"It was never really an ambition as such, more of a happy accident."
I played piano for years before I started performing at weddings. It was predominately at home because I didn’t quite have the courage to play live in front of people. I’m not sure why – maybe I thought I wasn’t good enough. One day, I was doing some cleaning work in Radcliffe-on-Trent where there’s a bar called The Piano Bar. I was working with my wife, and while she went to take a break I went in and thought, ‘You know what, just pluck the courage up and ask the waitress if I could play the piano they had there.’ I played one song when the manager came out of the back and asked me if I wanted to play. I was dumbfounded because I didn’t think I was good enough. That was fifteen years ago. I ended up getting a regular booking to play there every Saturday, which I did for about three years. That gave me the confidence to become a wedding pianist.
It was never really an ambition as such, more of a happy accident. I’d played for so long without having the courage to perform live. I remember telling my tutor at the time that I felt nervous, but he couldn’t understand why. I was just worried that I was going to mess up. He advised me to buy some busker books and go from there. I bought three of them – which I still have – and just worked my way through them. It was great, and the reception from the people listening was fantastic. It’s all easy listening, you know, it can’t be anything too loud or brash – more ballads and evening music. I know classical music, even though it’s not my key area of expertise, but I can play a really wide range of songs.
I started playing at some events, including performing in the Market Square where the lions are, and one thing basically led to another. I found my feet and started feeling okay, and made a website advertising myself as available to perform at weddings.
You feel a great sense of pressure performing at someone’s wedding. You’re sitting at your piano, all the guests waiting, and you start playing as the bride walks in. They’ve specifically asked for a certain song and you’ve got to absolutely nail it. The thing that minimises that pressure is a huge amount of practise before. You might think that practise isn’t going to work that directly, it does though, because the moment when you need it most, it just kicks in and you get it right.
On one occasion, the bride hadn’t decided what she wanted to walk down the aisle to, and they just asked me to choose something. I picked Annie’s Song, which I played when the bride and groom came down the aisle. The only saving grace is that the aisle was quite short. It was a lot of pressure to choose that, because it’s a memory that they’re going to have with them for the rest of their lives. Luckily, the piano they had there was a £70,000 grand piano, so I had that to my advantage!
The best advice I received is to always start with something simple, as it helps you get over any nerves you might have. Once you’ve got one good song out the way, you can just play song after song and really get into your element. That’s when you feel comfortable.
Weddings are beautiful occasions. People are happy and friendly, and always appreciative of what you’re there to do. I enjoy the music I play, so I’m essentially doing something I love, surrounded by nice people in a beautiful location. It’s like an evening out for me! Sometimes they even provide food, so I’ll get some hors d'oeuvres and a little drink to top it all off. Saying that, I never drink alcohol when I’m playing because I need to stay focussed. To be honest, there isn’t anything I dislike about the job, other than the rare occasions that they don’t have a piano, and I have to transport mine. That can be a bit straining on my back.
I’m essentially doing something I love, surrounded by nice people in a beautiful location. It’s like an evening out for me
Music is incredibly important to the overall wedding experience. People’s memories are usually attached to certain songs, and I always try to get the theme of any particular song out when I play, just to make sure those memories are strong. Music also relaxes people as they’re arriving – it gets rid of any awkward silences and has a calming effect. You might not think it, but it’s usually the Disney songs that go down the best, because grown-ups like them just as much as the kids do. Disney songs are uplifting, so I always try to incorporate them into my set.
My ambition is to always progress as a pianist. One thing I’ve been doing quite a bit recently is composing my own songs. I wrote one called Change Your Dream at the beginning of the last lockdown, which I mixed, mastered and released myself. Moving forward, I want to get more of my own music out there, and generally keep improving.
I would never say I’m ‘there’, because I don’t think musicians can ever really say that. It’s always a learning process, and I must admit that I went back to my piano last night in order to play some of the songs I played when I first started at The Piano Bar all those years ago, and they’re so much easier now. In a sense, I can see that I’ve moved forward as a musician. So even though I wouldn’t say I’m ‘there’, I’m at a place where I feel comfortable.
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