Hanukkah Piano: Dreidel Boogie

I took a book of Hanukkah songs yesterday and rearranged them in my own way.  I had never played a Hanukkah party before this weekend, so I had to do my homework.  Most Hanukkah songs are sad-sounding, folk-like melodies in minor keys, with simple chord progressions.  With most of the songs, I took a pretty, classical interpretation, adding the usual bling (you know, arpeggios, scale runs, thickened chords, change of register, octaves in the melody, more bass/tremolos, beautiful intros).  But when it came to "I Have a Little Dreidel," I had to do more. This song has the child-like quality of a nursery rhyme.  It's about as sophisticated as "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," or "Mary Had a Little Lamb."  In my humble opinion, it's just kinda dull! With the need for some musical spice, I thought about spinning up a boogie around this tune. Boogie is typically characterized by a left-hand ostinato (repeating pattern) played fast and swingy.  Simple songs with only two or three chords lend themselves nicely to a boogie accompaniment in the left hand. Jingle Bells is another simple holiday song I play in boogie style.  So this two-chord folk song was just begging to boogie yesterday!  Here is what I came up with, in about ten minutes of jamming out my ideas:

How did I do it?  Here is what my left hand is doing (below).  If you don't know this left-hand pattern, you should add it to your tool box.  It's a great work-out for the left hand that uses all five fingers.  It keeps the lazy hand in shape (yes, it gets lazy because, even if you are left-handed, left hand parts in general are less physically challenging than right-hand parts).

Piano Boogie:  Left Hand Accompaniment Pattern No. 1:  www.freethepiano.com

Just memorize the pattern in scale degrees (thinking in numbers is always a good idea in music!), and apply this pattern to whatever chord you're in.  When you go to the V chord (G here) in the song, the pattern looks like this:

Piano Boogie:  Left Hand Accompaniment Pattern No. 1, transposed to G Ma:  www.freethepiano.com

Of course I also jazzed up the melodic rhythm and added some blue grace notes to the melody (more on this later), but you don't have to do that if you don't want to.  I hope you enjoy trying some boogie on your Christmas and Hanukkah tunes this year.  Have fun!

Ten Reasons The Wedding Pianist Should Charge Higher Rates

I play all types of gigs, from background music to front-and-center stage events.  Here's why I feel that weddings should be more expensive than receptions and parties:

1. Every note counts.  Yes, there is little room for glaring mistakes in a wedding ceremony, and you don't want to spoil someone's big day with a sloppy delivery.  This means more outside practice time so that you can deliver an outstanding performance on the big day. 
2. All ears are on you.  Wedding music is not background music in a noisy bar.  It is front-and-center stage music.  All ears are on you, and this means that there is more pressure is on the pianist to deliver a superior product.  Mistakes are less noticeable in noisy party gigs. 
3. Extra practice needed.  For wedding ceremonies, the pianist will have to be thorough in her preparation and meticulous in her execution.  Oftentimes the client has specific song requests that must be practiced thoroughly, or even new pieces that must be learned.  I would never have to put in this preparation time for receptions or parties, since I play mostly popular music from fake books and memory at these events.  Plus, my repertoire is already set and mastered.
4. Extra organization needed. First, the pianist must coordinate with the client on the program of music.  Though I try to make this easy by preparing sample program mp3s for the client, clients often have special requests, or make changes as the wedding gets closer.  This takes time.  Time is money.  As the wedding gets closer, the pianist must make copies if needed and organize all of her music in a binder or iPad.    I also have to minimize page  turns, make notes in my music (like what chord starts the next page), and make sure all pieces are in the right order.  In addition to my seven prelude pieces, I have to have 3 - 5 backup songs ready to account for unforeseen delays in the ceremony, which happen more often than not.
5. Extra time needed for administrative tasks.  When you are running your own wedding business, you are doing all the administrative work that an agency might normally do, such as contract preparation, responding to client e-mails, billing, collecting deposits that clients often forget to pay, making sure the piano has been tuned, and collecting the final balance before it's too late and the bride forgets to bring your check to the wedding.
6. Attending the Rehearsal.  I always include one rehearsal in my fee.  I think things go more smoothly if the pianist is able to attend the wedding rehearsal, but not all clients choose to have me there. 
7. Coordinating with the Wedding Coordinator/ Officiant/ Venue.   I always like to touch base with these three contacts before the event and make sure my questions are answered.  For instance:  Is the piano tuned?  What is my cue for the bridal processional?  What is my cue to start the recessional?  Where will the piano be (will I be able to see the bride/groom)?  All these questions must be answered and I do the legwork for the client.  That is extra time spent, and time is money!
8. Weddings are a performance, not background music.  Enough said!   
9. Classical is harder and requires more formal training.  Most weddings are going to involve  large amount of classical music, and classical is just more difficult than popular music for most pianists.  Once again, there's less room for mistakes and improvisation.  While I can sit down and play three hours of popular music in an improvisatory style, classical is just harder to excecute flawlessly, without a lot of outside preparation. 
10. You may have to bring your own piano.  Maybe the piano at the venue is terrible.  Or maybe it's outdoors.  The pianist's own equipment (often including keyboard, amp, cables, and piano bench) must be loaded four times total:  into the car, out of the car and into the venue, back into the car, and back out of the car when the pianist gets back home.  This adds about two extra hours to the gig, not to mention the hassle your pianist is going through in order for you to have beautiful piano music.

That said, I enjoy playing weddings and making someone's day special.  But all this outside work should be accounted for in the price.  Explain this to your wedding client when you quote your rate.  I will make you look more experienced and thorough, as if you've been doing this a long time.  They will understand that your thoroughness makes you a cut above the rest, and are more likely to trust you, even though you might be more expensive than Joe Average pianist or some high school student. 

Jennifer Warren-Baker plays weddings and events in the Washington, DC metro area and is available to travel up to 3,000 miles for events.  She has played events at prestigious DC area venues such as the Organization of American States, The George Washington Masonic National Memorial, and the five-star Salamander Resort and Spa, where she was the resident lobby pianist for most of their inaugural year. For more information on her services, visit her website at www.musicbyjennifer.net, or e-mail info@musicbyjennifer.net.