Piano Accompaniment
How To Accompany On The Piano?




Piano Accompaniment - Though most of us enjoy playing the piano as a solo instrument, I am sure you will know that a Piano is also used as an accompaniment most of the times.

If you think you would be playing with a group of musicians some day then you will have to be good at covering the rhythm section.

It may be worth knowing how to play the Piano in this style so that you are always in demand when you are asked to provide Piano accompaniment :)

One thing to bear in mind is that you hardly play the melody while accompanying, which may take some time to get used to initially since we are so used to playing the complete song, including the melody, all by ourselves.

So here are some suggestions on how to approach piano accompaniment.

Comping
Learn rhythmic patterns and play them with both your hands; learn to play them in various keys. You can learn the patterns to suit various styles of music like pop, rock, boogie, etc.

Accompanying a Singer
Do not just play the melody along with the singer! Play chords instead; if you wish you can play the melody notes as the top note of the chords that you are playing.

No Bassist?
If you do not have a bass player in your group then you can double up as a bassist and provide the piano accompaniment. Play the bass line with your left hand and the chords with your right hands! You can play the root notes of the chords while playing the bass line; double the bass notes and play them as octaves if you want a fuller sound!

Buy Practice Materials!
You can buy CDs / MP3s / Music Sheets which will help you to practice the accompaniment section. You will find great backing tracks for various styles of music.



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