How to Play Accompaniment
In the world of classical music performance, the accompanist plays an important but humble role as the person responsible for enhancing the performance of the soloist while conforming to that player's interpretive choices. For pianists who are used to playing their own solo literature, the transition to accompaniment requires the mastery of many new skills as well as learning to subscribe to a new philosophy of playing.
- Difficulty:
- Challenging
Instructions
-
-
1
Prepare for working with the soloist during your practice time. Practicing an accompaniment part is different from preparing for a solo performance of your own because instead of making your own decisions about tempo, dynamics and other interpretative matters, you need to be as flexible as possible with all of these decisions to conform your playing to the choices of the soloist.
-
2
Consult with the soloist before the two of you start to play together. Ask questions about how she plans to interpret the piece. Pay special attention to tempo changes, because these will cause the biggest problems in staying together if the two of you aren't in sync. Ideally, you'll have time in rehearsal to correct any problems, but the more you can communicate beforehand, the more efficient your rehearsal will be.
-
3
Ask the soloist to stand or sit where you can see him as he plays. Maintaining a line of eye contact will help the two of you communicate nonverbally while playing.
-
4
Follow the tempos of the soloist. Listen to hear how fast she's playing and watch her body and instrument for visual cues to indicate speed, such as her breathing or the movement of a string instrument's bow.
-
5
Adjust your volume to allow the sound of the soloist to be prominent. The soloist should always be the most audible unless the music markings indicate otherwise. If you are playing a piano accompaniment on a grand piano, adjust the piano's lid (it will probably be best at half-stick or closed).
-
6
Match your style and interpretation to that of the soloist. Listen to how he phrases passages, and match your style including the shape of phrases and the style of articulation.
-
1
