So you want to start busking, but you don’t know where to start? That’s okay, a lot of people who want to be buskers have no idea where to start. You’ve come to the right place, I’ve been performing on the streets of NYC for over two years now, and it’s about time I wrote an article about some of the things I’ve learned in that time.
Here are 5 things you should know before you begin busking:
1) It doesn’t matter what your talent is, as long as it’s somewhat interesting.
2) You’re going to need a hat/case/bucket for tips.
3) Even if you’re not very good, people will still throw money at you.
4) Busking can be a great way to test out new material.
5) It’s easy, once you get the hang of it.
So if you think you might like to give busking a try, read on and find out what it takes to become a street performer!
Yesterday I was chatting to a friend who had just returned from a holiday in Paris. She told me how she and her husband had spent an afternoon watching the street performers in Montmartre. She said it was amazing to see these people with such incredible talent performing for free on the street. They had incredible control over their bodies; making the most extraordinary shapes and balancing in the most precarious positions.
I put this experience down to their years of training. I imagine them as dedicated individuals who have spent their lives studying and practicing their chosen art form. And I wonder why they don’t use their talent to make money by performing in a circus, or at least charging people for watching them perform on the streets of Paris. I then ask myself, would I be willing to work hard enough to learn these amazing skills?
I’m not sure if the answer is yes or no, but what I do know is that there are many skills involved with busking that don’t require you to spend your life studying and practicing a particular art form. In fact, you could start learning how to busk tomorrow. Here are 5 things you should know before you start:
If you are looking to start busking, you might be wondering what is required of you. You may have a lot of questions on your mind such as “How do I get started?” or “What do I need to busk?” and this guide will help to answer some of your questions.
Now, I’m not the world’s leading expert on street performing, but I have been doing this for a number of years now. My name is Jay Foreman and my website is www.jayforeman.co.uk and I’ve made a video series called “How To Busk” which explains everything that you need to know in great detail.
In this guide, we’ll look at five things that you should know before you start busking: where can you busk; how do you get paid; how do you interact with the police; how much money can you make; and what gear will you need?
When you think of buskers, you probably think of the people who sing on the subway or play the guitar in the middle of the city. Some buskers have a set up, like the man on a unicycle who juggles machetes. Everyone has seen a busker at least once in their lives.
Still, not many people know that there is an etiquette for busking. For example, if you’re playing on the street and someone puts money in your guitar case, it is polite to say thank you. If someone gives you a $20 bill for a song, give them some change back to show your appreciation.
Busking is also harder than it looks. While some people may make it look easy, they have probably been performing on the streets for years and have perfected their craft. If you want to be a street performer, here are some things to consider:
1. Make sure you’re actually good at what you do. While this may sound obvious, it’s something that many newbies overlook or don’t take seriously enough. You can’t just go out on the street and perform without any practice—unless you want to get made fun of by passers-by! Make sure that whatever act or performance piece you decide to do is
Over the last couple of years, I have been busking, or street performing around the world. I’ve spent hours upon hours in cities and towns all over the globe playing music for people on the streets. I’ve had some of the most amazing experiences of my life during this time, but I’ve also had some of my worst as well.
I wanted to put together a post that would help anyone out who is thinking about becoming a street performer, or even just someone who is curious about what it’s like.
If you don’t know what busking is, it’s where a performer will go into a public place and perform for voluntary donations (usually in a hat). This can be musicians, magicians, jugglers, comedians…anything really! Most people do it to make money while they are traveling (like me), but there are many that do it full time as their main job!
1. It’s all about the hat!
When you’re busking on stage, you have a crowd to perform for, and you can take their attention for granted. When you’re busking on the street, you have to grab people’s attention. You have to put your hat in front of their feet and make them pay attention.
2. Be prepared to move
If there’s no one stopping to watch you, you need to find somewhere where there is a crowd forming, then get in front of them before they start walking away again. If they walk away while they’re looking at you, they’ll drop some money in your hat as they go by. Don’t be afraid to ask people not to walk between you and your audience – it will be much more effective if people see both you and your hat at the same time!
3. Don’t be discouraged if people don’t stop for long
You’re lucky if anyone stops at all – your average busker will get maybe one person per minute who stops for more than a second or two. That’s what makes busking such an art form – it’s not enough just to be good; you have to be good enough that people want to stop and listen.
4. Busking is
1. Location is everything
The first and most important thing to consider is the location. Bad locations are those that are too quiet, too crowded or too far away from the action. Good locations are those where there is lots of foot traffic, people can stop and watch you perform and there is some kind of public space nearby where people can sit and enjoy the show.
2. Variety is key
You should have a variety of different acts in your repertoire so that you can keep people entertained for longer periods of time. The key is to always make sure you keep changing things up and try to avoid repeating the same act more than once during your performance. If you play guitar, don’t just play one song after another; mix it up by playing different versions of different songs, maybe throw in some covers or even improvise a little bit if you feel comfortable doing so.
3. Timing is critical
One of the biggest challenges as a busker is keeping people’s attention once they stop to watch your performance. You need to make sure that you do something interesting almost immediately, otherwise people will lose interest very quickly and move on without dropping money in your case (which means no money for you!). This is why planning out your set list in advance is essential for