Aaah, karaoke! It brings to mind people singing in bars who really should not be singing, usually encouraged along to the stage with the help of alcohol. The music can vary, but usually, the song is well-known and either the original singer has been removed from the music or their singing has been reduced to a much lower volume so the new singer can sing along with the music. The music starts, the lyrics come up on the TV screen and the singing begins for better or for worse!
The word karaoke comes from two Japanese words meaning empty and orchestra. Karaoke started in Japan and then spread to the rest of eastern Asia in the 1980s and from there has spread worldwide. It is enjoyed in many countries worldwide and has many fans. One common myth is that karaoke means "tone-deaf" in Japanese, but that is not true, even though in many cases, it often can be applied to those trying to sing along with the lyrics on the screen.
The way people karaoke is different in Asia and the United States. In Asia, a karaoke box is the most common way of being involved in karaoke. A karaoke box is a medium or small-sized room that contains karaoke equipment and is a place where groups can rent the space for a specific amount of time. In this regard, those who decide to partake in karaoke are only making a fool of themselves in front of a group of friends instead of a bar full of complete strangers. In China, the generations mingle in traditional Chinese restaurants. At these restaurants they have mahjong-karaoke rooms where the older folks can play mahjong and the younger crowd can have fun with the karaoke, although it probably ends up being a lot louder than your typical mahjong game. At least the younger folks will not complain about being bored as often!
In North America and Europe, usually you go to a bar or restaurant and they happen to have karaoke equipment that you can use. Some places offer it every night while others specify certain nights during the week as open mike night for karaoke. Usually it is free to karaoke, since the bar or restaurant expects that they will make more on food and drinks with the increased patronage. One other interesting point is that the popular show American Idol is basically a glorified national karaoke contest.
If you're looking for your own karaoke equipment, you can find equipment and special music all over the internet. You can even download karaoke music for use at home. These days you don't even need extra special equipment to make your own karaoke CDs and have your own karaoke party at home!
Karaoke is fun for many people. For others, they may feel like fools, but hopefully they're having fun. Karaoke may not be for everyone, but it can at least be fun to watch, as other people sing well, horribly or are just plain funny and bad at it.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Guitars
