Live Wedding Band in Singapore: How to Choose Instruments

Last week we had 7 tips for hiring a wedding band, and so today let’s talk about how to choose instruments for your wedding band. This is especially important if you’re hiring freelancing musicians. Most agents/musicians will configure the band for you, but you can change the configuration of the band if you have the know-how. So I’ll make this as simple as possible!

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There are 4 instrument categories:

A. Lead

Technically known as the Melody instrument, these are instruments that will play the main musical line. If you consider the voice as an instrument, this category is where it will fall into. Common instruments in this category: Saxophone, Violin, Trumpet.

B. Chord

The correct term for this is a Harmony instrument. These are instruments that can play more than 1 note at a time, and will support the Lead instruments by giving “meaning” to their tune. Chord instruments can be played as Lead instruments as well. Common instruments in this category: Piano(or Keyboard), Guitar, Ukulele.

C. Bass

While everyone is familiar with this term, not everyone understands the function of the Bass instrument. Due to it’s deep and low nature, it will make the music much bigger sounding. Even though pianos can cover the same low register, it will not sound as grand as having a proper Bass instrument because of the sound quality and properties. Common instruments in this category: Bass Guitar, Double-bass.

D. Percussion

Percussion instruments are generally used to play rhythms without any pitch. These are instruments that cannot support a melody, but will make the music livelier and drive it forward. Common Percussion instruments are: Drumkit, Shaker, Cajon, Latin Percussion(Congas and Bongos).

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For a band to function well, it should have one or more Lead instruments coupled with a “Rhythm Section”. The Rhythm Section is a group of accompanying musicians from the 3 other categories. Let us explore the common configurations of the Rhythm Section. We have prepared a few samples to let you hear what it sounds like!

2-Piece Band

1. Lead + Chord

No other way about it, this is pretty much the only way to make a 2-man band work. Choosing a Piano as your Chord instrument will make the music sound bigger, but a Guitar has percussive qualities that will make the music livelier.

 Voice & Piano

 Saxophone & Guitar

3-Piece Band

1. Lead + Chord + Bass

This configuration works really well for mellow and light music, and will help to create a mood that’s relaxing and not too over-the-top.

Voice, Piano & Double-Bass

2. Lead + Chord + Percussion

While the band may not sound as big or grand as the previous configuration, it definitely is livelier. This configuration is better with smaller percussion instruments rather than the Drumkit, which may overpower the others.

Saxophone, Guitar & Latin Percussion

3. Lead + Bass + Percussion

This configuration is an acquired taste, and not recommended for jazz music. Simple pop music is more palatable if you have to use this configuration, but you’ll likely want the other configurations instead.

Saxophone, Bass Guitar & Drums

4. Chord(Lead) + Bass + Percussion

Since Chord instruments  can play both melody and harmony at the same time, this is the better configuration compared to the previous one.

Piano, Double-Bass & Latin Percussion

4-Piece Band

1. Lead + Chord + Bass + Percussion

This is the most complete configuration, having 1 instrument cover every role.

Voice, Guitar, Bass Guitar & Drums

Saxophone, Piano, Double-Bass & Latin Percussion

2. Having 2 Leads or 2 Chords

You can use any of the 3-Piece configurations and simply add a Lead instrument or a Chord instrument. If you're worried that percussions are too loud for your venue, but still want a 4-piece group, consider 2 guitars in your band or even having both piano and guitar.

5-Piece Band and beyond

From here on it's really just adding Lead and Chord instruments. Having 3 or more Chord instruments is overkill though, and Lead instruments will "take turns" to play. For that reason I recommend not spending money on more than 2 Leads or Chords.

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This is all the advice I have to give, hoping this will help you with choosing the right band for your wedding!

Check out our 7 tips on hiring a wedding band here!