How Many Songs Do We Play as Cruise Ship Musicians on the NCL Viva?

Inside The Music - my vlog about all things relating to my multi-faceted music career and my life in general.
August 30, 2023
As cruise ship musicians, we have a pretty big job! Our job is to entertain the crowds of guests on our ships - specifically, we are contracted on the Norwegian Viva right now. Some sailings are short, and some are long. Since we perform almost every single night of the cruise, our job is significantly more challenging when we are on longer cruises! We prefer to not repeat songs when possible. We also prefer to perform at our best! How do we handle that? How do we prepare for that? How many songs does it take to perform on a ship?
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davidpaigemusic
www.davidpaigemusic.com
Started Channel - September 26, 2009
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[@JemmyJems]

You guys have done great with expanding your repetoire!!

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Thank you!! It’s a lot of work! You know all too well!!

[@jeffgorham8819]

Love the t-shirt in the restaurant. (But now I have Elliphant playing in my head all day!)

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

My “Music is Life” shirt? That’s David & Stephanie merch right there! You can grab one of your own on our website 😉

[@h5mind373]

Tremendous respect for all the work you do to ensure the guests have a great time!

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Thank you so much! We really do work hard and we want our guests to enjoy their experiences with us!

[@nickbolin604]

Thanks for working so hard to make cruising fun 💃🕺🥳

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Thank you for this!! We really appreciate that!! That’s why we do what we do!

[@JoJo-RDH]

Wow that’s a lot of work! You all do a great job!!! Take some time to enjoy the beautiful places💕 Thanks for sharing!

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Thank you so much! We work really hard and we are also finding ways to ensure we enjoy our time in this beautiful region!!

[@MsCristalin]

You are both awesome and your music makes our cruise and our vacation wonderful, thank you ❤🥰💕🛳🎸🎤

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

That is so sweet! Thank you so much!!

[@nickelliot4301]

I play a 90-minute set once a week at a local hotel and it wipes me out the day after, lol. I salute you!

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

That is awesome! A steady gig is a great way to build up your repertoire AND your stamina! Without hearing you or knowing your background, I can’t comment on what is wiping you out, but I know that you’ll figure out how to safely push through when the time comes!

[@ptulip]

You guys are so good, you can tell you put a lot of work into it!

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Thank you so much! That means a lot!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@VirtusLenon]

This is really helpful! Thank you for sharing this!

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!!

[@VirtusLenon]

I'm feeling nervous already, I''m planning to apply as a cruise ship musician soon, just finished my basic training course

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

You got this!!

[@BG-kq6cn]

Another valuable video I am literally adding new pieces to my repertoire for upcoming cruise ship life as well Nice performance by the way

[@AZ-rg3rf]

7:14 That Alanis Morissette song hit hard! 🔥🔥🔥

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Thank you!! Always a favorite to sing!

[@AZ-rg3rf]

@@DavidPaigeMusic Have you ever performed as a dueling pianist? Could you do it if not? 🎹

[@user-up7os5fw5f]

Wife has great voice , both good , nice act

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

@@user-up7os5fw5f thank you!

[@pmwizard48]

Where do you get your backing tracks?

[@SuffertheFool]

Hey, were you guys playing to backing tracks at the end there? That might be an interesting idea for a video.

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

We sure are! Thanks for watching!! What did you want to know about the tracks? I’m happy to make more videos about them if you’d like. I did a video about tracks before, but it may or may not have covered your questions: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmPWZKmCl7aHoLMsi=eQxvSYMiGIt5EMC8

[@SuffertheFool]

Hey David, thanks for sending me that link. I didn't realize you had already made a video on that topic. I imagine your audience on KZbin is largely people like myself that are considering getting into cruiseline work so I thought I was being helpful by suggesting the video topic but it looks like you're way ahead of me. Keep up the great work. I'm enjoying following you and your wife's journey. @@DavidPaigeMusic

[@lucistheband6540]

GREAT stuff to you and your wife!!! Question. I am considering doing this next year as a solo singer/ guitarist using backing tracks. But....how can your voice handle so much singing? I know you build endurance but a voice has its limits!!! I can see myself doing 3, 45 min sets broken up, no problem..but not 4 hours/day broken up...Also, I would also have to select songs that are not too challenging, otherwise, vocal fatigue comes into play and ALSO, strain/ injury is also a big concern of mine😮

[@stevenponte6655]

I am curious about this as well. When I went on a cruise the piano man guy was singing for hours every night I often wonder if singers change the keys to make it easier on the vocal chords,

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Thank you for checking this out!! Vocal strain is definitely a concern. If we lose our voices, our job is impossible! It’s a combination of rest, taking care of our bodies, and our voices to stay healthy and building endurance. We also make safe song choices for our voices. Well, most of the time! I do love to scream out the high notes lol. The stamina to keep singing that much is a big part of what makes this gig a challenge sometimes.

[@onemanbandindia]

This is interesting! I'm actually looking for a cruise gig. I am a One Man Band, can I connect with you to understand this a bit more?

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Instagram dm @davidpaigemusic

[@givrcanadianrocktributeban6965]

Noice! 🎉I see you grabbed a great selection of Canadian tunes in there too.❤😊

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

We’ve gotten a lot of comments about that from Canadians on the ship recently! So funny! We play songs we like and many of those artists happen to be natives of Canada!

[@givrcanadianrocktributeban6965]

@@DavidPaigeMusic ditto from a dude that played in a Canada tribute band! Beauty eh!😜❤️

[@stevenponte6655]

Another great video. Really interesting as we forget that on a cruise you need more than your standard 3 sets of 45 mins. But you guys nailed it! You could never tell you haven't played those tunes much before. I am curious where you download tracks from? Do you have to pay for them or are they free on the net. Do you have to edit them? btw I just came back from Spain for a holiday, how good is the sangria? I think we tried every different type! Makes me want one now, even though its 9:30am!! ;)

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Thank you!! Our tracks are customized. We buy the stems online and put them together ourselves.

[@JS_bass]

How about the fatigue, how do you manage that issue...it may happen that so many shows make your voices and hands be exausted...is not?

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

I’ve been playing pretty much every day for 24 years. At first I couldn’t play more than a few minutes without my hands starting to cramp or my fingertips hurting, but over time, my hands, wrists, and vocal cords got stronger. I still do get fatigued, but I try to focus on resting my hands and voice in the hours I’m not working. It’s hard sometimes, but most days, it’s nothing more than normal show fatigue. At the end of the show, I’m tired, and by the time I wake up, I’m fine.

[@sanne3763]

Some contracts require every day, no off days at all. 10 day guests. Meaning 350 plus songs... No rehearsals! Pretty crazy 😅

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Very true. Vocal rest is required for any vocalist needing to survive a contract for more than a couple of weeks. We won’t take a contract that doesn’t guarantee a day off each sailing - at the minimum.

[@justinlaygo3367]

What brand of IEm wireless do you use onboard?

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Sennheiser IEMs! Thanks for checking it out!!

[@justinlaygo3367]

@@DavidPaigeMusic thanks mate,hope that we can watch you on live

[@acerolaimmune3490]

Do you get to explore the country whenever you stop?

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Most of the time, we can!

[@manumusic3015]

Do you have any agent when you applied as a musician?

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

Yeah, we do have an agent! She’s amazing!

[@manumusic3015]

@@DavidPaigeMusic, may i know your agent pls? Do they hire Filipino musician?

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

@@manumusic3015 many agencies will hire musicians without bias of their country. Out of respect for my agent, I don’t pass her information to people without having known them and being able to vouch for their musicianship and professionalism firsthand. I’m sorry. However, Google is your best friend. There are many, many agencies that will be more than happy to make money off placing you on ships.

[@evansmusic48]

What a great shame that most cruise lines now seem to book self-contained soloists or duos relying on backing tracks rather than 'live' bands!

[@DavidPaigeMusic]

This is really a closed minded comment. First off, there are 3 live bands on this ship. 1. The theater musicians (drums, bass, guitar, 2 keyboards) - they perform for Beetlejuice the musical, Icons, and some of the guest entertainers. 2. The Syd Normans band (drums, bas, keys, guitar, and 4 vocalists) - they are a house band for a gritty little bar on this ship 3. The party band a 4 piece band whose line up will change based on which band is contracted for the ship. In addition to those bands, there are two duos and a soloist. Both duos use tracks and the soloist on our ship uses a looping station and creative tools to sound fuller. He also uses tracks for certain songs. The point is to give the guests a more full and exciting experience. Tracks help with that. On to my next point, we use tracks that have drums, keys, and bass in them. Stephanie and I sing and I play guitar - so those instruments are NEVER in our tracks. This is not a cop out, it just allows me to play the guitar parts I want to be able to play. If we perform guitar and vocals only, then I’m stuck playing only chords. I am a thoughtful instrumentalist and I prefer to perform the guitar parts that best serve the song. When I play with a rhythm section, I can do that. When it’s just guitar and vocals, I have to play basic chords to keep time, harmonic structure, and to fill the sonic space. We perform with a full band back home in Chicago. The drummer, bass player, and second guitarist do not want to leave their home lives to live on ships for months at a time. We play rock music. Pretty silly if we play big old rock hits with a distorted guitar and nothing to back it up, right? A different perspective on this is that with a track, you cannot mess up. If you are late on an entrance, the track will not vamp while you catch up. If you flip verses that are different in length, you ruined the song. If you come in late, you ruined the song. If you solo too long, you’ve ruined the song. We play over 400 songs per sailing - performing everyday for 3-5 hours, and there is ZERO room for error when playing with a track. What a great shame that you made such a closed minded and uninformed blanket statement.