When looking to hire a male guitar vocalist for a wedding there a few small considerations to make to help decide on your ideal act for the big day.
Firstly, are you looking to have the entertainment for earlier in the daytime perhaps during the afternoon photography session to keep your guests entertained as they enjoy drinks or are you planning on booking the guitar singer for the evening reception as the all out feel good party music.
Of course all highly professional acts will be able to adapt to both settings to ensure everyone has a great time. The key differences the acts will put to their show will normally be in the form of backing tracks.
An act booked to perform earlier in the daytime will tend to lean towards the laid back, purely acoustic guitar sound along with great vocals to create an enjoyable atmosphere of sound to make your day that bit more elegant. A great example of this is Just Martin - An acoustic wedding singer in the north west
There are plenty of occasions where acoustic acts such as this are the ideal choice, as guests will get up dancing to the great sound and energy of one man and his guitar. (Note- Just Martin performs lively dancing music also with backing tracks where required)
However, if the entertainment you have in mind for your wedding starts off with the laid back ambient mood but then moves towards rocking the house when you and your guests take to the dancefloor, there are other types of guitar singers that will perform their guitar/vocals and later introduce backing tracks which are pre-recorded drums, bass, lead and keyboards to take the party to the next level.
Matt Hutchison who started off as an Indie Music Pub Singer has perfected and crafted his art in both his solo original work alongside numerous wedding events and corporate functions to the point where he has tailor made his own backing tracks that complement his sound so well, the guests who are entertained on the night are left staggered that such as full unique sound is created by one man.
There are also some high profile names available to hire for your wedding entertainment that specialise in wedding entertainment. Michael Collings formerly a contestant in the grand final of Britains Got Talent is Bristol based but is available for hire for all types of weddings and corporate events as far North as Manchester, Cheshire and Lake District.
His professionalism and likeable personality as well as extreme talent is what brought him to the final with great plaudits from Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and David Hasselhoff during his performance of Fast Car - Tracy Chapman.
Although Michael has reached such heady heights in the entertainment world, for any booking engagement he makes, he ensures plenty of direct contact with any clients he has to ensure all the arrangements are properly arranged and everyone is happy with the plans for the entertainment on the day so on the day there is the peace of mind you and your guests are in the hands of one of the best guitar vocalists in the country.
All three of these acts are available to hire Best One Entertainment Agency amongst a whole range of other similar great artistes not only for weddings and corporate events, but also birthday parties, christenings, engagements and anniversary events as well as hotel and holiday parks. You can find our quick and easy enquiry form here or on the acts profile where you can get in touch and check availability for your upcoming event.
Thursday 29 May 2014
Thursday 15 May 2014
Professional Singers Looking To Get A Contract As Cruise Ship Guest Performer In Caribbean and Southern Europe
If you are a full time musician or singer and have performed the pub and club circuit for many years you might consider a career diversion into cruise ship entertainment. This type of work is perfect for those of you who are still single and before you settle down with a family.
It is an amazing way to see the world and actually get paid for it in the meantime. To get access to one of these jobs takes two paths mainly, the first is by knowing someone who does it already and asking them to arrange it or by applying yourself.
The main route this way is to ring all the entertainment agencies you can find on a search engine or a phone book. If you already work for these agents be sure to express your interest as it isn’t something they’ll offer out of the blue. If you have no luck then you can locate the company email and addresses of all the cruise ship companies. If you write a letter to the Events Team asking how you would go about obtaining work and in the letter be sure to ask for the name and number of the director of music. This sounds like a formal title but the music director is usually just the drummer or the one who has been on cruise ships the longest.
With all of these leads try and set up an actual audition, you should pay for a rehearsal room yourself and invite anyone from the industry you can to watch you. Offer complimentary food and drink, even if its crisps and pop. It all makes you look more professional in their eyes and as you will be living onboard 24/7 these impressions count.
If you’re persistent and finally break through and go onboard you must know what skills you’ll need. If you’re there as one of the backing band for the large room where tribute acts and one off performances are you need to be highly skilled at reading sheet music and be proficient at playing a song first time without even knowing it sometimes purely from the sheet. So for the musically skilled of you this is a great job and most of the time you’ll be in black at the back of the stage which means you don’t need to worry about stage fright as the singer takes that pressure for you. Perfect.
Another job in cruise ship entertainer would be as a singer. You will more likely be in a bar area of the ship and will be singing to backing tracks. A nice touch here would be to play a guitar along with the tracks to give a sense of realism to the music and remove the karaoke singer stigma which sometimes comes with this job. You will normally do 3-4 30 minute shows six times a week so you’ll need at least two hundred songs in your repertoire. Then double that figure as two hundred is for a week and most people cruise for two weeks and if you repeat the same song over you will find some very unhappy holiday makers.
A key skill of this job is interpersonal skills. You will be the one that bring that personal touch to the evening on the ship so you should banter with them and ask how their day was etc. You will also get officer privileges so you can eat/drink and socialise amongst the passengers which most of the other crew members cannot do. With that perk comes the responsibility to be respectful, kind and above all always on professionally.
It can be a fairly draining job even though its only a couple of hours a day as you live, eat and breathe the ship but when you’re home you will have seen places in the world you may never have dreamt of going and most definitely will feel like a success.
It is an amazing way to see the world and actually get paid for it in the meantime. To get access to one of these jobs takes two paths mainly, the first is by knowing someone who does it already and asking them to arrange it or by applying yourself.
The main route this way is to ring all the entertainment agencies you can find on a search engine or a phone book. If you already work for these agents be sure to express your interest as it isn’t something they’ll offer out of the blue. If you have no luck then you can locate the company email and addresses of all the cruise ship companies. If you write a letter to the Events Team asking how you would go about obtaining work and in the letter be sure to ask for the name and number of the director of music. This sounds like a formal title but the music director is usually just the drummer or the one who has been on cruise ships the longest.
With all of these leads try and set up an actual audition, you should pay for a rehearsal room yourself and invite anyone from the industry you can to watch you. Offer complimentary food and drink, even if its crisps and pop. It all makes you look more professional in their eyes and as you will be living onboard 24/7 these impressions count.
If you’re persistent and finally break through and go onboard you must know what skills you’ll need. If you’re there as one of the backing band for the large room where tribute acts and one off performances are you need to be highly skilled at reading sheet music and be proficient at playing a song first time without even knowing it sometimes purely from the sheet. So for the musically skilled of you this is a great job and most of the time you’ll be in black at the back of the stage which means you don’t need to worry about stage fright as the singer takes that pressure for you. Perfect.
Another job in cruise ship entertainer would be as a singer. You will more likely be in a bar area of the ship and will be singing to backing tracks. A nice touch here would be to play a guitar along with the tracks to give a sense of realism to the music and remove the karaoke singer stigma which sometimes comes with this job. You will normally do 3-4 30 minute shows six times a week so you’ll need at least two hundred songs in your repertoire. Then double that figure as two hundred is for a week and most people cruise for two weeks and if you repeat the same song over you will find some very unhappy holiday makers.
A key skill of this job is interpersonal skills. You will be the one that bring that personal touch to the evening on the ship so you should banter with them and ask how their day was etc. You will also get officer privileges so you can eat/drink and socialise amongst the passengers which most of the other crew members cannot do. With that perk comes the responsibility to be respectful, kind and above all always on professionally.
It can be a fairly draining job even though its only a couple of hours a day as you live, eat and breathe the ship but when you’re home you will have seen places in the world you may never have dreamt of going and most definitely will feel like a success.
Saturday 10 May 2014
Buying A Used Second Guitar | Information To Assist In Your Decision To Get A Great Instrument
When buying a secondhand guitar use these pointers to ensure your purchase is one you’ll be very pleased with.
Often cheaper than a brand new guitar and just as ready to rock , a secondhand guitar could
be a great addition to your collection or the ideal thing to start you off, but how do
you know that your potential purchase isn’t a potential waste of cash?
The truth is that some amazing guitars, while expensive when new, are relatively cheap
secondhand. Sometimes you can find a custom or a limited edition guitar that someone is
selling quickly for the cash and you can often get a real bargain if you know what you are
looking for. It really pays to do some searching before thinking about buying a used
guitar as some sellers will push their price up to cash in, especially if they know they are
selling to a beginner who doesn't know that much about guitars.
So, as a beginner who may not know much about guitars, what should you look for when
inspecting a used instrument?
Let’s just say that you have found a secondhand guitar in the musical instrument section
of the weekly classifieds and you are quite keen to go and take a look at it. Below is a list
of hints that will help you when inspecting the guitar and talking to the seller:
When talking to the seller, ask them the following:
The make and model of the guitar – It is best if you can find some info on the guitar
model to find out the asking price elsewhere, both new and used, and whether or not
other people are experiencing problems with it. You can find reviews for almost any guitar
submitted online you can go and ask at your local music
store.
About the condition of the guitar – If they are trustworthy, the seller may tell you about any
impairment that is unnoticeable upon rough inspection.
How long they have had the guitar – If they have had it for a long time, they should have
a good knowledge of its history of use, repairs and maintenance etc. If they are not
co-operative with that sort of information, they may be trying to con you.
When inspecting the guitar, check the following:
The overall condition – Look the guitar over and make note of any obvious damage –
guitars often take a bit of wear and tear and if its just small scrapes and scratches then
the guitar will probably be fine. Look for rust also , not on the strings, but on the hardware
that is holding the strings and the pickups. If there is any rust in these places… run! It’s
not worth it. What good is a guitar that may fall apart on you in the near future? Trust me
– leave it alone.
The neck of the guitar – the neck is vital. Here are some areas to look at:
Make sure that the neck is not warped or out of shape in any way.
Check the area where the neck joins to the body of the guitar – look for cracks where it
may have been damaged in the past.
In the same fashion, check the area where the neck joins the head of the guitar.
Check the action – Action is a word that describes how close the strings are to the fret
board starting at the head of the guitar all the way down to the bridge. It is preferable to
have the strings very close to the fret board as to make it easier to press them down (not
so close that they are touching of course). If the strings are nice and close to the fret
board all the way along, you would say that the guitar has a good action. Pictured right is
a guitar with poor action. Notice that the strings sit quite far off the fret board. Guitars with
poor action are harder to play and don’t sound very good. You can fix the action on your
guitar by taking it to a guitar technician, but it will cost you between £40 and £90.
The Intonation of the strings. Intonation is a word that describes the accuracy of each
actual note that the guitar can produce on any string. If the intonation is correct, every
note on the guitar will be the correct pitch – If it is out, the guitar will be impossible to tune
and it will sound horrible. To roughly check the intonation, play the E shape barre chord
on each fret of the guitar. As you move towards the bridge of the guitar, you should hear
the chord keeping its pitch – if not, the intonation is out and you will need to get a guitar
technician to work on the problem.
If the guitar you are looking at is an electric, you must plug it in and see how it sounds
through an amplifier. Ask the seller if you can play it through your amp and if you don’t have
one, ask someone if you can borrow theirs. Try the following when testing an electric
guitar through an amp:
Turn the amp up to a fair volume level and then play with the volume and tone controls
by turning them to full and then back to zero. Test the pickup selector by flicking its
switch back and forth. Carefully listen to any sounds that are being made while doing
these things. You are looking for scratchy sounds or clicks that might indicate old or worn
electrics.
Strum a single chord and while the chord is ringing start playing with the controls like
before, still listening for scratches or clicks or any other nasty sounds. Guitar technicians
can fix these problems and most guitars need to be done about once every 5 - 10 years.
Just be aware of this fact or you could find yourself spending more money than you first
intended.
Check the sound of the guitar – Before you buy, you want to know that the guitar sounds
like it should? Once you have tested the guitar sound, go to a music store and ask to play
. on a new model of that guitar If at all possible, use a similar amplifier to the one that you
tested the second hand guitar on, and see if you notice any BIG differences. There is a
simple rule that I like to follow: If you’re not happy with the guitar sound… Don’t buy it!
The most important thing to remember when shopping for any guitar is... Don’t shop
impulsively. A guitar is a major purchase and you want to get the right one. Leave
yourself time to go away and think about the purchase. If you have doubts when checking
out a guitar, you are probably better to leave it and hold out for something that better
suits you.
If you are new to the guitar and a little worried about testing guitar in public – don’t worry.
It is important to remember that you are not there to display your playing ability – you
are there to discern whether your proposed buy is a good deal or not so just go for it.
If you are still worried, take an experienced guitarist along with you when you are looking
at a possible buy. See if you can ask a teacher or a friend – most musicians
love to help newbies. Not only will they be able to offer helpful advice – they will be good
moral support when it’s time to pick up the guitar and test it out in public.
Often cheaper than a brand new guitar and just as ready to rock , a secondhand guitar could
be a great addition to your collection or the ideal thing to start you off, but how do
you know that your potential purchase isn’t a potential waste of cash?
The truth is that some amazing guitars, while expensive when new, are relatively cheap
secondhand. Sometimes you can find a custom or a limited edition guitar that someone is
selling quickly for the cash and you can often get a real bargain if you know what you are
looking for. It really pays to do some searching before thinking about buying a used
guitar as some sellers will push their price up to cash in, especially if they know they are
selling to a beginner who doesn't know that much about guitars.
So, as a beginner who may not know much about guitars, what should you look for when
inspecting a used instrument?
Let’s just say that you have found a secondhand guitar in the musical instrument section
of the weekly classifieds and you are quite keen to go and take a look at it. Below is a list
of hints that will help you when inspecting the guitar and talking to the seller:
When talking to the seller, ask them the following:
The make and model of the guitar – It is best if you can find some info on the guitar
model to find out the asking price elsewhere, both new and used, and whether or not
other people are experiencing problems with it. You can find reviews for almost any guitar
submitted online you can go and ask at your local music
store.
About the condition of the guitar – If they are trustworthy, the seller may tell you about any
impairment that is unnoticeable upon rough inspection.
How long they have had the guitar – If they have had it for a long time, they should have
a good knowledge of its history of use, repairs and maintenance etc. If they are not
co-operative with that sort of information, they may be trying to con you.
When inspecting the guitar, check the following:
The overall condition – Look the guitar over and make note of any obvious damage –
guitars often take a bit of wear and tear and if its just small scrapes and scratches then
the guitar will probably be fine. Look for rust also , not on the strings, but on the hardware
that is holding the strings and the pickups. If there is any rust in these places… run! It’s
not worth it. What good is a guitar that may fall apart on you in the near future? Trust me
– leave it alone.
The neck of the guitar – the neck is vital. Here are some areas to look at:
Make sure that the neck is not warped or out of shape in any way.
Check the area where the neck joins to the body of the guitar – look for cracks where it
may have been damaged in the past.
In the same fashion, check the area where the neck joins the head of the guitar.
Check the action – Action is a word that describes how close the strings are to the fret
board starting at the head of the guitar all the way down to the bridge. It is preferable to
have the strings very close to the fret board as to make it easier to press them down (not
so close that they are touching of course). If the strings are nice and close to the fret
board all the way along, you would say that the guitar has a good action. Pictured right is
a guitar with poor action. Notice that the strings sit quite far off the fret board. Guitars with
poor action are harder to play and don’t sound very good. You can fix the action on your
guitar by taking it to a guitar technician, but it will cost you between £40 and £90.
The Intonation of the strings. Intonation is a word that describes the accuracy of each
actual note that the guitar can produce on any string. If the intonation is correct, every
note on the guitar will be the correct pitch – If it is out, the guitar will be impossible to tune
and it will sound horrible. To roughly check the intonation, play the E shape barre chord
on each fret of the guitar. As you move towards the bridge of the guitar, you should hear
the chord keeping its pitch – if not, the intonation is out and you will need to get a guitar
technician to work on the problem.
If the guitar you are looking at is an electric, you must plug it in and see how it sounds
through an amplifier. Ask the seller if you can play it through your amp and if you don’t have
one, ask someone if you can borrow theirs. Try the following when testing an electric
guitar through an amp:
Turn the amp up to a fair volume level and then play with the volume and tone controls
by turning them to full and then back to zero. Test the pickup selector by flicking its
switch back and forth. Carefully listen to any sounds that are being made while doing
these things. You are looking for scratchy sounds or clicks that might indicate old or worn
electrics.
Strum a single chord and while the chord is ringing start playing with the controls like
before, still listening for scratches or clicks or any other nasty sounds. Guitar technicians
can fix these problems and most guitars need to be done about once every 5 - 10 years.
Just be aware of this fact or you could find yourself spending more money than you first
intended.
Check the sound of the guitar – Before you buy, you want to know that the guitar sounds
like it should? Once you have tested the guitar sound, go to a music store and ask to play
. on a new model of that guitar If at all possible, use a similar amplifier to the one that you
tested the second hand guitar on, and see if you notice any BIG differences. There is a
simple rule that I like to follow: If you’re not happy with the guitar sound… Don’t buy it!
The most important thing to remember when shopping for any guitar is... Don’t shop
impulsively. A guitar is a major purchase and you want to get the right one. Leave
yourself time to go away and think about the purchase. If you have doubts when checking
out a guitar, you are probably better to leave it and hold out for something that better
suits you.
If you are new to the guitar and a little worried about testing guitar in public – don’t worry.
It is important to remember that you are not there to display your playing ability – you
are there to discern whether your proposed buy is a good deal or not so just go for it.
If you are still worried, take an experienced guitarist along with you when you are looking
at a possible buy. See if you can ask a teacher or a friend – most musicians
love to help newbies. Not only will they be able to offer helpful advice – they will be good
moral support when it’s time to pick up the guitar and test it out in public.
Monday 5 May 2014
Which Type of Guitar Strings Are Better On Acoustic Guitars - Nylon or Steel?
When you come to choose which type of acoustic guitar to purchase in order to play your music, you have a variety of choices of style. You can select from Jumbo, Spanish, Classical to name a few. The focus on this talk is on which type of strings you put on there, namely Steel or Nylon strings.
Looking at nylon first, these tend to be softer on the fingertips and have a more tender delicate twang from the sound. In that respect I would recommend that nylon strings are the perfect choice for a beginner guitarist as for the first few months you will find the tips of your fingers will become fairly tender. Your body will respond to this by developing tougher skin on the fingers you use on the fretboard to make chords and in turn will assist you in the future when playing steel strings which are tougher.
The other reason for selecting nylon strings would be if you are looking to play a certain style of music. For example, classical music and certain genres of Spanish guitar songs favour nylon strings, classical music in past has been reluctant to acknowledge the guitar as a member of an orchestra and debate has been continued for centuries with no real conclusion. As it stands it is occasionally used but mainly on nylon stringed classical guitars only.
A nylon stringed guitar can be tricky to replace strings as at the bridge end, near the sound hole the strings tend put be placed on with a looping and intertwining method as opposed to the simpler plastic rod on the bridge of a steel stringed guitar. For that reason I would advise you see a specialist when replacing strings if you are not familiar with them.
The steel string variety is a more modern invention, in fact it was introduced as last as the 20th century in a widespread capacity. Nowadays they tend to be favoured by rock and pop modern bands due to the crisp sound they produce which can be used towards a more edgy cutting sound.
Another reason why they are favoured amongst modern musicians is that for live performances when playing in a full band with drums, bass, keyboards and other instruments the steel strings can be used alongside a pickup which will interpret the vibrations from the manipulation of the strings and then can be converted into an electrical signal, then it can be amplified through a guitar amp and this warm personal sound of an acoustic guitar can be projected to hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people in an audience at a gig.
In summary, nylon strings are a great choice when you are playing music of a specific genre as mentioned earlier or if you are a beginner looking for a gentle way to become involved in guitar playing and composing, if you are performing to a louder audience you may increase sound by using a microphone but if you are looking to play music on a louder, more penetrating way then steel strings are the modern and more technologically adapted way to bring your sound to yourself or the audience you are performing to.
Looking at nylon first, these tend to be softer on the fingertips and have a more tender delicate twang from the sound. In that respect I would recommend that nylon strings are the perfect choice for a beginner guitarist as for the first few months you will find the tips of your fingers will become fairly tender. Your body will respond to this by developing tougher skin on the fingers you use on the fretboard to make chords and in turn will assist you in the future when playing steel strings which are tougher.
The other reason for selecting nylon strings would be if you are looking to play a certain style of music. For example, classical music and certain genres of Spanish guitar songs favour nylon strings, classical music in past has been reluctant to acknowledge the guitar as a member of an orchestra and debate has been continued for centuries with no real conclusion. As it stands it is occasionally used but mainly on nylon stringed classical guitars only.
A nylon stringed guitar can be tricky to replace strings as at the bridge end, near the sound hole the strings tend put be placed on with a looping and intertwining method as opposed to the simpler plastic rod on the bridge of a steel stringed guitar. For that reason I would advise you see a specialist when replacing strings if you are not familiar with them.
The steel string variety is a more modern invention, in fact it was introduced as last as the 20th century in a widespread capacity. Nowadays they tend to be favoured by rock and pop modern bands due to the crisp sound they produce which can be used towards a more edgy cutting sound.
Another reason why they are favoured amongst modern musicians is that for live performances when playing in a full band with drums, bass, keyboards and other instruments the steel strings can be used alongside a pickup which will interpret the vibrations from the manipulation of the strings and then can be converted into an electrical signal, then it can be amplified through a guitar amp and this warm personal sound of an acoustic guitar can be projected to hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people in an audience at a gig.
In summary, nylon strings are a great choice when you are playing music of a specific genre as mentioned earlier or if you are a beginner looking for a gentle way to become involved in guitar playing and composing, if you are performing to a louder audience you may increase sound by using a microphone but if you are looking to play music on a louder, more penetrating way then steel strings are the modern and more technologically adapted way to bring your sound to yourself or the audience you are performing to.
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