The Wedding Pianist

I have recently been described as something of a 'GP' for music. What the person meant, I think, was that I don't specialize in one type of music. For a Wedding Ceremony I might be playing some classical music, for the Reception it might be jazz and for the Wedding Breakfast I could be playing requests stretching from Charlie Chaplin's 'Smile' to Coldplay's 'Clocks' with something from every decade in between.

As for my own taste in music, the things I'm involved in say a lot. Weddings (I'm currently booked ahead for over 35), writing my own material (some of which couples choose for their Ceremony), arranging songs (usually for weddings again), accompanying weekly rehearsals for Brewood Singers, playing with a four-piece band in Birmingham, playing as part of a jazz trio (percussion and singer), and then on top of all this continuing to receive personal tuition under Anthea Podmore mainly within the classical sphere.

My educational achievements are principally a PGCE in music and a Performance Diploma (Dip LCM) in classical music. I have a minimum of 2 hours playing-time to offer in the following strands of music:

• Pre-war melodic jazz (Gershwin, Ellington, Cole Porter)
• 'Rat Pack' (mainly Sinatra)
• Film themes and Musicals (too many to mention!)
• Love Ballads and Classic pop
• 60's and 70's pop songs (Beatles, Beach Boys, Elvis)
• Jazz standards (Misty, Blue Moon, My Funny Valentine)
• Contemporary songs (e.g. Katie Melua, The Corrs, Norah Jones)

Add to this a selection of Classical music plus music I have written myself - it all combines to create a musical 'menu' of choice which is considerable.

I'm very fortunate to be able to make a living doing something I really enjoy. Music is a very special thing - art meeting science, the language of emotion - and it poses a continuous, lifetime challenge which for some reason I seem to want to take up. For weddings I see my role as creating atmosphere and enabling couples to express their own personality in the music I play for them. So . . . . . there we are!

All photos are coutesy of www.murrayphotography.com
The cartoons have been drawn by my wife Charlotte XXX