It was truly a beautiful day for a wedding. Okay, it was hot...somewhere north of 85 degrees...which made wearing dress clothes rather uncomfortable. However, I wasn't alone in that. Weddings are most often happy and dressy occasions. Erin and Gareth's wedding was no different. It was a beautiful ceremony on the veranda overlooking Great North Mountain (and, ironically, my own house just three miles away). The theme of the day was peacocks...a very attractive one. The groom has a Scottish background, but given the theme, I think it was probably difficult to find a proper kilt :).
I played for just shy of an hour in total. For 30 minutes prior to the ceremony, I played a mix of stately marches and slow airs. Wedding music prior to the ceremony is usually more low-key. One new tune that I did play was "The Highland Wedding". This six-part march has taken me a fair amount of time to learn, but it went off pretty well. Well, the fourth part was a bit rocky both times that I played it. But, I may be the only person who knew. That's not always too comforting, though it should be. I also played for about 30 minutes after the ceremony. Those tunes were more light and upbeat, like "Crossing the Minch" or "Itchy Fingers". A number of quick marches and strathspeys were also played. The bottom line -- most of these tunes could inspire gleeful dancing.
I was pretty nervous prior to driving the winery. It has been a while since I have played at a wedding, but it was mostly because I was not just playing at any wedding, but at a ceremony where I was in some way representing the heritage of the groom. I could have brushed this off, but I probably took it too seriously instead. Since I did not know him or his family prior to arriving at the ceremony, he could have been related to some long line of amazing pipers for all I knew and would be listening in for any missed notes or chanter squeaks. Fortunately, so far as I know, this was no the case. He was very gracious and welcoming and made me feel very at-ease.
I played for just shy of an hour in total. For 30 minutes prior to the ceremony, I played a mix of stately marches and slow airs. Wedding music prior to the ceremony is usually more low-key. One new tune that I did play was "The Highland Wedding". This six-part march has taken me a fair amount of time to learn, but it went off pretty well. Well, the fourth part was a bit rocky both times that I played it. But, I may be the only person who knew. That's not always too comforting, though it should be. I also played for about 30 minutes after the ceremony. Those tunes were more light and upbeat, like "Crossing the Minch" or "Itchy Fingers". A number of quick marches and strathspeys were also played. The bottom line -- most of these tunes could inspire gleeful dancing.
I was pretty nervous prior to driving the winery. It has been a while since I have played at a wedding, but it was mostly because I was not just playing at any wedding, but at a ceremony where I was in some way representing the heritage of the groom. I could have brushed this off, but I probably took it too seriously instead. Since I did not know him or his family prior to arriving at the ceremony, he could have been related to some long line of amazing pipers for all I knew and would be listening in for any missed notes or chanter squeaks. Fortunately, so far as I know, this was no the case. He was very gracious and welcoming and made me feel very at-ease.
I share this window into my insecurities because I was reminded today of all of those solo and ensemble competitions in which I competed in middle and high school band as a trumpet player. I was even reminded of the times that I needed to audition for All Ohio State Fair Band or even my own bands back home. These always involved solos in front of one or more people. These were judged in so many ways back and forth, left and right, that I suppose I learned to have nerves whenever such a solo opportunity arose. My worst such experience was actually related to piping -- auditioning for the College of Wooster Scottish Arts Scholarship. I had only been playing bagpipes for less than six months and could barely play half of the tunes I needed to to compete. Still, I auditioned. I didn't get it...in fact, it was clear to me that freshman year at Wooster that those who did get it ahead of me were so much better, I almost felt ridiculous for even trying.
Of course, trying out wasn't ridiculous. Nor was it ridiculous to do all of those competitions and auditions in my younger years. In hindsight, they were some of my best and most memorable experiences. One lesson that I have learned through these successes and failures is that because I am not the best musician or piper in the world, I am able recognize how much room I have for growth as a player and will work harder to get there as a result. Confidence might help me miss fewer notes during high-stakes performances, but I think that too much of it would lead me down a path to complacency...and I would find myself playing the same tired tunes over and over!
So, nerves, I embrace my uneasy relationship with you!
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