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Post by souwalker on Jul 10, 2008 2:26:09 GMT
Hi
My friend and I will be doing our first wedding gig next month....nervous!!!
We don't gig too often as we do mainly for the love of playing music together. we did one last month which went really really well. The wedding gig is the second gig we have this year.
Any calming tips and suggestions..?
We're also not a Wedding band, as such too so our style is slightly different
Rgds
Pat
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Post by weegeo on Jul 10, 2008 8:49:24 GMT
Morning Pat,
I hate doing weddings over here it`s a case of them and us lol lol [now having got u more nervous] lol lol My best advice is to go with the material that you know best eg:do all the good cover stuff and ask the bride and groom if they have any favourite song and start with that this normally is a winner after that keep the crowd going with good `bouncy`songs and before you know it the gig is over money in the pocket and on the way home .Hope this helps
regards weegeo
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Post by thingyy on Jul 10, 2008 8:53:26 GMT
Nothing much happens until the grog sets in and that is normaly in the last set.
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Post by steveb on Jul 10, 2008 11:20:37 GMT
Hi souwalker,
I have done hundreds of wedding gigs.
You better off talking to the manager of the venue first and check that you can play what special stuff he may want and come to some sort of an agreement of what you can and can't play.
You will need some dinner music songs or instrumentals or just play very quietly while people are eating and up until the speeches are over.
You will need some sort of bridle waltz, if you don't know a 3/4 song play a nice romantic 4/4 tempo song.
At the end you can play something like 'wish me luck as you wave me goodbye'
If you cover all that you should make it through the night.
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Post by JohnG on Jul 10, 2008 13:20:36 GMT
Hey Steve, I love "bridle waltz" isn't that what the groom wears after the wedding?  You'll need a bridal waltz to play just before that one I guess! JohnG. |
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Post by weegeo on Jul 10, 2008 16:22:41 GMT
lol lol lol lol lucky old groom
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Post by steveb on Jul 11, 2008 1:55:37 GMT
Rolling on the floor....hahahahahahah...Thank you John..I think I need to go back to play school
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Post by weeo on Jul 11, 2008 14:11:08 GMT
Hi Pat
Haven't done a wedding for a while,but,as weegeo suggested, we always ask the bride and groom ,in advance,for their favorite song (usually a slowish one)and invite Mr and Mrs to dance,then the rest of the party
Start with their fave and get another in the same tempo,to play immediately after it .
If you get a few dancing early,the rest will look after itself.
hope this helps,good luck
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Post by nostalgia081 on Jul 29, 2008 21:03:35 GMT
lets find out first of all is it backing tracks ye use ?
or is everything live. i have played a good few weddings on my own with my oky web player full of tracks from waltz to rock pop and country
all made up in sets my advice is judge the crowd for yourself see what age group you mostly dealing with and you know its always the first few bars are the most nerve wrecking moments, after that nerves dissapear, once you have prepared well for the gig be it 2 or 3 hours
make a playlist to co inside with the time you have and try to cover both younger and older generations, have fun hope this helps some of the way
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Post by shyamwestwind on Jul 31, 2008 3:24:05 GMT
Hi Pat
I can well understand how nervous you are .......... I still feel that way after so many wedding gigs !! However I assure you it all works out well and you'll wonder why you ever felt jittery , ever.
All couples are very particular that they should have the perfect wedding -They weave their dreams with all the right music, right clothes, right flowers,right spread, right guest lists, right toast masters etc etc etc (...you know what I mean) . Sometimes their "perfect dream" looms before us like a thick carpeted wall, and it does make us nervous, indeed, but when the hour approaches its all simple and homely and the evening becomes spontaneously delightful song after song after song.
The best approach is to talk to the Master of Ceremonies.Let him decide the programme. Identify the first song the couple wants and a few other requests from them and after that just follow your nose and play your hearts out.
Enjoy yourselves and let us know how it went
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Post by JohnG on Jul 31, 2008 8:34:08 GMT
And remember too how many famous actors and actresses, when talking about their craft, complain of nerves to the point of sickness, especially on first night. And we're talking about some of the most famous. It means you're focused upon your audience and want to put on a good show. Much better than no nerves i.e. "oh well, another gig!" Adrenalin helps you to perform. When I had a "proper" job, for about 7 of the last years I lectured about telecoms for typically 6 hours 4 days a week, and every morning I'd wake with the butterflies in the stomach. A good sign I used to think. A little while before I started, I'd go and talk to the participants and I usually found out that they were normal, decent, friendly people looking forward to learning something. Desperately keen that you'd tell them something interesting. They were "rooting for you". They want you to do well. Just before I began I'd find somewhere really quiet to sit down, close my eyes, breathe out long and very slow through pursed lips. Then take three very long very slow breaths (in through the nose, hold for a few seconds, out through the lips) SLOWLY, think positive "I do this well", put a smile on my face and go and take them by storm. The breathing helps calm the nervous flutter in the voice and with nerves it's easy to overbreathe. BTW I was taught this by an actor. He told me what I did was just another form of acting. You learn your lines but ad-lib them a bit. You are there to entertain an audience ... acting. My first five minutes were always very well rehearsed with backup bullet points in case I needed them, never a script. Thereafter autopilot. I found that, for me, catching people's eye then smiling briefly, no not the lecherous smile, the warm friendly one almost always brought back a friendly smile in return. The feel good factor soon banished the nerves. It works especially well if you make a mistake. "Oops!" big smile, often laughter from the audience, carry on. You'll be fine on the night. JohnG. |
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Post by souwalker on Aug 1, 2008 7:00:01 GMT
lets find out first of all is it backing tracks ye use ? or is everything live. i have played a good few weddings on my own with my oky web player full of tracks from waltz to rock pop and country all made up in sets my advice is judge the crowd for yourself see what age group you mostly dealing with and you know its always the first few bars are the most nerve wrecking moments, after that nerves dissapear, once you have prepared well for the gig be it 2 or 3 hours make a playlist to co inside with the time you have and try to cover both younger and older generations, have fun hope this helps some of the way We play guitar and sing live. Midi backing tracks i.e. drums/bass/keyboard. The bride and groom are about 45 yrs old. Second marriage and will be a small crowd of abt 60 people. It was the bride to be's son who asked us to play at his mother's wedding. Son and I work in the same organisation and know we play alot of 70-80-90 rock songs which is what his mother and possibly crowd would like. John knows the songs we are gong to play as he is helping me to sort out the output volume :-) Thanks John :-) Rgds pat |
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Post by kemo on Aug 18, 2008 10:26:04 GMT
I do quite a lot of weddings over here in Ireland. What I have learned about weddings is that you cannot go wrong with the 60's, 70's and 80's Jiving songs, from Johnny be ggod to the walk of life. One thing that I would say to you is that be prepared for a lot of people wanting to sing. What I always do in that case is just back them using my keyboard as a lot of people cannot sing with midi/backing tracks. you would tend to see people putting in an extra chorus where there should've been a verse if you get what I mean. When you have them on the dancefloor try and keep them there, do not leave large intervals between songs.
Everything will go well don't worry about it.
P.S. It's always quite handy to have a copy of YMCA, Rock the Boat and the Black lace classic do the Conga.
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Post by cptkay0s on Sept 3, 2008 6:32:20 GMT
Hey souwalker - how'd the wedding go? regards Warren  |
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Post by shyamwestwind on Sept 3, 2008 18:26:10 GMT
Hellooooooooooooo soulwalker, do write in with your experience. You did get a lot of good advice - its kind of rude to leave us hanging, dont you think ?
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Post by JohnG on Sept 4, 2008 6:28:14 GMT
Hi guys and gals, (now where have I heard that before? Oh, yes. Eugh. Ppppt.
I seem to recall souwalker saying something on another thread that it had gone well.
Can I find it? What d'you reckon?
JohnG.
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Post by rosybud1956 on Sept 4, 2008 11:51:00 GMT
I can guarantee it will be in the last place you look, John. Ha ha. Hope you can find it. If I spot it I will let you know. Cheers Lyn
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Post by JohnG on Sept 4, 2008 13:55:45 GMT
Yup! Don't you just know it! LOL
JG
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Post by thingyy on Sept 4, 2008 21:29:01 GMT
Hellooooooooooooo soulwalker, do write in with your experience. You did get a lot of good advice - its kind of rude to leave us hanging, dont you think ? You will only hear from him if he needs anything. |
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