Before I begin, let me state that I will never tell you that you must have X amount of musicians because of the size of the hall or amount of people. That is simply not true, and any band that tells you that either does not use the right musicians/sound equipment, or is just trying to make more money - at your expense. I will only advise you to choose what you need and want, because a happy customer is the best advertisement. Not only will you be happy with the music (and the volume), you will be happy with the whole experience.

Shir Chodosh offers a quality product for every budget. Here are some examples, but we can put together anything you would like. These examples are for music in Cleveland. Call me for pricing in your city.

Fourteen ago, after playing keyboard with a full band for many years, I started Shir Chodosh as a one-man band. My goal was to provide music that is as lebidig as any full band - but at the cost of a one-man band. I was not crazy about the typical "casio" style one-man bands that are so common in New York. I needed to be so good that I could compete with the local full band (which rivals any top New York band), not with other one-man bands. So I pulled together my music knowledge, and combined it with my skills as a software engineer to develop a quality product. I spent two years in development; but in December of 1995 Shir Chodosh was born.

A few years ago, I started recommending adding a saxophone player to my one-man band. In talking with some other musicians, they encouraged me to start my own full band too. So, in 2007, I finally agreed to think about it. However, I did not want to be "just another band" especially, as in out-of-town cities with multiple bands, most of them share many of the same musicians. So I spent a year developing what my full band would be like and how I would make it "a cut above" before I rolled it out in 2008.

• SOUND - The phone number above is not just an advertising gimmick. It is a reality. If you can not talk to your neighbor without raising your voice during the dinner music, you are at a concert - not a wedding. The music is kept respectfully in the background during the dinner: Loud enough to hear and quiet enough to enjoy. During the dancing, I turn it up so the dancers can really feel the music.

  However, with the right sound system (which I use), it is possible to do this without causing ears to bleed. In general, I try to start low and turn it up as needed rather than the other way around. However, there is one disclaimer. Since the customer is always right, if the customer wants it louder (or quieter), it goes louder (or quieter). If your crowd likes the music loud you will get it loud - even if it means that I lose a job or two because a potential customer in the audience thinks it is too loud. And the same thing if you want it quieter. All I worry about at your affair, is your affair.

  The human ear can hear very subtle differences in volumes, and the brain often interprets "louder" as "better". This is why there often is an inverse relationship between the quality of the one-man band and the volume. My music is so good that I sound good without being loud.

• ONE-MAN BAND - Without getting too technical... I am not your typical one-man band where the musician holds down a chord with the left hand and a pattern repeats ad-nausium. Some one-man bands sound very good doing that and mixing up styles, but the problem is that they sound like good one-man bands. My goal was to sound like a good full band. Therefore, I developed a system that is not pattern based. It is song based. So if the chord changes from Cm to Fm, the bass can walk up (C, D, Eb, E) leading up to the change because it knows the change is coming. The drums are not a looped pattern with "fills", but rather a live drummer who put in all the nuances that differentiate one song from another even when they have similar styles. The horns can play the same riffs that are on the original CD. Or they can play what I make up. The same goes for all the other instruments. And the song can be arranged differently - with different rhythms and "breaks" each time through. I do not use, "synth" or "tech" sounds (unless the song was released that way on it's original CD) because I want to sound like an authentic ten piece band. And to top it all off, I use a breath controller. This means that when I am playing a wind instrument sound, I actually have to blow into a mouthpiece which gives the expression and control to my music that you will not hear from a one-man band anywhere else in the world. Plus, (when I am not using the breath controller) I sing too. So you do not need to pay for an extra singer. The result... Just ask anyone who has heard me play. Anyone.  

• FULL BAND - In order to understand what innovations I have done for my full band, you need to realize that in most "out-of-town" cities, there are not enough Jewish musicians to create a whole band, so more often than not, I use musicians who have never heard of Mordechai Ben David. Therefore, they all play off of sheet music. Traditionally, the band leader either has to put the songs in the order he wants before the dance set and just signal to turn pages, or he has to run to each musician and turn to what the next song will be. This is a horrible system as either you end up playing the same songs in the same order at every wedding (regardless of what is going on on the dance floor), or in order to change songs you have to (somewhat simultaneously) find and turn a number of pages on opposite sides of the stage. In addition, the drummer usually does not get the sheets as it would mean one extra set of pages to turn.

  So I invented a new system. All my sheet music is stored on my laptop as .pdf files. I put a large computer monitor in front of each musician and connect them all to the laptop. This allows me to put two songs side by side on everyone's screen simultaneously. While we are playing one song, I can monitor the dance floor and decide what song I want next. Then I pull that up on the other side of the screen. No hassle, no fuss, no running around. I can do this all while I sing and play. And allowing the drummer to see the sheets so he can understand the feel of the song is as simple as setting up another monitor.

  In addition, I have "personalized" the sheet music with my own personal "feel". There are notes for the drummer, and for other members of the band when I want them to remember a certain fill or break.

• SONG SELECTION - So now that my full band has the flexibility to change songs at the speed of my one-man band, let's talk about what songs I will be changing to. There are two extremes, and anywhere in between them. Either you can decide every song you want played (or do not want played) at your event, or you can rely on my two decades of experience to choose the right songs for you and your "crowd". Or, any combination of the two.

  Do realize, that while the "class" of song that gets played is determined by what you want for your event, during the dancing the actual song choice is often determined by what is happening on the dance floor. And I do not just mean Kaytzad Merakdin for when the Kallah comes in to the middle. I mean that just as the dancers feel the music, the musicians feel the dancers. And the song selection is often a direct result of that relationship. As I said above, I do not have a "book" with static dance sets that I use for all weddings, as not only is every wedding is different, but the choice of a song depends on how the dancers responded to the previous song.

• SERVICE - My goal is to make choosing the music the least stressful part of your event. I will not hound you or beg you to hire me. I almost never make a cold call to ask to be hired. I will not try to "upgrade" your package to increase my profit. You will get what you pay for and you will pay for what you want, not what I wanted to sell you. My prices and minimums do not change if I think you are wealthy. I do NOT charge "time and a half" for overtime. Overtime is the same hourly rate as the rest of the event. And I work with you both before and throughout the event to try and prevent overtime. If you are making a wedding, I want you to enjoy it, not to agonize over the extra money it will cost. I want you to be so happy with both the music and the service at the end of the event that not only will you hire me again; you will rave about me to your friends.

• While I can play a wide variety of styles, my bread and butter is the Orthodox/Chassidic music - i.e. Carlebach, Shwekey, MBD, Fried, Gabay, Levine, Yeedle, Yehuda, etc.
• I can play an entire wedding of only Chabad Nigunim.
• I can play many other styles (i.e. Israeli, classical, show tunes, pop, and others) upon request.
• I can lead the kids in games (at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah).
• I sing while I play.
• Music can enhance an affair of any size. I have played affairs from a Sheva Berachos in a home with 30 guests, to a wedding in a massive catering hall with over one thousand guests, to a black tie, fund raising dinner.

1. An unscrupulous band may not give you a tape of what they really sound like.
2. The music almost always sounds better live than it does when recorded to tape. When I play live, the music is mixed to sound best over large speakers, with a lot of power, in a large room full of people. Also, the acoustics of the room play a factor in how I tailor the sound. If I record that great wedding you were at last week and you play it on your computer speakers or in your car stereo, you have seriously degraded that fine performance. It is missing the "oomph" and color added by the speakers and the room.
3. My music is not static. I change equipment and technology to upgrade the quality of my sound whenever I find a new way to improve. So if I give out a demo that I recorded a few months ago, I am selling myself short as I have since upgraded some of my equipment (not to mention my skills).
4. Every couple have their own idea of "ideal" songs. While the demo might not have the songs you like, they are the songs that were appropriate for that event. Your event will have your song selection.

However, I can understand that sometimes word of mouth is not quite enough. You want to hear it yourself. OK.

If high tech makes you dizzy, then call me (toll free...1-877-NOT-LOUD) and I will put these files on a CD or tape and mail them to you. If not, read on...

Here are some demos in mp3 format. The best way to listen to these is to download them to your computer (right click on the link and choose "Save Link..." or "Save Target As...") and then listen to them using your Media Player that is in most versions of Windows and Macs. If you know how, you can burn them to a CD that will work in most CD players. These are large files. I compressed them a little but I really am hesitant to degrade the original recording any more by making them any smaller.

One Man Band + Saxophone

Full Band

• To reach me by phone Toll Free, call 1-877-NOT-LOUD (1-877-668-5683). This calls my cell phone. Pay attention to the "877". Not "800". If the Toll Free number does not work, call 216-548-9520.
• Send emails to NotLoud@ameritech.net.