What I do most of the time when I busk is play the fiddle. Typically, I play solo, case open, with a big smile on my face...or at least a little smile. Making music should be a joyful experience and it's that joy that I want to share with my audience. Sometimes I collaborate with other musicians. Sometimes these collaborations are planned and sometimes they are very spontaneous. There is a whole community of buskers all over the world that thrive and survive from playing music on the street, in the train station and on city squares circling the globe. Some of us do this full time. Some of us have day jobs and still like to get out and play. Some of us supplement our other music careers.
Generally, I make a patchwork living. I like to teach music and do music therapy type performances. I like to play rock music. I like to play bluegrass. I like to experiment creating new styles of music with talented musicians. I like to play jazz violin. I love to record in the studio. I enjoy writing songs. I like to practice my different instruments. I also don't mind a hard day of work painting, hammering or raking. I believe it's a great learning experience to work at different occupations if you have the chance. Typically I prefer musical jobs, but I've had wonderful days learning about green building from a wise and patient boss in Western North Carolina and solid days of landscaping with a friend under the hot southern sun. It always comes back to my need to make music for people. So there I am, with a burning desire to share my music. I find myself locating a train station, or a town square, or a park bench, or a street corner, or a pedestrian tunnel...I take a deep breath, crack my case open, perhaps bait my case with a couple of dollar bills...tune up the fiddle...then I play my heart out knowing that you are only as good as the last song you played and making each note count and making the space between the notes count even more. I try to connect with people. We are all one. I try to help with the uniting experience. We all have music as a common thread of beauty and expression. Everyone loves music...even tough guys. So with music, and more specifically with publicly performed spontaneous music, we reach out as buskers and begin to dissolve barriers between folks. For an instant, we can help bring people into the moment. Sometime I see people come together in the moment, seeing a little child becoming enthralled with the music. I see people begin to smile or I see their smiles get bigger. I see people become moved. This is why I believe in busking so much. Let's make our lives a little nicer for one another. We all have gifts. Mine happens to be music. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a busker.
Busking is something I started doing in 1996 when I was living in Chicago, Illinois. I've busked in the Windy City; in Madison, Wisconsin; in Aspen, Colorado; in St. Augustine, Florida and in Asheville, North Carolina. For the past 6 months I've had the exhilarating experience of living in the international port city of San Francisco, a busking mecca! There are busking possibilities year round here due to the moderate weather that support a large community of talented street artists and musicians. The Zen of Busking is my attempt to share my busking adventures and the fun and synchronistic events that happen along the way.
As I sit in the Mission District, I realize it is time for me to get back on my busking trail. Rent is not cheap in San Francisco, but it is a magnificent and vibrant city worth working extra hard to live in. I feel lucky tonight to be alive, to live in such a wonderful place and to have the gift of busking to share with my community. Till next time...look out for a busker near you!!!
