Solo guitarist
A solo guitarist for cocktail hours and dinners.
One musician with a guitar can change the whole feel of a dinner. One voice and a guitar, or instrumental guitar on its own: blues, roots, jazz and Spanish-tinged flavors, for cocktail hours, client dinners and private dinners.
It's the smallest live booking on the roster: a guitarist in the corner, songs people recognize, at a volume the table can talk over. We play it in Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs and the mountain towns.
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The set
One voice and a guitar, or the guitar alone.
There are two ways to book it. Sung, it's one voice and a guitar working blues, roots and the singer-songwriter catalog. Instrumental, it's guitar on its own: jazz standards and Spanish-tinged sets that hold a background without asking for attention. The nylon-string version, a Spanish guitarist, has a page of its own.
The choice usually follows the occasion. Dinner conversation sits easiest over instrumental guitar, and a cocktail hour or a patio takes a voice well. Either way the set runs at 65 to 72 dBA at the nearest table, the same dinner level every size on this roster plays, and one musician can't drift above it by accident.
It's booked as a format: an instrumentation, a repertoire and a price, and the contract names all three. The covers list the roster works from is published and searchable on the repertoire page, and the first learned song you ask for is included in every booking.
The footprint
Footprint, power and load-in.
A solo setup takes 6 by 4 feet, one dedicated 20-amp circuit, a 45-minute load-in and a 30-minute strike. That's all it needs, and it's why this booking works in venues that couldn't fit a trio.
A private dining space at a restaurant, a gallery evening set between the works, a house with furniture nobody wants moved, a client dinner on the top floor of an office: these are venues where the first question is what fits, and one musician with a small PA fits. Power is one circuit, and the requirement that it be dedicated, shared with nothing from catering, is the single detail worth checking with the venue early.
Footprints, inputs and circuits for every size are published on the technical page, written so you can hand your venue the link.
Occasions
Common occasions for a solo guitarist.
A solo is the right size when the music's whole job is to sit under the event.
- Cocktail hours
- Sixty to ninety minutes between ceremony and dinner, sized for a shorter guest list or a second space the crowd passes through. The cocktail hour page covers the hour itself.
- Client dinners
- Where the conversation is the event and the music's job is to sit under it all night. The client dinners page covers the corporate details.
- Private dinners at home
- The size that fits a dining table's evening without rearranging the house. Private parties and dinners covers the configurations, and the Denver page covers the city's venues and parking.
- Corporate receptions
- An arrival set before a program starts, or background through a reception. The corporate page sets out how music sits around remarks and awards.
What live music costs across Colorado, size by size, is in the cost guide.
Booking it
The smallest booking on the roster.
One musician, a 6 by 4 ft corner and a single socket. It's the booking that makes a dinner feel hosted without anyone rearranging the evening around a band.
Sound support that's the right size for the venue is included.
When the guest list or the floor outgrows one instrument, the acoustic duo and the jazz duo are the next sizes up.
Send the date and the venue, and we'll come back with a recommendation on size. What live music costs in this market.
Solo guitarist questions
The operational questions, from substitutions to decibel caps, are on the full question list.
- What does the solo guitarist play?
- Blues, roots, jazz standards and Spanish-tinged sets, sung or purely instrumental. The choice usually follows the occasion: instrumental guitar sits easiest under dinner conversation, and a voice carries a cocktail hour or a patio. Send a do-not-play list or build the set with us, and the first learned song is included in every booking.
- How much space and power does a solo guitarist need?
- A 6 by 4 ft corner, one dedicated 20-amp circuit, and 45 minutes for load-in, with strike in 30. The circuit needs to be dedicated rather than shared with catering equipment, which is the detail most often missed.
- Is one guitarist enough for a cocktail hour?
- For a shorter guest list, yes. A solo holds a cocktail hour or a dinner at conversation volume, 65 to 72 dBA at the nearest table. When the crowd is large enough that one instrument disappears into it, the duo is the next size up.
- Who plays a solo booking?
- A working guitarist from the roster. The booking is booked by its spec: the instrumentation, the repertoire and the volume above, and that's the same rule every spec'd format on the roster follows.
- Can the solo guitarist play outdoors?
- Yes, on a covered, level and dry performance area with power run to it. Colorado evenings drop fast, and instruments and electronics both stop behaving in the cold and the wet, so cover is required and we agree a move-indoors plan with you ahead of time. Patios and courtyards are this format's regular work.
Book a solo guitarist for your dinner or cocktail hour.
Live music for your event, from a solo musician to a full band, with sound support that’s the right size for the venue and a personal contact for the night.
Send us the date and the venue, and we’ll come back with a recommendation and a price for your night. What live music costs in this market is on the pricing page.