Equipment Recommendations
More opportunities tend to open up for musicians who have a portable instrument, amplification, and other professional materials. In response, Andrea and I have shared our personal recommendations below. We hope it will be helpful to you as you expand your resources!
It may seem like a costly investment at first; however, we have found that it's one that pays for itself with just a few performances. Equipment can take you to the next level, leading to more bookings and allowing the performances to be simplified and more fun!
Additionally, if you feel technologically challenged, rest assured that learning and managing technology is definitely doable and becomes very straightforward with just a little practice.
If the links below do not work for you or if you have great recommendations you'd like to share with the team, just let me know!
It may seem like a costly investment at first; however, we have found that it's one that pays for itself with just a few performances. Equipment can take you to the next level, leading to more bookings and allowing the performances to be simplified and more fun!
Additionally, if you feel technologically challenged, rest assured that learning and managing technology is definitely doable and becomes very straightforward with just a little practice.
If the links below do not work for you or if you have great recommendations you'd like to share with the team, just let me know!
- All Musicians -
If you own an amp, it's great to have a splitter on hand when performing with other musicians!
- Piano -
My favorite brands for digital pianos are Yamaha and Casio. I've owned 3 Casios (2 Casio Privias) and the first one I bought in 2012 is still serving me well. Locally, I recommend looking at Fox Music House (4248 Dorchester Rd, North Charleston, SC 29405) and Guitar Center (7620 Rivers Ave #140, North Charleston, SC 29406).
The RavPower 23000mah Portable Charger has been life changing for me. They are compact, only $50-$100, and power my keyboard for up to 15 hours. Often even if I have access to a socket, I still use the charger just to minimize wires that guests could trip on. Currently, they are going out of stock (perhaps not in production anymore); however, there are still a few available when I look on shopping.google.com. I'm sure there are similar power packs as well, this is just the only one with which I have personal experience.
The RavPower 23000mah Portable Charger has been life changing for me. They are compact, only $50-$100, and power my keyboard for up to 15 hours. Often even if I have access to a socket, I still use the charger just to minimize wires that guests could trip on. Currently, they are going out of stock (perhaps not in production anymore); however, there are still a few available when I look on shopping.google.com. I'm sure there are similar power packs as well, this is just the only one with which I have personal experience.
- Strings -
Andrea uses The Realist 1/4" pickup on her cello performances. It is set underneath one foot of her bridge so it can catch the vibrations from the top of the instrument. It wraps around the tailpiece and stays there with a piece of black velcro wrap that comes with it. She shared that she hardly knows it's even there until she uses it and it never rattles or impedes her playing.
Additionally, there are some other Realist violin, viola, and bass pick-ups listed below. What she likes about these pick-ups is no hardware is installed into your instrument and no extra metal piece is needed. The velcro wrap just sits there unimpeded and gets a great, natural sound!
Additionally, there are some other Realist violin, viola, and bass pick-ups listed below. What she likes about these pick-ups is no hardware is installed into your instrument and no extra metal piece is needed. The velcro wrap just sits there unimpeded and gets a great, natural sound!
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Updated 2022 Note: Abby Lockaby uses a very affordable pick-up, the Andoer Clip-On, that is a great starting place for musicians beginning to secure equipment! And Austin Fitzhenry recommends the KNA Pick-ups which can be found on Amazon below or the "Electric Violin Shop."
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If you are using the Roland Cube amp with the affordable Andoer Clip-On Pickup, we have found the following settings and F-hole placement to work the best:
Andrea recommends the 10 ft cable below and she also recommends to get a few extra cables in your kit should one go out!
Finally, the LR Baggs Para Acoustic D.I. is a pre-amp which will equalize your acoustic instrument. Without one, your two lowest strings will be much louder than any of the others. It is a life saver and Andrea emphasized how many times she's had a sound engineer breathe a sigh of relief when they saw hers, allowing them to change the settings to sound natural.
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- Amps -
Andrea and I both love the Roland CUBE options due to affordability, sound quality, portability, and most are battery operated -- which is especially important for outdoor performances! We both use rechargeable batteries which is great for the environment and our pocketbooks!
Andrea owns the Roland Bass CUBE and raves about it. It has built in effects like reverb that make for a much more natural-sounding performance. (Note: You'll still need the 1/4" cables to plug your instrument and preamp).
I own the Roland CUBE Street EX 4-Channel 50-watt battery powered amplifier. It is amazing and has 4 channels or 2 XLR inputs. Yes, that means a whole quartet could be mixed into the one amplifier! You can plug in and mix the sound just the way you like so you have a balanced sound before a performance.
Andrea owns the Roland Bass CUBE and raves about it. It has built in effects like reverb that make for a much more natural-sounding performance. (Note: You'll still need the 1/4" cables to plug your instrument and preamp).
I own the Roland CUBE Street EX 4-Channel 50-watt battery powered amplifier. It is amazing and has 4 channels or 2 XLR inputs. Yes, that means a whole quartet could be mixed into the one amplifier! You can plug in and mix the sound just the way you like so you have a balanced sound before a performance.
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Updated 2022, Note: Austin Fitzhenry recommends the Bose S1 Pro Portable Amp which is also battery powered. It can connect to Bluetooth too!
Update 2023, Note: Jeremiah recommends the Coolmusic amp -- it's affordable, battery operated, and has 7 inputs! https://amzn.to/3HEMlK3
Click here for the carrying case.
- i Pads -
I use my iPad for every gig and I will never go back. If it's windy, I don't have to worry about managing pieces of paper and if it's dark at the end of a cocktail hour, no problem!
In addition to these benefits, I also like how quickly I can organize all of my music for a gig. "ForScore" is an app that allows you to import PDF files. Over the past few years I've downloaded PDFs or created my own PDFs by scanning my sheet music into the app. (There's a free phone app called SimpleScanner that makes the scanning process easy.) Austin Fitzhenry (cellist), shared that 5th generation (2017) is the oldest iPad that will run ForScore.
After the PDFs are in the app, I can create a setlist for each gig with the PDFs already in the app. It takes me only 5-10 minutes to organize my music for most weddings! While performing, I'm able to efficiently go from one selection to the next, which is especially great when the bride is ready to walk down the aisle.
The only downside I've found is that sometimes iPads can overheat in direct sun and shutdown. Therefore, I always look for shade to set-up in and have backup sheet music with me (at least for the seating of the mothers, bridal party, processional, and recessional), just in case it's needed.
I personally have a 12.9" iPad which I love but I've used smaller screens in the past with no problem. I've personally purchased my iPads refurbished from Groupon (with a warranty) and have been super happy with that choice due to the affordability. Amazon has refurbished and new as well (see some examples below) and I've also heard that Walmart has affordable, older iPads for only $100-$200 and if you're only reading PDFs for gigs, I imagine that would be all that's needed!
Final note, before purchasing, I highly recommend researching how much storage (GB) you need for what you plan to do.
Here are quick links for Amazon but Walmart, Groupon, and E-Bay can also be great places to look!
In addition to these benefits, I also like how quickly I can organize all of my music for a gig. "ForScore" is an app that allows you to import PDF files. Over the past few years I've downloaded PDFs or created my own PDFs by scanning my sheet music into the app. (There's a free phone app called SimpleScanner that makes the scanning process easy.) Austin Fitzhenry (cellist), shared that 5th generation (2017) is the oldest iPad that will run ForScore.
After the PDFs are in the app, I can create a setlist for each gig with the PDFs already in the app. It takes me only 5-10 minutes to organize my music for most weddings! While performing, I'm able to efficiently go from one selection to the next, which is especially great when the bride is ready to walk down the aisle.
The only downside I've found is that sometimes iPads can overheat in direct sun and shutdown. Therefore, I always look for shade to set-up in and have backup sheet music with me (at least for the seating of the mothers, bridal party, processional, and recessional), just in case it's needed.
I personally have a 12.9" iPad which I love but I've used smaller screens in the past with no problem. I've personally purchased my iPads refurbished from Groupon (with a warranty) and have been super happy with that choice due to the affordability. Amazon has refurbished and new as well (see some examples below) and I've also heard that Walmart has affordable, older iPads for only $100-$200 and if you're only reading PDFs for gigs, I imagine that would be all that's needed!
Final note, before purchasing, I highly recommend researching how much storage (GB) you need for what you plan to do.
Here are quick links for Amazon but Walmart, Groupon, and E-Bay can also be great places to look!
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- Apps -
In addition to ForScore (see above), I highly recommend considering a subscription to Scribd. I call Scribd the "Netflix of Reading." A monthly fee gives you access to audiobooks, books, magazines, podcasts, and tons of sheet music! You can access it as an app or from a desktop computer. It's pretty amazing and you can try it for 60-days for free to see if you like it. I've had the subscription for over 3 years and use it all the time.
Visit Scribd by clicking here.
Visit Scribd by clicking here.
* To note, this post contains affiliate links for items that we recommend and use. We may earn a small commission from Amazon at no cost to you.