New Poll: Hayley playing instruments

[James]

I've levelled things up again between piano and guitar by opting for the latter.

I've seen Hayley perform Sonny a few times at the piano and it's amazing, so it would be great to see what Hayley is like singing with a guitar in hand, especially as a keen amateur guitarist myself.

However, I would agree that these should only ever be a small part of the set, as accompanying oneself on an instrument can limit the choice of songs more and Hayley's best asset is obviously her voice.

Steve - I may be digressing slightly here, but when you mention singers who do other things e.g. act/dance, this implies to me that they have to resort to more than one thing simply because their voice alone is not sufficient to sell records or entertain and so they need another gimmick. Would Madonna's vocal talent have got her anywhere on it's own (say in a pre-MTV age) - I very much doubt it. If Hayley develops the skills to play more songs on piano and/or guitar then I would see that as a bonus, adding to her considerable core talent. In the case of many of your examples, the dual "talents" are necessary because no one part is outstanding on its own and it is the overall package that sells.

(Congratulations on reaching the 1000 posts!

James

[thomas]

Hi all!

I've also voted for the guitar. It's my favorite instrument and it would be great to see Hayley playing the guitar during a concert.

Of course I also love Hayley playing the piano.

Thomas

[Nordly]

I voted fiddle. Why not? It's worth a shot, and might get more North American concerts if she fiddles with a couple of pieces.

And I'm biased. I love the fiddle!

~NL

[Libby]

Apr 29, 2008 16:05:36 GMT Dave said:

Apr 29, 2008 13:39:25 GMT milewalker said:

However, it does need to be said that Josh Groban - who does have several secondary skills, has sold approximately seven times as many albums in a nearly identical genre and in a very similar timeframe.
Jon

Jon, I'd be surprised if the popularity of Josh in the US (and some other Countries) has much to do with his non-vocal skills!

I agree that Josh's popularity is mostly due to his amazing voice. However, I do think his other skills have helped.
Josh's musical endeavors did not begin with singing, but with keyboard and drum playing. Of course, he eventually discovered he could sing, too, and then so did David Foster, and the rest is history.
The songs in which Josh plays the piano also happen to be ones he wrote, and just happen to be some of his biggest hits: Remember when it Rained and February Song.
His fans love it when he plays drums at his concerts during the song "Canto Alla Vita". He did that during both the "Closer" and "Awake" tours. Speaking of which, the Awake CD/DVD is out today!
Josh's acting has mostly been on stage, but his appearance on the show "Ally McBee", singing You're still You, definitely helped, because people wanted to know who that wonderful singer was!

Now, Josh is starring in "Chess", which will be in London on the 12th and 13th.

The fact that Josh is American helps his success, because that gives him a much bigger international fan-base. Most of his fans are American, but his music style and similarity to other international stars appeals to people from many other countries.

So, doing multiple things may help Hayley's career/popularity. However, I think that in some ways it's good for Hayley to stay somewhat unknown, so she can go about her business without being heckled very much by paparazzi. I do think she needs to be more popular in the U.S. so she can tour here more.
I'm glad Hayley's not American, though.

[the28sky]

I voted for the piano. It's my favourite instrument and I really love female voices with the piano.
I think it's a very sweet and melodical duet.

Emil