Articles Miscellaneous

Choosing Musicians

If music be the food of love…

Music plays a crucial part in the vibrant celebration that is a great wedding. Harpist Helen Radice talks about her work and offers advice for couples everywhere on how to hit just the right note.

Music has always been at the heart of weddings, from the bride's processional to dancing at the reception. Along with the type of ceremony, venue, décor and reception, it distils the ideas and atmosphere that you want to put across most at your wedding. Like all of the above, the choice is endless, and, again as with everything else, it needs to be just right on the big day.

The first thing you want to know when you book musicians, of course, is how good they are. If you can be sure you are engaging a competent professional, you can sit back and relax, because they will be able to handle everything else, advise on suitable music, learn new things you would like, organise additional players for you, and other matters musical.

Good professionals usually possess a well-produced demo, an efficient contract system, nice comments from previous clients, easy channels of communication (i.e. they return your calls and emails, and send out demos and contracts promptly). Find out what they will do if they break their arm and can't play - they should organise somebody else for you for the same fee. Do not panic if this happens - we aren't going to suggest somebody who isn't good, because at the end of the day, it's on our head as well as theirs if they fail to deliver.

Book your musicians as early as possible - especially during the "wedding season" of April - September. If the musician is booked, ask for their recommendations. We always have a lot of phone numbers we can pass on!

As important as early booking, of course, is the choice of music. Any musician worth their strings will have a neatly typed playlist to help you decide. Don't be afraid of pieces you don't recognise, particularly with classical musicians. Many harp pieces sound absolutely wonderful at weddings! It's always a delight for the musician to see a client taking an interest in their instrument's specific repertoire and I for one am always happy to meet for a consultancy or even play things down the 'phone. If you have booked a professional, it is safe for you to leave the choice of works up to them - but I think it is often worth taking time to discuss it in more detail, because of the lovely possibilities that you would not have known before. Discussion also avoids confusion - so if you want Latin Jazz, you don't end up booking a Big Band, for example.

I play the harp at weddings up and down the country. It's an unusual instrument as instruments go, but is much loved for weddings. I think this is because it's quintessentially romantic, with a beautiful, ethereal sound and elegant looks. The music that suits it best is equally good for weddings, from soft cascades of notes to triumphantly ringing chords. It also reads the same music as a piano, which means that arrangements of favourite songs, hymns, pop tunes and so forth work well. A harp is neither so soft that you can't hear it nor intrusively loud, and goes well with other instruments like flute, or violin. The harp is surprisingly practical for such a romantic instrument, too. It can go where a piano or larger ensemble might not fit, and copes with all aspects of a ceremony from a traditional processional, to songs chosen by the couple, to background music at the reception. And, of course, its very rarity adds a special focus to an important day.

À propos of being clear over what style of music is going to be played, I think it's also worth considering appearances too. I check with the couple if they have a particular colour scheme (so I don't clash!), if they want or don't want me to wear black, etc. If you have strong views on dress, let the musicians know about them, although any musician should turn up smartly dressed as a matter of course (classical musicians will usually turn up in tuxes/evening wear, unless told otherwise).

Be kind to us - it really helps to make the performance. No good musician will make more fuss than they absolutely have to at your wedding, but the following make us feel warm and fuzzy inside: somewhere to put our cases and get changed; a cup of coffee; a glass of water (or champagne…). Parking spaces are Good Things. Get a realistic idea of how much space the musicians will take up. Make sure any sockets or special requirements the musicians may have can be accommodated. If we're to play outside, work out what is to happen if it rains. Tell us how long you think it will take to drive to the venue.

And finally…where to find the musicians in the first place? There are a lot of excellent agencies and individual websites on the internet. Alternatively, look in the yellow pages, in wedding magazines, ring up local music colleges and ask if your venue knows anyone. Ask any musicians you may know. Wedding fairs are often a good chance to hear the real thing. At the end of the day, ask as many questions as you need to, especially if you like the idea of something a bit unusual, but don't as yet know so much about it. The musicians want to achieve the perfect style as much as you, and the more information we have, the easier that is.

Article published with the kind permission of Helen Radice - Harpist
(Click here to visit her site)
(Click here to e-mail Helen)