Top Tips For Hiring A Pianist

The pianist is a real jack of many trades. They are suited to all events, including weddings, corporate events, funerals, and birthday parties. They can cater for both large and small groups, keyboard players can even come armed with their own PA system if needed!

Have a listen to some of our pianists on our soloists’ page here.

SPOTLIGHT: Dan

Dan is one of our most requested and versatile pianists, his video should give a good idea of the different kinds of music offered by a pianist!

As your wedding day is one of the most important day of your lives. I always endeavour to accommodate peoples personal tastes in music when playing at their wedding.  This, I believe, adds a personal touch to the occasion and helps make their day as special as can be. It is always helpful for me if I am able to see the guests whilst playing piano as this enables me to gauge the reaction to individual pieces of music with a positive reaction resulting in me being able to follow up with tracks of a similar nature. (Dan)

Repertoire

As the piano can play lots of different musical lines, they deal with both melody and harmony, rather than other soloists who would need to get a group together to fill out their backing harmony. Because of this, they can be very flexible with lots of different kinds of repertoire, let us know if you have any specific requests in mind and we can have a search for the sheet music!

If you have something particularly special in mind, we have an in-house arranger who could write out just about anything specifically for you – drop us an email with your ideas! Have a look at our strings library here to get the inspiration flowing…

Possible musical themes for your event…

Disney

Film scores

80s pop

90s pop

James Bond

Musical theatre

Elton John

Classical hits

Upbeat / chill jazz

The Beatles

Love songs

ABBA

Bollywood

Christmas

Extra considerations

Love the idea of having piano music but don’t like the look of an electric keyboard? A piano shell is your answer! These are portable structures that can be attached to the keyboard to give the look of a baby grand piano. Depending on venue location, a piano shell can be added to your booking for an additional £350, just ask us about the possibilities when you enquire.

Would you like to specify a piano vocalist?

Let us know, especially if you have a specific genre in mind! If so, we’ll need to check specific availability and what extra cost it would incur.

How much space do they need?

This depends on the kind of instrument you are booking – full grand pianos are HUGE (and usually will be provided by your venue as they are do difficult to transport), whereas a normal keyboard is only about 1.5 metres long.


Do they need lights to read the music?

Just enough light to read their music would be ample!

Do they need food provided for them?

No musicians will ever turn down the offer of a meal! If you can provide any refreshment that would be much appreciated of course, but don’t worry if this isn’t possible.

How does set up time factor in?

Our musicians will arrive about 30 mins before they are due to start playing to set up (set up and pack down time is not included in the booking duration). Just make sure someone is around to show them where to set up / leave their belongings.

Can they play with a singer?

Yes! Pianists are well-used to accompanying soloists.

Will they have insurance?

We can provide the musicians’’ PLI (Public Liability Insurance) or PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) certificates if needed – just drop us a note so we know to send it over.

Which parts of my wedding ceremony would they play?

The most important and personal music requests of your whole day will be for the ceremony. Here the pianist would typically play: -

Guests arrival (10 – 15 mins / 5-7 pieces) – optional

Entrance (1 piece)

Signing of the Register (2 pieces, perhaps with an optional 3rd to ensure the time is covered)

Exit (1 piece)

Guests depart (5 – 10 mins / 2 – 3 pieces) – optional

Can they accompany a guest singer?

Yes – pianists are well-used to accompanying soloists! We would need to find the sheet music for the song, in the right key for the singer, and if a rehearsal is needed this can be factored into the booking time (eg. A run-through before the ceremony).

What if they cancel?

The beauty of booking through an agency like us is that we have lots of amazing pianists on our books who we can get in contact with to replace your original player without any change to your booking!

Things we need to know

Does the venue already have a piano you would like the musician to use?

This is really helpful for us to know. If there isn’t a piano it will be no problem for the pianist to bring their own keyboard (and PA system if needed). If the venue does have a piano, it might be worth checking if it has been tuned relatively recently.Does the venue have a piano stool they can provide?

Do you want them to play outside?

If using your venue’s piano do discuss the idea with them, they may not be able to transport the instrument outside. If the booking is for a portable keyboard they can easily set up outside, just so long as they have access to electricity and weather shelter. (Also let us know if they need to bring an extension lead!

Dress code

Usually our musicians will wear smart, all-black but let us know if you’d rather a different dress code.

Is there access to parking?

If they are bringing their own instrument then yes they will, as close to the entrance as possible would be ideal!

Now you have all the information you need, what are you waiting for?! Drop us an enquiry and get your pianist booked in!