Our 10-piece ensemble is our signature band. The instruments are:
Otherwise, you're probably wondering whether and by how much you should scale down
our 10-piece band. Hopefully, the following table will help. In this table, we start
with the large ensemble, and then for each subsequent row we take away one
instrument. Although we scale back instruments in the order we normally recommend,
each event is different, so your needs may be special.
For each band configuration, we indicate what we eliminated and why, the strengths and
limitations of that ensemble, as well as the approximate cost for a 3 hour engagement.
These cost estimates assume you do not want to pay to guarantee Gabe to personally play
your event, and that you pay the full contracted amount upon signing. You should
visit our complete price list
for more detailed information on prices.
|
Band
|
What we eliminated and why
|
Pros & cons
|
Approx. cost (3 hours)
|
10-piece band
| Rhythm |
Horns |
Vocal |
Piano
Bass
Guitar
Drums
Percussion
|
Trumpet
Sax
Trombone
|
Male
Female
|
|
|
- Optimum size variety band.
- Greatest versatility and range of tunes possible.
- There's not much this band can't do.
- If your budget can afford additional instruments, you won't
be disappointed with the added benefits.
- Expensive band, but well worth the cost.
|
$5,000
|
9-piece band
| Rhythm |
Horns |
Vocal |
Piano
Bass
Guitar
Drums
|
Trumpet
Sax
Trombone
|
Male
Female
|
|
- Percussion...expendable if Latin music is not your main emphasis.
|
- This band can still pretty much play all styles of music.
- If you want a lot of salsas, sambas, etc., then consider keeping percussion.
|
$4,565
|
8-piece band
| Rhythm |
Horns |
Vocal |
Piano
Bass
Guitar
Drums
|
Trumpet
Sax
|
Male
Female
|
|
- Trombone...If rock is your main priority, then you're better off having
two vocalists, so that the band can perform a broader range of songs.
|
- This is still a very good rock dance band.
- One third of the horn section has been eliminated. This will have a greater
impact on jazz and swing songs.
|
$4,130
|
7-piece band
| Rhythm |
Horns |
Vocal |
Piano
Bass
Guitar
Drums
|
Trumpet
Sax
|
Vocal
|
|
- One vocalist...either male or female, depending on what songs matter most to you.
|
- This has less of an impact on jazz songs, many of which can be sung by either
a male or female vocalist.
- This has a greater negative impact on rock songs, for most rock songs require
specifically a male or female vocalist, both in terms of the words being sung,
and the range of the notes.
|
$3,695
|
6-piece band
| Rhythm |
Horns |
Vocal |
Piano
Bass
Guitar
Drums
|
Sax
|
Vocal
|
|
- Trumpet...If you are only going to have one horn, it should be a saxophone,
which is the most important horn for rock music.
|
- Having one horn still provides energy for the rock songs.
- However, without a second horn, you lose all the harmonies that are integral
to so many songs.
|
$3,260
|
5-piece band
| Rhythm |
Horns |
Vocal |
Bass
Guitar
Drums
|
Sax
|
Vocal
|
|
- Piano...It's a tough call what to eliminate at this point. However, if rock
is definitely your number one priority, then you should keep the saxophone
as long as you can.
|
- The piano is generally more important for jazz songs, so it's not a devastating loss.
- However, since for rock ensembles the piano sound almost always comes from a
keyboard, what you're actually losing are all the synthesized sounds, such as
strings, organ, and the like. These sounds add tremendous energy to the music.
|
$2,825
|
4-piece band
| Rhythm |
Horns |
Vocal |
Bass
Guitar
Drums
|
|
Vocal
|
|
- Saxophone...This is the last expendable instrument.
|
- You still have most of the original rhythm section and a vocalist. This ensemble
can do a reasonable number of rock songs.
- However, without any "flashy" instruments like the sax or piano, the energy
level of songs will naturally be lower.
- You don't want to get any smaller than this, if rock music is your main priority.
|
$2,390
|
