You’re the drummer, bass player, guitarist, pianist, and maybe even string section! If there’s a rhythmic bass part, play it percussively and with a deep, rich sound like a bass/drum duo would. If the group is singing a rock, pop, or gospel piece, then you aren’t “just” a pianist.
ACCOMPANIST PIANO FULL
Emulate the sound of a full band or orchestraĮven though you’re playing piano, imagine the sound of a full band or orchestra in your head.Did the composer write bell-like chords? Then play them brightly, darkly, or whatever else you have to do to make them “pop out.”ĭon’t just play the notes, even “musically.” At every moment, hear a definite sound in your head and bring that out on your instrument. Is the music mellow? Then make it very mellow. The piano is a fairly homogenous-sounding instrument, and so is a choir (at least as compared with the wide range of timbers in a symphonic orchestra or rock band.) To counteract this, play with a wide variety of pianistic timbre. Use a wide variety of pianistic timbres.Here are some techniques and ideas that will make you a great choral accompanist: You want singers to love working with you so much that they’ll always call you the next time they need a pianist! You have a lot to offer them musically, and 2. There are two reasons why you want to do this: 1. Your goal is to play support them so well that they sound better than they would with another pianist.
There are certain techniques you can use to help them without sounding like you’re helping them, if you know what I mean. The basic idea is to play in a way that makes it easy for the choir to sound wonderful. They work when playing for solo singers, small vocal pop groups, community choirs, and in liturgical settings. I’ve used them at Carnegie Hall, on the Broadway stage and in jazz clubs. I’ve been playing for vocal groups of all shapes and sizes for over 30 years and want to share some tips to help you set yourself apart as an above-average choral accompanist.īTW, these tips work well in many situations where you’re accompanying vocalists.
You’ll also meet a lot of wonderful people along the way. Playing piano for choirs is a lot of fun and will help your musicianship in many ways, some obvious and some that will be slowly revealed to you after years of experience.
0 kommentar(er)
