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Want to make a piano medley
I'm playing Canon in D on piano for a wedding on Saturday, and a few months ago the bride had 3 songs she wanted me to learn to play while the guests arrive.
Summer got busy, and I can't read notes, so in order to learn them I have to know the song well enough to figure it out and/or either watching someone else play it 20 times or watching a tutorial on youtube. So it was pretty hard...
She asked me if I could play one song I've known for years so it isn't a problem, and if I could learn Beautiful by A-kon which I did and my mother (A very, very good pianist before she got arthritis) says I play both of those and Canon in D very well.
But as for the other songs...
Married life from Up, which for some reason I really struggled with and after only managing to learn the first part as of last week I had to tell her I wouldn't be able it play it. (which is strange because I've learned much harder songs in a lot less time)
The other song, which I'd never heard of before until she sent me a link to it, I never could find a tutorial for, and is on the more difficult side so I told her I'd try, but with the wedding so close I wont be able to learn it in time(at least not all of it).
She was very nice about it and said not to worry and to play what I can, but I feel terrible...because months ago I told her I could learn them and now here I am only able to play one.
So I was thinking of other things I could play, the rehearsal dinner is on Friday, so I was thinking if I can get something good enough that if she had time she could listen to it/them and if she liked it I could play it in place of those two songs. To kinda make up for it I suppose... There is no hope for me to learn those two in less than a week, so I'll have to improvise.
I have two options, and I need your advice on what to do in this situation and which of these ideas I should follow through with or any alternate idea you have.
[I don't know the Bride very well, and the Groom is a friend of my older brothers(who is also in the wedding) so I know him but again, not very well.]
Okay option 1: (easiest but not as creative,)
So I already know a couple songs all the way through that may be suitable for wedding background music, the songs I have in mind being Terrible Things by Mayday Parade and/or Hello by Evenescence, they are both really pretty but have sad lyrics so if I just played them on piano they might be okay. Anyway, I could play those instead if she likes them.
Option 2: (the much more creative, harder and probably better idea)
Create a medley. Now I have a habit of starting something and loosing interest and not finishing it, so I know a lot of parts to random songs that I never finished learning/writing. I was thinking I could make a medley including the part of Up I know so that way she'd still be able to hear at least part of it. The problem with this is that the only parts of songs I can fully remember how to play are:
The begining/verses of Someone Like You and Set Fire to The Rain - Adele
Half the begining part of Married Life from Up(about 45 secondish worth, but I could repeat it a couple times)
About a minute or so long melody I made up a while ago that people seem to like
and up until the "don't let them in don't let them see" line of Let it Go from Frozen.
If another song is simple enough I could probably learn another part of something too...
So I really want to make the medley, but have never done so before and these songs don't exactly all mesh well.
I can do it, but it might not turn out very well...
So after A TON of rambling that I apologize for and I thank anyone who actually read it all, what I need is advice on how to go about this and if I do the medley what is the best way I could go about it with those songs and be able to perfect it by Friday...
Any advice is greatly appreciated, Thank you all!
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Maybe give some free advice about: Music?
Kinda depends on whether your given license to chose a style of song or if the bride is for the most part wanting certain songs and you to fill up the rest with certain same style songs. Obvious the lyrics don't come into play here so no matter what the lyrics were, sad, hateful or happy, its the melody that will count.
You've got little time and its going to be hard work but i understand the need for one song to blend in well to the start of the next hopefully in same key, I am picky about that in making up my playlists on my computer to listen to. I did listen again to the songs by Adele and those are slow, smooth and happy romantic in style whereas switching to the style of Married Life is too different, at least to my ears. Good song but too bouncy happy. It works maybe played by itself somewhere in the wedding maybe during the reception but in a medley with the first two...I wouldn't even try.
I went to the internet putting in a search for most common wedding songs and have a link for you to try to get ideas. Just scroll down to the part on you need as its split up by parts of the wedding, begining, walk down aisle, reception for a few examples:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
You didn' say you were in charge of supplying all the music, from whats played as the guests arrive to the reception or if you have just one spot in all the music to be played maybe just middle of their ceremony like when they light a unity candle or something like that. So maybe this site will help.
If you want some piano pieces that sound beautiful, and would fit with Adeles melodies in a wedding perfectly, Yiruma a Korean pianist is a favorite of mine and heres one of the pieces "River flows through you:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
and next one of my favorites that sound like a wedding song to me is "Kiss the Rain." which may be a bit harder to play than the 1st depending on your skills. Just guessing based on a daughters skill playing these songs.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Other ideas would be romantic songs from movies like Titanics My Heart will go on:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
There are many piano tutorial songs showing keys played which I think would help you to playing the portions you want and can be found on you tube. I went looking more out of curiousity.
Here's one I liked, "Bad Meets Evil"
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
then I found the song "All of Me" which if you play a portion of it, could then lead easily into River Flows in you, if you are good at learning to play in different key to help the flow of one to another.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Good luck with it.
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Dude,run!
Okay,let's not do that!!
Well,you could have had the bride hear your selections of options first,but seeing that its tuesday,probably no.
Now then,dude,I love Adele,shes my homegirl,but Someone Like You is just a wee bee sad,this a wedding,not a break-up,after all,who wants to think of exes at weddings?! :D Please ignore that funny diddy there.
Okay,.meolodies,start with softer/slower songs first,lets say 2 minutes (Determine first,how long you must play) After the 2 minutes blend it to a more upbeat song,and leave that going for like 4 minutes,and soft again.The point is to blend the songs in,so expiriment as much as you can until,it all clicks together,grab ideas from Youtube,or look up people who are playing the songs your playing and go from there.
I dont read music either dear,but I still hold my 8-track tapes dear to my heart!
God bless and hope it all works out for you!
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