Ritchie’s Newsletter
BUSKING
Any musician would say that busking is a unique experience.
A free Gig for all!
I clearly recall the first time I tried busking.
I had performed scores of times in public, however, busking initially for me felt uncomfortable,
until I became fully accustomed to its unique atmosphere.
After a few times, it seemed to be the most natural way to perform; to essentially play impromptu
music to the general public.
My observations from the people that walk by were:
– eye contact for those curious enough to wish to relate to the musician
– some people smile
– women being generally more reactive than men, probably because women are more intuitively
inclined towards natural emotional contact than men
Almost all infants and young children stopped and starred, wanting to attentively listen to the
music, until they were reluctantly pulled along by their parents. Children automatically adhere to
their natural instincts; musical sounds that have their roots in the universe; they have yet to be
conditioned by society, with it’s rules and social customs.
Most people would be aware of the behavioural and observations of the general public, in a
common environment, perhaps influenced by group mentality, when they’re exposed to renowned
music.
An interesting study was carried out as a social experiment many years ago, outside a busy
cosmopolitan train or bus station in a prominent world city.
A well known performer was busking, playing a renowned classical violin solo – beautiful music
free for the general public. The previous night the violinist had performed at a famous music
auditorium, accompanied by a symphony orchestra, playing the same music, where the public had
to pay hundreds of dollars for a seat to attend the concert.
Observations from this busking experiment were generally:
– most people carried in with their hurried schedule without so much as a sideways glance
– some (obviously trained or educated musicians) did stop momentarily to listen to what they
obviously knew was world class classical music, but their schedule demanded that they didn’t loiter.
– most children did stop, trying to pull the arms of their parents/guardians to wait and listen to the
beautiful music.
To quote an old Arab proverb: “Nothing is what it seems”.
Busking is free music for all.
