It might be a good idea to talk to some other pianists/piano teachers who have accompanied singers and choruses and find out what they did to prepare. Also, it wouldn't hurt to borrow vocal books from friends or go to the library and look through the vocal/choral music, check some out, and then play through it.  You could even ask some "vocal" friends if you could practice by rehearsing their repertoire with them a few times.  I think sight reading Bach chorales is a great start but make sure to expand and branch out to a variety of composers.  I honestly think your best bet will be to talk to your teachers and see what they say.  I'm sure they would know some great drills, literature, and have suggestions. Good Luck! 

I suggest sight-reading/practicing playing the vocal parts in printed music that uses at least four separate staves for the vocal parts, either pieces that have accompaniment or a cappella pieces that do not have a piano reduction. Start with any two non-contiguous parts (e.g. Soprano/Tenor, Alto/Bass, or Soprano/Bass); then do three parts, then four. This is not only good training for you as an accompanist, but also as a potential conductor, because it helps you see all of the parts rather than focusing in on just one or two lines of the score. Eventually try working from full orchestral scores; Britten's War Requiem will blow your mind.

 

Russell Thorngate

Matthew,

 

I would also work on sight reading open score, and octave displacements.  Also pratice playing different combinations of voicings - SB, ST, ATB, TB, etc, both with and without accompaniment or an underlying chord structure.  Once you feel fairly comfortable, see if you can find a choir, church, opera or theatre company to volunteer your time.  Everything changes once you're with a group, following a conductor, jumping to different points within a piece.  Good luck!

 

Kate

Matthew:  The absolute best thing you can do is stop self-teaching and GET PIANO LESSONS WITH A DEMANDING TEACHER, from now until you graduate.  And you dont' get to take the summer off!  And I don't mean the "Piano Class" courses that are in fact remedial for something you should have started when you were 7, and only prepare you to pass limited requirements.  BECOME A PIANIST!  It's way too late to become a GOOD pianist, but learn to play the instrument at whatever level you can manage to accomplish.  And a good teacher will know what you need to work on so you don't have to ask a bunch of choral conductors!

All the best,

John

Matthew,

 

In order to become a good choral accompanist you have accompany choirs!  In addition to all the good advice folks have given you here, I would suggest you find a choir to accompany right now, with your beginning skills. Since you are just starting this, I would see if there was a church children's choir you could volunteer to play for around your university town or home town over the summer.  Everything changes when you have real people singing and kids are very forgiving. 

 

Incidently, I am giving you this advice but  have actually put it to practice with my own son.  As an 8 and 9 year old, he was a fine pianist already but I wanted him to be able to earn enough money to eat some day. He began accompanying his grade school chorus (with a phone call from Mom to smooth the way) and the children's chorus I was directing at time when he was about 10 or 11.  He has played for me for years, as well as others.  He has several degrees in piano performance and will have an artist's certifcate in piano in a few weeks but earned enough accompanying choirs (church and a high school) in grad school to buy a new car.  He has his own choir now but still accompanys around. He is the principal accompanist for my chamber choir and can sight read the spots off the wall--and it started with a kid's choir.

 

Kids are not threatening and usually there are only a few parts to worry about in treble clef.  It's a start and you will get your feet wet in a fun way!

 

Good luck!

 

Marie

Lots of good advice here, but it seems to be focusing solely on the piano skills aspect of accompanying.

To really be a good accompanist, you have to be a collaborator.

Yeah - having great 'chops' is important, but if you don't watch the conductor, breathe with your vocalist and listen well, it won't matter how great your technique is!

Pianists probably do the greatest amount of work ALONE. Learning to 'play well with others' is something that most other musicians have to learn early on, while pianists work on solo repertoire most of the time (PS I have a M.Mus in piano performance...).

 

Listening to great recordings (and live performances) of piano collaborations (not just with vocalists - chamber music works too) is an important part of training too. Watch how the musicians communicate non-verbally with each other and see how the piano supports the other musicans.

 

Leah

 

 

Matthew,

 

I would like to add to the excellent advice you have already garnered. Here are some of the things I look for in a fine accompanist for choral or music theatre/opera situations:

-Tempo: You need to be able to do all of these things as required: 1. Keep a steady tempo, 2. Follow tempo changes from a conducting gesture (which will be clear if you are lucky, but may be less so with some conductors); 3. Follow tempo changes from a sololist; 4. Recognize the difference (this mainly applies to theatre/pop music) between "backphrasing" and an actual tempo change by a soloist.

-Score reading: Be able to see everything and play as much or as little as required. This may mean emphasizing each entrance of a six-part vocal fugue in early rehearsals, or it may mean accompanying a singer from a piano/vocal score and leaving out the melody, or supporting singers working on a rhythmically diverse a cappella arrangement by providing a useful harmonic basis. It ALWAYS means awareness of all markings and directions in the score. Be sensitive to the danger of "pianistic" singing by the choir members, where, because they are basically echoing what they hear from the keyboard, they sing in an overly accented, "note-to-note" way instead of connecting the notes into an appropriate phrase.

-Technique: Use the pedal appropriately. A heavy foot can cause any number of problems, especially where the piano is providing important rhythmic support. Also, be aware that some accompaniments are written carelessly and may need to be altered; for example, a piano part in a piece for male chorus may be distracting if it is written too high.

-Score study: Try to anticipate what the conductor will need from you based on your own understanding of the music. Allowing the conductor to make final decisions with regard to phrase structure, etc. does not mean that you need to arrive with a completely blank slate. If your playing is informed by prior attention to the musical architecture of the piece, you will be more helpful to the ensemble and the conductor.

 

I could go on and on, but I hope these tidbits will be of use to you.

 

Cheers,

 

Adam

 

After 30+ years of singing in choirs, playing in small orchestras (I play violin), and serving as a conductor for almost 20 years, my strongest suggestion for one who is aspiring to be an accompanist or improve their skills as one is to never forget who the director is. Choir can never be "by committee." And while I have worked with accompanists with a broad spectrum of abilities (which is very important), the best accompanists I have worked with are the ones who can almost "read your mind" in terms of where the director is taking the music and the choir. I frankly would also prefer an accompanist of very acceptable ability who understands their role as an accompanist over the prima donna who believes they are better than the director (regardless of the correctness of their assumptions)and let's the director know it on occasion. And technically, good rhythm is paramount in teching a new piece to a choir (especially volunteer choirs  - church choirs, etc). While also being adept at following the dynamic markings/tempos in a piece is critical; the director is still the master of the presentation regardless of what might be marked in the score. And lastly, being prepared to play in advance and also being able to sight read something that the director might toss at you at the last minute (not my favorite thing to do to an accompanist except in unusual situations).  Good luck!

 

Garry

 Matthew,

 

Our choral colleagues have given you much wonderful advice, and it is all valid.  We have all worked with excellent pianists who were not effective accompanists.  However, based on your brief description of what you planned to do yourself, I am more concerned with the opposite problem - that you will not possess sufficient piano technique to even play much of what is expected.  Perhaps I misread your initial description, but I wonder what your level of playing ability is right now.  Bach chorales and 2 and 3 part inventions are excellent preparatory selections, but nowhere near the level of literature that represents the technical demands required to accompany much choral music, and especially opera scores.  I could be way off base here, as you may already be an excellent pianist.  If that is the case, please accept my apology and listen to everyone else!  If not, then I am siding with John Howell on this one.  Your goals are commendable and I wish you all the best!

 

Ron