Tag: church music

SubscribeStar Saturday: Tales of a Hedge Pianist: Playing Piano at the Presbyterian Church

The Portly Politico2 Comments

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Last summer I served as the fill-in pianist for the local United Methodist Church in what became our new town. You can read about that here. Two Sundays ago I was invited to play for the local Presbyterian Church for their annual camp service.

What is a “hedge pianist”? Essentially, it’s a term I’ve coined for a freelance/unaffiliated pianist-for-hire. The “hedge” comes from the concept of a “hedge knight“; the hedge knight is a landless, traveling knight who takes work where he can, hoping his skills will land him in the retinue of some great lord, with all the benefits that come with it. With just his horse, armor, and arms, the hedge knight seeks to prove his skill in tournaments and small conflicts.

Similarly, a “hedge pianist” is a masterless pianist traveling about, taking gigs where they come, with a possible interest in gaining enough renown to land a cushy weekly church gig, or playing Friday nights at an upscale eatery. It’s also just a nerdy (or cool?) way of making playing as a fill-in pianist at local churches sound like I’m some kind of musical ronin roaming about the countryside looking for a piano to play.

Regardless, I had the opportunity to play that role two Sundays back for the local Presbyterian Church. The church has a “camp” service every year in preparation for their Vacation Bible School, and the pastor asked if I could play some hymns and all the usual pieces for High Church Protestant services, namely “Doxology” and the “Gloria Patri.” Naturally, I agreed.

The Chapel
A Gazebo with a Bent Cross
The Campground and Buildings

The service was held at a campsite owned and maintained by the Southern Baptist church that Dr. Wife and I attend. It’s a beautiful little spot about twenty minutes outside of town, tucked away among the pine trees. The grounds and buildings are very well-maintained. I had some trepidation that the service would take place outdoors, which would present two inconveniences: the intense South Carolina summer heat, and the wind blowing my music everywhere.

Fortunately, the camp has a commodious (and air-conditioned) chapel, where a responsive Yamaha digital piano waited for me. There was also a delectable fried chicken lunch on the other side of the service.

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Lazy Sunday CCCXCI: Saxamophone!

The Portly Politico1 Comment

Yours portly has been noodlin’ on the old sax a good bit over the past couple of weeks, so for lack of a better topic—and, uh, to catch you up on my latest adventures in noodling!—here are some recent posts featuring a total of six saxy jams.

The title for today’s Lazy Sunday comes from this classic scene from The Simpsons, which I probably think about every time I pick up the saxophone:

Now—onto the list!

Happy Sunday—and Happy Listening!

—TPP

Phone it in Friday CXXXIII: YouTube Roundup CXCIII: Saxophone Solos, Part II

The Portly Politico7 Comments

Want to play sax like me? Check out my updated guide on getting started with a budget sax!

I had a gig a couple weeks back, and it’s gotten me practicing my sax a lot more. It’s also been an opportunity to churn out some sweet, sweet YouTube content. Indeed, last week I featured three quick sax pieces; check them out if you missed them.

This week, here are three more videos of my saxophonic noodling, curated for your listening pleasure:

“Moon River” by Henry Mancini

Just a quick rendition of the classic tune from the classic film.

“The Way of the Ghost” from Ghost of Tsushima

A sax arrangement of “The Way of the Ghost” from the classic Ghost of Tsushima; I play it a bit faster than the original. Good old Ponty requested this cover, so I took the opportunity to arrange it for solo alto sax.

Indeed, you can purchase my solo sax arrangement at the following online retailers:

Here’s the score embedded for easy listening to the digital sax version:

Ludwig von Beethoven’s “Für Elise”

A saxophone rendition of Beethoven’s ““”Für Elise”; my only regret is that my man-nips are protruding; very disrespectful.

There you have it! Three more delicious saxophone tunes. Which did you enjoy the most, dear readers? I know Ponty’s answer!

Happy Friday!

—TPP

SubscribeStar Saturday: Tales of a Hedge Pianist: Playing Piano at the Methodist Church

The Portly Politico5 Comments

Today’s post is a SubscribeStar Saturday exclusive.  To read the full post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.  For a full rundown of everything your subscription gets, click here.

An old United Methodist Church in a small town about fifty minutes from my home enlisted me to serve as their fill-in pianist this summer at $150 per Sunday morning service.  As I’ve had major expenses related to my car, the wedding, and income taxes, I jumped at the opportunity to play piano for this church.

Their regular guy is a child prodigy who is on a tour of Europe, playing and learning piano from the masters.  This L’il Mozart (he’s seventeen, I think) has been in Salzburg, Austria, at the birthplace of Mozart.  It sounds like something lifted right out of the nineteenth century.  Kudos to him.

His success on the piano has translated into some extra cash for yours portly.  It’s also been an excellent opportunity to hone my skills.  For the most part, the music is mostly hymns, many of which I already know, or with which I possess a passing familiarity.  The choral anthem, played during offertory, is usually something a bit more challenging, but I’ve managed to get by fine.

The title of this post suggests that I’ve had some wild adventures or encountered out-of-the-ordinary things, but it’s all been quite tame.  No choir floozies throwing themselves at me; no old codgers angrily denouncing my Pentecostal-style piano playing; no invitations to Methodist secret societies engaging in weird masquerade balls.

The life of a musician—especially one who is forty and well past his choir floozy days (thank God for that—and for Dr. Fiancée!)—is rarely as glamorous as the movies and rockumentaries and mockumentaries make them out to be.  But it is, nonetheless, filled with worthwhile and, very often, amusing experiences.

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