Today, I’m going to be on accompanists for soloists; most of which are keyboardists. I watched a video of a lady playing a beautiful violin arrangement of Newlove Annan’s Your Grace and Mercy at an event that took place at Central University and sincerely, the accompanist has got to be the poorest I’ve ever seen. The keyboard was exceptionally loud and instead of following the soloist, he rather played to suit humself. At the end of the performance, one could notice that the soloist felt a bit devastated because she couldn’t express the dynamics of the piece because Mr Accompanist felt he needed some attention too.
I’m not saying the accompanist is not important, but in being one, you have got to realise that no one actually cares about you except for your lover who wants to come and watch you accompanying the soloist the audience really cares about. You are on stage because the soloist is and you shouldn’t expect even half of the spotlight. I heard J. V. Armaah actually asked the sound engineer to lower the velocity of the keyboard and Mr. Sound got annoyed. That’s a topic for another day… Sound engineers, I’ll be coming to you but now, accompanists, what is your responsibility?
1. Don’t rush nor drag the soloist.
This is very annoying to the soloist and the listeners. You never know when you will get to accompany a soloist who will crack your head with his or her instrument when you do this. Always remember one rule, follow the soloist and be attentive. Watch out for ad libs especially. Yes. Some ad libs are not rehearsed and they take you by surprise and makes you miserable. Please endure. That is why you are an accompanist. Your job is to FOLLOW THE SOLOIST.
2. Make sure the transpose is set to zero (0) before you start
This is very important especially at programs where contemporary bands are invited and they only know how to play in Key F (they never learn). This transpose functionality has been a major cause of disasters during performances. Don’t blame the poor Key F keyboardist because of your carelessness and negligence. End the piece, and restart in the original key when this unfortunate situation happens.
3. Do not be louder than the soloist
It wouldn’t hurt to keep your volume below that of the soloists. At times, there may be outbursts due to faulty cables but try to control the volume because some sound engineers are idiots and wouldn't care. If the piece makes it difficult for you to control the volume, just use the touch response. It wasn’t created to beautify the keyboard. USE IT!
4. Learn to turn pages faster or get a page turner
If you have to sight read to accompany a soloist, get a page turner. Yes. You are not Addaquay. Addaquay is a prodigy and you are probably just you. YOU!!! Failing to turn the page at the right time can be very disastrous and can crush the flow of a piece. In case you don’t get a page turner especially a sensible one, rehearse your page turning and memorize the notes at the end of the pages.
5. Keep eye contact with the soloist in case of any signals
Don’t focus so much on your instrument while playing. Within intervals, watch the soloist in order not miss anything he or she would like to communicate to you. The soloist cannot shout and call your name while performing, therefore it will be prudent to keep eye contact at regular intervals.
The elites in music can add more but so far these are the five main things an accompanist should do or not do in order to make the lives of our soloists better. Kudos to accompanists such as Edwin Ferguson, Francis Eyeson, Augustine Sobeng, Kwame Appian Jnr, Sita Afriyie, and some few others whose accompanying skills are great. I wish everyone a Happy Palm Sunday. I am the Black Handel. I’m out.
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