Q. My friend and I are performing an original song, soon. I play the piano and she takes care of the vocals. The thing is, I've never accompanied a singer before. How should the piano sound? Like, do I only play chords, or also play the melody, or..? Any general tips?
A. It really depends on the singer. Some have trouble holding pitch, and do better when the melody is played with their singing. Some will have trouble only in certain spots where you want to bring out the melody. Some singers will have awesome voices and will need little help with background and you can improvise your own.
Chords are good, but how you play them can also make a difference, depending on what blends with the singer's voice and how the rhythm sounds. You can play rolling or straight, different inversions, or altered chords with suspensions.
The best thing to do is to have a couple of rehearsals and try different things to figure out what works best for your particular song and singer.
What is the main difference in playing the organ versus the piano?
Q. I play the piano at the late elementary to early intermediate level. I would like to learn to play the organ and I was wondering if it is a more difficult instrument to learn than the piano?
A. The biggest difference that you will notice at first is a very different fingering styleâyou play sort of legato, since there is no sustain pedal. To put this another wayâwhen I am playing piano and I am holding down the sustain pedal, a note or chord will continue to sound even if I release the keys, either until I release the pedal or the note/chord decays away. But when Iâm playing organ, Iâm using my foot not to sustain but to control the volume, so when I release a note or chord, the note/chord stops right then (on the other hand, it will continue to sound for as long as I keep the keys pressed down). The keys also have a different feel from the keys on a piano, plus it doesnât matter how hard or soft you press them, the volume will be the same. Controlling the volume with your foot will take some getting used to as wellâon piano I pump and release the sustain pedal more or less constantly, but when at the organ I use more of a steady pressure on the volume pedals, with changes that tend to be more gradual. This will feel very strange if you are used to sustaining.
There are many other differences (for instance, learning the registration, self-accompaniment, and learning the pedalboard) but these are the ones that will really challenge you at first.
Can i learn to play the piano by using a keyboard?
Q. I am thinking of playing the piano because it runs in my family, and I cannot afford a piano right now. I have 200 dollars so I am going to probably buy a 61 Key Keyboard. I am willing to teach myself and for about 1-2 hours, and Im used to stretching my fingers with playing the guitar alot. Basically, how can i learn with a 61 keyboard? And are there any books or games or lessons online or to buy at a store that you reccommend?
A. Of course-I actually started playing the keyboard before playing piano.
But I should warn you there are 2 different styles-1 is called keyboard-accompaniment, where your left hand plays chords which control the background music played by the keyboard, and your right hand plays the melody.
But of course normal pianos don't do this!
The other style is where you play melodies with both hands, which is the same as a normal piano.
I started playing keyboard-accompaniment before I learned piano, using The Complete Keyboard Player series, but if you only want to aim for piano then you should learn to play melodies with both hands. I took me a while to adjust to piano because of my keyboard style, but I did enjoy playing both styles.
You should also be aware of the fact that keyboard keys are a lot lighter than piano keys, and you should play with something called "touch response", which means the harder you hit a key, the louder it is. Don't keep this turned off as you will find it difficult to adjust to piano when you come to it.
If you go to any music store you will find lots of books that can teach you.
Read through them and only buy ones you feel you will understand, i.e. easy ones. to begin with.
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Title : How should a piano accompaniment sound?
Description : Q. My friend and I are performing an original song, soon. I play the piano and she takes care of the vocals. The thing is, I've never a...