Many couples are not entirely sure which songs to choose for their ceremony and ask me for my recommendations. My first question to them is, “do you prefer Christian, Jewish, Celtic, Folk or Modern music? The answer to that question really helps to narrow down the repertoire. I only had one couple that said “let’s do them all”. That was truly a fun wedding!
I thought it may be helpful for couples and musicians alike to have my top ten requested songs. Here they are in order starting with the most popular.
Did your favorite wedding song make the list? I would love to know! “Wedding Ceremony Music: The Top 10” author: Suzy, violinist and founder of Vogue Violin www.vogueviolin.com
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Your wedding has been planned months ahead of time, but what about a surprise change in the weather? There’s always an option for everyone to BYOU (bring-your-own-umbrella), but what about the musicians? Most musicians state in their contract they will not play in the rain because it may damage their instruments or equipment.
So, what’s a person to do? The best solution is to have a good back up plan in place for all kinds of weather. Here’s what to consider:
“Outdoor Wedding? How to Plan Ahead for Unpredictable Weather” author: Suzy, violinist and founder of Vogue Violin. www.vogueviolin.com The North Bend Jazz Walk last Saturday was outstanding!!! I highly recommend for you to catch it next year in 2017. The cost of the ticket was well worth it, $20 - $30 depending on age. Admittance was easy, 1) pay the entry fee, 2) put on the wristband and 3) away you go! A big applause to all the jazz musicians and people that organized the event. There were 31 bands that performed at 20 different venues located in downtown North Bend. You had to keep moving to hear them all, which I did not succeed at, whew! The evening started out with pre-shows from several high school bands. And...I must say, I'm quite impressed with the Mount Si High School Jazz Band. I searched YouTube for a clip and found a nice performance they did last year. Thought you may enjoy it below. Okay, I agree that playing music with 6 or more sharps may be something to avoid. But today I’m talking about staying clear of sharp objects. Yes, sharp objects! You may not realize how important your fingers are until you have an accident and cut one. Unfortunately, I had a mishap a couple months ago while trimming a bouquet of flowers with sharp scissors. Call me majorly distracted but whoa, it happened. I won’t go into details but it wasn’t pretty. Playing with a cut finger can be difficult, but if this ever happens to you, try drafting tape. Yep, good old-fashioned drafting tape. After trial and error with Band-Aids, scotch tape, rubber thimbles and wax coatings, drafting tape worked the best. The outer coating of the tape has just enough texture to prevent your finger from slipping; and the thickness allows for accurate placement. Perfect! The drafting tape works best after the initial healing period to help soften the blow on healing nerve endings. So…Beware of Sharps my friends and have fun playing! “String Musicians Beware of Sharps” author: Suzy, violinist and founder of Vogue Violin www.vogueviolin.com
Have you ever wanted to know an easier way to memorize music? Me too! Check out this super-easy and less frustrating way to memorize music by color coding. Here’s what you do:
1. Color coding: Begin by stepping away from the music stand and make a fresh copy of your sheet music. Next, grab a handful of different colored pencils; 5 or 6 colors should handle the task at hand. Now, take a good look at similar music patterns such as repeating themes, variations of the theme, improvisation sections, show off sections, accompaniment sections, etc. Select a different color for each section type and start marking up your music! If you want to take it a step further, name each color A, B, C, D, E… Step back and look at the color patterns. Wha-la, you have a color coded memorizing machine in place! 2. Mark your calendar: Schedule one week (or a few days) to learn 1 or 2 colored sections (such as blue and green the first week, yellow the second week, orange the third week, and so on). 3. Ready, set, repeat: Make it fun by beginning and ending each practice session by singing or humming your piece in its entirety along with a YouTube video. No cheating here, do not peek at your music during this exercise! Remember to memorize only one colored section at a time, easy-peasy. Rehearsing steps:
4. Good to go: Hooray, you’re ready for your performance! Have fun and if you have a hiccup, just do a little improvising and catch up with your next colored section, no one will even know. "Memorizing Music the Easy Way - Color Coding" author: Suzy, Violinist and founder of Vogue Violin www.vogueviolin.com |