@FrankPersico You betcha’. Best to you as well. It’s even better than “The crowd loves a cliche”, which is so true. West of the Mississippi I think we’re all contractually obligated to play “Wagon Wheel” lol. Whether we want to or not. Really dig the “must play” and “never play” series. They’re spot on.
You are right about Sweet Caroline. I was at an open mic night, and another older guy played this, and the whole crowd came alive! They were singing those iconic parts and having a blast! There were some great guitar players that night who were mesmerizing, but everyone was talking about the old guy who did Sweet Caroline. Gotta give the people what they want!
I just played it last night at a gig. Bar was full of young-ish people and I was playing shit like Green Day. Chili Peppers and everyone was digging it. I said to myself let me try sweet Caroline not being sure how it would go over on the younger audience. They went crazy lol
@@FrankPersico That says it all. Thank you for helping change my perspective. Music is a performing art. It's about them. Excited to learn Sweet Caroline and add it to my repertoire this very day! You are a superb artist.
Yeah. Totally agree. sometimes there are songs you don't want to play but usually, the reaction from the crowd is so positive that it doesn't matter. We're there to entertain them and surprisingly some songs can't be overplayed. Great tips for spicing them up, really love your videos!
"I believe you are there to make people happy" ... YES!!! I don't enjoy listening to every song that I play, but I can find a way to enjoy playing it, simply because the listeners are enjoying it. "Sweet Caroline" is in my setlist constantly. Always good for getting a crowd to sing along. The other 2 are in my songbook and rotated as needed. The songs I've had requested the most are "Midnight Rider" and "Turn the Page." Great video and tips!
Such a cool way to start the intro to Sweet Caroline! Never thought of using the capo to get that open low E string! I was playing without a capo and looping the intro chord and playing the riff over it. But I like not using the looper sometimes and quickly getting into the song. Thanks again!
Excellent video Frank! Love that you show us where to dig and we can grab our shovel and see what we can add to our guitar playing! Will be definitely adding several gold nuggets found in your lesson. Thanks again!
There we go! Been looking for a proper acoustic cover of Sweet Caroline for busking. Thanx dude! Gonna figure this out now because of you! If they throw me money while I play this I’ll come back and throw you a super like
Been playing all three for 25 years myself. You are so right we forget/omit these in shows unless requested. These are Bangers should use them when the crowd doesn't seem involved.
Excellent recommendations (as usual) I remember being on a shuttle bus after a wedding going back to the hotel and people spontaneously broke into “Country Roads” there is nothing quite like that sing a longs are the best! Thank you for doing this 👍
Thanks Frank for sharing you gifts and insights, you do such a great job! A few gigs ago "Take me Home Country Roads" was requested by a table (Family?) when I played it many of them linked arms and Sang along with absolute Joy!
I'm a lazy bastard so thank God for the capo (or, more specifically, the person who actually invented the capo). I play 'Brown-Eyed Girl' with a capo on the fifth fret -- that way you can use suspended chords to move around all those licks that are on the record with going to too much effort. Likewise, with 'Take Me Home Country Roads', I could never hit that note in the line... "to the place, I be-LONG', so I've simply shifted the capo down to the 1st fret and I'm sweet. I do more sing-a-long stuff with older people than actual gigs in pubs etc., and they appreciate the slightly lower key too. I'm in Australia, and yep, 'Country Roads' and 'Sweet Caroline' are must-do songs every single time. Some of the people I play to are in their 90s and they still sing along with every word. Loving your content. Cheers mate!
Hi and thanks for the comment and the input. I meant to mention in the video how all the songs can be transposed to suit your voice via moving the capo but of course I forgot and didn’t realize until I published. This comment is very helpful and I (and I’m sure the other viewers) appreciate it
Tony Rice was one of the most tasteful, innovative, and skilled acoustic guitarists of all time. He often used a capo. Nobody but a fool would call Mr. Rice 'lazy'.
I was playing along without a capo handy so I tried playing Country Roads in A with open strings, A9, D9, hammer-ons on the E and F#m and I really like it. I'm going to play it in open A from now on.
Frank, you are class mate. Thank you for your no nonsense professional lore. I did get the sense ye don’t like brown eyed girl that much when ye ramped through the words lol. But more respect for teaching it. And it’s just what I needed. Played brown eyed girl for years and play it occasionally at open mics. But just the chords Your intro and fills with the loop made perfect sense to me. Practising it now. Cheers. Love the other two as well🙌🏻
Yes, good tunes to play. I did 2 of those 3 songs....Boston Celtics Championship Parade today...My "Little Martin" Guitar in hand and 2 Katana Boss mini amps (tied to my belt)--one amp for guitar other for singing. I went in by train and subway. Funny thing, On the train going in I couldn't get anyone to sing "Sweet Caroline" w/ me--that happens...different story once on the crowded Subway, I got the whole train singing. I also did "Country Roads"...good sing alongs...the women love those songs....also in the repertoire for today was "You are my Sunshine" for the young ladies/ children and women police officers--they like it. Also got a lot of mileage out of "Lean on Me"--everyone knows it. I play those songs well. I had a lot of women said to me today "I love you" --lol 5 STARS! --Van P.S. I get quite a few people taking pictures of me...I wear a black cowboy hat, sunglasses and guitar...sang "On the Road Again" on the way home...another winner!
Great advice for open mic in Washington State. The mini guitar in the background is great. I actually make mini guitars as a hobby. Thanks for excellent video. The Guitar Carpenter.
Geez you make me want to grab my guitar 😦..but my grandkid asleep next room over..(Marty getting boring 🫢) I’m watching this again this week end..thanks Frank .
Where I am in country NSW, Australia, I often get asked for the same old stuff... Brown Eyed Girl, Summer Of 69, Jessie's Girl, plus Aussie favorites like Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel, Eagle Rock by Daddy Cool, Flame Trees by Cold Chisel... in fact, they usually just yell out "play some Chisel!!!!" I have all those in my repertoire but usually only play them if I am asked, or if the floor is pumping and I want to keep them up.
Thx Frank. I really enjoy your videos and tips. A couple more good sing along songs, Have you ever seen the rain, by CCR. I capo up to fifth fret and play a C shape chord. And, Chicken Fried by Zac Brown.
First of all excellent video as always. I started learning Brown eyed Girl and it was a very fun song for me to play but I never finished learning it. Country roads might have been the first song I ever learned on the guitar at least first complete song. I actually went to college in West Virginia so a country friend of mine who's also a great musician taught me it. I'm a special ed teacher in New York City and the kids had a show where Sweet Caroline was one of the songs. The kids went nuts over it.
Good Video! You made a really good point that I think we (as performers) sometimes forget: our "JOB" is NOT to impress other musicians, it's to entertain!" Many years ago, when I first started gigging, I worked up fairly complex intros/riffs in some songs. Some of them were quite difficult (for me) and required a lot of concentration. A VERY experienced performer advised me, "Forget that crap, nobody cares. Just sing the song!" ;) I've sometimes done the "impress other musicians" song choice and the reality is that the audience...except MAYBE for the one or two musicians that might be there - doesn't give a rat's a$$ about that stuff.
Very true they don’t know the difference between easy and hard. They either like it or not. If you can play something technical that is difficult to the point that it is effortless then so be it but very few in the audience know or care. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. Totally agree 👍
@@clementineforever Just like everyone in the UP did when I played there. If I’m in the crowd and have already talked to the musician, then I will be the guy yelling “Free Bird” as soon as they are done for the night lol. I think it’s obligatory for the ‘70s child in me. You’re right, and I do yell it as a joke, but we always found it was actually the best encore song ever. It gave everybody one last slow dance with their girl, and they got to rock out so they were winded and ready to go home afterwards lol. And let’s not forget how much the bar owner enjoys all those extra last call orders and “to go” sales from everyone working up a thirst.
Great videos, thank you for sharing all your experience! In future when making chapters, could you use the actual song titles instead of “song 1” etc? Cheers and best wishes!
Your song choices are right on... Regarding Sweet Caroline... the ladies like that one (maybe because of the Elvis cover)... Where I am (down south) Happy Together by the Turtles also works great. Lastly, anything by Sam Cooke seems to interest customers... Only Sixteen still connects with the older crowd...
Another great video. Thanks I included "Brown-Eyed Girl" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" on my set list when playing for a private party last week. The crowd absolutely ate them up. Wanted to get to "Sweet Caroline", but the clock ran out!
@@FrankPersico I include "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Time After Time" in my acoustic setlists whenever possible. Both are familiar, have a beat, and have a positive vibe. People sing along.
your channel just rolled into my algorithm today and you've got a another sub from it 👍 .. I enjoyed the humour at your intro and didn't mind discovering the 3 songs. Not a single frame was skipped.. I rather enjoyed your candor and very much appreciated the brevity where things are going to be repeated ..yadda yadda ..blah blah ..so to speak .. excellent work!
New sub. Solid advice. Entertain, not impress. These are 3 of my goto songs. I have @150 songs in my active set list and move them around to fit current crowd.😊
You’re right, I never play sweet Caroline because I think everyone is sick of it, but when I do play it, everyone gets happy. I’ll have to remind myself of that. The intro is better if you add the second and third notes as the riff progresses. You might’ve shown that as an alternative.
Great video lesson. noticed Nashville Tele and replica in the back. I make guitar replicas too (my retirement Hobby) and just made the Tele in the background shelf. where did you get yours? Anyway, I appreciate the clear and helpful lesson. Jay the guitar Carpenter.
Sweet Caroline… I am learning guitar, our band project is figuring out a set list. This pops up, while on vacation in Mexico I was out on the street when from a bar I hear Sweet Caroline…the street became alive. I’m not sure if “alive” is the right description. Maybe “Return of the Living Dead” is what I am thinking… That tune has powers, powerful powers…
Great video Frank. Got a request for you if you deem it something you'd like to help with. Your loop video has already gotten me to start using my RC-1, what I am really having problems with you touched on in this video inadvertently. When showing your double stops over the 'A" (G shape) you looped, here's the problem. Some of us have problems with starting a loop then stopping it mid song and at the end. Many times while stopping my loop I'll end up with just part of the next chord. Stopping to change to a bridge etc.
Here in Germany you need these four songs: Country Roads, Sweet Home Alabama, Wonderwall, Hallelujah. These are absolute must haves in a Germany based troubadour‘s repertoire......
So strange that they would want a song like Sweet Home Alabama in Germany. Was this at a military base full of people from the US or a bar full of Germans?
Margaritaville is a song I hate but get ask a lot to play. I have to know it. Country Road is the other one which is fun play. Wonderwall is the song hate the most but I know how to play it just in case. 😅😅😅
lol, before you even got to the song I was thinking BEG, my friend owns a few bars in the US and I remember him telling me this is the most played song in all his bars on the jukebox
Thanks so much. When you play or sing in any particular “key” you are basically using the chords and scales that are rooted and based off of that said key. There are 12 tones in music so therefore there are 12 keys tonally speaking. The major scale for instance is build on 7 notes .. if we are in the key of “A major” our tonal center would be A and our diatonic notes are A B C# D E F# G# A
@@FrankPersico Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed answer. I have a pretty decent singing voice, I can accurately match the notes going quite high on a real piano. But practically no experience singing with other musicians. Of course you always hear the singer ask, “Can I have that in the key of…”. Not sure how I would know what key to ask for!
I played a gig introy new york in the eoghties they had a list of songs not to be played. Brown eyed girl was on the list as was Amie. I remember thinking oh crap.
Hi Frank, hope you don't mind me hijacking your video comments, but yesterday I played my little four or five song interval set at my local bar here in Brazil. Anyway I started with, for one time only, Hotel California, the idea being my wife would film it and put it on instagram (or whatever she uses) to see if 'you know who' comes a fighting!! Well I started singing and something didn't feel right, halfway through the first verse I realised I was singing the Jethro Tull version of the song that you had pointed out in an earlier video. I thought I would be able to rescue it with the chorus, but no I carried on with the same slightly different tune for the whole song. So I wondered if you have ever accidently sang one song to the tune of another one???
Thanks for sharing. Hmmm I don’t think that situation ever happened to me per se. But I have had my share of “happy accidents” to quote the late Bob Ross..
Thanks for sharing what songs work well with people. I’m just getting into playing solo in public so this is helpful knowledge. I’d like to see a video on how you organize your music- do you use an iPad, what apps, do you scroll while performing, etc? I appreciate what you’re doing!
Thanks so much for the SuperLike. I use the iPad only for the occasional lyrics or of someone requests a song I don’t know I can look it up. The program I use for lyrics is called GoodReader and it’s just a generic PDF reader. Any scrolling is just swiping with my finger between strums…😂
Frank - can you do a video on what you do when a song has a guitar solo - but you’re playing alone? Do you just play the chords of the solo without singing?
Check out this video i made on how to go about looping. And at the end of this video there will be a link to a more basic looping video. I will do more vids covering the subject you mentioned more specifically at some point in the future as well. Using A Looper With Acoustic Guitar -Solo Acoustic Tips and Techniques th-cam.com/video/MaVNiOyYQTY/w-d-xo.html
I hate when solo guitarists just play the chord without singing. I'm not a fan of looping, either. There are other techniques. Listen to players who you admire.
I found your channel yesterday, and I'm really impressed by your musical wisdom. You are a patient and encouraging teacher. The crowd does go wild for these classic songs. My guitar teacher told me that he often has to teach songs he doesn't like, but his job is to encourage his students' learning by teaching the songs that motivate them. I don't plan to play in public, but I would like to have the confidence to entertain my friends and family. Even though your lessons appear to be for more advanced players, I'm finding tips that are helpful to me. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 🎸🎸🤘🤘
@@FrankPersico Thanks for replying. I think you are mostly creating lessons for seasoned guitarists, so I appreciate you considering making some lessons for less advanced players. First, I want to say that I watched a couple of your videos where you talk about philosophical matters. I found your comments to be very thought provoking. More videos like that would be welcomed, too. I play electric guitar, mostly rock. I started taking guitar lessons in 2020 as an adult learner. My chord changes are slow, and I have trouble staying on tempo. Maybe my issues are common in older students. Any tips you have for older students would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to perform for money, but being able to play for friends and family would be awesome. Building the confidence to play in front of someone besides my teacher would be a huge achievement.
***correction A6 is the chord for “touching warm” I realized the mistake after upload on the Neil Diamond song!!! 😮
You got the F# haha
“Remember: You’re there to make people happy, not impress other musicians”. Hands down the best reminder ever lol. Well said my brother.
Thanks for the comment. All the best to u
@FrankPersico
You betcha’. Best to you as well. It’s even better than “The crowd loves a cliche”, which is so true. West of the Mississippi I think we’re all contractually obligated to play “Wagon Wheel” lol. Whether we want to or not.
Really dig the “must play” and “never play” series. They’re spot on.
Jep!!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
You are right about Sweet Caroline. I was at an open mic night, and another older guy played this, and the whole crowd came alive! They were singing those iconic parts and having a blast! There were some great guitar players that night who were mesmerizing, but everyone was talking about the old guy who did Sweet Caroline. Gotta give the people what they want!
I just played it last night at a gig. Bar was full of young-ish people and I was playing shit like Green Day. Chili Peppers and everyone was digging it. I said to myself let me try sweet Caroline not being sure how it would go over on the younger audience. They went crazy lol
@@FrankPersico That says it all. Thank you for helping change my perspective. Music is a performing art. It's about them. Excited to learn Sweet Caroline and add it to my repertoire this very day! You are a superb artist.
@@dowaliby1 thanks so much. you will deff. see a good reaction with that song
Take Me Home Country Road - is cherished around the world. Everywhere I go, people love to sing it at karaoke. It’s a true phenomenon.
It sure is …
Great Video! Your humor is only surpassed by the content, only surpassed by your commitment to people and music!
I appreciate that!
this is exactly what i needed. where to dig to spice it up. wow suddenly I m doing what i want to be doing. 😮
Enjoy! Thanks for commenting
You are a good man, Frank...good people. Thank you!
My pleasure
Yeah. Totally agree. sometimes there are songs you don't want to play but usually, the reaction from the crowd is so positive that it doesn't matter. We're there to entertain them and surprisingly some songs can't be overplayed.
Great tips for spicing them up, really love your videos!
Totally!
“Don’t think you’re too cool to play anything” at 8:58. What a great comment that we should all take to heart!
Hahaha 😂 some people didn’t like that I said that
"I believe you are there to make people happy" ... YES!!! I don't enjoy listening to every song that I play, but I can find a way to enjoy playing it, simply because the listeners are enjoying it. "Sweet Caroline" is in my setlist constantly. Always good for getting a crowd to sing along. The other 2 are in my songbook and rotated as needed. The songs I've had requested the most are "Midnight Rider" and "Turn the Page." Great video and tips!
Thanks so much for the kind words and for sharing some of your picks as well!
Thanks for this Frank. Same philosophy I have.... there to make people happy and entertain them.
Absolutely. Things changed once I really started to feel this way … I didnt so much when I was younger
I would agree those are the top 3 I get as well to the point I just make sure I add them to every set list.
Thanks for the comment!
Love everything about your channel. Thanks! I don't comment often so that's really saying something. ❤
I very much appreciate the kind words. Comment as much as I want and any opinions are welcome.
Well presented seminar. “Who doesn’t like “ Brown Eyed Girl”!?!
🙏
I was never wild about playing it, but the instrumental part you showed on Sweet Caroline made the song fun for me!
Cool. Yeah you can’t take it too seriously when u play it lol. Otherwise u won’t want to
Such a cool way to start the intro to Sweet Caroline!
Never thought of using the capo to get that open low E string!
I was playing without a capo and looping the intro chord and playing the riff over it. But I like not using the looper sometimes and quickly getting into the song.
Thanks again!
My pleasure. Thanks for the comment
Excellent video Frank! Love that you show us where to dig and we can grab our shovel and see what we can add to our guitar playing!
Will be definitely adding several gold nuggets found in your lesson. Thanks again!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the comment
So much truth man .. great advice for the youth 🙂
Thanks for the comment. Trying to pay it forward
There we go! Been looking for a proper acoustic cover of Sweet Caroline for busking. Thanx dude! Gonna figure this out now because of you! If they throw me money while I play this I’ll come back and throw you a super like
Sweet! Best of luck and thank you
Frank, I agree with your thoughts as those are 3 songs that when I play get a great audience participation. Thank you for the embellishments.
My pleasure .. cheers
Been playing all three for 25 years myself. You are so right we forget/omit these in shows unless requested. These are Bangers should use them when the crowd doesn't seem involved.
Exactly. We Need to take a step back sometimes
Excellent recommendations (as usual) I remember being on a shuttle bus after a wedding going back to the hotel and people spontaneously broke into “Country Roads” there is nothing quite like that sing a longs are the best! Thank you for doing this 👍
Thanks so much. And I very much appreciate the super thanks 🙏
You hit the nail on the head, if u ou play these songs Everyone will love you !!!😊
👍🤘
Ok ok I’m subscribing after listening to your take on Neil Diamond’s classic!
Awesome. Happy to have you on the channel!! Welcome
Thanks Frank for sharing you gifts and insights, you do such a great job! A few gigs ago "Take me Home Country Roads" was requested by a table (Family?) when I played it many of them linked arms and Sang along with absolute Joy!
Nice. Thanks for commenting. It’s great when people interact with the performance!
I'm a lazy bastard so thank God for the capo (or, more specifically, the person who actually invented the capo). I play 'Brown-Eyed Girl' with a capo on the fifth fret -- that way you can use suspended chords to move around all those licks that are on the record with going to too much effort. Likewise, with 'Take Me Home Country Roads', I could never hit that note in the line... "to the place, I be-LONG', so I've simply shifted the capo down to the 1st fret and I'm sweet. I do more sing-a-long stuff with older people than actual gigs in pubs etc., and they appreciate the slightly lower key too.
I'm in Australia, and yep, 'Country Roads' and 'Sweet Caroline' are must-do songs every single time. Some of the people I play to are in their 90s and they still sing along with every word. Loving your content. Cheers mate!
Hi and thanks for the comment and the input. I meant to mention in the video how all the songs can be transposed to suit your voice via moving the capo but of course I forgot and didn’t realize until I published. This comment is very helpful and I (and I’m sure the other viewers) appreciate it
Tony Rice was one of the most tasteful, innovative, and skilled acoustic guitarists of all time. He often used a capo. Nobody but a fool would call Mr. Rice 'lazy'.
@@jimwing.2178 one of my jazz teachers used always badmouth my capo lol.
@@FrankPersico That proves to me that your jazz teacher is a fool.😀
@@jimwing.2178 To be quite honest it did used to rub me wrong when he did it.
Hi frank really great vids really appreciated 😀🎸
Glad you like them!
Great stuff....I cover these and they're crowd favs for sure....thanks man
My pleasure
Amazing, thank you!!!
You're so welcome!
Great lesson on what our goal is at a gig.
Thank you
I was playing along without a capo handy so I tried playing Country Roads in A with open strings, A9, D9, hammer-ons on the E and F#m and I really like it. I'm going to play it in open A from now on.
That’s great. Yeah deff put it in whatever key is best for you. Thanks for the comment
Frank, you are class mate.
Thank you for your no nonsense professional lore. I did get the sense ye don’t like brown eyed girl that much when ye ramped through the words lol. But more respect for teaching it. And it’s just what I needed. Played brown eyed girl for years and play it occasionally at open mics. But just the chords Your intro and fills with the loop made perfect sense to me. Practising it now. Cheers. Love the other two as well🙌🏻
Much appreciated. Keep up the practice and let me know how you make out and if you have any questions.
Yes, good tunes to play. I did 2 of those 3 songs....Boston Celtics Championship Parade today...My "Little Martin" Guitar in hand and 2 Katana Boss mini amps (tied to my belt)--one amp for guitar other for singing. I went in by train and subway. Funny thing, On the train going in I couldn't get anyone to sing "Sweet Caroline" w/ me--that happens...different story once on the crowded Subway, I got the whole train singing. I also did "Country Roads"...good sing alongs...the women love those songs....also in the repertoire for today was "You are my Sunshine" for the young ladies/ children and women police officers--they like it. Also got a lot of mileage out of "Lean on Me"--everyone knows it. I play those songs well. I had a lot of women said to me today "I love you" --lol
5 STARS!
--Van
P.S. I get quite a few people taking pictures of me...I wear a black cowboy hat, sunglasses and guitar...sang "On the Road Again" on the way home...another winner!
Hey thanks for sharing your story. Pretty cool indeed!
Great advice for open mic in Washington State. The mini guitar in the background is great. I actually make mini guitars as a hobby. Thanks for excellent video. The Guitar Carpenter.
Very cool! I like the mini for traveling sometimes: real easy to get on the plane
Geez you make me want to grab my guitar 😦..but my grandkid asleep next room over..(Marty getting boring 🫢) I’m watching this again this week end..thanks Frank .
Ok so early morning practice lol. Thanks so much for tuning in
Where I am in country NSW, Australia, I often get asked for the same old stuff... Brown Eyed Girl, Summer Of 69, Jessie's Girl, plus Aussie favorites like Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel, Eagle Rock by Daddy Cool, Flame Trees by Cold Chisel... in fact, they usually just yell out "play some Chisel!!!!" I have all those in my repertoire but usually only play them if I am asked, or if the floor is pumping and I want to keep them up.
Nice… thanks for sharing !!
Excellent thank you 👏👍
Welcome 👍
My go-to tunes to grab the crowd: Moondance, House at Pooh Corner, Helplessly Hoping, and a mashup of Evil Ways-Woodstock-Solitary Man.
Thanks for sharing!
Great lesson, easy to follow, full of useful tips, thank you!
You're very welcome!
This is amazing!
Homemade TH-cam at its roots!
Thanks for the lesson!
You're very welcome!
Man, what a find, your channel! I love it, thank you!
That’s great to hear!! My pleasure
Only just discovered your channel Subbed straight away you are truly an impressive guitarist 👍 thanks for the content
Thanks so much and welcome to the channel!! Happy to have u here
Thx Frank. I really enjoy your videos and tips. A couple more good sing along songs, Have you ever seen the rain, by CCR. I capo up to fifth fret and play a C shape chord. And, Chicken Fried by Zac Brown.
Definitely great ones. They will probably find there way into part III. Thanks for sharing
First of all excellent video as always. I started learning Brown eyed Girl and it was a very fun song for me to play but I never finished learning it. Country roads might have been the first song I ever learned on the guitar at least first complete song. I actually went to college in West Virginia so a country friend of mine who's also a great musician taught me it. I'm a special ed teacher in New York City and the kids had a show where Sweet Caroline was one of the songs. The kids went nuts over it.
Oh wow… great story man thanks for sharing… time to finish up Brown Eyed Girl Lolol
@@FrankPersico absolutely
Great vid, you are an excellent teacher
Thank you kindly, I appreciate it!
Hallelujah house of the rising sun
Great picks! Thanks for sharing
Good Video! You made a really good point that I think we (as performers) sometimes forget: our "JOB" is NOT to impress other musicians, it's to entertain!"
Many years ago, when I first started gigging, I worked up fairly complex intros/riffs in some songs. Some of them were quite difficult (for me) and required a lot of concentration. A VERY experienced performer advised me, "Forget that crap, nobody cares. Just sing the song!" ;)
I've sometimes done the "impress other musicians" song choice and the reality is that the audience...except MAYBE for the one or two musicians that might be there - doesn't give a rat's a$$ about that stuff.
Very true they don’t know the difference between easy and hard. They either like it or not. If you can play something technical that is difficult to the point that it is effortless then so be it but very few in the audience know or care. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. Totally agree 👍
The #1 song I always get requested is Free Bird
😂 People love to yell out that one for sure- here in Wi. I think it’s just a joke. ❤
Me too but I never know if people are being serious.. 🧐
I just tell them they should be careful what they wish for and start playing it. Haha
When someone shout free bird, I play Three little birds by Bob Marley.
@@clementineforever Just like everyone in the UP did when I played there. If I’m in the crowd and have already talked to the musician, then I will be the guy yelling “Free Bird” as soon as they are done for the night lol. I think it’s obligatory for the ‘70s child in me.
You’re right, and I do yell it as a joke, but we always found it was actually the best encore song ever. It gave everybody one last slow dance with their girl, and they got to rock out so they were winded and ready to go home afterwards lol. And let’s not forget how much the bar owner enjoys all those extra last call orders and “to go” sales from everyone working up a thirst.
Great videos, thank you for sharing all your experience! In future when making chapters, could you use the actual song titles instead of “song 1” etc? Cheers and best wishes!
Great suggestion!
Very good instruction! You do TH-cam lessons very well!
Thank you kindly!
Favourite : Dream Suite Opus 4 ... Yngwie Malmsteen
lol. 😂 I saw him live at a small club quite a few yrs back. Amazing
Well done Frank!
Thanks so much
Way to go Frank; thank you.
My pleasure
Your song choices are right on... Regarding Sweet Caroline... the ladies like that one (maybe because of the Elvis cover)... Where I am (down south) Happy Together by the Turtles also works great. Lastly, anything by Sam Cooke seems to interest customers... Only Sixteen still connects with the older crowd...
Thanks so much for the additional songs! Maybe I need another video part 3!
Great advice. And a well taught lesson thank you Frank
Very welcome 🙏
Another great video. Thanks I included "Brown-Eyed Girl" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" on my set list when playing for a private party last week. The crowd absolutely ate them up. Wanted to get to "Sweet Caroline", but the clock ran out!
Rock on!
@@FrankPersico I include "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Time After Time" in my acoustic setlists whenever possible. Both are familiar, have a beat, and have a positive vibe. People sing along.
@@kenrothacker thanks for sharing.
your channel just rolled into my algorithm today and you've got a another sub from it 👍 ..
I enjoyed the humour at your intro and didn't mind discovering the 3 songs. Not a single frame was skipped.. I rather enjoyed your candor and very much appreciated the brevity where things are going to be repeated ..yadda yadda ..blah blah ..so to speak .. excellent work!
Welcome aboard! I really appreciate
Great stuff, thanks bunches
Thanks for watching!
I love your channel - glad i found you
Thanks so much and welcome 🙏
I do sweet Caroline and love van Morrison I like hear comes the night as well really helpful vid thanks frank
Glad you enjoyed it
New sub. Solid advice. Entertain, not impress. These are 3 of my goto songs. I have @150 songs in my active set list and move them around to fit current crowd.😊
Thanks for the sub!
Nice job Frank.
Thanks!!🙏
Been playing this for a while but now adding these extras as add some spice! (West Virginia)
Awesome. Great to get ideas from others in this profession… how we all stay inspired :):)
Great! Thank you!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for commenting …cheers
You’re right, I never play sweet Caroline because I think everyone is sick of it, but when I do play it, everyone gets happy. I’ll have to remind myself of that. The intro is better if you add the second and third notes as the riff progresses. You might’ve shown that as an alternative.
Yeah we have to remember they are not musicians just regular “civilians” lol
Great video lesson. noticed Nashville Tele and replica in the back. I make guitar replicas too (my retirement Hobby) and just made the Tele in the background shelf. where did you get yours? Anyway, I appreciate the clear and helpful lesson. Jay the guitar Carpenter.
Hi and thanks for the comment. That tele is a fender 52 reissue I got about 10 years ago from Sam ash here in NY.
Sweet Caroline…
I am learning guitar, our band project is figuring out a set list.
This pops up, while on vacation in Mexico I was out on the street when from a bar I hear Sweet Caroline…the street became alive. I’m not sure if “alive” is the right description. Maybe “Return of the Living Dead” is what I am thinking…
That tune has powers, powerful powers…
Hahaha yes it really does have that effect on people
loved it. thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Margaritaville, take me home, country roads, agree with brown eyed girl
Excellent. Thanks for commenting :):)
Thank you Frank
My pleasure
Thanks for brown eyed girl reminder
For sure
Nice, thanks for making the vid.
Any time!
Very nice mate, my kind of guy! Instant sub!
Thanks for the sub!
Great video Frank. Got a request for you if you deem it something you'd like to help with. Your loop video has already gotten me to start using my RC-1, what I am really having problems with you touched on in this video inadvertently. When showing your double stops over the 'A" (G shape) you looped, here's the problem. Some of us have problems with starting a loop then stopping it mid song and at the end. Many times while stopping my loop I'll end up with just part of the next chord. Stopping to change to a bridge etc.
Thanks so much. I’m going to try to do more loop videos in the future as well.
My eyes rolled as soon as you said brown eyes girl. I get why it's asked for - crowed please. But shit man, I'd sooner play wonderwall
Hahaha I feel your pain.
Good one! Many thanks!
Thank you too!
Sweet Caroline, County Roads, Twist and Shout
Thanks for sharing
Here in Germany you need these four songs: Country Roads, Sweet Home Alabama, Wonderwall, Hallelujah. These are absolute must haves in a Germany based troubadour‘s repertoire......
Pretty much the same here: these songs are universal in appeal … thanks for sharing
und Ze Boxer von Simon und Garfunkel! I played the Irish pubs in Germany for 21 years
So strange that they would want a song like Sweet Home Alabama in Germany. Was this at a military base full of people from the US or a bar full of Germans?
@@ricomajesticGo figure! 🤷🏻♂️ I have no idea how it became so popular. It was popular when I moved here in 2002 and still is.
@@sachachanyan Some creepy twilight zone stuff right there!
The crowd LOVES cliche' ... especially after a few cocktails
For sure 👍
Margaritaville is a song I hate but get ask a lot to play. I have to know it. Country Road is the other one which is fun play. Wonderwall is the song hate the most but I know how to play it just in case. 😅😅😅
All true
Thanks. Your a great help
I appreciate
lol, before you even got to the song I was thinking BEG, my friend owns a few bars in the US and I remember him telling me this is the most played song in all his bars on the jukebox
Something with that song… people love it
Invaluable.
Thanks so much
So practical! Definitely worth a like and subscribe! Btw, what does it mean when people say, to play or sing “in the key of A”? Always wanted to ask…
Thanks so much. When you play or sing in any particular “key” you are basically using the chords and scales that are rooted and based off of that said key. There are 12 tones in music so therefore there are 12 keys tonally speaking. The major scale for instance is build on 7 notes .. if we are in the key of “A major” our tonal center would be A and our diatonic notes are A B C# D E F# G# A
@@FrankPersico Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed answer. I have a pretty decent singing voice, I can accurately match the notes going quite high on a real piano. But practically no experience singing with other musicians. Of course you always hear the singer ask, “Can I have that in the key of…”. Not sure how I would know what key to ask for!
If you add a 4th, I'd say in the last set "Friends In Low Places." Always elicits a sing-along.
Great suggestion. Thank you
Oh god, if I had to play any of these 3, I would give up, especially the first one.
👍
I played a gig introy new york in the eoghties they had a list of songs not to be played. Brown eyed girl was on the list as was Amie. I remember thinking oh crap.
👍😂
Hi Frank, hope you don't mind me hijacking your video comments, but yesterday I played my little four or five song interval set at my local bar here in Brazil. Anyway I started with, for one time only, Hotel California, the idea being my wife would film it and put it on instagram (or whatever she uses) to see if 'you know who' comes a fighting!! Well I started singing and something didn't feel right, halfway through the first verse I realised I was singing the Jethro Tull version of the song that you had pointed out in an earlier video. I thought I would be able to rescue it with the chorus, but no I carried on with the same slightly different tune for the whole song. So I wondered if you have ever accidently sang one song to the tune of another one???
Thanks for sharing. Hmmm I don’t think that situation ever happened to me per se. But I have had my share of “happy accidents” to quote the late Bob Ross..
Thanks for sharing what songs work well with people. I’m just getting into playing solo in public so this is helpful knowledge. I’d like to see a video on how you organize your music- do you use an iPad, what apps, do you scroll while performing, etc? I appreciate what you’re doing!
Thanks so much for the SuperLike. I use the iPad only for the occasional lyrics or of someone requests a song I don’t know I can look it up. The program I use for lyrics is called GoodReader and it’s just a generic PDF reader. Any scrolling is just swiping with my finger between strums…😂
Frank - can you do a video on what you do when a song has a guitar solo - but you’re playing alone? Do you just play the chords of the solo without singing?
Check out this video i made on how to go about looping. And at the end of this video there will be a link to a more basic looping video. I will do more vids covering the subject you mentioned more specifically at some point in the future as well. Using A Looper With Acoustic Guitar -Solo Acoustic Tips and Techniques
th-cam.com/video/MaVNiOyYQTY/w-d-xo.html
I hate when solo guitarists just play the chord without singing. I'm not a fan of looping, either. There are other techniques. Listen to players who you admire.
@@jimwing.2178 thanks for the input.
exactly. people want to hear the hits
For sure!
Sweet songs to play on the road for that brown eye girl
Good tip!
I like to play "i just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in" by willy nelson.
Nice!!
Just now realized that D walkdown in Brown Eyed Girl is identical to Operator lol
I never realized.
Subscribed😊😊😊
Great to hear. Welcome 🙏
Are the Chorus chords on Country Roads G-D-Em-C, G-D-C. Doesn’t come back to the Em the second to time?
That is correct
As soon as you said brown eyed girl I turned the video of. Soooooooo cheeeeeeseyyyyyy
I wish I WROTE that cheesy song. Lol
Wombat!
Number one earthbound by Rodney Crowell, number two Dead Skunk by Loudon Wainwright III, number three Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley.
Great pics … I have t played hallelujah in a minute. Maybe time to bust it out
Thanks!
Thank you so much for the Super thanks. Much appreciated
You are welcome! God Bless!
I found your channel yesterday, and I'm really impressed by your musical wisdom. You are a patient and encouraging teacher.
The crowd does go wild for these classic songs. My guitar teacher told me that he often has to teach songs he doesn't like, but his job is to encourage his students' learning by teaching the songs that motivate them. I don't plan to play in public, but I would like to have the confidence to entertain my friends and family. Even though your lessons appear to be for more advanced players, I'm finding tips that are helpful to me. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 🎸🎸🤘🤘
Thanks for the kind words. What type of videos would you like to see for your level?
@@FrankPersico Thanks for replying. I think you are mostly creating lessons for seasoned guitarists, so I appreciate you considering making some lessons for less advanced players. First, I want to say that I watched a couple of your videos where you talk about philosophical matters. I found your comments to be very thought provoking. More videos like that would be welcomed, too.
I play electric guitar, mostly rock. I started taking guitar lessons in 2020 as an adult learner. My chord changes are slow, and I have trouble staying on tempo. Maybe my issues are common in older students. Any tips you have for older students would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to perform for money, but being able to play for friends and family would be awesome. Building the confidence to play in front of someone besides my teacher would be a huge achievement.