From first-time karaoke singers to longtime karaoke denizens, everyone can benefit from a few rules that make the experience more enjoyable for most.
These rules are culled from experience as someone who has sung karaoke nearly every week for nine years. They are general guidelines that usually result in making karaoke a fun experience for most people who attend.
Rule 1: Know the song.
Some people who sing karaoke have great voices. Others do not. But you may be surprised to find out that someone who can't sign isn't what some people consider nails on a chalkboard bad. People who know a song well generally want to hear the song sung the way they know. Not doing so drives them crazy.
Rule 2: Never, ever boo.
Just because someone butchered a timeless classic doesn't give anyone license to boo their effort. As many karaoke hosts have said, karaoke is all about fun. More importantly, however, some people get out their emotions in song. And even singers who have the voice of an angel find that it's nervewracking enough to get up on stage to sing.
Rule 3: Do not join someone on stage unless the singer doesn't mind.
For starters, if the host is strict about enforcing the singing rotation, joining another singer on a song without being put in means a person's singing out of turn. People who do this can either be prevented from singing when it is their turn or they can be pushed all the way to the back of the rotation. Secondly, some singers may not mind when other people join them on stage, but some do object. Don't risk offending someone just because a song is great.
Rule 4: Don't put in a song that someone else has sung to show him or her up.
Some people go to karaoke with a burning desire to sing a particular song. Sometimes, however, before they can put the song into the rotation, someone else has already put it in. If that person is butchering the song, don't go sign up to sing that song in an effort to make it a contest. A poster on a now-defunct karaoke message board told a story about someone who did that and then promptly lost the "contest" with bargoers who knew what the person was doing. People who really want to do a particular song can prevent problems by simply asking a singer if he or she minds if you also sing it.
Rule 5: Respect the rotation.
This goes back to Rule 3. After putting a song slip in or signing a list, don't go up and sing into the mic unless the karaoke jockey has announced it's time. Obviously, if someone has put one's name on the song slip, then by all means go up and sing. If the KJ (karaoke jockey for short) is more lax about allowing people to sing when it's not their turn and the singer doesn't mind people joining him or her, that's different. But some people wait several hours to get one chance to sing. If they're newcomers, they may not know who the regulars are.
Rule 6: Don't pester, harrass or bribe the KJ.
Asking the KJ politely once when one's turn is coming up is fine. Asking every five minutes, complaining about the rotation without knowing how the KJ operates the rotation or trying to pay the KJ to bump you up in the rotation are all ways of ensuring that you either don't get to sing at all or your experience isn't an ideal one. Some KJs have said on the aforementioned message board that they don't allow people who pester them to sing at all.
Rule 7: Cheer everyone.
Going back to Rule 2, getting up to sing takes courage, no matter how strong the singer is. Everyone enjoys encouragement, whether it's a singer who can't carry a tune in a bucket or the next Aretha Franklin. Give everyone at least polite applause. If you hear someone do really well, cheer as loudly as you want! Most singers will genuinely appreciate a sincere compliment.
Rule 8: Have fun!
Remember, no one at the bar is going to be on American Idol. No one at the bar is competing for a recording contract. Unless it's a karaoke contest, no one's doing it for money. Most likely, people who get up to sing do so because it's fun. If one gets on stage, one don't have to just stand there and wait for the lyrics to come up. Some people will dance while they're on stage. Some will play air guitar. Those who feel like entertaining people can let loose!
All in all, karaoke is meant to be a fun experience. Observe these eight rules and karaoke becomes a more enjoyable experience no matter who's taking part.
Michael Sarzo - I am a former newspaper editor, having worked as the managing editor of The Prince George's Sentinel from May 2006 until November 2006. In ...
