Question for Creating a Well-Rounded Set

WowBobWow

When I play gigs I have lately come to roll my eyes at the set list choices I or others made. Staring down at the set list written out a few days before in excitement turns out to be a bore to perform.

Are there any rules for set lists one should know about? For example, rules about keys--going from major to minor, etc. good transitions for mixing in Waltzes and Boleros, etc. starting a set with a ballad or other taboos


I know it takes time to get experience and refine one`s artistic choices but until then I`d appreciate it if anyone would have some good well-rounded sets they`d care to share.

Anything would help, thanks in advance!

--Al

kidtulsa

Hey,

I've found that writing out set lists beforehand can be a little problematic. I like to be able to 'surf the room', as it were -- if it's a dinner crowd, I lean more heavily on slower-tempo and latin numbers, while a loud room or a more attentive audience seems to respond better to the faster stuff. Either way, the audience/situation dictates the song choices. I've found it helpful to work off of a master list of tunes divided up by tempo/style and/or key. My two centimes.

Pete

WowBobWow

thanks for two cents! I completely agree with you, the audience is the big factor. Once I start the set I try to sense whether the crowd is being responsive or not to the songs as best I can.

I try to begin with some upbeat major tunes, then a minor, then get into something to break up the rhythm (like a waltz or bolero), then a few medium major or minor tunes, then some kind of ballad for the end of the set (of course if the night is ending then we`d select some more bombastic showstoppers for closing).

I guess I am wondering if anybody has a bulletproof set list because I haven`t found it yet! (if it indeed exists...)

Thanks again kidtulsa!