- Playing for Pocket Change
- An Elevator Has Two Sets of Doors
- Poetry and Art
- I Think of You When You’re Not Here
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- Desna: loved this blog, Natalia..beautiful picture of Rue - & f...
- Rachel: Hi, SawLady! GREAT blog! I live in TX, but my dad lives in...
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- 59th street & Lexington
- busking
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- musical saw
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Apr
14
Video from Times Square
April 14, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Tzachi, the puppet maker, took this video of me at the Times Square subway station (THANK YOU, Tzachi!)
The song I’m playing in this video is ‘Changes’ by Scott Munson.
To download the MP3 of the full song please look at my store bellow.
Apr
7
Is Joshua Bell a good busker?
April 7, 2007 | 9 Comments
The Washington Post published an article about an experiment they did: they got Joshua Bell, one of the best violinists in the world, to play incognito in a subway station. They wanted to see if without the PR he usually gets for his stage performances anybody would stop to listen.
The result was - hardly anybody stoped to listen.
The Washington Post analized it as if it were the fault of the audience, the passers by, for not recognizing such a great musician. I say - it wasn’t the fault of the passers by at all.
The thing is Joshua Bell is a great violinist but he doesn’t know how to busk. There are violinists who are not even close to being as good as he is (such as Jim Grasec or Lorenzo LaRock), yet they get crowds to stop and listen to them. It’s because when you play on the street you can’t approach it as if you are playing on a stage. Busking is an art form of its own. You need to be as good a musician as to audition for any stage gig (the competition over permits is fierce) but in addition to that you have to relate to the audience and be a real people’s person. You can’t hide behind your instrument and just play, with an invisible wall between you and the audience, the way a stage performance is conducted. In busking you use the passers by as if they were paint and your music is the paint brush - your goal is to create a collective work of art with the people, in the space, in the moment with you and the music.
A busker is someone who can turn any place into a stage. Obviously, Joshua Bell needs an actual stage. As a busker one needs to interact with those around, break walls of personal space, and lure people into a collective and spontaneous group experience on the street, in the moment, with you. A bad busking act is when the performer doesn’t make an effort to connect with the audience. Like musicians who play for themselves, not acknowledging the audience, just burying their heads in their instruments.
IMHO that is why Joshua Bell didn’t get lots of people to stop and listen.
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Apr
3
Hair is an Asset of Strength
April 3, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Today was a gorgeous day - finally the sun is shining and it actually feels like spring.
On my way to the subway I saw Luke, the guitar player/singer/songwriter. He was on his way home back from playing at the Grand Central Station shuttle (his favorite spot) and he was going to sit on a bench in the park for a while to catch some sun.
I got to my spot at 11:45 and Raices group was there.
While I was waiting for them to finish I talked with Chill and Bow, the two brothers who sing on the trains. They were just starting their day - they did one round trip on the train and were looking for their third partner, who told them on the phone that he was coming but he hadn’t showed up…
Chill had his hair cut real short. He was looking better (he was very ill recently).
As Raices Group were packing up and I was setting up Edgar told me that in his Inka tradition, hair is an asset of strength. That is why he and his partner wear their hair down when they perform. After we die the body decays but our hair stays much longer than the flesh. Hence - strength.
Edgar and his partner the Crow are going to L.A. for two weeks. The Crow used to play there in 1993 and he said it’s a good city to busk at.
Ming the cellist waved as he walked by, looking for a spot. He sold me his amp a while back (he graduated to a larger one).
Giovani and Sixto stoped to chat on their way to finding a spot to play at. They applied to audition for Music Under New York this year.
At 12:45 the police arrived for their dayly gathering. Today they stood further away from me, but there were many of them - at least 15 cops. As they walked by me after their meeting was over one of them exclaimed “a SAW!”
The guitarist from Andes Fusion came to say ‘hi’ on his way to playing at 14th street.
Lots of tourists out today and parents with kids. There is a spring feeling in the air.
Despite the warm weather (I didn’t even need a sweater today!) the cleaning guy at the station was still wearing his red coat. I told him he should go outside to catch some sun.
The Dianetcs walked by carrying their folded tables and chairs. I’m guessing they were catching the ‘N’ train to 14th street where they like to set up.
The older Chinese guy who plays the hammer dulcimer walked by, hurrying to his spot.
As I was packing up to go home I talked with the Wizard guy (he performs at Central Park). He said he hadn’t slept for 2 days. He will be participating in the Easter Parade this Sunday.
Apr
2
Photo on Cell Phone
April 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Chase took this photo last week on his cell phone:
THANK YOU, Chase!
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by Scott R Munson
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Playing on the Edge |
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A provocative mix of classical, jazz, new age, and rock - original music by composer Scott R. Munson more |
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| Lame Sonore | |
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Changes |
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Hidden Behind Nothing |
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Souvenirs de Paris |
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A Simple Goodbye |
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One River (handbells) |
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Delancey Street Rag (cowbells) |
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Hark! an Angel Sings |
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| Eclectic arrangements of Christmas favorites, includes two original |
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| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | |
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God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen |
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Ave Maria (Bach-Gounod) |
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Ave Maria (Schubert) |
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Peace On Earth |
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Silent Night |
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O Little Town Of Bethlehem |
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We Three Kings |
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Christmas Morning |
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Silent Night - Reprise |
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Jingle Cowbells |
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Auld Lang Syne |
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Hark! An Angel Sings
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Eclectic arrangements of Christmas favorites, includes two original Christmas songs - music arranged and composed by Scott R. Munson more |
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Zubin Mehta, conductor of the Israel Philharmonic.
ALSO....
Please check out my MP3 page where you can listen to me playing the musical saw. You can also download my music there.
Also please check out my website www.SawLady.com
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Feed
Links
- Musical Saw & Bells
- Myspace Page
Be my Friend on MySpace - Natalia’s CD
Buy Natalia’s CD on CDbaby - NYC Musical Saw Festival
Annual musical saw festival which Natalia has founded and directs since 2002 - Posts before 2007
Countries where I have buskered, my Donations Box, Unusual things that people put in my donations box, Foreign Currency I found in my donations box in New York, General thoughts about busking
Busking around the world
