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Wedding Piano

piano music for weddings Blackpool Lancashire

 

Romantic piano music for your special day expertly performed by Mike Taylor.
From your favourite love songs to well known classical piano pieces via popular tunes from the American songbook to the latest indie rock classics.

As an honours graduate in jazz and contemporary music from Leeds College of Music, I am able to supply you with any type of music for your wedding. Wether you need piano music for the ceremony, drinks reception or wedding breakfast you can be sure that your guests will relax and enjoy the sophisticated piano music on offer.
(Birthday parties and corporate events are also catered for).
 
Based in Blackpool, Lancashire I cover the North West of England and have over 20 years experience playing the piano including five years at The White Tower Restaurant in Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach.
 

Even if your venue doesn’t have a real piano, it’s not a problem with Mike’s fully portable electronic stage piano. Although an acoustic piano is always preferable, a digital piano never goes out of tune and is much easier to amplify for a larger room. The grand piano sound built into Mike’s electronic piano delivers a piano sound with a superb dynamic range and if your venue is short of space the portable electric piano can fit into any corner with ease!

If you’re looking for some livelier wedding music I also run a jazz piano trio (with bass and drums) which can be augmented with the addition of saxophone, guitar or vocals if required.
 
For further details about Piano Music for Weddings or to enquire about availability and price please send me an email or phone/text: 0787 6644 176
 

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Learn the Piano

piano lessons in Blackpool Lancashire all ages and abilities
Piano lessons for all ages and abilities

Have you ever wanted to learn to play the piano?

Based in Blackpool, Lancashire and covering the Fylde area, I am pleased to offer 1-2-1 piano lessons, keyboard lessons and theory tuition with a special emphasis in blues and jazz piano.

Learn for fun, discover how to improvise and play the piano with or without sheet music, enjoy a boogie woogie like Jools Holland, play the blues, or just play the tunes you’ve always wanted to.

Lessons are priced at only £13 for a half hour session and are available weekly, fortnightly or on a casual basis. Discounts are also available for block bookings, please contact me for details. I am CRB cleared and have over 15 years teaching experience in schools and privately in my home studio.

For more information or to book your first trial lesson please phone or text Mike on: 0787 6644 176

Gift vouchers are also available and make the perfect present.

 

 


Did you know research has shown learning a musical instrument enables you to:

• Develop your natural creative abilities

• Stay focused as you achieve goals

• Develop courage whilst learning new skills

• Learn perseverance and enjoy creating music

 

Click here for my Youtube page with various online lessons and tips

 

 

Pianist – White Tower Restaurant, Blackpool

The White Tower Restaurant, Blackpool

This stylish Art Deco building is home to a very unusual C. Bechstein model B grand piano.

The piano’s original wooden lid was replaced in the 50’s with a cut glass lid, illuminating the inner works of the piano but creating a muffled tone. Combined with the quirky and ever so slightly ‘clicky’ keys in their various shades of ivory, this piano has a very unique sound quality.

I’ve enjoyed many evenings as pianist for general public diners, private parties, functions and weddings guests over the years, plus I’ve met lots of celebrities too!

If you’re looking for an exclusive and unique dining experience in one of the leading restaurants in Blackpool, you need to visit the White Tower Restaurant!

Loop pedal fun

After a couple of weeks messing around with my Loop Pedal (DigiTech JamMan Express XT) I had an idea to further its usage.

 

I wondered about plugging various instruments into a little mixer and then sending the output into the pedal, here’s my first test.

Love Cats

 

 

Mikey T’s Boogie Band playing their interpretation of the Cure song ‘Love Cats’.
Recorded live at the Fairhaven Lytham St Annes 19th July 2012.

Featuring
Mike Taylor: Piano/Vocals
Tom Vernon: Guitar
Simon Goulding: Bass
Carl Hutchinson: Drums

 

New Orleans Piano

New Orleans Piano
Here’s an aerial view of me playing the Professor Longhair classic ‘Big Chief’.

I love the syncopation of New Orleans music and in a solo piano setting where you can really hear the contrasting rhythms you can’t help but tap your foot!
This tune contains a classic left hand pattern that runs down a minor 7 arpeggio so in this example (in the key of C) the left hand plays C – Bb – G – Eb – C

Professor Longhair’s piano style is so distinct and influential, some say it’s partly because he taught himself how to play on a piano with missing keys, I’m just thankful for his legacy of music.

 

 

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

I didn’t have a gig this Saturday night so it felt right to record a little melancholy piano for you!
Most pianists play the tune ‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore’ as an uptempo swing number but after hearing the lyrics I think I prefer a bluesier version, hope you enjoy the vid, please feel free to comment and share.

Looking the part

I’ll be honest with you, I’ve always felt a little exposed sat playing a keyboard as opposed to a real piano. There’s nothing to hide behind, you’re sat behind a keyboard stand that for all intents and purposes closely resembles an ironing board with it’s unfolded x-frame.
Well this month since I’ve been playing a Sunday afternoon gig at The Imperial Hotel in Blackpool, I’ve decided that enough is enough, I need something to hide my legs behind!

The result is a little carpentry project using a single sheet of 8ft x 4ft hardboard, 6 brass hinges and some black wood stain.

Click on the gallery below for pictures or better still why not pop down to the Imperial one Sunday lunch and have a listen too!

 

The best part is that once the ‘lid’ slides out of the top the frame can then be folded in on itself for easy storage.

 

 

Country Piano Riff

Here’s a little tip for creating a ‘country’ piano sound using what I like to call a ‘crushed 2nd’.
If you are playing a chord of G major (G B D) then you’d use the 2nd degree of the scale (A) to crush into the 3rd (B) as per this youtube clip I’ve uploaded.

You can use this technique to create more movement with your chords and also when combined with other chords in a sequence it creates a very simple, yet effective riff.
In the video example above I used the chorus from “The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby – G F C