Find an accompanist1/4/2024 Includes many of the great sonatas and concertos written for these instruments, as well as lots of attractive smaller works.Īll works are recorded by a professional, experienced piano accompanist. So, if you want to get plenty of work and create a good working relationship with singers, it is worth putting an hour or so aside in your day to make sure you that you 100% know what you are doing.Practise your classical instrumental music with high-quality piano accompaniment play-along tracks available on this website.Īccompaniments for over 600 major classical works are available, for violin, viola, cello, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and trumpet. I have heard countless horror stories from singers about unprepared accompanists who messed up their performance and who they’d never work with again. If you know your part well, it will also allow you to listen to what the singer is doing and you can play together properly in a way that you will be unable to do if you are just focussing on playing your part right. Even if you are just trying out a song at a rehearsal for the first time, it will make things run a lot smoother if you have prepared the piece beforehand and know roughly what you are doing. If you do not know what you are playing and are nervous or making mistakes, this will make the singer nervous and ruin their (and your) performance. When you accompany a singer you need to be confident playing your part. When done correctly, the performances of the singer and accompanist should work together to enhance each other and get the best out of the song. That said, it doesn’t mean you always have to keep your parts simple if it suits the song but if what you are playing is getting in the way of the vocals, you’re not doing your job properly. It shouldn’t be a competition between you and the singer, so it is often best to leave showing off to your solo sections. The performance is all about the singer and it is your job to make them sound their best. The most important thing to remember is that you are the accompanist, not the lead instrument. Let the Singer Lead the Songįollow the singer, don’t force them to follow you. Straining the lead singer’s voice on the first show of the week because the other instruments were too loud, is something that I have seen happen before and is so easily avoided. This is particularly important if you have several shows in a row as it can mess up your future performances. Also, make sure you are not playing too loud and drowning them out – or forcing them to strain their voice to be heard over you. This will make them feel more comfortable and also not distract the audiences focus away from their performance. If you are playing counter-melodies lines, try to play them between the vocal phrases not over them. The singer is the primary focus, not you. Also, when it comes to how fast you play the song, let them dictate the tempo so they can find a speed that allows them to phrase the lines how they want to and fit all the words in. Sometimes, even on the day of a gig – or in the middle of a gig, I will have a singer ask me last minute to lower the key a bit when I accompany them as their voice is tired from performing too much and they don’t feel they can hit the high notes they usually do. If you find this difficult to work out (or playing your part in their suggested key), using the transpose button on a keyboard or a capo on a guitar can make this bit easier. So, even if you have learned the song in one key if the singer says they can’t sing it in that key, be prepared to change it to a key they are happy with. Singers need to find a key that they are comfortable singing in. If you know the words, you will realise what has happened and be able to correct accordingly – and the audience will think it’s all just part of the arrangement! This has happened to me on multiple occasions when a singer has either deliberately or accidentally changed the rehearsed arrangement in the middle of the performance and, because I knew the words, I was able to adapt what I was playing accordingly. In an ideal world, the singer will know exactly where you are in the song and come in the correct place however, if you have extended instrumental sections, sometimes singers might get a little lost and come back in at a different point of the song than you were expecting. Learn the Words to the SongĮven though you are not singing the song, knowing a decent proportion of the words can really help if the singer comes in with a different part of the song than you were expecting. Here are the lessons I share with others: 1. I started out accompanying myself singing, so it was totally natural to me what I had to do when I was an accompanist for other singers. ‘Follow these top tips and singers will be singing your praises as an accompanist.’ – Says Chris Kennedy
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |