Pat,

I would definitely defer to Mac and Notes about their advice on performing, since they both have much more experience than I do performing for diverse audiences.

The exception would be “know your audience”. If you played a faithful rendition of “Fly Me To The Moon” anywhere in WV, you could probably kiss your audience goodbye. If you played a Rock & Roll, Country or Bluegrass version of the same song, they would probably like it, from college students to retirees. Maybe country folks are more open to this type of thing.

Since I lived and worked in NC for a while, … it’s hard for me to believe it’s that different from WV.

Another thing I will say is, ……………If you have to play stuff you don’t like, then why do it? There’s a lot of other easier ways to make money. This just makes “music” another job you may hate. Whatever happened to “being true to yourself” as a musician.

So the question is, do you simply want to be a “paid performer”, or do you have music you want to play because you love it, regardless of the audience size and paycheck?

Just a different opinion and a different way of looking at things. What’s your goal? Money or playing what you like? Either is okay. Both is better.

Bob
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http://soundcloud.com/bobcflatpicke/music-in-the-mountains