How to accompany

[adultlearner]

In piano tutorials, when teaching accompaniment, we are taught to play the chords with right hand while adding the "groove" with the left. With electronic keyboard, however, if we want to use auto accompany maybe together with a style, that would mean the chords are played by left hand in the auto accompany section. If we want to add groove, we'd use right hand, correct? Or, is it assumed that the "groove" is already added in by the selected style? In any case, are we supposed to do what the piano tutorials teach the left hand do with right hand?

Hope the questions are clear enough enough. Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[CowboyNQ]

If by "groove", you mean a bass line, then yes the auto accompaniment will take care of that for you.

As to what are you "supposed" to do? Whatever you want to. What sounds good to you and what you'd like to learn to do is up to you. No rules. There are many ways to play keyboard.

 

[Biggles]

Your teaching app is a little at variance with the method of playing that an Arranger keyboard is intended to be used for.

An Arranger has inbuilt playing Styles and these prvide the Auto Accompaniment (AA) the selected Style is triggered by playing a left hand chord and the AA will generally continue with that chord until the next chord is played. Meanwhile it is the right hand that plays the melody line with embellishments/syncopation.

The piano teaching app teach a variety of methods ie 1) bass lines played left handed 2) complementary notes played with the left hand that are integrated with the sequence of notes being played with the right hand 3) left hand plays part of the chord ie root & octave, root and 3rd, root & 5th and permutations. The right hand plays the chord and variations.

What your app is doing is giving you a grounding in a variety of techniques that will serve you well as you develop.

As Paul has suggested there is no right or wrong, there is what works for you and the more techniques you know and have in your well practiced armoury the easier it will become to “do your own thing”

Gary (Happyrat) started this thread and Jack from the UK music store Anderton’s has started a series of get you going tutorials. Please ignore that they are for complete Newbies and watch them and play along, they are a great source of learning improvisation playing.

What to do when you first get the piano out of the box.

www.keyboardforums.com

 

[adultlearner]

Thank you, @Biggles! I'll definitely check out the thread you recommended. I suppose what I am "supposed to" to do is supposed to be "what sounds good" in the accompany situation! LOL What I trying to get the experts here are some basics and tips to get started because as a beginner I might very well know what sounds good but don't know how to produce that sound or consistently do, it that makes sense... I'm sure I will learn a lot from the thread you recommended. Thanks again!

 

[Biggles]

There are Ear Training Apps out there that may also help you.

Check out justinguitar in any App STore, yes thay are for guitar but this guy is one of the best in the world and he has Chord Change, Note Training and Ear Training Apps that will benefit any budding musician. A DJ I used to listen to on the way to work was learning the guitar and using this guys tutorials and apps and Justin was a regular on the show.

Build up your techniques and above all enjoy yourself

 

[adultlearner]

Let me ask this question in a different way. Is anyone here sometimes making use of the styles/MDB/midi files for accompany? When you do, what do you do with your right hands to make it "sound good" or otherwise more interesting?

 

[Rayblewit]

Is anyone here sometimes making use of the styles/MDB/midi files for accompany?

I use ACMP all the time.
I use MDB frequently.
Seems like you are a bit confused. You maybe getting conflicting messages from your piano tutorial.
You need to focus on "piano" playing or ACMP playing.
You are asking about ACMP . . So this is my suggestion to you . .
Firstly press on AA (as Col mentioned)
Pick a tune to play.. . "My Way" for example. It is a Ballad Style. Find one suitable from the list of ballads or MDB. . Pick a Power Ballad for this one with a big finish. Or you might want to play it "Bossa Style" Scroll thru to find desired sound.
Set it ready and change voices if you wish or tempo or setup an intro. Whatever you want. All now on pause and ready to go.
Now play .. . your right hand plays melody as you are changing chords accordingly with your left hand. Use your left hand also for add ins and variations as you go along.
Sounds awesome.

Specifics on set up depend on the keyboard arranger brand. If you are sill having problems, we can be more specfic. Feel free to ask again. Good luck.
Ray

 

[adultlearner]

Thank you, @Rayblewit! What you said makes total sense. That's what I thought one would do when play a tune. That said, I've been told that when you are accompanying (either a soloist or you yourself singing along), you don't need to or shouldn't play the whole melody. Instead, you should be that nice and harmonic background for the soloist so they can shine. Does that make sense? If so, I'm asking how we can make the accompany not just essentially a "rhythm machine" but rather an enjoyable integral part of the performance. So I figure with a nicely selected style and chords played along on the left part of the keyboard, the right hand can do something to enhance... Sorry for making a simple question so hard...

 

[Biggles]

Watch Pete Shaw play Somewhere on a Korg PA4X arranger.

Notice that he plays melody with embellishments with his right hand and he triggers the Style AA by playing chords with his left hand.

He also plays short left handed riffs, presses buttons to change the Variation and to change the Keyboard Sets (instrument sound).

If you accompany a soloist using AA you would not play the melody line, they will be singing that, instead you will be playing the chord, arpeggiating the chord, (and permutations) and because you are triggering the Style chord change with your left hand you can also introduce bass riff or single bass root.

You can check out more of Pete Shaws videos as you will see what he does whilst he is himself singing.

This is a short 60 minutes concert of his on the Korg Crowcast website.

Please ignore that he is playing a Korg if you have a Yamaha or Casio arranger since the modes of playing are similar between the makes.

Concert With Pete Shaw & Pa4X - Crowdcast

Join us for a live 1 hour concert with Pete Shaw, one of Korg UK's demonstrators.

www.crowdcast.io

 

[adultlearner]

Thank you, @Biggles ! But, I didn't see him singing anywhere in this video?

 

[Biggles]

If you search on Google you will find what you seek

Vocalist is at c7 minutes

 

[adultlearner]

Thanks! Yes, I'm sure. It's just that with whatever can be dug up the accompaniment has to be an electronic keyboard (not a piano) with auto accompany engaged, and the camera man would so generous to give enough shots to the hands of the keyboardist...