Karaoke Forums

The worst ones are the ones who will sing like 1/2 of a song and really struggle with it, then turn to you and say they want to do a different song immediately. I'll grant this request if they have just started the song, but once you reach that point of no return, you have to wait until your next turn!!

Otherwise, when people are struggling with a song, I'll just sing along to them off mic and they can usually pick it back up. Some people are just beyond help, though.

I also get plenty of people who act all embarassed and get up there and giggle and can't figure it out and barely sing the song. Then, when it is their turn in the rotation again, they get up and do the exact same thing to a different song. I understand, however, that not only are they still having a great time being up there, even if they aren't really singing, but the audience get just as big of a kick out of someone crashing and burning as they do out of someone nailing a song, if not more, so as long as the vibe is still positive, I think you just have to roll with it!!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

Well Said!

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ROBDOG *WOOF WOOF*

By the way, I run in to trouble myself, on occasion, because I'm often doing new material (for me) with no practice.  When I realize at the get-go that I don't know the song (even if it's just an obscure intro that has thrown me) I'll sit down, immediately, unless the KJ can help.  And, often, they do.  I never ask for a replacement song.  I messed up, it's my problem; it's not the audience's, and not the KJ's.  The KJ, I'm sure, is already queing up the next singer's selection!

But most important, thanks to all of you.  Your comments regarding this topic have been amazingly insightful and I'm copying down everyone for the day I know I will need them.  Please keep your ideas coming.

Eric - your a keeper.

You just reminded me of something else I do. The table of people sitting right in front of the stage is usually my regulars. If someone is struggling with how the song goes and I know they can sing I'll ask everyone in the audience to sing a long to help out. Everyone is so helpful that sometimes the crowd can sing loud enough  to get them through. Then there is always a lot of applause because we can all appreciate that situation.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

I haven't KJed yet for money, but I always appreciate it when a KJ helps me out as a singer when I am singing and can't quite hit that note or remember how it goes.  Journey, the Eagles and Ratt were times when I got help with a high note and was thankfull.

if it gets real bad i generally que my mic to monitor only and softly sing along as a reference.  the audience generally can't hear it and it get's the singer back on track.

if a singer if off key or can't hit the notes he/she thought they could, i usually come on the mic so everyone can hear and make a big joke about how i "accidentally keyed the song up too high and thank the singer for making the attempt to cover my mistake.  i then key it down where the singer can hit the notes easier and restart the song.  now everyone except me thinks it was my fault, which is fine with me.....except a couple of people have figgered it out.

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All work and no play make Homer something something

That brings up another issue. Do you change keys for a singer during the song? There is that lovely distortion of the music when you do it.  
I will do it for people, but do announce the reason the music distorts. Sometimes I find it throws them off more. If it is towards the beginning of the song I will start it over or I'll wait for a music break, so they have time to adjust.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

I've lowered the key 1 or 2 steps, and forgot to reset it for the next singer, and in each case(a male singer)...came up an absolutely nailed the song....no one knew but me........I don't think I would have been that lucky, if I had previously raised the key..........

true, i don't change mid-verse...i should have mentioned that!

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All work and no play make Homer something something

I had this gal that wanted to sing "Come A Little Closer" by Dirks Dentley for the first time the other night. She turned in the slip and asked me to make the song two keys higher for her. She is a real good singer and I knew that this song was in a low male register, so I told her that we should actually set the key a few notes LOWER and she should then sing it an octive higher in her normal, comfortable female register.

She didn't get it and flipped out about it until finally I said "forget it" and gave her what she wanted. Of course, I was correct and she ended up having to sing the song in this bizarre female Barry White voice that sounded awful and silly.

The next time she agreed to do it my way and she nailed it and didn't have to stuggle with the low notes since she was able to sing those notes in her normal register.

Just a tip for you KJs when you have someone with a high voice that wants to sing a LOW song!!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

I'm sorry I wasn't meaning to sound like I thought you were.  :hug:
I was mainly curious If some people choose not to change keys during a song for someone because of the music distorton. I usually try to time it so when I say something over the mic about it like we are making a key change - I do it right when the music changes, so I can try to cover it up with my voice. I hate when people look at you like what is wrong with your equipment  LMAO

Johnny I use to different players - The one I mainly use will automactically change the key back at the end of the song. My CDG player will not. I have forgotten too. I hate when that happens.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

oh, no problem at all, babs!  i didn't take it that way at all.  on the subject of distortion, i've never noticed any distortion at all, either with my JVC player or using Hoster.  i did notice, though that my JVC sometimes resets to zero after the song and sometimes it doesn't.  haven't figgered that one out yet

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All work and no play make Homer something something

not that i'm that good r anything but....
i could never get up without knowing the song, knowing the song and being prepared is what its all about to me...

haveing said that i do screw up alott...l...
and i do love it when they play that game where u have to sing a song THEY pick....thats pretty cool...

but i hear alotta people say,  i think i'll sing this song, and no i have never sang it before but i always wanted to.....huh?  i don't understand that...but thats where all the funs at...listening to it....

am i wrong in thinking this way?  
we have 1 guy that gets up....first time i heard him it was like  OMGGGG, he was really bad,  then i found out he was deaf, so now i feel he's doing a great job singing, and he gets more applause then anyone, as he should i believe, gotta be tuff....and he loves it....

TopherM.  I have had discussions with singers, many times, about how the best approach to dealing with a song that is too high for them to sing is to raise the key.  Few understand that concept and think I'm nuts.  Everyone, of course, assumes if the keys too high, lower it.

I'm wondering if the smartest thing for the KJ to do under those circumstances would be to raise the key without asking (instead of lowering it as requested), rather than debating it?

In my mind it is the same thing as when they insist you turn their volume up and they are already way loud enough. I will just pretend to turn them up and then they say yeah that's great right there.  LMAO As long as I am confident I know what they want key wise I will give it to them. It may not be what they ask for, but it is what they want.

I have on occasion changed the key slightly without telling the person. Some people will strain to sing a song that is to high or low for them refusing to change the key because of some pride thing. It is kind of like a woman trying to squeeze into a size 5 shoe when she wears an size 8.  LMAO I'll tell them after they have sung the song I did it.  Of course I have only done this with regulars I've known for years.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Eric,

One thing you will find is that people tend to get observant at the worst times. I have tried to not raise/lower a key for my wife, or raise it one instead of 2, and she watches the bar on the TV. I have had other people also say "Hey that was 2 down not 4"....

Remember, generally if you raise or lower a key, it will show on the screen.

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Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires!

This is the very reason KJs should know a lot of songs and know how to sing and sing well.   I never cut a song off.   I'll fade it out and if they were really embarrased I won't even say their name.     I just go right to the next singer since they already have the mike.   No dead air, no lost time.      If I know the song, which I do most of the time, I will help.   Yes they appreciate the help.

Sometimes it involves them not finding the song in their key.  So we find the right key and I'll start the song over.  Or it may be a song they thought they knew, but it isn't the song they thought it was.     All part of my committment to quality karaoke and to keep the singers happy and coming back.    If I have to start it 3 times....so what.   Happy people keep me working.     Others in the crowd will see that I can and will help them out if they need it too.     I'm really way to kind..

Now wouldn't stopping a song and re-starting it produce dead air for a few seconds....

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Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires!

Not enough to require a filler music interlude.    I'm trying to get the singer to be able to sing the song in their key and be happy.     It's different than playing filler music because I have to wait for some lygagger to come up after I called them to sing.   Which I don't do.  Or because I only use one machine and have to kill precious singing time.    My next singer is always ready with microphone in hand.

That brings something else to mind.   Ever try to help someone that was so far out of tune, you couldn't begin to help them?    I couldn't find the right note during the entire song.  They were that far out of it.   They were throwing me off.