I was practicing in a stairwell at school today and a girl sprung out of nowhere and asked if I wanted to play at her wedding in September. I gave her my name, phone number, and email, but I’m not sure I want to do a wedding. I used to photograph them, and that was stressful. I have a lot of time to practice between now and September, but that’s a lot of pressure. I played her the Miller of Drohan song (Lunasa) off my computer and suggested she might want to just play that as she walks down the aisle.
On top of that, it’s an outdoor wedding, so I’m not sure if the whistle would even sound that good. If she were getting married in a cathedral, or an echoey bathroom, that’d be a different story… not so good for photos, perhaps…
I’ve played weddings. They’ve all gone well. I’ve done this for friends and family and even friends of friend (when the friend played with me.) I did this for free, so folks got what they paid for.
To just play for “a girl sprung out of nowhere”, that would be a whole 'nother matter. This would need fleshed out with her a bit more. How well do you know her? Is she paying you? How much? Does she just expect you to commit to your time and energy and a Saturday because she’s the Bride and all of her dreams should come true? Is this worth your while? Do you like performing in front of people enough to get dressed up to go to a wedding that you have no other interest in attending?
Also, I think you’re right about sounding different outside versus a stairwell. Whenever I have had a friend ask my wife & I to provide the music and they have never heard us, I’ve asked them to come to one of our church services to hear what we sound like and if they decline, no hard feelings. She may want to hear your whistles outside in a wind before committing.
Yes, I’ve also played weddings. I agree with the others … You’ve presented lots of parlous “ifs” here.
Have you played a solo concert before, without flubs, in front of a crowd of people? That is, in effect, what you’ll be doing. It’s a responsibility. To you it’s just a gig. To the bride, it’s an experience she’ll remember the rest of her life.
Whether indoors or out, you may need sound reinforcement. Can you bring your own PA or amp that you’ve tested thoroughly with your whistle setup? Can you handle room acoustics and feedback issues?
If you’re playing outdoors, do you have a Plan B if the wind prevents you from playing the whistle?
If you’re playing the processional, are you able to attend wedding rehearsals prior to the wedding?
If the wedding party change their mind the day before about what tunes/songs you’re to play, can you learn the required songs/tunes on short notice? If they do ask for Mairi’s Wedding (a common request), will you play it?
My first (and only) public whistle performance was not much better. It was cold and my whistle clogged and no sound came out right in the middle of the big whistle solo.
Most of what y’all are saying confirms my earlier suspicions that I don’t really want any part of this wedding stuff, at least until my skills have grown considerably. When people would try to hire me as a photographer, I’d tell them to get someone else if they could afford it. I was good for a small budget wedding, but I didn’t pretend to be great.
I’ve played hundreds of weddings over the last 35 years, it’s not rocket science, but you do have to have the “chops” to be able to play well, and have a fairly large repertoire for those times when you’re playing preservice music for 20 minutes or so. And if you’re going to do weddings as a regular thing you’re going to run into the issue of requests. Some wedding musicians refuse all requests flatly, some charge an extra fee per request. I used to think that charging extra was uncool, but when I think of all the hours I’ve spent researching tunes and transposing them, maybe charging extra is only fair.
Playing a whistle outdoors can be disasterous! Because it doesn’t take much wind to make a whistle flutter or stop altogether. I had it happen at a beach wedding. I had warned the people beforehand that the pipes would be safer (they’re not affected by wind) but they just HAD to have Low D Whistle on “their song”. The inevitable happened and my whistle was fluttering/breaking from time to time, in spite of me putting my back to the wind.
About volume, I usually use an MK Low D and it’s been loud enough for anything. Too loud sometimes, in a medium to small room. But that MK can fill a large Church if you’re positioned right.
Most weddings I’m playing Highland pipes and/or Uilleann pipes but I always have my MK with me and I’ll play a tune or two on it when possible. For my Father-in-Law’s funeral Mass the Priest wouldn’t allow pipes of any sort inside the church so I played 30 minutes of preservice music on the MK.
Most of the weddings for which I have provided the music have been Catholic. At Catholic services, you’re pretty much limited to what is approved Catholic music that is in the Catholic hymnal and a bunch of classical religious music that I know nothing about. I’ve never belonged to a Catholic Church that played that fancy music. Songs we recently selected:
Let Heaven Rejoice.
If Today You Hear His Voice, Harden not Your Hearts (Responsorial Psalm)
I Have Loved You.
I Lift Up My Soul.
Hymn to Joy
Most of the funerals that I have done have been for Protestants in Southern West Virginia. Other than being dear friends with the people, I am not part of their religious culture, I don’t know their songs, so I’ve tried to stick with standards that we all know.
Just a Closer Walk With Thee.
Amazing Grace
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
I’ll Fly Away
Come to the Water (This is a Catholic Song but it’s in the Methodist Songbook, the author’s name just doesn’t have a S.J. (Society of Jesuits) following his name.)
For prelude music, I’ll play “The King of Love My Shepherd is” (that’s an Irish song, I believe), Where Charity and Love Prevail, Simple Gifts (that happens to be the WVU Marching Band Signature Song, so folks recognize the tune but not in the style that I play it and I often get asked what that song was.)
I prefer to play songs that people recognize. I think that helps them enjoy the music more.
At Catholic services, you’re pretty much limited to what is approved Catholic music that is in the Catholic hymnal and a bunch of classical religious music that I know nothing about.
In reality that’s not true at all, I have heard all sorts of music played at masses, I have even seen a half set danced in front of the altar. I have played in the church at the wedding of a friend (I wouldn’t do it otherwise), the parish priest was helpful by signalling when music was needed and I played whatever came to mind. Nobody complained.
I once got an e-mail from an American couple who were (re-)doing their wedding ceremony some october night on the Cliffs of Moher and wanted an Uilleann Piper to play. I told them the Cliffs of Moher mid october around sunset was NOT the place or time to play the pipes as far as I was concerned and wished them the best of luck.
