Playing at a wedding

Garp · 29-09-2006, 13:28

I got asked last week if I'd be up for playing at a wedding of a friend at church, leading the worship. Sure, no problem I said, I'd be happy to play.

Its her second marriage, and she's having a civil ceremony first upstairs in the registry office, then downstairs in the main hall she's having a small(ish) service for about 50 people where the elder from church will bless their marriage and a few bits and bobs.

I lead worship regularly at church or play as part of the band, so I really wasn't bothered by the idea, its not going to be incredibly taxing and they've already got a fair idea of the songs they want.

Then she asks, would I be able to play a few gathering songs for the civil service. Sure I said, that shouldn't be hard, what are you thinking? Oh love songs, secular stuff. Oh. Okay.
So I start bashing out a few ideas, drawing on my limited knowledge of ballads and stuff (not an area of music I've ever been majorly drawn to.)

Oh boy.

"I love you before I met you" Savage Garden, albeit dropped down a tone or so from the original to put it into normal singing range rather than their freakish contralto range.

"Hero" Enrique Inglesias. No hassles there, already know it.

"Love is all around us" Wet , Wet , Wet et al. My heart sank a little. I despise that song mainly because it is done so incredibly cheesily. "Can you make it non-cheesy?"

I dunno. Can I? Guess I'll be putting in lots of time on this one, I've got to somehow keep it recognisable, and yet not make it so cheesy.

So no electric guitar with weird delay effects, a bottleneck and doing weird swoopy sounds in a desperate attempt to make it sound better then

29-09-2006, 13:28	#1
Garp Preparing more tumbleweed Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hawaii Posts: 6,038	Playing at a wedding I got asked last week if I'd be up for playing at a wedding of a friend at church, leading the worship. Sure, no problem I said, I'd be happy to play. Its her second marriage, and she's having a civil ceremony first upstairs in the registry office, then downstairs in the main hall she's having a small(ish) service for about 50 people where the elder from church will bless their marriage and a few bits and bobs. I lead worship regularly at church or play as part of the band, so I really wasn't bothered by the idea, its not going to be incredibly taxing and they've already got a fair idea of the songs they want. Then she asks, would I be able to play a few gathering songs for the civil service. Sure I said, that shouldn't be hard, what are you thinking? Oh love songs, secular stuff. Oh. Okay. So I start bashing out a few ideas, drawing on my limited knowledge of ballads and stuff (not an area of music I've ever been majorly drawn to.) Oh boy. "I love you before I met you" Savage Garden, albeit dropped down a tone or so from the original to put it into normal singing range rather than their freakish contralto range. "Hero" Enrique Inglesias. No hassles there, already know it. "Love is all around us" Wet , Wet , Wet et al. My heart sank a little. I despise that song mainly because it is done so incredibly cheesily. "Can you make it non-cheesy?" I dunno. Can I? Guess I'll be putting in lots of time on this one, I've got to somehow keep it recognisable, and yet not make it so cheesy. So no electric guitar with weird delay effects, a bottleneck and doing weird swoopy sounds in a desperate attempt to make it sound better then __________________ Mal: Define "interesting"? Wash: "Oh, God, oh, God, we're all gonna die"?