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.
What does a letter above a musical note for the keyboard piano mean?
Q. Ok, I'm learning how to play the keyboard piano (by myself) right now, and I'm playing Ode to Joy. Well, above some of the notes, there are capital notes right above them.
For example:
The first note (E) has a C above that. Does that mean I play C and E at the same time, or play E then C?
A. The note is a chord, so for example if you've got lyrics with letters written above them, then playing the chord of the letter provides piano accompaniment to the song :)
So feel free to ignore those letters and stick with the notes, but if you don't have anything to play in the left hand, then you could add in a C chord (C, E, G) underneath the E that you're playing for the melody...
Hope this helps!
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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...