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Wedding Guitar at Maidens Barn, Essex: From “Wonderful Tonight” to Gary Moore

Posted on: 7 December 2013

One of the pleasures of playing at weddings is discovering which music matters to the family. Sometimes the requests are for familiar ceremony pieces; sometimes they take us towards blues and rock guitar.

The correspondence for a wedding I played at Maidens Barn on 7 December 2013 brought together both the romantic and the unexpected. Anthony, who organised the booking, had been listening to my recordings and particularly liked Wonderful Tonight. A little later, he asked about two more pieces: Layla by Eric Clapton and Parisian Walkways by Gary Moore.

There was a lovely reason behind those requests. His dad, Stephen, was paying, and Anthony wanted to include something that would, in his words, “make an old man very happy indeed”.

Returning to Maidens Barn

I have played at Maidens Barn on numerous occasions. Situated in High Easter, in the Essex countryside near Dunmow, it is a venue with a history rooted in the working life of the farm. The original barn dates from 1806, with exposed timbers, brickwork and a lofty roof that still give it much of its character.

The family’s account of its restoration is particularly interesting. The Elm Barn once stored hay, grain and potatoes, but later fell into disrepair and suffered badly in the storm of 1987. Rather than demolish it, they used tractors to pull it upright again. Restoration began in 1999, ready for a family birthday in 2001, and that celebration helped inspire its subsequent life as a wedding venue.

I like the fact that its transformation began with a family occasion. A building that had served the farm for generations found a new purpose bringing people together.

“We particularly liked Wonderful Tonight”

Anthony’s first enquiry was for music from around two until six in the afternoon. After listening to the recordings on my website, he wrote to say that they would like to book, singling out Wonderful Tonight.

It is easy to understand the appeal of that song for a wedding. Its melody is unhurried and affectionate, and it lends itself beautifully to solo guitar. Without a singer, the guitar carries the vocal line as well as the accompaniment, allowing a familiar song to take on a slightly different character.

That is something I enjoy about instrumental arrangements. People may recognise a song after just a few notes, but hear details differently when it is played on a single guitar.

Anthony also asked whether I could accommodate a few requests. When he sent them through, the repertoire became more interesting still.

A musical thank-you for Dad

Layla and Parisian Walkways were the two pieces Anthony asked me to consider for his father.

“Not sure how that would translate to the classical style,” he wrote, “especially the second one!”

It was a very fair question. A piece associated with an electric guitar does not simply transfer note for note to a nylon-string instrument. The sound, sustain and expressive possibilities are different, so arranging it involves deciding what gives the music its identity and how best to retain that.

With Layla, there are familiar melodic and rhythmic ideas to work with. The challenge is to suggest enough of the song for it to remain recognisable while finding a texture that feels comfortable and complete on one guitar.

Parisian Walkways raises a different question. So much of its character lies in the expressive delivery of the melody: the space between phrases, the emphasis on individual notes and the sense of a guitar almost singing. On a classical guitar, I would approach that through phrasing, changes of tone and carefully judged accompaniment, rather than trying to reproduce the electric sound.

Requests like these open up a useful conversation about what “classical guitar” means at a wedding. The instrument can carry music from well beyond the classical repertoire, including songs that have a very personal significance for a couple or their family.

Music for the people in the room

What appeals to me most about these emails is the thought behind the selection. Anthony had heard something he liked in Wonderful Tonight, then wanted to make room for music his dad would enjoy too.

Wedding music can serve several purposes at once. It helps create an atmosphere, accompanies the important moments and can quietly acknowledge someone who has helped make the day possible.

At a venue I have returned to many times, those individual choices are what distinguish one wedding from another. The building may be familiar, but the people—and the music they bring with them—make each occasion its own.