How
far in advance to we need to contract Signature
Players?
We contract and schedule
our events on an as needed basis pending our
availability. In many instances we have contracted
for events in excess of a year in advance. For the
best likelihood of availability, we recommend
contracting soon after you have firmly established
your ceremony date and time.
Is
playing weddings your full-time job?
As full-time professional
musicians each of our musicians dedicate their
talents to a wide spectrum of aspects of musical
life. We play with local orchestras, perform public
chamber music concerts, participate in local arts
festivals, teach private students of all ages, play
in our churches and synagogues and provide music for
weddings and corporate events.
Would
you be able to accompany my singer for our ceremony?
We frequently are asked
to accompany singers for selections during the
ceremony. We ask that you provide us the contact
information (phone number or email address) of the
singer(s) as soon as possible so we may discuss
details of the music with them directly. We want to
make sure we have the proper music in the proper key
for the individual singer's vocal range. To ensure
a quality performance, rehearsal time must be
scheduled with the singer. This rehearsal time is
not included in the ceremony contract and is an
additional expense. We recommend scheduling time
immediately before the seating music, the specific
amount of time scheduled taking into consideration
the complexity of the song and the experience of the
singer. If a transcription of the music is required
(writing out the instrumental parts from a piano
part, for example) there is an additional fee.
Does
my contract include your attendance at our wedding
rehearsal?
We generally do not attend wedding rehearsals.
We have identified a limited number of critical
items which allow us to synchronize the music with
the proper entrances. First, we request that your
wedding coordinator provide a signal (hand wave,
flashing of a light, etc.) that the mother(s) and
grandmother(s) are prepared to be formally seated.
While agreeing on a specific time is a good idea,
in many cases this may change and be unpredictable
at the ceremony for unforeseen reasons. Our knowing
the proper number of people entering to each
selection lets us know when to cadence before
pausing to begin the next musical selection. If we
need additional time, we can loop back to an earlier
place in the music or cut to the end for an earlier
appropriate conclusion. The items of information
which we need are clearly marked on our wedding
selection sheet.
How
do you coordinate the lengths of the pieces you play
with the corresponding entrances?
Our knowing an accurate
number of people entering to each selection allows
us to know when to cadence before pausing to begin
the next musical selection. If we need additional
time, we can loop back to an earlier place in the
piece or cut to the end for an earlier conclusion.
We try to have the music continue to allow the
group entering to find their place but also allow a
smooth cadence without waiting unnecessarily long.
It is very important that we have a visual line of
sight with your coordinator so we may receive a
visual cue that the mother(s) and grandmother(s) are
ready to be seated.
Can
you play a piece not included on your repertoire
list?
In many cases we can play
pieces which are not included on our repertoire
list. Please ask about a specific song or
composition. Such pieces must be appropriate to our
instrumentation (please remember our ensemble is
three or four players playing acoustical instruments
and many works are written for significantly larger
numbers of musicians or for electronic instruments,
vocals, drums, etc.) In many cases we need to be
provided with a keyboard part from which a
transcription (writing out the individual
instrumental parts) may be made at an additional
charge. We cannot make a transcription from an
audio recording.
Can
you play a song that I have the piano music for?
When we are requested to play a song that we are
not familiar with, we first try to listen to a
recording to determine whether the fundamental
substance of the song will be lost in the
translation from vocal and piano to three or four
accoustic instruments. If we feel the character of
the song can work with our instruments a
transcription may be necessary. The musicians will
each read from a separate line of music. While a
pianist may play many notes simultaneously, the
parts we play have to be separated so we know in
advance which notes each instrument will need to
play to have the chords sound correctly. This
requires that each instrument's part be hand-copied
to a separate part. Since this requires
considerable time an additional fee is charged for
this.
How
much advance notice do I need to give for my musical
selections?
One of the most important
parts of preparing smooth musical transitions is to
have the sheet music in all the musician binders in
proper and identical order so as to avoid
unnecessary time lost searching for selections. We
would ask that you provide us a finalized list of
your musical selections no later than fourteen days
prior to your wedding ceremony. Should you have it
sooner we would be happy to look it over and share
our thoughts about the general flow of the ceremony.
Can
I make changes to my musical selections?
We encourage you to make
careful decisions as we believe the music creates an
atmosphere tailored specifically to your special and
unique celebration. If there is anything we can do
to help make this more meaningful please let us know
and we will try to help. We try to be as flexible
as possible about last minute changes. Please keep
in mind that adequate preparation of the musical
parts requires individual preparation time on the
part of each musician and therefore some late notice
substitutions may not be possible.
Do
you amplify your instruments?
The design of our
instruments has been developed over centuries to
efficiently project sound. The instruments we play
are acoustical and are carefully handcrafted to
project their sound without the need for artificial
amplification. Artificial amplification may
actually distort the sound and tonal quality. In
most cases we try to position ourselves so we can be
heard by your guests without being so close that our
sound becomes overpowering.
What
happens if a musician gets sick or for some other
reason isn't able to participate in the wedding?
The musicians playing at your event are not
necessarily the same musicians playing on the demos.
The musicians we work with pride themselves on
their musical art. They also consider it a great
honor to be invited to take part in an important
celebration. In many cases we mix in other local
professional musicians to allow for different
instrumental combinations or for scheduling
availability. We have worked with these musicians
many times before and highly respect both their
musical talent and their attention to the highest
levels of professionalism and punctuality. Please
understand if we suggest an alternate and equally
suitable instrumentation should one of our "core"
players not be available.
What
happens if a wedding ceremony goes beyond the
contracted time?
Sometimes wedding
ceremonies extend beyond the contracted end of our
musical service. While we try to allow for
flexibility we may have other events scheduled after
yours. We try to let you know in advance if we
think timing will be a concern. If the musicians
are available for additional time, our agreement
with them requires that an overtime fee be charged
for any time outside of the contracted time. This
hourly overtime is pro-rated in ten-minute
increments for each player. If you envision that
your ceremony will exceed thirty minutes, please
discuss this with us.
Do
we need to pick all the music you will be playing?
We encourage you to pick special selections for
your ceremony music
(entrances of the mothers and grandmothers,
bridal party, bridal processional,
interlude-optional, and recessional). We
generally pick the seating music, taking into
consideration a meaningful flow of faster and slower
selections from pieces such as Handel's Water Music,
Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and other early
Classical and Baroque favorites. If there is
something you would really like to have included in
the seating music, please let us know. Likewise, if
there is something you would not like to have
included, please let us know that as well.
What
considerations are there when planning live
classical music for an outdoor wedding?
Our instruments are both
fragile and valuable. A stringed instrument's fine
varnish, which is integral to the clarity of tone,
is easily permanently damaged by any precipitation
or strong sunlight. The key pads on clarinet or
flute cannot get wet or they fail to seal air
properly. Please understand if we must adjust our
position to avoid strong sun exposure on our
instruments. In the case of rain we must
immediately cover our instruments, and will not be
able to play, to prevent permanent damage. For
outdoor events we strongly recommend reserving an
alternate rain location. Please also understand for
the same reason that following a ceremony bubbles
cannot be blown in the vicinity of our instruments.
What
happens if our event must be rescheduled or moved to
a different location after we have contracted you?
After we receive a signed
contract and accompanying non-refundable deposit,
that event is considered confirmed in the musician's
calendars. The contract and deposit are for a
specific time on a specific date. Musicians
understand that they need to make every effort to
keep themselves available for that function. In
many cases this may mean that they must turn down
requests to play at other functions. With this in
mind, we "guarantee" our musicians that an event is
solid. If a contracted event is cancelled we divide
the deposit amongst the musicians. We generally try
to accept time changes on the same day provided all
contracted musicians are able to accommodate the
change. We can generally accommodate changes of
location.
What
will the Musicians wear?
We wear formal
performance attire to all our functions. Indoors
this is full black tuxedo for men and full-length
formal black dress or slacks for women. In the
event of hot weather men may choose not to wear the
tuxedo jackets. Upon request, and if available, we
also have access to "colonial" type clothing.
How
far are you willing to travel?
Signature Players primarily performs in
the greater Charleston, SC area. When available we
have enjoyed playing in outlying cities such as
Georgetown, Kingstree, Beaufort and Walterboro. If
you have an event outside of Charleston, please
inquire about our playing there and what additional
travel cost may be incurred.
What
equipment do you require we provide?
We provide our own music
stands and stand lights, when necessary. Please
provide one armless chair per musician, set up
approximately where you would like us to play. In
locations where there is not adequate shade please
provide a canopy with a minimum dimension of
10'X10'.
Is
it possible for me to attend an event that
Signature Players
will be playing before signing our contract?
While we understand and
share your concern for the level of quality and
professionalism, we also recognize that weddings are
private celebrations between family and friends.
Out of respect for privacy we do not bring guests.
How
do we go about hiring a trumpet player?
Because
the fees for trumpet players vary we are pleased to
help put clients directly in touch with trumpet
players who we work with on a regular basis. We
encourage you to sign an Agreement directly with the
trumpet player.
What
time will the musicians arrive to our event?
The musicians generally
arrive between twenty and thirty minutes prior to
the scheduled time they are to start playing. In
most cases the on-site musician manager will arrive
somewhat earlier than this to go over any last
minute details with your coordinator.
What
is the payment schedule?
50% of our fee is payable in the form of a
non-refundable deposit and is payable along with
your signed contract to secure the date in our
schedule. The remaining fee is due no later than
fourteen calendar days prior to your event.
Do
we need to provide food for the musicians?
Unless specifically
invited by the host, we ask that our musicians not
eat or drink at your function. Musicians may
request ice water if appropriate.
Should
we tip the musicians?
We
consider receiving a tip to be a great compliment.
Feel free to tip if you so choose.
