I'm playing for a Christmas party. Help please!

[xodn3300]

I'm getting paid, it is at my friend's house, her family and their friends are coming over (mostly adults i think) and just going to eat and chill... Although it is four hour long she said it's a really laid-back kind of one so I could take breaks and eat and drink etc.

I have a couple weeks to prepare but I am not sure what to play. Since it's a party I'm guessing I'll have to play something like a background music (besides carols) but I suck at improvising I wish I could just improvise..

What should I play that might be suitable for an informal Christmas party like this?


Thank you!

[xodn3300]

Or could I possibly learn to improvise in 2 weeks? I mean it's a party and no one will be consciously listening for an extended period of time.. it just has to be pleasing to the ear, right?-maybe something like this? 

Thank you again..

[Bob]

Hal Leonard has a bunch of xmas books that are ok for sight-reading.  I'm not great at sight-reading so I'm guessing it's easy reading.  I've gone through a few books and marked them easy, medium, and work on.  A lot of those are more traditional and tv themed, so I have some jazz xmas books to add in. 

After you do it a few times, you figure out what works for you. 

Also, if no one's really listening, you can repeat pieces.  If people really like the piece, they'll want to hear it again and won't mind at all.

[nanabush]

I've done something slightly similar to that before (was about 45 minutes hehe, and was for a wedding reception).

Just get a bunch of stuff, and then some, and just rifle through the books and play whatever you feel like.  I'm sure whatever it is, as long as there's some background music, people will be happy.  You'll be in the clear as long as people don't come up to you and ask you to play random obscure songs from a radio channel you probably don't listen to. 

[oxy60]

Prepare yourself for the hum/sing along folks during the songs everyone knows. What has happened to me is that a small group forms near the piano, drinking and chatting. Then all of sudden humming and singing along on the ones they know.

On other occasions people would stop by and request certain songs.

Smile, dress well and be confident.

[Bob]

For four hours, it sounds like it would be a lot of sight-reading.  Or improvisation, but I don't know how to improvise well enough to do that.  I would use easy music.  It sounds like an endurance thing.

[chopinatic]

Well, If you can improvise a little you can play from a chord sheet or fake book.
You could always just get a bunch of chords that work well together and write them in a note book..
That way you can use the same chord sequence several times in the night just improvising a new melody over the top.
When i play in restaurants etc i generally use either a fake book or just improvise on the spot.

This is the best method when you playing a long time in my opinion, its not really feasable to play songs you know or have sheet music for when your playing for 6 hours, its like 300 songs or so. So improvisation is needed really.


If you can get a fake book or print/write song chords, even if you dont know the song, use the chords and add a melody.

With your left hand strides or appegios are usually your best bet, triads / block chords work but not for a whole piece. Combining the lot works best. Octaves can also sound poweful if you thicken the right hand.

The right hand you can play basic melodies, Chords, Broken chords etc. Use lots of harmonys.

As mentioned earlier no one really listens enough to take not.

Make sure you have some pieces that you can play. Ones that are well know, pop songs or very popular classical. Elton John type songs.


You must be confident in your abilitys, i imagine the people asking you to play are confident in you, dont let nerves take over and enjoy it, Heck your getting paid to do what you love right?


good luck

If you want a list of good songs that go down well then message me and i will send you a list, and ill have some chords or sheet music to most if you really need them.



Chopinatic

[oxy60]

You've gotten some really terrific advice. Now we all want to know how it went. Don't forget  to post what happened.

It appears that many of us have had similar gigs. At one piano bar gig, I had to make a rule that I would only play the same request five times during the night. As my customers got drunker and drunker they would keep requesting the same songs over and over. After all how many times should "Danny Boy" be sung in one night?

[quantum]

At one piano bar gig, I had to make a rule that I would only play the same request five times during the night. As my customers got drunker and drunker they would keep requesting the same songs over and over. After all how many times should "Danny Boy" be sung in one night?

So if you played something else when they requested Danny Boy, would they be any the wiser? 

[oxy60]

They weren't so drunk that I could sneak something else in. However I often suggested another song and they would go for that. The gig was about five hours long so I kept to a 45 min set and then a 15 min break. Certain songs came up every hour, if requested. In this case the piano was not the whole bar and we were not amplified (singers or piano). This arrangement allowed other customers to chat, etc.

[xodn3300]

Thank you guys so much for wonderful advices!!

But I have to disappoint you by saying that the piano there didn't work!!! I still got paid a little and got some free food but... meh

Well anyway i'll cherish these valuable advices for  next time..maybe

Thank you again!