Do's, Don'ts ... and PLEASE don'ts!
Since Karaoke is such a mellow, laid back art, many people aren't aware that there is actually of a code of etiquette associated with karaoke. We assure you that it does exist. Although it's unspoken, it's pretty much universal and applies to every karaoke place you will go. Here are the Do's, Don'ts and PLEASE don'ts for karaoke ettiquette.
Do's:
*Do just get up and sing ~ Even if you're convinced everyone will end up laughing at you. Don't worry about it, just toss back a beer and DO IT! We promise that even if you don't have the best singing voice, you never ever sound as horrible as you think you do, and there will ALWAYS be someone who will sound worse than you. Sure, we might laugh, but we promise it's because your cute and we're laughing WITH you and not AT you. HONEST! If for some reason it does turn out to be a harrowing experience as you feared, hey, atleast you can say you actually tried it, somebody will buy you a drink, and we'll still love you in the morning.
*Do cheer and applaud EVERYBODY who gets up and sings, even if they sucked. For all you know, the sucky one might be a karaoke "virgin" going up for their first time, and it took all the courage he or she could muster to get up and sing. Remember how nervous you were YOUR "first time?"
*Do write out all the pertinant information on your song slip: Your name, the songs name and the song number. The KJ needs all three of these to A) Annouce you properly and B) to find your song quickly and easily. Don't just assume the KJ knows what disc your song is on, because the KJ often has to look through several hundred discs to find YOUR song.
Don'ts
*Don't bring cigerettes or drinks with you onstage while your singing. Dean Martin could pull it off. Frank Sinatra could pull it off. YOU CAN'T! Not to mention is makes the KJ quite nervous to see liquids and a foot long cigerette ash coming so dangerouly close to the equipment.
*Don't keep asking the KJ when your up next. Just relax and kick back with your buds, be patient and wait awhile... Most likely there is a long line of singers ahead of you and your turn will come up eventually. If you've been waiting over 2 hours then it's ok to ask the KJ what's going on, because it's entirely possible you got lost in the shuffle. Just don't get up and nag him about your status every ten minutes. We follow a tight rotation. Most likely you will follow the same person each time you get up to sing. The only time this might change as towards the end of the night and we have new singers in the house and we're trying to fit them into the rotation so they also have a chance to sing.
*Don't give the KJ song slips with different pseudonyms on each one, so the KJ thinks the song slips belong to different singers and you get to go up 5 times more than anyone else. Also please don't put song slips in for someone else, especially if they are not gonna get up and sing.
*Don't ask the KJ why he/she doesn't have a particular song. Every KJ's song selection is different, because each KJ selects and purchases his own disks one by one. It takes months if not years to build a large well rounded karaoke collection. Therefore, you can't expect every KJ to have all the songs you like to sing. That's why you see others bringing there own karaoke disks with them, as insurance. If you do bring your own CD's make sure they are in good condition.
*Don't get up and join other singers on stage if they haven't given you permission or specified that they want a back up singer. This is perhaps THE most serious breach in karaoke etiquette there is. It's THEIR five minutes of fame, not yours, and it's not very nice to go honing in on it, no matter how many beers you've had and no matter how cool you think the other singers and you would sound together. Everyone has their own style. If you think you do the song better, PROVE IT, sing it on another night. Which brings us to.......
*Please don't ask to sing a song that someone else just sang, in effort to HELP him/her or SHOW him/her the "right" way to do it. This is just as obnoxious as actually honing in on the singer. Don't be a control FREAK!
*Please don't ask the KJ to find your song for you. The KJ has alot to do whether he's finding other singers songs or trying to get the shy gal or girl in the corner to get up and sing. There are books throughout the establishment that are easy to read. It only takes a few seconds to find your song, write down all your info and hand it to the KJ.
Please don'ts
*PLEASE DON'T mess with the karaoke equipment or song slip rotation. There is no surer way to piss a KJ off than doing this.
Please don't beat on the mic, yell into, twirl it or use cuss words in the mic unless it's part of the song. You damage the mic, you pay for it and believe me they aren't cheap.
Please don't boo, hiss, heckle or harass the singers. EVEN if they suck. ESPECIALLY if they suck. Why? Well, because the spirit of karaoke is a egalitarian one, and it's not some formal, serious competition to see who can sing the best or sound the most professional. Contrary to popular myth, that's NOT the point. You are just there to have FUN! ANYBODY should feel free to go up, EVERYBODY should feel free to sing what they want and everybody should get applause. Whether you sing like and angel or are completely tone deaf and have vocal cords from hell , hey, it's not the easiest thing to get up on stage and sing in front of a bunch of strangers and make mistakes. Applaud everyone, no matter who they are and if you BOO somebody don't be suprised if isn't as well recieved as you thought it would be and you end up pissing off a large number of people.
*Please don't boo, hiss, heckel of harass the KJ. It may look like an easy job, but it really isn't. Give the KJ a break if they mess up do to simple errors. They're only HUMAN!
Please have fun and enjoy your experience at a karaoke show tonight!!!!