Professional Ethics of What to Charge

[balfour-knight]

Kim, I was just reading more on the two different forums concerning this, and got them confused. I guess my post should actually be on the wedding gig rates forum. I will enjoy re-reading both now!

Thanks for all you do to make this an excellent place for us to participate with each other to make “harping” better!

Best regards,
Balfour

[meredith-kohn-bocek]

Is there a difference in price between a lever and a pedal harp wedding?

[Sylvia]

Someone once wrote here that the people you play for don’t care how you get your sharps and flats…they just want the music.
There used to be a lever harpist working in my area, and I was told she charged MORE than I did.

[balfour-knight]

I choose which of my harps to use based on the venue. I NEVER play my pedal harp for an outdoor wedding, so it is never an option. If I am playing without amplification, my Large Gothic Musicmakers harp is the choice. If the venue has difficult access, then I use my Ravenna 34, since her case has a convenient shoulder strap so that she can be carried anywhere. The amp I use is small and can run on batteries, so it also can be easily transported. After I choose which harp, my wedding fee is based on that. I personally do charge more for the pedal harp, but the bride and groom are not aware of this–I just don’t mention it! I think that some would just choose the “cheaper” option of the lever harp if they knew that I charged more for using the pedal harp! It also affects the music I will play at the wedding–less chromatics and key changes on the lever harps, of course. I hope this helps!

My best to all of you,
Balfour

[kreig-kitts]

I thought the post about the runway model being hired was funny but also somewhat illustrative. I’d disagree and say that they cared quite a bit about quality, but they decided to purchase a slightly different service, in this case a runway model who plays an instrument, a rare and lucrative niche for the blessed few who can fill it. People sometimes want music and they sometimes want entertainment, and it can be useful to know the difference, especially if you’re trying to sell one thing but they want to buy the other.

[balfour-knight]

That was good, Kreig! I have even been hired to play for a wedding because I am a male harpist–the bride did not want a beautiful female harpist to “compete” with her, ha, ha!

[David Ice]

Sylvia and Balfour, I’ve gotten gigs in the past when I’ve told a bride, “I can absolutely guarantee that I will NOT be prettier than the bride on her wedding day!” I’ve been hired on the spot!

[Sylvia]

David, with the advent of same-sex marriage legalization, you just MIGHT be prettier than the bride someday.
I haven’t had any SS weddings yet, but I had a commitment ceremony some years back for two women. I was NOT prettier than the bride. That’s something I just don’t have to worry about because I never am. 🙂

[balfour-knight]

Now, come on, Sylvia! I have seen very pretty photos of you!

Best wishes,
Balfour

[Sylvia]

Thank you, Balfour, but if I’m presentable at all, it is due to my plastic surgeon. That is mentioned in V1 of my book, I believe.
Plastic surgeons are magnificent doctors. These are the guys who sew fingers and hands back on, rebuild faces, etc. I rank them right up there with plumbers and car mechanics.
Back to the performing topic, (altho looking presentable is certainly very important for performing) I’m still wondering if anyone is getting SS weddings. Seems like our business should improve with more people getting married.

[balfour-knight]

Sylvia,

In answer to your question, I have only gotten one SS wedding so far as a result of the legalization. It was for two women who have been together for over thirty years, and it was a very sweet ceremony. I played lever harp on the landing of a beautiful stairway in the old Victorian house where the wedding was held, with perfect acoustics for un-amplified harp.

I did ask some of my friends in Asheville, NC today, and they said that weddings had indeed “picked-up” and there have been a lot of SS ceremonies there. So I believe you are on to something, Sylvia! Good luck in your “neck of the woods.”

Best wishes,
Balfour

[paul-knoke]

Please, would it be possible not to call same-sex ceremonies “SS ceremonies”? “SS” customarily refers to Nazi Stormtroopers, with some negative connotations…..

[Sylvia]

I’m sorry. I had no idea. I just abbreviate things, and that seemed the natural abbreviation. Maybe S-S?

[Gretchen Cover]

Paul, my guitar partner recently received an inquiry on his online booking site (which I share with him for our harp/guitar duo). And, it specifically said it was a “SS wedding.” I have seen other inquiries addressed this way on other sites. I guess semantics are up to the individual. Personally, I see this recent thread as nothing more than harpists asking about current wedding business. How else are you going to phrase this to keep things simple for purposes of this discussion?

[balfour-knight]

I was only using SS because I have seen it used many times to mean same-sex. Thanks for your comment, Gretchen. I never even thought of the Nazi meaning! I guess it is time that the abbreviation found a new meaning, Paul!

Best thoughts,
Balfour

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