Recommendations for dinner background music

[Bob]

Those settings where people just want background piano music.


Easy is good.  No need to strain here.

Music on this site is good.  Whole books, good.  Or specific pieces, also good.

Could be jazzier too.  But definitely background.


Easy being kind of key.  I don't want to kill myself working on the music.  I want it to sound good.  I don't want to alter much of my practicing for this.

[quantum]

What about improvising on fake book material.  Doesn't even have to sound close to the original.  Have them guessing why the tune sounds so familiar. 

I like doing quasi atonal accompaniments on familiar tunes. 

[richard black]

I have one of those books of 'your hundred favourite classics' or some similar title, which goes with me to dinner gigs, along with maybe a book or two of jazzy stuff of some sort.

[edvond]

Hi Bob

I used to play a lot of "light" classic dinner music gigs to make money in college. 

As far as repertoire, I would use everything from Chopin Op. 25/1 and Valses to Mozart Sonatas but by far the most successful pieces were Impressionist--Debussy La plus que lente, Arabesques, Preludes, etc.--and some of the slower Joplin Rags.  Once I threw in the Webern Variations to see if the people were really listening... 

What level would be the most comfortable for you to sight-read?   Are you comfortable augmenting simple pieces with minimal improv?  I have a lot of repertoire to suggest.

[Bob]

Money.  That's the main goal. 

Easier stuff to sightread or prep up a little.  The easier the better.  Most people don't care what level it is, so the simpler the better.

Sightreading?  I'm not great at it.  I'm kind of thinking something like this would help that a little.

Improv?  None.  I'd like to know how to do it, but basically none.  Ditto for fakebooks -- I understand it, but haven't done it enough to actually use it.  I'm still at the block chord in LH, melody in RH stage for that.

[amanfang]

I have a notebook that I keep for playing at receptions and things - it is mostly things I have played before that won't require much prep time.  I use a lot of the Mendelssohn Songs Without Words, classical sonata slow movements, etc.

Something else that's easy that most people would enjoy as background music is some of the intermediate pedagogical teaching literature.  Stuff like Martha Mier, Dennis Alexander, Robert Vandall, Catherine Rollin, etc.  I know some people here are "classical only," but this is easy to sight-read, patterned, and a lot of it has a nice sound to it.  (Be warned though, some of it is cheesy and definitely "kid-centered.")

[edvond]

Yes!  I agree with the pedagogical repertoire idea.

I was going to recommend Catherine Rollin Spotlight Series--which consists of Spotlight on Baroque, Spotlight on Classical, Spotlight on Romantic, Spotlight on Impressionism, Spotlight on Ragtime, Spotlight on Jazz.

If you don't already know them, they are definitely worth owning.  They are useful as introductions to the various styles of piano literature.

Since they are classically inspired, you will quickly get an idea of how to augment them with more ornate cadenzas, bigger bass chords, etc.  As you will probably want to repeat them or parts of them in performance (they are not that long), try changing the melodies a little for variety.

Rollin is very clever.  I think you will enjoy these for a variety of reasons. 

All best.

[frigo]

Hey Bob!

What about Satie? He called his music furniture music, specially made for background. His Gymnopedies and Gnossienes, or his many Waltzes, are very very beattifull and easy!

[Bob]

Yes.  Good comments. 

Part of it is just a matter of getting this music.  I haven't gotten much into the "educational composers" so I wonder if there's a cheap way to get there music.  I'd love to get complete collections of all the standard method books.  Hmmm....

[redbaron]

What about some late Scriabin sonatas. The Black Mass  Sonata per chance?
I've always wanted to play Scriabin at a dinner party, just to defy convention. What about Beethoven, the Appassionata. That should have them running for cover!

[quantum]

What about some late Scriabin sonatas. The Black Mass  Sonata per chance?
I've always wanted to play Scriabin at a dinner party, just to defy convention.

I've thought of that.  You could take out the Op. 74 Preludes or some late Poemes for easier stuff in the same style. 


Once I played the Chopin 1st Scherzo for a Christmas dinner party - the reference to Christmas being the Polish carol as the middle section.  The people actually liked it as a change from the previous hours worth of light familiar seasonal music. 

[thalbergmad]

Try some Billy Mayerl.

English sophistication.

Thal

[richard black]

Try some Billy Mayerl.

I second that. He always goes down a treat with dinner, and most of his stuff can be mugged up in very little time.

[ahinton]

Once I played the Chopin 1st Scherzo for a Christmas dinner party - the reference to Christmas being the Polish carol as the middle section.  The people actually liked it as a change from the previous hours worth of light familiar seasonal music. 

Ouch! One of Chopin's most violent pieces, not least because the contrast between the outer sections and the middle one is itself quite violent (a great work, for all that, but at a dinner party?...)...

Best,

Alistair

[pianochick93]

Hey Bob!

What about Satie? He called his music furniture music, specially made for background. His Gymnopedies and Gnossienes, or his many Waltzes, are very very beattifull and easy!

You beat me to it! The Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes are excellent for this sort of thing.

[thalbergmad]

How about a nice 5 hour piece by Sorabji or a jolly little trinket by Finnissey.

Thal

[quantum]

Ouch! One of Chopin's most violent pieces, not least because the contrast between the outer sections and the middle one is itself quite violent (a great work, for all that, but at a dinner party?...)...

Best,

Alistair

My thoughts exactly.   

I didn't really plan to play it that night.  Just seemed at the time the atmosphere was ready for the jolt. 

[Bob]

Couperin.


I just had a devious thought.  You just get the title/composer info from a collection already in print.  Then find those pieces online yourself for free.   

[Bob]

Oops.  I meant Correlli, but Couperin is probably good too.

[quantum]

I'd love to hear Couperin at a dinner party.

[tanman]

What about some late Scriabin sonatas. The Black Mass  Sonata per chance?
I've always wanted to play Scriabin at a dinner party, just to defy convention. What about Beethoven, the Appassionata. That should have them running for cover!

oh. or Vers la flamme! Ravel scarbo maybe?

[Bob]

I'd love to hear Couperin at a dinner party.

Darnit.  I meant that for the church music thread.

[bernhard]

Ludovico Einaudi.

Joe Hisaishi.
(searching on youtube for these two composers will give you an idea. You may find free sheet music for Joe Hisaishi, but I doubt you will find it for Einaudi)

See also for Joe Hisaishi´s scores (and other interesting stuff):

Games and animé music:

https://ichigos.com/music/midi/ff8eyes_on_me.MID
(games sheet music and midis)

https://josh.agarrado.net/music/anime/
(Anime sheet music – not original versions though)

https://www.fantasyreborn.com/main.html
(Final fantasy sheet music with more complex arrangements)

https://www.alphatrance.com/0engine/music/anime/
(nice piano arrangements for anime music)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[thalbergmad]

Gawd, he is back!!!

Thal

[pianochick93]

https://ichigos.com

Haha, https://strawberries.com

Sorry, that tickled me, Japanese is a fun language.

[paradisi]

I have a Vince Guaraldi collection - Peanuts/Charlie Brown music!  It was written as background for the cartoon, is jazzy, and many of the pieces are pretty easy.  Good luck!

[communist]

Mozart sonatas, Hanon except play it slowly    and i agree with the impressionist

[eric_wong1387]

I like the idea of some Joplin rags, they'd fit if the atmosphere was upbeat enough.  A piano arrangement of the Blue Danube Waltz would work too.

I've also frequently heard Beethoven minuets - mainly the Minuet in G and the minuet from Op. 49 No. 2 - at these settings.

As for a piece of the "rude jolt" variety, for the rebellious among us, Chopin Op. 25/10

[quantum]

As for a piece of the "rude jolt" variety, for the rebellious among us, Chopin Op. 25/10

Can you play for my next dinner party?

[lostinidlewonder]

Here's something for background music.

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,19860.0.html