"Why do I want so many people playing music at my reception?" - SOUNDS OF THE SOUTH DANCE ORCHESTRA blog at BridesClub.com

When meeting with clients, one of the questions that I'm frequently asked is "How do you get such a lush sound out of your group?" Another one that I frequently hear is "Why should I pay so much for so many people, when I could get a rock group for less?"

In effect, quality doesn't cost - it pays. The difference between a group of four or five with amplified instruments, and our group (with four times that number) lies in the way that our music is written. And, while hard to explain in mere words, it's very evident when you compare two such groups side by side.

"Groups" have been market defined over the last forty years by the typical pop instrumentation: two guitars, an electric bass, something called "keyboards" and a drummer. Once in a while, one or two horn players are thrown in for contrast, and some or all of the members will double on vocals. But, that's it.

One big advantage of such groups is the number of people on the payroll. Five paychecks of any size will generally beat out six or seven in economy terms, no question about it. However, as the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for."

With a small group, the "musical options" are pretty limited. Traditional "four part harmony" is hard to come by when you only have three tuned instruments to produce it. And, although "keyboards" and guitars can all play chords (a series of related notes), the way that they can do so is limited by a host of factors, all related to complexity.

Still, with some care and enough amplification, such a group can fill up a room with sound and provide that all important "beat" for dancing.

Sounds Of The South is different. We too have the same four people as listed above, but they only make up one portion of our group, the "rhythm" section. In addition to them, we also carry three completely harmonized "horn sections" (saxes, trombones and trumpets), each of which can "carry" a melody or harmony in their own right.

Having such a rich variety of tone colors available means that our arrangements can be many times more varied and complex than those of a typical pop group. Add to that basic effect that many of our musicians play multiple instruments (clarinets, flutes, bass clarinet, fluegelhorn and tuba), and you get a "sound pallet" that offers many times the flexibility open to a "group".

And, our arrangements take full advantage of this variety. I usually characterize our group as being similar to the groups found in Vegas show room during the heyday of the Sinatra and Martin acts. Our orchestra uses the same instrumentation as did Nelson Riddle when he created the incredibly lush versions of classic Sinatra hits that are still played today.

But, we're not "stuck in the Sixties (or Fifties, or Forties)", like many other groups . I have purposely slanted our music selection to provide the best of danceable," four to the bar" tunes from all eras - music that's had a proven track record with filling up a dance floor.

Our library maintain a large variety of pop and rock hits, including a large collection of disco tunes (always popular at weddings), the best of rhythm and blues , rock and pop arrangements, all of which have been "time tested" over many different engagements.

With other groups, you get pop tunes in meager arrangements, with lots of amplification to "fill out" the sound. With Sounds Of The South, you get the same sort of sound that you would hear behind Celine Dion or any other of the shows currently featured on the Vegas strip.

The difference has to be heard to be appreciated. Contact us today and we'll rush a FREE full demonstration disk out to you so you can experience just how lush and colorful a Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra performance can be.