I picked up a wedding gig 2 months in front of the date and everything seemed cool. The bride had found my website which has a huge list of the standards I know. She asked for solo sax; cool I've done that. She also asked that I learn 2 tunes, contemporary R&B stuff, no problem, but very different from what I usually play. I picked up the recordings and started working on them-- melody only so I can pick these up pretty easily and add in a bit of my own stuff.
A few days later she asks if I can get a keyboard player, again no problem for me-- but the ceremony is on the beach and there's no power--that is a problem. I went thru my contacts and found a guy with a battery powered setup, no one else had one. He cancels on me a week later-- picked up a lesser paying gig in a casino, but he's been trying to get into the casino for a year, so he needs to do it. Thanks dude. I'm stressing because I've told the bride I have a great keys player lined up.
I go thru my contacts again and finally find another player with a battery powered setup, but he needs to get off from his day gig and come to the wedding at the last minute. I plan to pick up his equipment and set it up before he arrives. More work for no more pay, great.
With the addition of a keyboard, I'm now working at figuring out the chords for the 2 tunes the bride requested. Lots of dramatic modulations and different parts, not standard song forms, so my work is cut out for me, not being a great chord transcriber. Plus I hate the songs.
I get in touch with the bride via email about a month out just to touch base. She requests more songs I don't know in a style I don't play (more contemporary R&B). Very nicely I tell her I don't know them and a huge list of tunes I *DO* know is on my website, where she originally found me. Might she choose from among them? (I don't tell her that I don't want to spend more time figuring out tunes I will never play again-- for no additional pay.) She emails back asking for some smooth jazz tunes not on my list-- more tunes I don't know in a style I really dislike (no offense intended). I write her back, explaining very nicely that with a day gig I do not have the time to put into learning any more than the 2 songs she requested and that I am still working on learning those. The songs I perform are on my website-- didn't she see the list??
She freaks out... Bridezilla style
I finally worked out with her that I'd refund 1/2 of her deposit and get this gig out of my life. I cannot believe that she didn't realize the type of tunes I play and just assumed that I could play any song!! ***??
I've learned that in the future I need to communicate the genres and styles of music I perform very explicitly. And that I should ask for a lot more deposit $$ and pay to book weddings.
A few days later she asks if I can get a keyboard player, again no problem for me-- but the ceremony is on the beach and there's no power--that is a problem. I went thru my contacts and found a guy with a battery powered setup, no one else had one. He cancels on me a week later-- picked up a lesser paying gig in a casino, but he's been trying to get into the casino for a year, so he needs to do it. Thanks dude. I'm stressing because I've told the bride I have a great keys player lined up.
I go thru my contacts again and finally find another player with a battery powered setup, but he needs to get off from his day gig and come to the wedding at the last minute. I plan to pick up his equipment and set it up before he arrives. More work for no more pay, great.
With the addition of a keyboard, I'm now working at figuring out the chords for the 2 tunes the bride requested. Lots of dramatic modulations and different parts, not standard song forms, so my work is cut out for me, not being a great chord transcriber. Plus I hate the songs.
I get in touch with the bride via email about a month out just to touch base. She requests more songs I don't know in a style I don't play (more contemporary R&B). Very nicely I tell her I don't know them and a huge list of tunes I *DO* know is on my website, where she originally found me. Might she choose from among them? (I don't tell her that I don't want to spend more time figuring out tunes I will never play again-- for no additional pay.) She emails back asking for some smooth jazz tunes not on my list-- more tunes I don't know in a style I really dislike (no offense intended). I write her back, explaining very nicely that with a day gig I do not have the time to put into learning any more than the 2 songs she requested and that I am still working on learning those. The songs I perform are on my website-- didn't she see the list??
She freaks out... Bridezilla style
I finally worked out with her that I'd refund 1/2 of her deposit and get this gig out of my life. I cannot believe that she didn't realize the type of tunes I play and just assumed that I could play any song!! ***??
I've learned that in the future I need to communicate the genres and styles of music I perform very explicitly. And that I should ask for a lot more deposit $$ and pay to book weddings.