Setlist for a Wedding, Any More Songsuggestions?

[timmerman]

I have been asked to play guitar at a wedding, it will be acoustic guitar and I am thinking of using a nylon- and a steel string. I will just amplify both of them through a small amp as the hall will not be that large and there will not be that many people.

There will be a band later on during the evening, and their task is to get people on the dancefloor. My task is mainly to create an athmoshere just using some well-known melodies and songs. I will probably be playing on and off for about 1,5 hours which is not all that long eh?

There are tons and tons of things to choose from, and at the moment I have some of the songs, but I still need to learn some more and rearrange them and just get them in my fingers so I can turn them into my own version.

I will treat them as solo-guitar pieces, you know, chords, melody, basslines and then improvise a bit with them, just to have fun really.

Along some of the things I was thinking are:

Killing me Softy with his Song: Roberta Fleck

Summertime: Gerswin

Light My Fire: Gordon Lightfoot

Nikkita: Elton John

Waiting for a Girl like You: Foreigner

I wanna know what Love is: As above

Your Love is King: Sade

Chuch E is in Love : Ricky Lee Jones

Brown Eyed Girl: Van Morrison

Moonlight Shadow: Mike Oldfield

Fields of Gold: Sting

More than Words: Extreme

Golden Brown: The Stranglers

Avalon:Roxy Music

Bridge over Troubled Water: Simon and Garfunkel

Scarborough Fair: As above

Some ballads from Rod Steward, just do not know which ones yet

So this is a little sample, in a way this would certainly be enough for 1,5 hours, but I am open to any more suggestions, they just need to have a good melody [or riff] and well-known by a lot of people.

Thanks

Eddie

 

[philboyd studge]

Looks like a good list to me, and I've done hundreds of these.

Do you know any light classical music? If not it's ok, just keep it light and no songs about leaving or breaking up or songs like Tears In Heaven and you're in there.

Suggestions? Hmmm, You've Got A Friend, Danny's Song, Song For You, Your Song, Lady In Red, and a couple of Van Morrisons; Crazy Love and Have I Told You Lately That I Love You.

Actually, there are a lot of wedding planning sites with lists of songs that can be helpful.

Good luck

 

[Nick The Man]

outta nowhere when they arent expecting it just play like... the killing road-megadeth or something it would be pretty funny......... but seriously it looks good ......maybe get a beatles song in there

 

[XLR]

I'm a big Lennon McCartney fan. These tunes make for great solo arrangements that fit the mood of a wedding or reception:
And I Love Her
Julia
I Will
Honey Pie
PS I Love You
This Boy
From a Window
If I Fell
Because
Things We Said Today
Two of Us

There's a great book of arrangments that has some of these- Beatles for Classic Guitar arr by Beekman, pub by Hal Leonard. The arrangements are pretty crafty and make good starting points for one's own version.

The Paul Stookey Wedding Song, and Longer by Dan Fogelberg make nice solo arrangements if they're tunes you like.

On the Latin/classical side, there are twenty or so short, pretty tunes by Julio Sagreras from his first four books of studies that are great for weddings. Pretty tunes, catchy latin rhythms and harmonies.

Tim

 

[timmerman]

Some good ideas there

Thanks guys so far,

Yep and no songs about breaking up eh unless you like the bride and think you would be a good match for her

It all looks good, and yes, it may be funny to add a few Rock riffs as well, just to break it up a bit.

I like those books some of you have mentioned, but I have to hurry up, have not that much time, but they may be good for later occassions or just to get ideas from.

Cheers

Eddie

 

[punkin]

Someone already beat me to the punch but I would second some of the more popular classical tunes; mix it up with a little Bach and Beethoven but I guess it really depends upon the mood and setting.

If they're serving adult libations, the reception will start out mellow and uncomfortable then later after a round or two the older generation will go home and the rest will start to liven up...after a few hours...break out the old time rock'n roll and make sure you've got a big tip jar

 

[goldtopchas]

Some old wedding standards that come to mind....
Colour my world.
Time in a bottle.
Pretty much any Beatles ballad...I'm partial to yesterday, Norwegian Wood

It would be funny to interject a few rock riffs...
A few bars of "My Sharona" would surely get a chuckle.
Good luck!! ...and remember that if your having fun with it, the crowd will too!!!

 

[boingoman]

"At Last" by Etta James is a great wedding tune, really sounds good if you work out the melody, and transpose it to use first position chords. Perfect slow-dance music, and the sentiment is just right.

 

[post.aux.fader]

I think an acoustic version of "Me So Horny" by 2LiveCrew is in place for your last song.

In all seriousness, maybe Waiting in Vain by Marley....

 

[XLR]

no songs about breaking up eh

I don't know... In an instrumental arrangement, maybe with songs from the 60's like the Beatles stuff, most people don't know the words well enough to know if it was about a breakup or not. ...Unless it's obvious from the title or first line lyrics that might easily come to mind.

I'm figuring that from my own point of reference though, where I play solo guitar arrangements of them and don't remember all the words generally.

Tim

 

[lpdeluxe]

A classic guitarist hired for my stepdaughter's wedding played "Suicide Is Painless."

 

[XLR]

A classic guitarist hired for my stepdaughter's wedding played "Suicide Is Painless."

Figures.

Classical guitarists tend to be darkly introspective, bordering on self-flagellation.

Or, giving the guy the benefit of the doubt, maybe somebody at the wedding with a nasty sense of humor slipped them a twenty and requested it.

Tim

 

[HeyHeyMyMy]

Here, There and Everywhere - Beatles

 

[punkin]

Baby Got Back...just a thought.

 

[firby]

Play "I love you" by the Klimax Blues Band. That's a big one where I come from.

 

[Clive Hugh]

A great song from the 1930's "You can have her I don't want her, she's too fat for me"
Ahh the wrong era, someone played it once when my mother got on the dance floor, she still went on about it 40 years later.

 

[timmerman]

After Friday I will tell you which ones I used on your recommendation, until then I keep it as a secret and yes.........I will have a lot of fun with it

So much to choose from eh? Think I will do a medley with some Rock riffs, mix it with some other stuff, and sure some light classical stuff as well.

Okay thanks to all of you so far

Eddie

 

[ggunn]

We had to play "Butterfly Kisses" for a wedding once for a father-daughter dance. My daughter was 18 at the time, and it was such a heartwarming experience that it made me want to go outside and slit my wrists.

I figured that the bride must have really hated her dad to put him through that.

 

[foo]

Dave Edmunds "I knew the Bride when she used to rock and roll'
Lyle Lovett "She's no lady, she's my wife"

 

[rpe]

Some of my favorite fingerstyle tunes are:

Unchained Melody (Righteous Bros)
My Heart Will Go On (Theme from Titanic)
Tears In Heaven (Clapton)
Annie's Song (John Denver)
Falling In Love With You (Elvis)
How Beautiful (Twila Paris)

rpe