You need to be careful when doing a performance of an hour set, and what I mean by being careful is because of the songs you are going to have in your set. Is very important when choosing the songs for your set because they need to be songs with different tempos, different genres and varieties or if most of them are the same genre, make them sound different. When choosing the songs make sure they are songs you know and songs you enjoy playing.
1. BGryff - Caged Bird (5:00) - A Capella
1. BGryff - Caged Bird (5:00) - A Capella
I've chosen this song to be the first one because it is an original song composed by me and a friend and because I know the song very well. I am guitar player but this is the first song I learnt on the piano. For this song I wouldn't use a full band, a backing track or a accompanist because it is a piano song and having all this, I wouldn't have the audience attention on me, so I would definitely do an A Capella performance.
For being the first full song I know how to play on the piano, 'Caged bird' is the best song choice for me to show off my piano skills, because there is a lot going on the piano, specially if I am doing an A Capella performance because I would have to play the chords and also make the piano sing the melody of the song as I don't have a accompanist with me because this would make the audience focus on the singer and not on the piano.
Caged Bird is about 5 minutes.
2. Bon Jovi - Living On A Prayer (4:10) - Backing Track
For my second performance I would perform on the electric guitar 'Living On a Prayer'. For being my favourite 80s song, 'Livin' On A Prayer' would be the best song to show off my guitar skills because there's so much going on in this piece, specially with the guitar because there is the picking solo in the begging, then the use of power chords in the verses and then when comes to the middle 8 of this piece there's a guitar solo. Different from the first track, in this song I would use a backing track because like I said there's so much going on in this piece that if I decided to do an A Capella or have a accompanist would sound boring, special because it is a rock song. Everybody knows this songs so it is impossible to listen to it and not enjoy it.
Living on a prayer is 4 minutes and 10 seconds.
3. Dar Williams - I Want You Here With Me (3:20) - Backing Track
For my third performance I decided to perform of one my friend's song, and that is because this is the only song from my list where there's no strumming going on on the guitar and the reason why is because there's so much going on already with the other instruments (synthesizer, the keytar and the drums kit) so I will be doing something to show off my guitar skills and I will be using a backing track for this song. To understand the song and know what to do on stage so I can perform it with confidence, was to just listen to it and create some melodic passages, some improvisations on the guitar. This piece is different from the other songs because this is a electronic song, fast tempo and performing it would be good and that's because I would get people's attention with the improvisation on the guitar through the whole song.
I want you here with me is about 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
4. BGryff - Heart Attack (4:00) - Backing track
This is another original song composed by me and a friend and it is another piece where I will be playing the piano. For this song I will be using a backing track which contains electric guitar, drums kit, bass guitar. This is not a piano song but on my performance I will be playing piano and that's because the piano is the main instrument in this piece. Different from the other songs 'Heart Attack' is an Pop Ballad song. Because I will be using a backing track, I will make sure people are focused on me and on the piano because I can't just play the chords of the song, I will also make the piano sing the melody of the song and also do some improvisations to show off my piano skills.
Heart attack is about 4 minutes.
5. One Republic - Counting Starts (4:43) - Backing Track
For my fifth performance I've chosen to play 'Counting starts' and the reason why is because this song is fun specially if I'm using a backing track which will contain electric guitar, synthesizer drums kit and bass guitar and that's because of the fast tempo of it and the good feeling when listening to it. Songs like this definitely entertain people.
The beginning of the song starts with the chorus in a slow tempo but then after few seconds comes the intro but in the original tempo of the piece. As a rhythm guitarist, pop rock songs are my favourites and for being my favourite genre it makes me feel comfortable on stage when playing then, specially this one with the easy chords it gives me space in between to show off my guitar skills.
Counting starts is 4 minutes and 44 seconds.
6. Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River (4:51) - Accompanist
Because I've performed 'Cry Me A River' before but in a band, being confident on stage, learning the structure and the chords for this song wouldn't be a problem because I know all the major, minor and seventh chords of it and for knowing the song very well, it gives space to add some more picking/plucking to give more effect to the piece, for example, using different sounds on the amp or using a looper effect pedals on the guitar. For this song I will be having an accompanist playing the piano for me. Something I will be doing on this performance is to make the guitar sing the melody of the verse or the chorus so I wouldn't just be playing chords and I would have people focused on me and entertained with what I am doing. This is song is different from the others because it is the only song from my list where I am playing seventh chords. Cry me a river is 4 minutes and 51 seconds.
7. Nickelback - Someday (3:27) - Backing track or accompanist
For my seventh performance I will be playing 'Someday' by Nickelback. That is a lot gong on in this piece with the instruments because it has electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, drums kit and the vocals. For this song would use a backing track which will have to contain the same instruments from the original piece or I could also instead of using a backing track I would have a accompanist, and I would probably do an acoustic version of it using a piano and a acoustic guitar. For either options I would use a acoustic guitar, if I am playing it with a accompanist the while the piano is playing the chords of the song I would make the guitar sing the melody of it and for the backing tracking, I would have to use an amplifier and in some parts of the song I would change the sound of the acoustic guitar, for example in the beginning of the song which is the verse I would use an clean sound on the guitar, and when it's the chorus and the middle 8 of the song I would use a rocky sound on it. Because it is a rock song and because I like the song, I can't just be standing on stage I need to show the audience how much I enjoy the song. This piece is 3 minutes and 27 seconds.
5. One Republic - Counting Starts (4:43) - Backing Track
The beginning of the song starts with the chorus in a slow tempo but then after few seconds comes the intro but in the original tempo of the piece. As a rhythm guitarist, pop rock songs are my favourites and for being my favourite genre it makes me feel comfortable on stage when playing then, specially this one with the easy chords it gives me space in between to show off my guitar skills.
Counting starts is 4 minutes and 44 seconds.
6. Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River (4:51) - Accompanist
7. Nickelback - Someday (3:27) - Backing track or accompanist
8. Roxette - Listen To Your Heart (4:44) - Accompanist
For the next performance I will be playing on the guitar and singing 'Listen to your heart' with a accompanist on the piano. In this piece, the vocals and the piano are the main instruments, I will be playing the guitar just to give some support to me and to the piano by just playing the bass chords the piano is playing. Because this is the first song from my set where I will be singing I need to make sure my voice is ready for it, doing some warm ups before the performance and making sure I don't forget what key the song is in are helpful. This song is 4 minutes and 44 seconds.
9. Bonnie McKee - American Girl (4:00) - Accompanist/Vocals
For the next performance I will be doing an acoustic version of 'American Girl' and again I will be playing the acoustic guitar but I would also have two accompanists, one playing the piano and another one singing the song with me. This song is different from the others because people wouldn't just be focused on the instrumentation, they would be focused on the vocals too. Because it is my performance I will be singing most of the song and I will also doing a guitar solo after the middle 8 before coming back into the final chorus. The acoustic version of American girl with the guitar solo will about 4 minutes.
10. Nickelback - Photograph (4:22) - Accompanist
For my next performance I will be doing Photograph by Nickelback which is another alternative rock song by them. For this song I will be using an Accompanist playing the piano for me and I will be playing the acoustic guitar so I will be the an acoustic version of this song changing the arranging of it, using the the chords and key of the song but changing the tempo of it to a slower version. This is another song by Nickelback which is very popular so people are familiar with it and because the song played many times on the radio and other places people know the song, so having the people's attention won't be a problem. This is another song from my set list where I will just have the piano there to give me support because I will doing a lot on the acoustic guitar, for example, using the amplifier to give some effect to the song on the chorus and with the clean sound I will be playing the melody of the song because the use of the accompanist will be just to play the bass chords and to give me support.
this song is 4 minutes and 22 seconds.
11. Zedd - Clarity (5:00) - Accompanist
Different from the original version on this song I will be doing an acoustic version of it, having me on the acoustic guitar and singing and having another guitarist but on the electric guitar and someone to play the piano for me. The idea of having another guitar which is the electric, is just to play the same chords the piano will be playing in the chorus just to give more power when playing the chorus because there will be the acoustic guitar, the electric guitar, the piano and vocal.
Because I will be singing the song, I will have the audience's attention on me and also in the end of the song there is going to be a guitar solo, while the piano and the electric guitar is just playing the chords I will be doing some improvisation on the acoustic guitar to show off my guitar skills.
The acoustic version will be around 5 minutes.
12. Nickelback - Savin' Me (3:39)
13.The Calling - Wherever You Will go (3:27)
Because this two songs are very similar but in different genres, I will be doing an A Capella performance, just me and the guitar supporting each other. The intro of both songs has the guitar picking in the beginning so after doing that, for the verse and chorus of the songs I will just be making the guitar singing the melody of the songs. Because the chords are not hard, I can do some improvisations in the middle 8 instead of just playing the simple chords.
I know both songs very well, the chords, the structure and I know what I will be doing. The are great songs to show off my guitar skills, because the chords are not hard so doing some improvisations wouldn't be a problem.
Because I will be doing some improvisations change the song a bit, they would be around 3 minutes and 50 seconds for 'Savin Me' and 3 minutes 40/50 minutes for 'Wherever you will go'.
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