5-stars on Yelp

I'm always pleased to hear from my clients. Here are some reviews of my services as a solo guitarist for local San Francisco Bay area weddings:

Heidi C. of Walnut Creek said: 5 star rating
10/15/2009

We can't say enough good things about Fred! My husband and I searched and searched for the perfect musician for our wedding but when we met Fred we hired him immediately! He was very flexible, met with us several times prior to our event and even learned to play the song for our first dance. Fred arrived at our event early, was professionally dressed and coordinated with our officiant for the music during the ceremony. Not only were we happy with his performance, but our guests were raving about his talent throughout our entire event! Fred's Spanish Classical guitar was the perfect accompaniment to our winery wedding and we highly recommend him for your event as well!

eric l. of San Francisco wrote: 5 star rating
8/18/2008

We hired Fred to play classic Spanish style guitar before our recent wedding, send us out with some dramatic flamenco style music on the recessional, and more Spanish style during the cocktail hour and part of the reception. Fred was great, very flexible, on time, reasonable rates, and most importantly excellent playing! You can tell he loves playing and it shows. I would not hesitate to hire him again.

Style Unveiled SF: Launches Vendor Directory

Style Unveiled San Francisco announced the launch of its Vendor Directory today and I'm excited that I am featured as a Founding Member of Style Unveiled SF! Check out Style Unveiled SF for more Bay Area vendors to help you plan your wedding in style.

San Francisco Classical Guitar Duel - Guitar Fred vs. Jard

I rarely perform in public and I'm excited to be part of a classical guitar "duel" with another classical musician, Jard Davis, as part of Bay Area Classical Harmonies (BACH) Last Friday Concert series at Pro Arts Gallery. The music program will vary from Bach to Villa Lobos. If you're local to the East Bay or San Francisco, please enjoy a glass of wine and great music at Pro Arts Gallery's new space at Frank Ogawa Plaza, near the 12st Street BART. Tickets are $18 (general), $15 (seniors) or $12 (students). Click here to buy tickets today.

In the meantime, I've been busy this summer teaching and also playing weddings. If you're interested in lessons or hiring me for a wedding, please visit my new website, www.guitarfred.com to listen to music, read testimonials and learn more about me. Thanks!

New GuitarFred.com Site is Up!

Please visit our new site www.guitarfred.com to learn more about Fred Boette and his services.

Daily Candy Nominated - Sweetest Sound 2007

Thanks for nominating me Daily Candy's Sweetest Sound 2007! You can vote for me now until February 2008 by clicking here.

It’s Wedding Season in the Bay Area! How to Choose a Musician

No wedding is complete without the music. But, how do you choose the right music and musician?

An important factor in choosing your music is the setting for your wedding ceremony. Take into account the size of the location, the style of the venue and what the facility offers. If you are outdoors, will your musician need an extension cord or will he have to play acoustically? If you are indoors at a church, find out whether it already has an organ or piano. Even if the church does have a piano or organ, you might decide to go with a solo guitarist or string ensemble. If you are considering vocalists, you may want to ask them if they’ve performed in the space and if it’s appropriate for their performance.

What songs should you choose? First, ask your vocalist or accompanist for suggestions. Have them play or sing that song for you. Secondly, ceremony music typically includes processional, recessional and consecration. For a ceremony in a religious setting, you might want to go the traditional route with classical music with a soloist, duet or trio (guitar, strings, flute, woodwinds, etc). For the reception music, you may opt to have pop songs and so hiring a DJ may be more appropriate. If you have a larger budget, you can choose live music, such as a solo guitarist or a band specific to your wedding theme.

Songs are extremely personal. If you want something romantic, you can opt for Spanish guitar. Guitar is also great alternative to piano for complementing vocalists. For example, I recently accompanied two sopranos for songs traditionally accompanied by piano: the processional, excerpt from “Sous le dôme épais” by Leo Delibes, and the lighting of the unity candles, excerpt from “Révons, c’est l’heure” by Jules Massenet.

Before deciding whether the songs suggested by your musicians are really what you want, you should go to a store that sells sheet music and songbooks and browse in the wedding section. Or you can also log onto Apple i-Tunes and listen to clips of the songs.

Daily Candy Recommended!

March 23, 2007

Strummer Boy

In your dreams, you look like Gisele, dress like Kate, and play guitar like Jimi.

The first two may never happen (and just stop, because you look great), but you can chip away at the third with help from guitar teacher Fred Boette.

The master musician teaches rock, blues, and country, though his passion is classical (think Segovia, not “Stairway”). No, you won’t be kissing the sky right off the bat, but if you’re older than 5 and have the right instrument, Boette can teach you to play.

Lessons are usually once a week for half an hour and he can come to you, so there are no excuses for skipping out. Chances are you won’t be making any: Boette loves what he does (you can catch him strumming around town or hire him for a special event) and his one burning desire is for you to love the guitar, too.

Foxy.

Frederick Boette Junior (510-229-9494 or guitarfred.com).