![]() Also, some small ensembles may consider the pianist to be the leader. If you’re working with a less experienced student soloist, they will likely look to you for direction. However, there are other times that you’ll be in a position of the leader. Watch and listen carefully as you are playing along. The soloist might choose to make a cut in the music, take extra repeats or alter the tempo. You would want to follow their lead and look to them for cues and direction on musical interpretation.Įven though you may be following another musicians lead, this is still a very active role because you’ll need to be ready to take action on the spot. If you were working with an individual professional soloist, you would consider yourself a supporting role. One of the unique aspects of accompanying is that your role will vary depending on the circumstances. Keeping every scale and its corresponding chord progression under your fingers will ensure that you have the skills you need to move to different keys when necessary.Įxample of Chord Charts in Sheet Music. Often the range of a singers voice lends itself best to keys that are even less common on the piano. However, some instruments favor keys that are less common for solo pianists. Most pianists have their favorite keys that they enjoy playing in or find easy to read. You’ll likely have to play in every possible key at some point in your accompanying career, so practice your scales and be ready to play in any key. ![]() It’s inevitable that at some point or another you’ll miss a note or two while performing, and you need to be prepared to keep going, as your solo or ensemble can’t stop and wait for you to catch up. For this reason, it’s imperative for accompanists to practice with a metronome or rhythm track.Īdditionally, practice getting all the way through the piece and resist the urge to stop playing to go back and fix mistakes or repeat problematic sections of music. However, once you add another musician to the mix, playing very rhythmically with excellent continuity is essential. Solo pianists often develop a habit of allowing some give and take in the tempo, simply because they can. One of the most important aspects of your job as the accompanist is that you have to keep the music going at a consistent tempo no matter what. Watch out for fermatas, ritardandos, accelerandos, time signature changes, and other symbols that affect the timing of the music. Have a clear idea of where repeats or codas occur and ask if any changes have been made to the score. In the same way, make sure you understand the road map of your music. It’s common for soloists or conductors to decide to speed up or slow down as the music starts to come together. Even though you are preparing for a certain tempo, be ready for it to change in rehearsals or even in performances. Confirm the Tempo, Roadmap, and Details with the Soloist or Leaderīefore you begin practicing, make sure to discuss important details with the soloist or ensemble leader.Īsk for tempo markings and be prepared for any tempo changes that might occur throughout the music. Read here for ways to improve your sight reading skills.Ģ. While you can’t prepare for every type of sight reading that will come up in accompanying situations, having a strong sight reading practice in your routine will take some of the pressure off when you are presented with a new opportunity. It’s a fast-paced skill that requires you to think on your toes and react quickly. Keep in mind that sight reading in a professional setting can be stressful. Practice sight reading on a regular basis to prepare for times when you are asked to sight read on the spot. Keep up Your Sight Reading PracticeĪccompanists are expected to sight read frequently, so you’ll want to always be improving your sight reading skills. Here are 10 things to keep in mind as you are practicing for an accompanying gig, as well as when you are performing with other musicians. All of these situations present their own unique issues that the accompanist needs to be aware of and prepare for. You may be working with an individual soloist such as a singer or instrumentalist, a small group of singers or instrumentalists, or a full choir or large ensemble. Furthermore, the role of the accompanist can vary quite a bit depending on who you are accompanying and how many musicians are involved. When you are working with other musicians, you have to be in a very different mindset than when you are working alone. In many ways, accompanying requires entirely different skills than solo piano playing does. Not to mention, it’s a lot of fun to work with other musicians towards a common goal. It will improve your piano playing skills immensely, and it will expose you to new music and new techniques. As a pianist, collaborating with other musicians is a fantastic experience.
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