Common Questions
I’ve compiled a list of the more common questions I get asked to help you when booking a wedding piano player. If you haven’t chosen your wedding music yet, you may find wedding music samples (http://www.weddingmusicsamples.co.uk) useful – you can see suggestions of popular wedding music.
I don't have a piano, is that a problem!?
No! Don’t worry, you can still have a piano player at your wedding, even if you don’t have a piano at the venue. All of our pianists for weddings supply a portable keyboard at no extra cost to you. At a small extra cost you can even have a fake “Piano Shell” (pictured), which gives the illusion of a real piano from a distance. This may be more important to you if you choose to have the keyboard in a prominent position e.g. at the front of your ceremony area or on a stage…
Sorry for the slightly bad quality – I took this on my phone at a recent wedding!
Will your keyboard sound like a real piano?
Although some cheap electric keyboards can sound horrid(!), our wedding pianists all use high quality modern keyboards that get very close to the sound of an acoustic piano. As a piano player myself I would struggle to tell the difference in a room of people talking. If you are worried about the look of the keyboard you could hire a piano shell like the one pictured above (this replicates the look of a real piano). The pro keyboards are 88 notes which covers the entire range of an acoustic piano. You can listen to wedding music samples of me playing my keyboard (the classical & pop ones) on my pianist profile. The jazz clips are recorded on a real grand piano.
What will the pianist require?
- Changing room / “Green room” (if possible)
- Refreshments – soft drinks & food appropriate to the time of day (e.g. sandwiches for afternoon / for evening a hot meal is appropriate)
- Standard 13A UK power socket (not required if an acoustic piano is being supplied)
- Parking – most of the time venues have a car park that you can reserve spaces in if you ask the venue (nicely!) in advance, or there may be free street parking nearby. If not, the cost of parking the pianists vehicle in the closest public car park will be added.
How much space do they need?
Typically you will need to allow enough space for about 3-4 chairs. This is roughly the amount of space a keyboard will take up. If you have an optional piano shell, you will need to allow more space – the image gives you a good idea of the space it takes up.
(Piano Shell for Keyboard)
Can you move the keyboard / set up outside?
Yes – although a full size keyboard is fairly large, it normally takes no more than 15 minutes to move it a short distance (e.g. from your ceremony room to your reception area). The keyboard can be setup almost anywhere there is a power supply. Outside is fine, but please make sure the power supply is suitable for outdoor use and that you have arranged shelter from the elements where possible (e.g. a gazebo or garden umbrella).
When will the pianist arrive?
Normally pianists will arrive about 30-60 minutes before they are due to start performing. Setting up a keyboard takes roughly 15 minutes, but you will need to allow some extra time if there are long distances involved moving equipment from the car to the venue. Remember to allow time for any special access, like roof garden, ninth floor of a hotel etc. A lift will be required for most professional keyboard setups – carrying this heavy equipment up nine flights of stairs is near impossible for one person! Most of the time details like this will be organised by liaising with your venue’s wedding organiser in advance.
Can the pianist play suitable wedding songs on an iPod or CD during the breaks?
Yes – most pianists offer this as standard. Simply ask the pianist to bring some background music when you book and they will make all the necessary arrangements. A lot of clients prefer to bring their own iPod with suitable music that has been chosen in advance and plug it in to the keyboard amp or venue sound system. If you want to do this, remember to mention it when you book your wedding pianist.
Can my friend join in!?
Yes of course! All of our pianists are experienced with accompanying vocalists & instrumentalists and are more than happy to do so – please make sure you arrange this in advance to give time to sort sheet music in the correct key, or possibly a rehearsal if required. Please get in touch before you book if you have any very strange requests!
Can my child play chopsticks during the drinks reception!?
No! One thing we do ask is that you help us protect our expensive equipment by avoiding sticky fingers and drinks near the keyboard etc. This can seem slightly rude, but musicians are very protective of their equipment and it’s not nice to stick to the keys!
What songs will you play before the ceremony?
That’s completely up to you. I would normally play light classical music e.g. Chopin, Beethoven etc. or jazz e.g. Autumn Leaves, Girl From Ipanema etc. If you have any special music or song requests our pianists will do everything possible to sort out a piano arrangement just for you. We all understand how important it is that your wedding day goes exactly how you want it to and that the music reflects your style and taste.
Do you ever substitute pianists?
Whilst every effort is made to ensure that musicians aren’t substituted, occasionally it is necessary for us to do so in cases of illness etc. Replacement musicians will always be experienced professionals of a similar high standard.
Will my wedding pianist be heard?
A piano carries very well and is suitable for most events. If your event is particularly large (or at a very large venue) then the pianist can hook up to PA system to help distribute the piano music evenly throughout the venue.
Will my wedding pianist be too loud for us to talk over?
No – if an acoustic piano is used then the pianist can keep the volume to a low level suitable for talking over, using the “soft pedal” found on most pianos where necessary. If a keyboard is used then the pianist has 100% control over the volume, so this is never an issue.
Why do I need to supply food?
When a pianist is booked to perform at a wedding they have to allow extra time for any eventuality – traffic, puncture, bad weather, shut motorways etc. This often means that your pianist will start their day well before you would imagine! If I am booked to perform at say midday-3pm – sounds easy right!? Here’s how it would actually go… I would start to check my equipment about 9am, check over my directions / gig sheet / sheet music, get everything loaded into my car (by this time it’s 10am)… Then allow 2 hours to do a 1 hour journey – just in case! Probably arrive around 11-11.15am, unload, setup ready to start at midday. Then after an hour of performing, with no food for over 4 hours and with 3 hours still left before I’m back home, some food (even just a sandwich) is very much appreciated. I’m sure most people would agree that a hungry musician is not a happy musician, and as silly as it sounds, one sandwich can really make a big difference on the day!
Can we see you play before we book?
Most professional pianists perform mainly at weddings and private events so it is often hard to arrange to bring visitors to these events. Some of our wedding pianists have YouTube videos that you can watch. Also most pianists have audio examples on their web sites for you to listen to.
This is me performing with Nick Pini (double bassist) at the Dorchester:
Adam Hughes Jazz Duo on YouTube »
About the Author:
Adam Hughes is a wedding pianist, web developer and joint-founder of www.LastMinuteMusicians.com, specialising in event planning, e-commerce, development, management and music promotion.
