What’s it all about ?

A short bit of history is here

 

How do I play at an open-mic night. ?

Its pretty much a case of just turning up. (The details of the next session are given elsewhere on the web site)

To make the organisers life easier it is useful that you turn up before it all kicks off, and put your name down to play. (You can also drop us an e-mail (andy@suffolksongwriters.co.uk) and we’ll try out best to hold a slot for you).
 

What songs can I play ?

Pretty much anything you or your fellow musicians have written. The aim of the night is to provide an outlet for local song writing talent .. so we don’t need people playing ‘Angels’ or ‘Mustang sally’. The world is full of karaoke as it is, so its originals only for us.
 

What instruments can I play.

You are pretty much welcome to play anything you can carry in through the door. Generally people play solo or as a duo using just acoustic guitars (It is useful if you can bring your own, but there are usually enough knocking about if you need to borrow one.) but basses, cellos, violins, accordions, harmonicas etc. have all been used successfully in the past.

Its very useful if you can make sure things are tuned before you get up to play. (Having to tune things on stage is stressful for the performer, boring for the audience, and wastes time you could be singing.

Keyboards are OK if you don’t need half a ton of outboard gear and 1/2 hour setting up time to get it all working.

Percussion (tom toms, tabla etc.) is not a problem (unless you can’t play it of course) .. but a full blown drum kit is usually a no no. This is partly because they take a lot of space, a lot of setting up, are a pain to mix, and are pretty much always too loud to fit in with the vibe of the night.

Suffolk Song writers is about showcasing local song writing talent, and it is often said that it is the mark of a good song that it works when played simply.

If you need a full band set up to make a song sound good .. you may well be doing something wrong.
 

Can I just turn up and listen?

Of Course :-)