{"id":487,"date":"2018-11-12T18:37:24","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T18:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lastminutemusicians.com\/blog\/?p=487"},"modified":"2026-03-29T08:20:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T07:20:18","slug":"hiring-a-pianist-for-an-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lastminutemusicians.com\/blog\/hiring-a-pianist-for-an-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiring a pianist for an event"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pianists can be hired for a wide variety of events from wedding receptions, ceremonies, breakfasts, christenings, birthday parties to corporate or black tie events. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A professional pianist can be relied upon to provide sophisticated background music allowing guests to make conversation, relax and enjoy the occasion.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many things that affect the cost of hiring a pianist, including how far the musician has to travel to the event & the length of the performance. In this blog we’ll give you a list of some things to consider when booking a piano player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sort of music will they play at your event?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The great thing about piano players is their versatility. You can find pianists that cover all sorts of styles, from Classical<\/a> and Jazz<\/a> to Pop\/Rock<\/a> and musical theatre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you find a style of pianist you think will be suitable for your event, it will be much easier to narrow down the search. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a general rule, classical or jazz pianists playing instrumental music will be brilliant for cocktail events or other situations where you’re looking for background music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re looking to make live music more of a feature, then a pop\/rock piano player (perhaps with vocals) may prove more appropriate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"piano<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Things to consider before enquiring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Does the venue have a house piano?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Many pianists will bring their own electric keyboard to the venue and will therefore need their performance area to be within reach of a power source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, If the venue has its own piano, it\u2019s best to allow the pianist to contact the venue directly in advance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will allow the musician to decide whether they want to use the in house equipment or bring an electric keyboard (although many will bring a back up, just in case).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t want my pianist to play classical pieces, but more modern songs that my guests will recognise. Will this be okay?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The best way to make sure a piano player will cover the sort of material you’d like is to read their example repertoire, as well as watching any video and listening to audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though many solo piano players stick predominantly to Classical or Jazz, it is not uncommon for pianists to perform a variety of contemporary hits from recent decades, sometimes accompanied with vocals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many pianists will also perform a few special requests if given enough time to learn them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s your budget?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Professional musicians are not cheap to hire, but for good reason. Professionals will have advantages over cheaper amateurs in all sorts of ways, from experience and equipment to repertoire and professionalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your budget is low, consider trying to find a local piano player to cut down on travel costs. Set times and lengths may also factor into your quote, so being flexible with those may also help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the reviews<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On sites like Last Minute Musicians, clients can leave reviews detailing their booking experience. Often, musicians will also have testimonials on their own sites. It’s worth reading all of these before entering into negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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