Category Archives: Pianisit

Piano Man

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A professional pianist is second to none. There is no other sound quite like a Grand piano. From classical to contemporary you will be in awe of your pianist and at Red Masque entertainment directory we have the very best pianists for hire in the UK.

If you are looking for a pianist for your wedding, event or launch party and need softly playing music in the background then look no further than the selection of solo pianists available here at Red Masque. If you want to book please look at our available pianists and click on your chosen one. You can call your performer directly or fill out the online booking form found on their profile. You will be directly in contact with your chosen act and as there’s no middle man here at Red Masque, there are no extra hidden costs and fees, ensuring you get the best possible deal available.

If you are having a Wedding and wouldn’t mind the sound of a top pianist playing when you walk down the aisle or as background music at your reception, the pianists for hire on Red Masque party entertainment directory could be just the sound that you have been searching for. The emotional, calming music is guaranteed to complement your event.

 

The right music for every occasion

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We constantly consume music, whether we are aware of it or not, and we will end up in situations where we participate in subconscious listening every day.

We mostly think of music as pure entertainment, but marketers have been using it to influence our behaviour for decades. It’s a particularly prolific strategy in consumer goods industries, but the principles can easily be applied to the event industry.

This could be at the supermarket, with music playing over the loudspeakers, during TV ads or programmes, where music often sits in the background to augment a mood. It could also be at an event or conference, where there is either a live band or background music being played in the venue. All of this subconscious or inactive listening has an impact on how we behave.

Using the right type of music can potentially be very profitable, and as such there’s been a lot of research into exactly how different types of music affects behaviour within a specific environment. Certain types of music can make us move through a space faster, linger longer, change our perception of queue times or makes us spend more.

Unsurprisingly, fast paced music makes people move faster, and so does loud music. Slow music generally makes people slow down. It might be basic, but it’s an important factor in creating a specific mood for an event. Do you want people to be energised and buzzing, or relaxed and laid-back?

So if you’re putting on a race or sporting event, you’ll want to increase the volume and get some dance or rock music blasting out to energise your participants. However, if you’re running an exhibition and want people to linger and chat at stalls, you’ll probably want to opt for slower, softer sounds to keep the pace steady and encourage more conversations.

If you like to listen to music, like most of us, you will have experienced how it can impact your mood. This is something the media and marketers know how to take full advantage of. In addition to our emotional reactions, they also play on the associations we attach to different types of music.

Classical music might be thought of as sophisticated and classy, while Jazz might be thought of as artistic and refined. When putting these general assumptions to the test, several experiments show that playing specific music can impact perceptions too. For example, classical music can temporarily increase the perceived value of an item. In these situations, people projected some of the associations they had with classical music, e.g. sophistication, onto the item itself.

So for your next conference, maybe you want to welcome attendees with a spot of classical music, or introduce your keynote speaker with it playing in the background, inferring sophistication and intelligence on everyone in the room as well as your speakers.

All that Jazz

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Most professional piano entertainment are able to play in the style of jazz to varying degrees, without actually being a legit jazz pianist. For many clients; Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble are jazz, and those are the melodies they want to hear. Maybe they want to hear some light FM melodies sprinkled in. Other clients want to hear classic old time Jazz at their corporate event and these clients would require a legitimate jazz trained pianist. Both styles are completely valid for classy cocktail music, and to be brutally honest, the majority of the guests will not know the difference unless it’s pointed out to them.

From the musician’s point of view, it takes much more training to achieve the status of a true jazz pianist, and as such, they get more respect in the music world. Even cocktail players that play “jazzy”, or “in a jazz style” really have a limited jazz vocabulary and can’t really “hang” with the straight up jazz crowd.

From the standpoint of a client looking for background music at their event, in our experience, it’s usually not important to them whether they are hearing legitimate jazz improvisation, or “jazzy” version of a melody. Just because it’s not straight up jazz doesn’t make it unsophisticated.

As for the pricing, with any professional party entertainment you are paying for professionalism, experience, musicality, and a classy presentation that can float in the background, adding ambience and being complementary to party chatter. Whether it’s “cocktail music” or true jazz, the cost is generally going to be the same.

Get some inspiration for your next event

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It’s a fact often acknowledged that the event entertainment is often the best part of a show. You want your entertainment to impress people but maybe this is the kind of corporate event where you’re looking to get your message across in a subtle way. Here are a few party ideas to get you thinking.

Pianist

Hiring a pianist for an event isn’t exactly rocking the boat, but there’s a reason why this is a hugely popular form of entertainment for hotels and functions alike. It’s often difficult to pick the right music for corporate events but pianists have the wonderful ability to judge the room and can of course flit between classical and jazz standards and the room requires. Wonderful.

Cello artists

Why have one cello when you can have four? A cello group comprise a quartet of talented musicians who can perform musical tunes from the world of pop right through to the likes of Elgar. Background corporate entertainment doesn’t have to mean ‘boring entertainment’, which is exactly where a cello group come in! They are sure to make clients and colleagues remember the wow factor at your event.

Lookalikes

The very definition of background entertainment, lookalikes simply need to stand about and do exactly as every other guest does at an event. Just blend in with the crowd. Of course, that’s easier said than done when you look like Brad Pitt, Prince William or Simon Cowell, but their job is simply to get people talking. So if your corporate event is all about networking, then hiring a few celeb lookalikes might be just the thing! Alternatively, you might like to consider costumed characters.

Harpist

Is there anything more beautiful than the sound of a harp? If there is, then we are yet to discover it! One of our most requested acts for events and weddings alike, a harpist adds elegance and a relaxing quality to any corporate event. Brilliant for guests’ arrivals as well as drawing proceedings to a close, hiring a harpist for an event is sure to go down wonderfully.

Jazz

Many people are a little afraid of hiring percussion for a corporate event, especially as background entertainment. Nobody wants a huge clanging of a symbol as guests are trying to talk with one another – rest assured that all of the musicians you see advertised are experts in their field and are sensitive to volume levels. A jazz trio or quartet might be just the thing you’re after to set the mood.

Hire a celebrity Line-Up

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Everyone wants their party to be memorable. One fun idea is to hire celebrity lookalikes to mingle with your guests. Nothing loosens up a stuffy corporate crowd quite like sharing cocktails with Kim & Kanye.

At one party a pianist was hired as entertainment for a corporate party. What he didn’t know was that they had also hired Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey and Elton John impersonators to work the party as well. Before he took the stage, he spoke with all three and asked if they would mind singing with him. He figured out what songs they could all do, and then they began their act. After the act the impersonators were mingling with the guests. The acts continued doing the show again and then 30 minutes later Frank took over the stage with a medley of his greatest hits,

I thought that the choices of Frank and Elton John impersonators were particularly inspired because they are both over-the-top personalities and you can’t help but have a good time and smile in the face of such flamboyance. We think Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, Beyoncé and other larger-than-life entertainers would all be great choices too.

Just look on our list of celebrity lookalikes and see who could be at your party!!

Christmas Decor

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For all 2015 christmas corporate events, décor will be key. Your venue needs to wow your guests from the moment they walk in, creating a special and uniquely defined space for your event. Two highly contrasting themes are high tech interactive and natural materials, enabling your company to show off its tech prowess, or boost its eco credentials.

Choose musicians that blend performances with tech, such as our interactive VJ’S, or a live DJ. Get your guests interacting with each other playing giant games with your very own theme. 

If you choose a high tech theme, your christmas party entertainment must be 100% integrated to the whole tech ambience. Look for entertainers that offer a tech twist in their act, such as iPad illusionists, LED Light entertainers and street magicians that work with the latest phones and mobile gadgets. 

If you are thinking about a winter corporate event into a natural winter wonderland party with ice sculptures and decorated living statues, walkabout characters, and seasonal winter menus. Welcome guests with the warming aromas of mulled wine, or entice people out into the crisp winter air with heated seating areas, piles of rugs and sweet chestnuts roasting on a real coal brazier.

You could extend the theme beyond décor and food into acoustic musical acts, for a more ‘natural’ sound. Entertain with a gospel singing Christmas songs, or a trendy a Capella groups, or guitar and sax soloists.

When you want your corporate party to finally hot up, keep the theme with classic tracks that really evoke the sights and sounds with top UK function and party bands who know their Farrell and their Ed Sheeran.

Take lighting to the next level and illuminate your event to create spectacle and visual interest. Any venue can be transformed with clever and creative use of lighting even on the more limited of budgets. Use lighting to throw unusual shadows, to colour tables rather than using flowers, and use wireless technology to alter lighting states to reflect the various stages of your event.

Your entertainment should be equally well lit! Look for party DJ’S with their own light shows, rock and pop function bands that provide their own lighting, and artists that use light in imaginative ways.

For larger events, book artists that have a strong visual impact enhanced by theatrical style lighting, such as dance troupes, ballet dancers or aerial artists.

Find ways to make your christmas party entertainment a pleasure for everyone by choosing acts that blend superb musicianship with accessible humour, such as a comedy string quartet. Or present musical acts with an international flavour, such as 1920s swing band just make people smile!

A very classical affair…

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A beautiful piece of music is always lovely to hear and even more so when it is played by a pianist, you could hire a pianist to play in a swanky new wine bar that you have just opened or at a Wedding where the pianist could play subtly at your reception in the background.

A Harpist is another beautiful instrument that has a mystical feel to it, in fact very much like a piano player a Harpist can play at any special event where class is needed, or indeed a violin where a haunting thought provoking sound can be played at a funeral to send of your loved one.

Whatever the occasion we are sure to have the best musicians to play at your special event, we have only the best advertised with Red Masque entertainment directory. Just find the performer for hire that suits your requirements and fill out an online booking form where your chosen artists will be in contact with you directly.