My very first gig in San Antonio turned out to be a wedding
gig I got through PianoAccompanists.com – a handy site, I must say! It was to be a very simple venture: the singers wanted me to
accompany one song, and also asked if I had my own equipment to bring to the
event. I responded that I had no
equipment, unfortunately, but if they could somehow borrow an instrument, I’d
be happy to do the event, plus a rehearsal scheduled earlier the same day, for
$100*.
They managed to borrow an instrument from the sound guy, and
requested I contact him to ensure I could work with what he had on hand. My requests:
a keyboard with over 4 octaves (his keyboard had 5), a keyboard stand, a
music stand, a sustain pedal and a bench.
He okayed my list, and it was all set . . . I thought.
The event turned out to be an outdoor wedding – and while it
was a gorgeous day, it was windy enough to cause my music to whip around
crazily, occasionally snatching up the sheets and whirling them around the
courtyard with the energy of a manic toddler.
The other issue was the sustain pedal, which apparently was not
among the music swag that was borrowed. Non-pianists
never quite understand how hard it is to compensate musically without a pedal –
and honestly, most pianists don’t know how much they rely on said pedal until
it is unavailable. Its only when one
tries to finger pedal ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring’ (with the rest of the flowing,
legato wedding favorites) that it truly sinks in – that pedal is important.
Luckily, I had solutions for both problems: a spare sustain
pedal in the trunk of my car, as well as scotch tape and monster paper clips,
which attached my music to a binder. Fortunately,
the clips eliminated the need for me to slap the music down continuously with
one hand. The only thing I was not
prepared for were the unnaturally large and bloodthirsty mosquitos gnawing on
my legs and feet. I didn’t have anything
in my car for them, sadly.
Taking this gig into account, and other experiences as well,
I thought I'd put together a list for freelancers who want to anticipate
any and all musical emergencies:
The Pianist Emergency Kit
3 ring binder
3 hole puncher
Large binder clips
Scotch tape
White-out pen
Music stand
Extra metronome
Sustain pedal (something along these lines)
Any list suggestions from other freelancers are welcome!
*I considered this somewhat of a lowball offer. Usually my minimum for a wedding is a $125
flat fee, not including a rehearsal. But
for this case, it was one easy song, a nearby location, 2 hours of my
time (plus I’m still not even sure what is normal in this area, blah blah blah)
