KARAOKE EQUIPMENT
RESOURCES

KARAOKE ETIQUETTE:

Support The New Karaoke Recruits And Strugglers

 

As with any other creative or performance outlet, feelings can be bruised very easily through harsh criticism. Karaoke performances are going to run the entire gamut from near-professional to tone-deaf. As a singer and audience member, you have an obligation to support those who may not feel supported. Remember your first time. If a brand-new singer struggles through their first song, resist the temptation to ridicule or otherwise disrupt their performance. Polite applause is most appropriate, as well as an invitation to join your group.

 

If you feel comfortable offering advice, do it privately and with considerable tact. Don't overwhelm a new singer with a hundred nuggets of sage wisdom- keep it simple. If their volume was a major problem, address that first. Suggest ways of positioning the microphone to best suit their singing style. Quiet singers may need to hold the microphone closer, or increase their singing volume. Those who threaten to overpower the microphone should be shown the proper way to back off.

 

Most karaoke hosts will do their best to mix a singer's voice up or down to match their volume level, but sometimes this just isn't enough. Once you've addressed one major difficulty with his or her performance, leave any more advice off the table until the next song. No one wants to be barraged with a laundry list of perceived faults.

 

After a few songs have gone by, compliment the singer on whatever improvements have been made and then address any new issues. Also, practice what you preach and avoid the same performance traps yourself.