As a pair of flower girls walk toward the front of the church during a spring wedding, they are accompanied by the sounds of Prelude in D Major. It’s a song that has been selected just for them, and is played, not by a string quartet, but by a classical guitar.
“When people hear classical music played on a guitar, they are immediately amazed,” said Frank Exum of Exum Studio of Guitar in Waco, TX. “They will come up to me and say, ‘I didn’t know the guitar played that kind of music.’”
Like most guitarists, Exum began his music career emulating famous musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck. He earned music degrees from three universities and played in several bands. But, after years of performing, he wanted a new challenge.
“I wanted to find the most difficult and most demanding genres of the guitar to play,” he said. “That lent towards classical music, which led me to begin playing weddings.”
Now the musician and guitar instructor has more than 30 years of experience performing for ceremonies and receptions. He believes his chosen instrument is tailor-made for weddings.
“Brides and grooms should consider the solo guitar because of the intimacy of the instrument,” he said. “A wedding is the most intimate of occasions and the classical guitar lends itself to that.”
Exum not only creates beautiful music the day of the wedding, he is also skilled in helping couples create the ideal soundtrack for their big
day.
“I help to design the music and direct the musical function around each part of the wedding,” he said. “I invite couples to my studio and make suggestions that have worked well in the past. I also play pieces that might be a little Avant Garde. That way we can custom design the music around what they want.”
The guitarist said he is easy to work with and can be flexible when it comes to scheduling.
“I’ve done everything from performing ‘in a pinch’ with a day or two in advance to booking years in advance,” Exum said. “Whatever folks want.”
For more information about Frank Exum, visit www.facebook.com/frankexumsologuitarist or
call 254-776-8188.
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