Playing gigs in Beach community

[gena-mcclure]

Does anyone have any ideas about playing (for hire) in beach communities? I live 1 block from the beach and am a busy professional with LOTS going on but I am also a harpist and would like to earn some extra money playing. I DO NOT have a car that’s large enough to accomodate my harp, so my fees would have to cover me renting an SUV or something similar. Any ideas? I love playing and would love to give back to my community.

[jeffrey-mcfadden]

Could you get yourself a reasonably portable lever harp and modify your repertoire to go with it? I’d hate to put a big, therefore presumably expensive, highly technical harp on sand.
Aside from that, from here Atlantic beaches, Pacific beaches, and Gulf of Mexico beaches are all about the same distance, so it’s not an issue I’ll be personally dealing with any time soon.

[Tacye]

Busking can actually be very lucrative – though obviously depend on local ethos and legislation.

[gena-mcclure]

Unfortunately, I’m not in the position to purchase a second harp at this time. I’m building up my medical practice and am looking for a way to supplement my income for awhile. Busking wouldn’t work with a Concert Grand.

[patricia-jaeger]

Gena, the late Daphne Hellman of New York City played frequently in the subway system there, with her Concert Grand. Stories about her busking appeared in The New Yorker and elsewhere.

[Tacye]

I busked a couple of times with a friend playing duets on two concert grands… but my CG is not going to mix with a beach!

[gena-mcclure]

I agree Tacye! Busking can be fun and and an easy way to make extra money…but not close to the sand with all the drunk people around. I live in a college community where drinking is not allowed ON the beach, so they get around that by drinking ACROSS from the beach.

[M Rodgers]

I live in a beach community and have many beach weddings to play each summer. I have a clause in my contract requiring 2 sober men ( seriously) to carry the harp to and from the beach location, as well as requiring a solid, flat, level surface 4×5. I have L&H 15 I use on the beach that I have sealed the bottom with plastic to keep the sand out. So far it has worked well.

[Author]

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