I've been invited to play background music at a fund-raising dinner to be held at our church in November. Being a function of this sort it will be a set menu and I expect everyone to be eating at about the same time, unlike at a restaurant where people come and go all evening. My request is: how much material should I prepare, ie how long should I expect to play; and what advice about breaks? I notice that in restaurants the pianist/etc takes a break now and again, but I've never noticed how long between breaks and how long the breaks themselves are. Any advice?

Thanks,
Mike

Hi Mike, I called that type of job, my practice period.

1-Volume, they are there to talk to each other, so your volume should be just below their conversation. Very important!!

2-Will there be speakers? Do they have anything scheduled beside yourself? Because this type of job is laid back, and normally you are not the main theme, your playing time can be as you feel it. Always study the crowd---you will brief moments of attention, hold on to them.

The lenth of my jobs have always been three hours. I have played the first 1 1/2 hours non-stop. Once I played for 2 1/2 hours non-stop. My choice.

I do enjoy playing my keyboard, especially when there is no pressure--weddings, dance parties, ect. At the end of a three hour I am tired. When I play background music, I do not get tired. I can play whatever I want to play, stop in the middle, adjust what I want, and most of all, enjoy my playing.

So Mike, if the people are responding, play. If you are tired stop. I find it more rewarding to play than to take a break. Normall my breaks are very short.

After having said all of that, the bottom line is have no plan, go in and feel the crowd!!! This is what seperates the fair muscian from the good one. Enjoy what you are doing, they will feel it.
No set rules, just let it happen. Bring enough music to last for 3 hours, why not. If you need it it's there. If not, take it home.

Wow, I got carried away, it's 2:30 AM, gotta go. John C.

Hello,

I just read this topic and I am in the same situation. I will play keyboard , for the first time in public .
I play with a technics kn7000 (ew01.02.03.04) and with two amps roland kc300.
I also play the slide trombone , for already 25 years. I am bandleader off a brassband in Belgium. When I play slidetrombone in public I am not nervous...but now for the keyboard performance...I do have them. I hope they will go away ones I am playing.
Wish me good luck...I will need it.

Sorry for my bad English.

Greetings from Belgium,
Alain

.
When I play slidetrombone in public I am not nervous...but now for the keyboard performance...I do have them. I hope they will go away ones I am playing.
Wish me good luck...I will need it.

Hello Alain, I remember feeling the same way, hoping that I did not make to many erors. There were nights when I went home completely exhausted, I was destroyed. Not much fun!!!

This is what I did and still do. It is personal, but I do believe it has been my helper.

1-On the way to the job, I pray to my God. I ask that my hands be guided, and most of all, that my emotions do not stand in my way. At first I was so suprised that this short prayer made such a difference in my playing--I really don't know why I was surpised.

God + you + your keyboard = Enjoyment.

Enjoy this day, John C

2-You need some of those nervous feeling to play well. It give much of the excitement.


Alain[/B][/QUOTE]

John - many thanks for your valuable advice. I've printed it out and will use it to help me plan the event (and future gigs). I wont treat this as practice though - I practice with headphones on so as not to annoy my wife!

Alain - wish I had all those expansion boards! I'm sure you'll do well with your KN7000. For my situation I'm not planning to use an external amp as this is only for background music. For a previous concert, where I was one of many artists and played only 4 pieces, I plugged into the main sound system which was great.

Regards,
Mike

Hello,

Everything went very well. My kn7000 didn't let me down. Very much appreciation for me and the keyboard;
I loved it...I couldn't stop.

Thanks for the response.

Alain

Mike, I have just read your post, Quote: “I practice with headphones on so as not to annoy my wife”! Now this statement and practice needs a tad bit of thinking. Look at it this way. Before we do, however, I want to compliment you for your thoughtfulness relative to annoying your wife. Very commendable! With that said, let’s think this thing out. If you were to play your KN without using earphones, you say it would annoy your wife. Now that in itself needs some analyzing. You have got to admit that when beautiful music emits from any type of instrument it is wonderful to hear. Soothing to the soul. The lovely sounds emitting from the instrument and flowing into the ear of others is what people pay big bucks to experience. This being the case, I think there is some other factors that needs looking into relative to the annoyance of your wife. Considering this, the lack of musical appreciation could be something lacking in your wife’s training and education for adult life. This, however, is not something that cannot be easily corrected. Many places can be found that will offer classes in music appreciation. Before taking this kind of action I might suggest that an evaluation of the wife's condition be done. I know. I know! I know what you might be thinking. What if her appreciation of music is normal or, heaven forbid, even a tad above normal. Just sit down Mike. Sit down! I myself have gone through the same thing with the wife. Always an outside chance, yes an outside chance that my music really is annoying, grating on the nerves, and not the sweet strains of melodious bliss falling off my fingertips. Now here is where some real down to earth thinking is necessary. If I want to hear my keyboard sound out in all of it’s raw natural beauty and not through a set of ear cans, I must be ingenious. If I want to avoid the remote possibility that it just might be my playing, I have to really start thinking. Mike, I am not one to reserve my solutions just for myself but am willing to share. Yes, share good things with others. Here goes! If earphones keep sound from traveling out, the reverse must be true. They must also keep sound from traveling in. In my business of landscaping, when the men use the chain saw to cut up trees, they use these big yellow things over their ears. So! I gave Ruthie her choice. She could choose those nice big yellow ones or the nice black ones. Women being women, always seem to have something to complain about. The bright yellow color of the one. She liked the black ones better. It was that long black string with the plug on the end that she said would get in her way. Women! But being resourceful I walked over to her sewing basket, found her scissors and cut the complaint off. Put the snips back, walked over to the KN and played away.

And John I want to thank you also for your thoughts. Also God made us in His image and likeness. Creative! Just trying my hand at it!

Grandpa Doug

My solution to the dilemma was pretty simple. I had a new house built with a separate enclosed recording studio. Then we had the rest of the house put wherever it fit best.
Then I bought Jann a 61" Hitachi TV. I then got a set of wireless earphones and hooked into the tv.
Now she is as happy as a clam at high tide. She can go all over the house or yard, and hear her darn tv and never hear a note of my music I am playing LOUD.
The problem came from the fact that Jann and I played Concerts on the road sometimes 5 and 6 nights in a row at church revivals all over the United States for several years, and she eventually got burned out on playing and music. After all she had been playing in her home church since she was a child. The only time she plays anymore is to try out the latest, greatest keyboard I just bought.
Anyway this is a real simple solution to a musical conflict problem. Try it, you might like it
Best to all
BEbop

Come on Big Bucks Bebop. I chase lawnmowers for a living. A new house? It hurt to sacrifice a pair of my old earphones. Ruthie thinks I'm cheep sometimes but I try to impress her she really married a man of thrift.

Grandpa Doug

Well, Doug, I guess it comes down to (a) the difference between 'practice' and 'arranging', and (b) how much practice I need until I'm comfortable with a song.

When I'm 'arranging' I'll often play a measure over and over again, trying different instruments, different Technichord settings, different DSP settings, and so on. I wouldn't inflict that on anyone unless I was trying to sell them on the versatility of the KN7000!

'Practicing' is certainly more pleasant listening, but my concern here is that I may play some of the same songs every night for two or three weeks. If I'm going to play before an audience, eg at our local keyboard club, I always spend some time practicing without headphones as the sound from the on-board speakers is not the same as thru my headphones.

Yes, headphones do stop some sound getting in as well as out, but Elisabeth (my wife) has got used to that. If she wants to say something she comes over to the keyboard and waits patiently. Sometimes she answers the phone and I never heard it ring!

Bebop - Sound-proof room? Now that would be nice.

Mike