Guitarist, Composer, Instructor
The Munsters and Addams Family were contemporaries back in the 60’s. Both had iconic theme songs one was a dark/comic/rock tune and the other quirky/spooky. Now is your chance to vote for your favorite!
The Munsters, Herman and his Bride Lily, Grandpa, Marylin & Eddie
The Addams Family, Gomez and wife Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsly, Lurch….
You can’t be a guitar aficionado and not at least have an appreciation for Chuck Berry. The man is the first true rock n roll guitar hero! The duck-walk, the hairstyle and of course the, “Johnny B. Good,” guitar riff, one of the most popular and influential in rock n roll history!
Chuck Berry the energized rocker is 86!! That is crazy but so glad he is still around. He is definitely on my list of must see live performers…hopefully I will still get a chance. He is said to still play a club in St. Louis regularly.
Happy Birthday Chuck Berry, here’s to many more joyful guitar playing years before you!
Watch both the classic version and see the influence he had years later making his way into this classic clip from, “Back to the Future,” where Michael J. Fox introduces the 50’s to Chuck Berry before… Chuck Berry.
One of the first things people ask me when they find out I play guitar for weddings is, “Do you get tired of playing, ‘Here Comes the Bride’?”
My answer is NO! I enjoy playing for all of my clients big day. Each wedding is different and has it’s own energy. It is important to make the atmosphere of the event special for each couple and their guests. Second, I really don’t play it as often as one might think.
To some the “Bridal Chorus,” Here Comes the Bride’s, real title, has become clichĂŠ or cartoon-ish due to having been placed in so much media over the years; movies, commercials, cartoons, etc. It also has the feel of ‘My parents wedding march’ to many of my clients.
The irony is that I have handfuls of clients who say NO WAY to the traditional marches and a handful of those who wouldn’t have it any other way. There is no right or wrong, it is each couples decision.
That said there are a few popular alternatives that have trended over the years. Some are short lived trendy and some have become the new traditional, like Pachelbel’s, “Canon in D.” Without doubt the Canon is the most popular piece I play for the Bridal procession. It is classy and timeless but has a more modern feel than the “Bridal Chorus.” “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” by J.S. Bach and Handel’s, “Harmonious Blacksmith,” are two other in demand classical pieces that I am often asked to play.
Then there are the non-traditional options, for those who want their wedding to display something uniquely them. I have played Metallica, Journey, Gypsy Kings, Enya, George Harrison, The Beatles to name a few. There are also trends that are born from mass media, like when the big wedding episode of “Friends,” the 90’s sitcom, used Eric Clapton’s, “Wonderful Tonight.” I played that one quite a bit back then, although I think that song always makes a great procession.
The idea of a piece becoming trendy is not really a new idea to these times. ‘Here Comes the Bride,’ as I mentioned, is really entitled, “Bridal Chorus,” and was adapted from Wagner’s opera, “Lohengrin.” It only became traditional due to its extended trendiness.
So there it is a post about Bridal March music. Hope this helps you pick your music whether you like traditional, semi-traditional or something unique. I am always glad to go over options and ideas with my clients to help them if they don’t already have a clear idea of the music they want.
To see other wedding music posts.
If you need a guitarist or info for your wedding music please check out my Wedding Center.
It is finally here!
A new Adele song. Now as much as I like her voice I think I am more happy that it can be heard on some new music, finally!
As good as her mega hit album “21′ was it has suffered from being massively over played, especially in our house…my wife is a HUGE fan! đ
The new song is entitled, “Skyfall,” from the soon to be released(Nov. 9) James Bond movie of the same title. The music is very much in the same vein of the spy music genre we have heard before. The cool thing is to hear her graceful yet powerful voice weaving through the massive orchestration. The song features a 77 piece orchestra. Of course you can also hear some of her familiar piano riffs, as well.
I’m definitely looking forward to hearing what she has up her musical sleeve in the future.
Enjoy!
This a great week for sports fans as the NFL makes its 2012 debut.
It is very exciting that there is a game tonight, the first of the year, but it wont feel like football until Sunday when there will be a full ledger of games and scores to keep an eye on. Although, in San Diego we will have to wait one more day as the Chargers open the season on Monday Night Football.
For some reason over the years there has been a musical link with the NFL and symphonic music. The greatest themes all employ dramatic horns, strings and percussion to paint a picture of the weekly gridiron battles we have come to love. I am guessing NFL Films would be the originators of pairing symphonic themes with football but I would need to dig a little deeper to prove that claim. One could argue that if they were not the first they might be the best.
Perhaps the greatest gift to football fans and music lovers is the fact we are finally rid of Hank Williams Jr.’s “Are You Ready for Some Football.” If I knew all it would take was to get ol’ Bocephus to talk politics to get rid of that song I would have baited him myself!…years ago! For those of you who liked it, rest assured the brain trust at the networks have most likely found an equally horrible and annoying anthem to fill in.
Here are a couple classic sound clips to get you ready for the season! Best to your favorite team…unless they are playing my Chargers of course!
Keep an eye out for my NFL 2012 predictions is song coming very soon!
That’s right, Marvin Hamlisch was one of only eleven to ever win all four prestigious awards not to mention he also won multiple Golden Globes, as well.
Unfortunately, the composer passed away today at age 68.
Locally, Hamlisch’s name was synonymous with the San Diego Symphony’s Summer Pops, as he was the principal conductor.
Another huge musical loss in 2012, RIP Marvin Hamlisch!
You say you want a Revolution?
Remember these old Schoolhouse Rock cartoons on Saturday mornings? They were definitely the bomb!
Happy birthday America!
My friends we are facing an epidemic! Itâs brutal some would say unnerving!
If you play guitar with a pick, you know what Iâm talking about. You go to your local guitar store drop a few bucks and, in theory, have enough picks to last you for awhile.
You know you bought a few of the cool ones with skull designs on them, a few heavy ones for fast picking and that one thin one for strumming some folk songs.
Get home and itâs time for a practice session. You start jamming then a distraction, maybe the doorbell rings. You put your new skull pick down in a precise spot on the coffee table so you remember exactly where you left it so you donât lose it. You dispatch the salesman at the door only to return to your rockinâ out and cue the theme from âPsychoâ as you look down and that shiny new pick is gone.
âWhat the heck!?, I left it right there on the coffee tableâŚright there in the corner!â  Too late! âŚItâs goneâŚlike a swimmer in âJawsâ, like a camper in Mike Myersâ neck of the woods, like one of Sigourney Weaverâs buddies in âAlien.â
Get a glass of waterâŚBam, another one gone! Go to the bathroomâŚChaChing, your thin pick is gone! Picks disappear like crazy. Where do they go? It doesnât make any sense.
Over the years Iâve come to one conclusion. There are Pick Gremlins amongst us. It doesnât matter where you live or how careful you are with your picks they are gonna disappear on you. You can even check your pockets and the laundry, but, theyâre gone!  Itâs the pick gremlins no other possibility.
For those of you who play guitar you KNOW what Iâm talking about. For those that donâtâŚwell you probably think all guitarists are nuts anyways.
Beware of the Pick Gremlins!
Click the link to hear Ennio Morricone’s great composition for the theme song of Clint Eastwood’s, “The Good , The Bad and The Ugly.”
It will help set the comical scene described below.
The stars were aligned today. My family was out of the house and I didnât have any pressing projects it was gonna be just me and my guitar! A chance to work on some music, clear my mind and make everything right in the worldâŚlike a workout does as it releases endorphins.
So, what happens… an evil varmint toilet in our house sprung a leak. I had to take action. I had to put down the guitar and pick up a wrench.
The scene was like an old fashioned western dual, two determined gunslingers battling out! If you can imagine the camera focusing on me with a menacing look on my face then panning to the toilet staring me downâŚback and forth.
For most of you, fixing a toilet not a big dealâŚbutâŚfor a musician whoâs brain likes creative projects better than manual ones it kind of is. Not to mention these types of projects donât normally go too good on the fingers.
No music in today but the towns folk are all safe!..and the bathroom is all better too.
Mike Slayen ~ Guitarist 