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Eugene
Portman
on piano
Before you carry on, turn up the sound on your computer and click on play in the box on the right. Then read on...
At one time I used to consider it a novelty if I had to play the piano for a wedding; now, there seldom seems to be a week when I don't have at least one to play for. One thing that has become more and more popular, is the civil wedding ceremony and I think that this is the reason that I am booked for more and more each year. The advantage of having a jazz pianist, jazz trio, duo or any other live musician is that they can provide the music for the ceremony, drinks reception and the wedding breakfast. If you are thinking of hiring me or anyone else to provide wedding music, then the only thing that you really need to concern yourself about is your choice of wedding music for the ceremony. You can, of course, leave the choice up to the musician or musicians; but try and give them a guideline. If you don't want to pick each piece of wedding music for the proceedings then just try giving a style of music or maybe a composer. If you are thinking of having classical music for the ceremony, and jazz or something lighter for the rest of the proceedings - then make sure that the musicians you hire are comfortable with the styles that you have in mind. I was classically trained (as most professional pianists are) so traditional wedding music isn't usually a problem. Also, take note that for a civil ceremony you can have any music you want as long as the title or lyric does not have any reference to religion.
The civil ceremony has four main part's as far as a musician is concerned and they are:
| If you are thinking of hiring a jazz trio, duo or quartet to provide your wedding music - click Here |
1) The gathering of the congregation.
2) The Procession
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Amanda Joy - Original Ink Drawing Of Your Marriage Church |
The gathering of the congregation.
The gathering of the congregation speaks for itself really - I just play music while people
gather and seat themselves. This section doesn't really have a time span - so when a couple does select wedding music for this part of the ceremony, they must accept that either: I won't be able to play all of the chosen piece or pieces, or more frequently I will have to play extra music of my choice.
The Procession.
The next section is the entrance of the bride and traditionally this is carried out to Wagner's Bridal March. Although most people stick to the Wagner; you can have any music you like. The one thing you must consider when looking an alternative is that it doesn't take long for the bride to walk down the aisle. I think that it is wiser to stick to the Bridal March.
The signing of the register.
There never seem's to be a problem with this part. A piece of up to five minutes is usually fine and anything goes really. I suppose that if you did choose something that was too long there would come a point when I would have have to stop playing but the piece would have to be excessively long.
The recession.
This is where everyone leaves the place of the wedding ceremony and traditionally this was always carried out to Mendelssohn's Wedding March. In this day and age wedding couples seem to request everything but the Wedding March. Anything seem's to be appropriate for the recession and there isn't a problem with the length of the music. As soon as the last person has gone; I finish.
Here is a short list of classical music that I play for weddings.
Drinks Reception
That's it! The ceremony is over and you can start the celebration.
After the ceremony everyone usually starts making a lot of noise. They have so much to say because they've had to keep so quiet throughout all the serious bit. I usually play through this part and I usually find that for once I don't have to worry about being too obtrusive.
This is the bit where I provide the entertainment while everyone is eating and chatting. Most of the time I just go with the crowd: I play mellow dinner jazz if they are quiet and more lively stuff if they start making more noise. One of the most important things for me as a jazz pianist in this situation is to be aware of whether my music is interfering with the conversation of the wedding guests. If it is; then I'm doing something wrong. For most weddings I play the piano right up to the speeches and that's where I usually finish. I do however, occasionally carry on after if there is a gap between the end of the speeches and the start of the evening's entertainment. All weddings are different and at the end of the day it is up to you and what you would like me to do.
I suppose about half of the weddings I play the piano for have the ceremony in a church. This means that I often just play for the reception drinks before the meal and the wedding breakfast. Occasionally I'm involved in the evening's entertainment - especially if they require a jazz singer, jazz trio or quartet. Everyone's requirements are different so please don't be afraid to discuss any special requirements with me. First of all if you fill out the form here - I'll be able to give you a quote. Alternatively if you don't like filling out forms, you can email me here and give me any relevant information that way.
| If you need help with the music for the ceremony then have a look at the following pages: Classical music I've used for ceremonies
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My availability as a jazz trio, duo or quartet.If you are looking for wedding music that is a little bit different from the usual function band or DJ; then a jazz trio, duo or quartet playing tasteful mellow jazz might be the answer. Click here for more information. Please fill out the form for a free quote here
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Telephone: 01342 835394
Mobile: 07939 024944
Address: 'Semper Fidelis', Wiremill Lane, Newchapel, Lingfield, Surrey. RH7 6HJ or 2 Kendall Green, Worsbrough Bridge, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 6TT
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Here Are The Areas I will Cover
COUNTIES IN ENGLAND: Avon, Devon, Isle of Man, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight, Northants, Surrey, Berkshire, Durham, Kent, Northumberland, Tyne, Wear, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Cambridgeshire East Yorkshire Leicestershire Nottinghamshire West Midlands, Cheshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, West Sussex, Cleveland, Gloucestershire, London, Shropshire, West Yorkshire, Cornwall, Hampshire, Manchester, Somerset, Wiltshire, Cumbria, Herefordshire, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Worcestershire, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Staffordshire, Wirral.
COUNTIES IN SCOTLAND: Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh, Galloway, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, The Highlands, Dumfriesshire, Fife, Midlothian, Stirlingshire, West Lothian, East Lothian, Glasgow, Perthshire, Strathclyde.
COUNTIES IN WALES: Cardiff, Flintshire, Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Gwent Powys, West Glamorgan, Ceredigion, Gwynedd, South Wales, Wrexham.
CITIES AND TOWNS IN ENGLAND: Bath, Barnsley, Bedford, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Birmingham, Blackburn, Blackpool, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Burton-On-Trent, Bournemouth, Cambridge, Carlisle, Canterbury, Cheltenham, Chester, Chesterfield, Coventry, Crawley, Croydon, Derby, Dover, Durham, Eastbourne, Exeter, Folkestone, Gloucester, Guildford, Harrogate, Hereford, Huddersfield, Hull, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, Luton, Maidstone, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Norwich, Northampton, Nottingham, London, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Runcorn, Warrington, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Shrewsbury, Stoke-on-Trent, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Swindon, Telford, Torquay, Winchester, Windsor, Worcester, York, Southampton.
CITIES AND TOWNS IN SCOTLAND: Aberdeen, Dumfries, Dunfermline, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Gretna Green, Inverness, Kilmarnock, Oban, Perth, Stirling.
CITIES AND TOWNS IN WALES: Cardiff, Caernarfon
(Caernarvon), Colwyn Bay, Swansea, Bangor, Caernarfon, Newport, Rhyl, Tenby.