About
Piano by Bec is a pianist for hire in Canberra, ACT.
Bec is a classically trained pianist with an AMusA, playing warm acoustic sets that sit anywhere from a Canberra cafe session to a wedding ceremony. Classical pieces, reimagined rock ballads, and everything chosen for the particular room. For weddings and funerals she'll work through song choices with you properly, the ones that carry weight. For bars, cafes and corporate rooms, just describe the mood and she'll handle the rest. Volume is watched closely: low and unobtrusive under dinner, more present when the music is the point. She arrives early to set up and sound check, and dresses to match the occasion. Her own digital stage piano travels with her, needing a power outlet and about 1.5 by 1.5 metres of flat floor. A tuned piano at the venue works just as well.
Watch
The show
Bec turns up before the start time, loads in and sound checks, so nothing is still being plugged in while your guests arrive. She reads volume carefully. Low and underneath the talking when people are eating, and more forward when the music is meant to be the thing everyone notices. Between songs the chat stays short and she keeps the flow going. Dress matches the occasion, smart casual for a bar and formal for a wedding or a gala, which sounds obvious and often isn't.
On the day
A tuned, working piano at your venue is the simplest version, and it means nothing has to be carried in. If there isn't one, she brings her own digital stage piano. That needs a power outlet and roughly a metre and a half square of flat floor, which most rooms can find in a corner. Worth mentioning the surface when you enquire, since a level spot matters more than a large one.
Performance options
Bec takes bookings of one, two or three hours. Plan on a short break each hour, ten to fifteen minutes, so a two hour booking gives you close to two hours of music with a pause in the middle rather than 120 minutes straight through. Worth keeping in mind when you're working out whether she needs to cover the whole of dinner or just the arrivals and the speeches.