Is accompanying on the piano the same as playing a piano solo?

Good morning this is Duane. Today I am would like to talk about the different ways to play the same song. When you’re playing a solo or where you’re playing for a group singing or where you’re accompanying on the piano for a solo singer or instrumental player. Those are entirely different ways to play and most people don’t understand that. That’s why there are very few pianists that are good at accompanying, because they really don’t understand the difference.

Let’s say that you’re playing for group singing. What you have to do is you have to bang out a strong melody, whatever that melody is; say you’re playing Over the Rainbow. Then you have to play. (Playing piano). You have to make sure they hear that melody.

Let’s say you’re playing in church and you’re playing What a Friend We Have in Jesus. (Playing piano) You have to bang out that melody. The melody has to be strong, because in group singing you have a bunch of non-musicians for the most part. You have to establish a strong melody and you have to establish a strong rhythm. They need to know where the beat is so it’s up to you to establish that.

Whereas if you were playing a solo that would be entirely different. If I was playing Over the Rainbow say, or whatever, let me play Over the Rainbow. (Playing piano) I could improvise to my heart’s content, couldn’t I, because I wouldn’t have to stick with the melody. It might be a good solo, it might be a bad solo, but it would be unique. It wouldn’t be like playing for a group.

Same way if I was playing at church. Instead of playing What a Friend We Have in Jesus like that. (Piano playing) I might play it something like this. (Piano playing) That’s a lot different than that. (Playing piano) A lot different okay? You can take your time. You don’t have to stick with the beat. You don’t have to stick with the melody. You want to play enough melody so people know what you’re playing of course. That’s important, particularly in a church setting. Also in another setting people want to hear the melody, unless you’re in a jazz club and people understand jazz, you want to stick pretty close to the melody.

If I was accompanying somebody that would be entirely different still, wouldn’t it? Accompanying a soloist of some sort; what’s the difference between accompanying a soloist or accompanying a group? With a group you have people singing different parts. You have to establish that strong beat and everything. With a singer or a trumpet player or whoever you’re playing; they are a musician too. You don’t have to bang out the melody. You don’t have to play the melody at all. You can play the chords in back of it. Let me just illustrate if I was playing What a Friend We Have in Jesus. (Playing piano) I might do an introduction and then they’d start (Singing) What a Friend We Have in Jesus. (Playing piano)

You see that’s entirely different than playing the melody, isn’t it? I’m changing chords. I’m not playing the melody. I’m filling in between in the open spaces. In other words where the words aren’t, in other words where a singer or player isn’t playing; that’s when a pianist should fill in the gap a little bit by sometimes just a note or two like you heard me do.

Let’s say Moon River, if I’m playing, accompanying somebody. I’d do something like this. (Playing piano) Notice in the break after (Singing) Moon River wider than a mile, when there are no words, when a singer is breathing or taking a break than the pianist can play a couple notes, a fill in, just a little fill in, nothing spectacular.

That’s the difference between those three ways of playing. So remember that’s very important whether you’re playing hymns or whether playing for a college group or some other social group. Three ways to play, for group singing you want to bang out the melody and the rhythm strongly. For a solo you can do whatever you do. You can take liberties with the melody. You can take liberties with the time and so on. For accompanying a soloist you can take liberties with the harmony certainly, but you don’t have to play the melody at all. So that frees you up to do some other things.

That’s it for today so I hope you enjoyed that. Bye, bye for now.

Here is the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0i3W_kaGUQ&feature=youtu.be
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