What kind of atmosphere does the piano evoke?
To hear the welcoming sounds of a piano being
played live is reassuring to many people on entering
a strange venue.
Live piano music instantly creates that relaxed
atmosphere enabling guests to converse comfortably
without having to raise the voice. Live music
is intriguingly more atmospheric than the usual
recorded music and, to add to the occasion, many
people prefer the wedding pianist to be clearly
on display as guests arrive.
What are the most popular piano styles (jazz,
classical etc) for weddings and why?
The most popular approach is to have a wide repertoire
of carefully selected, relaxing music with which
most people are familiar.
A wedding is a coming together of family and
friends who perhaps, not having seen each other
for years, will want to chat in a relaxed environment,
certainly at the beginning. The music should add
to the occasion by remaining unobtrusively in
the background and certainly below the level of
conversation.
Relaxing, mellow dinner-jazz interspersed with
romantic, popular songs allows conversation to
flow comfortably and proves to be most popular
with wedding parties.
What style of venue and wedding does piano
music suit best?
With the development of the excellent range of
top quality, digital pianos now available there
is much greater flexibilty these days, as the
instrument can be played both outside and inside
as required. (Not all that long ago the pianist
might have been abandoned to play the resident
out-of-tune grand-piano stuck in the reception
area when the guests were all outside.)
The piano is also versatile for civil ceremonies
as the selected music can enhance the occasion
by playing for the entrance of the bride, the
signing of the register and the ceremonial exit
of the bride and bridegroom. This is the one time
during the day that guests really do listen to
the music played!
Finally, it is helpful if some thought is given
to where the piano should be situated so that
for instance, there is sufficent floor space available
to set up the piano and the necessary sound system
required and, that a power lead is available.
The wedding day
From a musical perspective,
the wedding day usually follows this sort of pattern
:
Civil wedding
1. Play atmospheric mellow jazz for the arrival
of guests
Please note that any music with religious
connotations (eg Jesu, joy of man's desiring ,
Pie Jesu, Ave Maria etc.) is not allowed
to be played before / during the civil ceremony
2. Play for the arrival of the bride
3. Play for the signing of the register and the
photographs
4. Play for the ceremonial exit of the bride
and bridegroom
5. Play for the champagne reception prior to
the wedding breakfast. In summer this is often
outside on the lawn.
6. Play mellow jazz and romantic popular songs
throughout the wedding breakfast.
7. For the evening, add a jazz singer or possibly
other musicians (for example, double bass, drums
and saxaphone) for swing / or cabaret band / or
disco.
One cost effective and popular option towards
the end of an evening is to connect your iPod
containing your pre-selected dance music into
the powerful sound system .....and have the best
of both worlds.
TOASTMASTER
From experience, it is well worth considering
a professional toastmaster to ensure the day runs
as smoothly as possible.
The toastmaster always carries spares of everything
from cufflinks to shoe-laces!
| Music on the page
The background music being played is
'Pie Jesu' by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The vocalist is Jenny Maslin.
Jenny is featured under the Jazz band
link at the top of the page
|
| Ave Maria
(Gounod / Bach) vocalist Jenny Maslin. To
hear this, please 'right click' on the link
and 'save target as' to your computer. |
