Keyboard player hire in Australia: the complete guide

Keyboard is the most portable big sound in music. One instrument covers piano, strings, organ and brass, it fits in a hatchback, and it sets up on a stand in any corner with a power point. That practicality is why keyboard players turn up at events where an acoustic piano could never go.

The numbers here come from the keyboard players listed on the site. Two quite different jobs sit behind that one category name, and telling them apart is the useful thing this page can do for you.

The first is a solo function player: someone covering a whole event on their own, with sounds and often backing rhythms filling out the arrangement. Think a club function, an anniversary lunch, a nursing home afternoon or a long reception where one person needs to sound like more than one person.

The second is a musician joining something else. Sitting in with a band, backing a singer, playing a corporate showcase, covering for a regular member who is away. That is session work, it is priced differently, and the person doing it wants a run sheet and charts rather than a party brief. Say which one you need in your first message.

Access, mostly. A keyboard goes up stairs, onto a boat, into a marquee and outside under a verandah. It also never needs tuning and it can be turned down to a level a venue will accept, which an acoustic piano cannot.

The trade is feel. A weighted keyboard through a decent speaker sounds excellent and most guests will not think about it twice. A grand piano in a room with good acoustics is still a different experience. If the room already has one, hire someone to play it. If it does not, a keyboard player is the practical answer rather than a compromise.

Ask what the player brings: the keyboard itself, a stand, a stool, a speaker, cables and a power board. Most carry all of it, but a musician who normally plays with a band may expect the band's sound system, which is a problem if there is no band.

Then ask about arrangements. Some players use the instrument's built in rhythms and accompaniment to sound like a small group. Others play straight, with just the keyboard voices. Both are legitimate and people have strong preferences, so listen to a recording before you assume which one you are getting.

Sydney and Brisbane carry the strongest lists, with Melbourne next and smaller groups in Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. New South Wales and Queensland dominate, and the pool overall is small compared with guitarists or soloists, which is worth knowing when you are choosing a date.

Because it is a small field, the good ones get booked well ahead, particularly for December functions. If you have a fixed date, enquire with several at once rather than working through them one at a time.

Are you playing solo or joining other musicians? Do you sing as well, and for how much of the night? What do you bring, and does it include a speaker? Do you use built in rhythms, and can I hear that? And what is the setup time and the space you need?

The singing question matters because a keyboard player who also sings is usually listed elsewhere on this site, and confusion between the two categories is the most common mismatch here. If you want a voice, say the word voice.