[TPIN] Louie Eckhardt made me think

[David Anderson]

I play a lot of weddings.  Is it the most artistically satisfying thing I do?  No it isn't, but it is one of the most lucrative things I do.  Playing 1-3 weddings Saturday after Saturday brings in a fair amount of money that I wouldn't make otherwise. 

For those of you who would like to do more of this kind of work, but don't know how to go about getting the phone to ring, here is what I did many years ago and continue to do, but now to a lesser degree.  First go out and buy several copies, yes several copies, of the Mitchell-Head "Classical Wedding" book.  Many organists have a trumpet player that they use regularly, so don't do what I'm suggesting if you know this to be the case.  No good can ever come of "stealing" someone else's gig.  

In most urban areas there are hundreds of churches meaning there are hundreds of organists.  I am generalizing when I suggest that organists tend toward being unorganized, having goofy arrangements of standard wedding material, in goofy keys, missing pages, unable to play some standard piece because they can't find the goofy arrangement that they learned in college thirty years ago, etc.  Now to my marketing point.  When you are engaged to play a first wedding at a given church, give the organist the organ copy after the wedding.  Explain that you have many duplicates, and you do, and that having all the wedding tunes in one place will make their life easier.  Do not give them the trumpet part, whatever you do.  Next and most important of all, in bold marker pen write your name, address, home ph#, cell ph#, and e mail address on the front cover. Not the inside cover, the front cover. Organists, like everyone else will follow the path of least resistance. When they need a trumpet player for any occasion, be it a memorial service, wedding, Sunday morning show and blow,  whatever, they will remember you and call you.  And why shouldn't they?  You were organized, you showed them how to be better organized and without being pushy,  They will lose a business card or a brochure of your accomplishments, but they won't lose a book, unless they are a total moron.  

In a year's time you will have spent less than a hundred bucks giving away books, but you will make it back many times over. Additionally, in most weddings, engaged friends of the bride or sometimes more importantly, their mothers, will be in attendance.  Have business cards at the ready should anyone ask for one.

Finally.  Get a big 3 ring binder.  3 hole punch everything.  In this wedding book have both volumes of the "Classical Wedding,"  mass parts to any of the masses used in your diocese, any alleluias used in your diocese, etc.  Have a version of Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee, Bach- Ave Maria, How Great Thou Art, Amazing Grace, and yes even the Pachelbel "Canon," and even worse, "The Wedding Song."  They're not paying you to like these last two, but I guarantee you will be asked to play them sooner or later.  I have made several duplicates of wedding binders and keep one in the trunk of each of my cars.  I probably don't need any of the music at this point but it gives me a certain security.

Hope this helps someone.

David Anderson