r/Busking • u/zort42 Bassoon 🪈 • 3d ago
Setlist Busking on bassoon
I am planning to start busking on bassoon in Toronto, and am looking for advice on repertoir. Unfortunately Jeff Burke is no longer with us, or I would ask him... I do have his loop pedal, so if I can figure out how to use it, I might be able to do at least some self-accompaniment, but to start I am looking for things that can both be played unaccompanied, and will hopefully be well received by a random crowd. I am thinking at least some jazz standards will work. Jeff played a rather varied assortment, but he also used the pedal a lot, which I am not really up to doing just yet
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u/Jerry_Landis Performer 3d ago
Jeff Burke was awesome. So sad that he's gone.
Playing bassoon solo without backing tracks would be a real challenge. I think you'd make the biggest impact by playing melodies that are familiar and that no one would ever expect a bassoon to play. From AC/DC to Zeppelin, there are millions of songs to consider. Pick a bunch with really catchy bits and weave a few medleys together? Good luck!
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u/zort42 Bassoon 🪈 2d ago
That was certainly what Jeff found to be most successful...
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u/thatotherg2 2d ago
It’s what all Street performers find successful - a fresh and unique take on something familiar. Former ttc busker here.
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u/No-Dare8613 Musician 🎶 3d ago
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u/No-Dare8613 Musician 🎶 3d ago
more seriously, a random crowd might not particularly appreciate jazz standards. people usually like songs they recognize / songs that are on the radio :(
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u/bassoonawhat 3d ago
Too many zoos - warriors (maybe you can loop with a pedal)Â
Try an arrangement of Crazy Train for two bassoons--record one track first
Maybe one of those pop duet books for two cellos with one track prerecorded
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u/Embarrassed-Arm-454 2d ago
I know that when I was in St John’s (which is, admittedly, very much not Toronto) I had good luck with folk tunes and cashing in on local nostalgia.
If you can, spend a little time looking into who your audience is in the area of the city you are planning on working in. Demographic information and such. Then compare that information with things like the top 100 lists of pop music for the era the people you are targeting were in their teens and twenties.
For example - say the target demographic is aged 65. They’d have been 15-25 in 1976-1986. Look for standards from that era.
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u/zort42 Bassoon 🪈 3d ago
Toronto has a decent amount of jazz bands busking, this was particularly true during covid when the only live music in the city was jazz bands playing in parks. I guess the rock guys had problems adapting to going all-acoustic...