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I don't like to have down time between songs. I usually go from singer to singer and
don't break for the bathroom etc... I know a lot of you do the same. We all try to get as many singers the oportunity to sing as possible. So this isn't about playing music to take a break. What I am talking about is the dead air between singers while you are waiting for them to make their way through the crowd. Sometimes I interact with the crowd or play a funny sound effect. But I have been considering making a special cd with small clips of popular songs that fade in and out. For example a piece of like Pump up the volume - record just a part of the chorus and have it fade out on the recording. If I do this with a bunch of songs I can always have one ready to go with out digging through discs and finding the part I wan to play.

I'd like to do as many songs as possible. Since I am predominately a KJ not a DJ I need ideas about what songs to use. Could you guys help me out with this project?
It can be funk, hard rock, country - just stuff that keeps the crowd going. Thanks

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Wouldn't your fill-in music of choice depend on the type venue, age of crowd, location preferences for music, etc ?  Dead air, used to be a huge no-no when I was with a radio station, yet is it as big a problem for some of you ?  Interesting post.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I have a computer set up for my rotation program so I added a hard drive loaded with every cd I owned from my dj days (around 800) & ripped them to mp3 & got a dj program (OTSDJ) to run in the background which automatically transitions between the songs (randomly) just like you'd hear on a radio.  I got everything from 50's to 2000+ in all genres - even some cartoon themes.  The place goes wild when the Spongebob Squarepants theme comes on - I actually have to let that one play every once in a while.  No big, it's about a 30-45 second song.
I don't play whole songs or anything like that, it's only for the time between one singer walking off stage & the next one getting up to start singing.  Usually less than 20 seconds max., but it does come in handy when a mistake was made & I have to re-look up a song.  It's also never loud enough to make the audience think that that is what is going to be played, I can still talk over it fine.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I suppose this is one of the things I like about many types of "New Age", and "Ambience", even types of "Acid Jazz"..  You can fade in as well as out of these styles,  and few will know if you are starting from the beginning, middle of the piece, etc.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Lonman - Sponge bob would be awesome - please give me more

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i play buffer music that i fade in as a singer leaves the stage and i fade out just before the next singer's song starts.
depending on the crowd, i play tv show and movie theme songs.  on particularly slow nights, i play "name that show" where the i will buy a beer for the first person who correctly names the theme song.

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All work and no play make Homer something something

I would stay away from popular dance music for in between songs.  People get upset when they start to dance and you cut off the song...Things like the electric slide, macarena, even the locamotion.....We run into that on occasion at the place I go to...

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

,  Up here those would clear out the bar !   Funny how things change according to location.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Why does there have to be any dead air?

1. Use cordless mikes and put the unused mike right in the next singer's hand.

2. Use two machines, so one is always loaded with the next song.   Or use a computer that you can queue up with a list of songs that can be started very quickly.

3. Make the next singer get in line to be ready.

Doubt that would be an easy task at the large venues around here with upwards of 400 people in a congested area where some are seated outside the stage dance-floor area at tables in more sparsly situated areas, even rooms. Around the stage area are just loads of groups, and by-standers knocking around, and clustered, The waitress has to fight her way to the KJ, and the KJ is just protected by his little alcove up on stage.  There's is no place for a line to form.  In these particular places you have a precenium thrust stage surrounded by dance area, and many are seated at tables literally 100 feet away someplace.  How do you tell customers, that if they want to sing, they must stand in line while rowdy kid's are bumping into them, spilling drinks on them ? They'd rather sit where they are comfortable, until it's their turn. Most are lazy, and don't want to leave one of the several bars either until it's their turn.  Many wouldn't.. Some are playing pool, darts, watching one of the 50 Televisions in another room... In a school recital you can do such a thing,  a bar with a mix of ages, and different types of folk ?  Not always easy.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I have been doing it this way the past 13 1/2 years.    No DEAD air ever.

[shadow=red]NO DEAD AIR TIME ALLOWED!!!!     EVER!!!!![/shadow]

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

One more thing, you are right to be concerned about dead air.     It takes away from everything (the mood and the tempo of the night) and I don't think it's very professional looking or sounding.    The biggest objection is the crowd starts to get really loud in the dead air.   Then they are making more noise than usual when you finally get the next singer started.    I think it's pretty ignorant on your part to do that to the singer.    The applause is fading away when my next song starts.    So actually the new singer is getting some of the applause.

When I was a KJ the only dead air was when I wrongly press the wrong button on the JVC triple tray while changing disc.  Oop ,no music sorry man

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

If you're good on the mic, there should be no dead air, on those occasions there is we usually say "This dead air is brought to you by _________", then carry on passing info about shows, specials etc.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

I play music, it's entertaining to the patrons that are not singers. You end up playing whole songs sometimes, but you will have that.

In your situation you might want to play music people don't know like house / techno / drum and bass.

I have very little dead air so to speak and the reason I posted this is to get music ideas for the times I can not prevent it. I do not believe that it is being ignorant, but prepared. Everyone knows who is to sing next because I have a on deck policy, but some people don't care how long it takes them to get to the stage. Exactly the reasons Kappy gave - not to mention they are drunk. Like I said in my post I'm usually entertaining the crowd if someone is taking their sweet old time to get to the stage. I do play funny sound effects which at the most are 3-8 seconds.
I am always prepared and have the next song cued up imediately.
I HAVE A COMPUTER, A SINGLE TRAY AND NOW A TRIPLE TRAY PLAYER.

Geez - I just wanted some fun ideas to do when I cannot prevent dead air.
I love the ideas of using the sponge bob square spants song or tv tunes.
Thank you to the people who are trying to help me and not attack me.

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Babs,

We don't use filler music but I like Lonman's suggestions and have been to places that do it like Lonman does, it works for me when it's done (although I don't have a a problem with some dead air).  Who knows, maybe we will use the suggestions you get here....

We try to fill in the gaps with banter and talking up the bartenders, specials and other things the bar has to offer.  I'm sure we do have dead air from time to time but it's not something to kick ourselves about and I have been to great shows that have dead air, again, not a huge problem to me.  If people are having a good time there is usually more than enough conversation going on that dead air isn't a huge problem....   Hmm, maybe dead air can be a positive thing in that it is certainly noticeable when the singer starts!!!

Anyway, kudos to you for thinking of ways to change up your show and make it the best YOU know how!

Susie

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[scroll]Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean...... [/scroll]

Babs.... ya may wanna try the count down approach for those slow movers.  We announce the next singer .. and if we don't see them immediately moving toward the stage .. we start ... "Babs going once, Babs going twice" .... And usually ... they get their feet moving and are on the stage before we get to GONE.  But.. if not.. they've missed their turn.  Just too many folks waiting to sing ... to waste time waiting.  Now.. we do make the count a little longer.. if we know they are in the bathroom... or outside having a cig .... But even then... our singers know who will sing before them (as you say ... on deck policy) .. so if they choose to cut it close ... they may lose their spot.  Just a suggestion to try something that we find really effective.  :D

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we usually just shoot the slower ones and eat them.  y'know.  thining the herd.  survival of the fitest, etc.   yada yada.......

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