone a good lead.

DON’T heckle. No one wants you to request Free Bird.

DO be gracious. If only one person is listening, play just for that person, and yourself.

DON’T talk loudly over a ballad. Everyone chats, just be respectful about it.

DO play contrasting songs. (One slow, one fast, one in major, one in minor, etc.)

Similarly, DON’T play two songs in the same key back-to-back. Even if an audience doesn't know, their ears will start to get bored.

DON’T apologize before you play a song. People want you to be excited about your song, not hear excuses for why it's going to suck.

DO make friends with the host, bartenders, and all staff. People like to work with their friends, so be a friend to everyone you meet.

DO have fun! If it's not fun, what's the point?


Robin Yukiko is a Berklee College of Music grad, singer-songwriter, pianist, and music educator in San Francisco. She hosts the SF Singer-Songwriters’ Workshop at the Musicians Union Local 6. Learn more at www.robinyukiko.com.


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By: Anonymous on 6/12/2013 4:36:22 AM

Also, please don't play "Hallelujah."

By: Anonymous on 6/8/2013 2:51:42 PM

Every little bit helps :)

By: robinyukiko on 5/28/2013 11:16:35 PM

A lot of good additions! Nice job, guys!

By: Anonymous on 5/24/2013 11:07:17 PM

Yea, Smooze and fb or twt so names are with faces after...

By: Anonymous on 4/23/2013 7:44:58 PM

Good advice. To the poster whose lyrics blew away -- after playing outside one breezy day, I started keeping binder clips in my gig bag to keep the pages from blowing away. They work great! If you can keep your cool when the wind blows your music away, or a drunk knocks over your mic, I think that will impress people more than anything. The Show Must Go On. - Tom Swiss

By: Anonymous on 4/22/2013 8:44:21 AM

Great advice. Thank you. Also, keep your volume at a blending level(dynamics). Keep eye contact and communicate with the others your playing with. This way you'll know when it's your turn to solo, then be sure your loud enough to be heard. It's not about showing up everyone else, that's why it's called a jam.

By: Anonymous on 4/16/2013 6:38:34 AM

Great advice. A lot of the gigs I get can be traced back to open mics and the people I've met there. Another tip is go regularly but make sure you go with new material. If promoters see you a few times and think you have enough good stuff to fill a set, you might well get a gig with them. It's worked for me anyway.

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What keeps me happy,is that I get Stoked just getting you to listen to my songs...I'm satisfied!

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By: Anonymous on 3/22/2013 8:22:04 AM

Also, don't go over your time slot. People do resent you whether they let you know or not. Messes up the vibe!

By: Anonymous on 3/22/2013 8:16:38 AM

Extra Do's: - do keep going when you mess up (mistakes are usually quite fleeting and many won;t even notice unless you draw attention to it) - do be confident but don't cross the line into arrogance - do enjoy yourself. If you don't enjoy it or find it too stressful then why bother? Extra Don'ts: - don't expect everyone to like your material/performance - don't treat it like it's a competition - don't play the same song as someone else - don't talk yourself down, especially when people say nice things to you. Tell someone, "I'm not that good" too often and they will start to believe you - don't take it perosnally if someone gives you a negative comment. Always consider why they say these things before you take it to heart.

By: Anonymous on 3/22/2013 8:11:06 AM

Some people do sing a lot of songs in the same key, especially in genres such as bluegrass - if they can change the 'feel' then it isn;t always teh end of the wor;d to play back-to-back tracks in the same key.

By: Anonymous on 3/22/2013 5:08:15 AM

Don't post a list of dos & don'ts :-) just kidding -all good stuff.

By: Anonymous on 3/6/2013 7:17:37 PM

at times I will purpously say that I may f ck up on a song when It is one that I just learned.I need to stop saying that I guess. Or the one time that I was playing outside and my lyric sheet blew off of my music stand.

By: Anonymous on 3/5/2013 10:23:04 PM

Wow-I have to follow the do not apologize for thinking you're going to suck rule-- I did just that last night and it turned out that they actually liked me :-) Great advise because open mic is really just for fun -- For me at least

By: robinyukiko on 2/7/2013 12:05:51 PM

To the person asking where I got my information from, good question! I have been attending open mics for about 13 years so experience was a big factor. Also, my father (www.howardherman.com)is a professional musician of over 40 years and has given me a lot of advice over the years regarding professionalism and even creating set lists. I hope this article was helpful! ~Robin www.robinyukiko.com

By: robinyukiko on 1/29/2013 10:13:07 AM

That's true about some of the best performances, but I wrote this article for people looking to further their career. Some big labels might be okay with dealing with an artist's attitude problem, but if you are starting out and trying to find people to work with/for, being a jerk will bite you in the ass (no matter how much talent you have).

By: dandesantismusic on 1/16/2013 1:47:13 PM

Great read. And all true. Thanks!

By: Anonymous on 1/8/2013 9:04:51 AM

Some of the best open mike performances I've ever seen were by iconoclastic loners w/ attitude problems.

By: Anonymous on 1/5/2013 9:57:41 AM

great advice for anyone who is just starting out, OR who are professionals but are getting their feet wet in the solo acoustic arena, and who might not understand the mechanics of open mikes. Thanks!

By: Anonymous on 1/5/2013 8:34:24 AM

Wow! That's good advice. :)

By: Anonymous on 12/23/2012 11:39:42 AM

Yep. All good advice!

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