If you're marrying your partner soon and you would like to hire a wedding band to entertain your guests, these are the two most important qualities to look for when deciding which band to hire.

The ability to improvise

Most wedding bands will have online portfolios, which feature video recordings of their live performances. When you're viewing the recordings of a specific band, you should watch out for signs that its members are good at improvising. For instance, if they frequently interweave off-the-cuff, impressive solos or harmonies into the classic songs they perform, or if they can switch up the tempo of a song at the drop of a hat, then they are probably good at musical improvisation.

This is a critical skill for a wedding band, as issues can occur during a live performance that could spoil a couple's special day if they're not handled correctly. For example, one of the band member's guitar strings or drumsticks might break. If the band you hire lacks the musical improvisational skills to cope with these setbacks and they instead simply freeze up when these things happen, the music at your wedding might not live up to your expectations. Conversely if, for instance, when a string breaks on a band member's guitar, they use their voice to perform the melody they had previously been playing on their instrument (or they immediately work out an alternative melody that fits in with the song and can be played on the remaining strings), you won't have to worry about any on-stage mishaps disrupting your wedding and can instead simply enjoy the band's performance.

A large repertoire

It's also essential that your wedding band has a large repertoire. Being able to play a few romantic slow-songs and a couple of fast-tempo dancefloor classics will not suffice at a wedding. The reason for this is as follows; a wedding band will often have to perform for several hours (with only a few short breaks during this time). If their repertoire is not large and varied, they may end up playing certain songs several times; this repetitiveness could make for a very dull performance, especially if the songs are mostly from the same genre.

If on the other hand, the band you hire is able to play a huge variety of music, including everything from slow love songs from the forties and disco classics from the seventies, to modern house tunes and funky reggae pieces, there will be no chance of you or anyone else at your wedding feeling bored by the band's performance.

For further information, reach out to local wedding bands.