eBook: Pop Ballad Accompaniment for Piano

A simple way to get started is to play root-position chords in your right hand and the chord roots, or letter names, in your left.. The right hand plays quarter notes while the left ho[r]

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œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ

w

C

pedal

Slowly

œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ w

G

etc.

C

&

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w

C

G

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E m

A m

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for Piano and Keyboard

by Ron Drotos

There are many types of piano accompaniment that work well behind a vocalist,

whether you yourself are singing or you're playing piano/keyboard while someone else sings A simple way to get started is to play root-position chords in your right hand and the chord roots, or letter names, in your left The right hand plays quarter notes while the left holds each note for the duration of the chord Change the pedal whenever the chord changes This very simple style of accompaniment is surprisingly effective and versatile.

Lesson 1:

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.œ jœ˙

C

pedal

Slowly

œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ jœ˙

G

etc.

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&

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G

C

&

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.œ Jœ ˙

E m

A m

F

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&

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G

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Let's see what else we can do with the same chords we played in Lesson 1 This chord progression uses common chords in the key of 'C' (all white notes) and was used in the song "The Rose", among others We can add a little more of a Rock rhythm to the left hand, as shown below.

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.œ jœ˙

C

pedal

Slowly

G

etc.

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&

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C

œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ jœ ˙

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C

&

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A m

F

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&

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C

Playing root position chords in the right hand can go a long way, especially if you're just starting to use chords to improvise your own accompaniments After a while, though, you may find that you don't want to move your right hand so much At this point, try inverting some of the chords This will let you keep your hand in the same area of the keyboard, and will also result in a smoother sound.

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w

C

pedal

Slowly

G

etc.

C

&

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w

C

G

C

&

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A m

F

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&

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G

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By now, you may have noticed that some famous pianists like Elton John often play simple accompaniments like these Listen to how simply Paul McCartney plays

at the beginning of 'Hey Jude' This quarter note based style can even work on

songs that originally had a more complicated piano part, such as Elton John's 'Your Song' This example combines all three approaches, which lets the music grow and develop as the song progresses.

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œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ

w

C

pedal

Slowly

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G

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etc.

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&

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G

œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œœœ

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.œ jœ˙

C

Let's try an 8th note pattern that give a little more sense of motion to our

accompaniment Notice, too, how higher inversions are used on the 2nd line to give variety to the sound.

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wœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

w

C

pedal

Slowly

wœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ w

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œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

etc.

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The top note of each right hand chord can be heard as part of it's own melody,

independent from the melody of the song To play this example, use the 4th and 5th fingers of your right hand to hold the sustained notes, while fingers 1, 2, and 3 play

a steady 8th note pattern.

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.œ Jœ ˙

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pedal

Slowly

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etc.

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Let's add a more intricate left hand approach that contains sustained and

rhythmic elements simulaneously.

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F

Some pop ballads call for an arpeggiated approach that mimics the sound of an acoustic guitar For a little variety, we'll move into the key of 'F' major.

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w

C

C/E

F

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&

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F/A

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Sometimes a note other than the chord's root is in the bass part The alternate bass note is often another chord tone, such as the 3rd or 5th The chord is then written as

a fraction, with the chord above the bass note For example, C/E means that you play

a 'C' chord with 'E' in the bass.

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.œ jœ œ jœ

w

C

œœœ# œœœ œœœ œœœ œ jœ œ jœ w

D/C

œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ jœ œ jœ w

G/B

C/E

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œœœœn œœœœ œœœœ œœœœ œ jœ œ jœ w

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D dim /A b

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C/G

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F/G

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You might even see a bass note that is not part of the chord it's paired with In that case, simply play the bass note with your left hand and the chord with your right.

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The right hand can play bigger chord voicings for a fuller sound Also, a bass line in octaves gives more power.

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This example adds melodic passing notes in the left hand to the music from

Lesson 11.

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œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ

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Pianists such as Elton John use techniques from gospel music, such as playing a 'neighbor' chord that's a 4th higher than the preceding chord, while keeping the bass note the same, as a 'pedal tone'.

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The left hand bass line can become very melodic at times, as in this example.

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Song" by Elton John uses this technique Here's a simple example that combines

a guitar-like pattern with this rhythmic feel

We have covered many of the basic elements of pop ballad accompaniment To learn more about these styles, listen to as many recordings as you can, and analyze which techniques are used, and in what context Then you can freely mix and match these patterns to create fun and interesting accompaniments to your favorite songs Enjoy!

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