Last week, I posted three tips for accompanying and it has been the most popular blog post ever here. Almost 900 people have “Liked” it and that really helps me by the way. Please take a second to “Like” this post too by clicking on the Facebook “Like” button just under the title above. Now […]
Tag Archives: church piano
For church pianists, accompanying small groups or soloists is a ultra-important skill that is sometimes a bit neglected. So today, I thought I would give a few tips that are especially geared toward situations where the pianist is not given a written piano accompaniment.
I always seem to know a few people that are dealing with hand pain from playing the piano. I am not talking about arthritis issues that might affect older people; I am rather talking about people who have injured themselves because of the way they play.
We all have those awkward moments when accompanying a group or soloist where a page turn goes horribly wrong. I don’t know about you but I always take a moment before starting a song to bend all lower right page corners, but things still happen. Pages stick together, fall off the piano or any number […]
A few weeks ago, I introduced a concept about congregational accompaniment: making it more musically meaningful. Today, I want to discuss that in a little more detail and move in a bit more of a practical direction.
A few days ago, I wrote a post about how pianists can improve congregational music in church. The gist of it was that pianists should shape congregational music in a way similar to how they might shape an arrangement with dynamic and textural variety and a focus on matching the style to the text.
Playing the piano for congregational music is the most important skill a church pianist needs to have. As you have heard from me and others many times, a church pianist has a very significant impact on how the congregational singing goes.
In many churches, the offertory is traditionally instrumental and has become the one spot in a service where a pianist often plays solo. As a result, it is the biggest focus of many church pianists, who learn planned arrangements to fit into that slot.
I have been involved in church music for 30 years. Back when I was just eight, my brothers and I backed up the main pianist in our tiny church when she was late or absent. I can’t remember how she played and I barely remember what she looked like. But there was one thing I […]
What are you really trying to accomplish when you perform?
A discussion of groove.