In our last lesson, “To Theme or Not to Theme,” we established that a unifying theme in your act is not necessary but often makes the decision of which songs to include a bit easier. In this lesson we explore some of the things you should consider when constructing your set list, whether it be theme-based or not. 

Determine What You Want to “Say”

First and foremost, you should decide on the message you want to deliver to your audience. Songs that speak to you personally will usually be easier to communicate to an audience, so start your song search by reviewing the songs you already know. However, proper research will often uncover new songs that match your chosen theme or message perfectly.

Do Your Research

A certain level of effort and creativity are required to fashion each cabaret set list. Thumbing through your piano sheet music collection and listening to music in your CD library are good places to start. An Internet search is also an excellent way to uncover new songs that fit a chosen theme. If you want to focus your search to piano accompaniment sheet music that is currently available, try our Advanced Search for “Singer Pro” titles – add “keyword,” “artist/composer,” or “style” criteria to your search to further focus your results.

Structure Your Act Like a Piece of Theater

A cabaret act should be like any good piece of theater … with a beginning, middle, climax, and an end. Good theater also has variety. Vary the pace of your set by mixing up the tempo (e.g. slow ballads, up-tempo, etc.) and style (e.g. Pop, Jazz, Broadway, etc.) of the songs in your set list. While you are “on stage” you have to be interesting; we’ll explore creative ways to add variety to your set lists in our next lesson.

Script Your Patter

Your material and patter should be interwoven; both are part of the theatrical piece you are creating. As they say in cabaret, you can sing any type of song as long as you justify it. That is what the patter does. Your story itself can dictate the order of songs, but often the patter that you script will suggest a different order. We’ll discuss scripting patter in more detail in our “Patter” lesson.

Practice Your Set and Edit Accordingly

Typically, cabaret sets are roughly an hour in length, consisting of 12-15 songs. This accounts for the songs, patter, and applause. Practice your set, complete with patter, to confirm the length. If it is too long, you may need to cut some songs. Also, you might find that some of your chosen songs just don’t fit the venue of your living room. For example, a big show tune that needs multi-piece instrumentation behind it is often difficult to pull off in an intimate setting. Practicing your set will help you decide which songs “work”, and those that don’t.