eBook- Pop Ballad Accompaniment for Piano

5/28/2018 eBook- Pop Ballad Accompaniment for Piano

1/15

? 44 wC

pedal

Slowly

wG

F G

etc.

wC

?

wC

wG

F G

wC

? wE m

wA m

wF

wG

? wC

wG

F G

wC

Pop Ballad Accompaniment

for Piano and Keyboardby Ron Drotos

Copyright 2012 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 someoneelse sings. A simple way to get started is to play root-position chords in your right ha

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 whenev

the chord changes. This very simple style of accompaniment is surprisingly effective

and versatile.

Lesson 1:


2/15

? 44 j

C

pedal

Slowly j

G j

F G

etc.

j

C

?

j

C j

G j

F G j

C

? J E m

jA m

jF

jG

? jC

jG

j F G

jC

Let's see what else we can do with the same chords we played in Lesson 1. This cho

progression uses common chords in the key of 'C' (all white notes) and was used in tsong "The Rose", among others. We can add a little more of a Rock rhythm to the le

hand, as shown below.

Lesson 2:

2


3/15

? 44 j

C

pedal

Slowly j

G

j F G

etc.

j

C

?

j

C j

G j

F G j

C

? J E m

j A m

j F

jG

? j C

j G

j F G

j 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.

Lesson 3:

3


4/15

? 44 wC

pedal

Slowly wG

F G

etc.

wC

?

wC

wG

F G

wC

? J E m

j A m

j F

jG

? j C

j G

j F G

j C

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 playsat 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.

Lesson 4:

4


5/15

? 44 wC

pedal

Slowly wG

F G

etc.

wC

?

wC

wG

F G

wC

? J E m

jA m

jF

j G

? jC j

G j F G j

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 giv

variety to the sound.

Lesson 5:

5


6/15

? 44w wC

pedal

Slowly w wG

F G

etc.

w wC

?

w wC w

wG

F G w

wC

?w w

E m w w

A m w wF w

wG

?w wC w

wG

F G w

C

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.

Lesson 6:

6


7/15

?

44

w w J C

pedal

Slowly w w J G

etc.

J F G w

w J C

?

w w J C w

w J G

J F G w

w J C

?w w J

E m w w J A m w w J

F w w J G

?w w J C w w J

G J F G w J

C

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

rhythmic elements simulaneously.

Lesson 7:

7


8/15

?

bb44

w j wF j j w

Bb w j A m j J j

D m

?

bb j w

G m j w

A m j

Bb j wC

? bbw j wF j j

wBb w j

A m j J j D m

? bb j w

G m j wA m

Bb C w 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.

Lesson 8:

8


9/15

? wC

wC/E

wF

wG

?

wF/A

wG/B

wC

wG

? wC

wC/E

wF

wG

? wF/A w

G/B wC ww

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 a

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

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

Lesson 9:

9


10/15

? 44 . j . jw

C . j . jw

D/C . j . jw

G/B . j .w

C/E

?

. j . jw

D/F

. j . jwG

. j . jwF/A

. j . F G

? . j . jwC . j . jw

C/Bb . j . jwF/A . j .w

D dim/Ab

? . j . jw

C/G . j . jwF/G . j

F C/E D m7 wwwC

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.

Lesson 10:

10


11/15

? 44 j

C j G J

A m j F

?

j

C j

G j

F G

? j

C

j

G J A m

j

F

? j

C j

G j F w

wwC

The right hand can play bigger chord voicings for a fuller sound. Also, a bass line i

octaves gives more power.

Lesson 11:

11


12/15

? 44 C

G J A m

F

?

C

G

j F

G

?

C

G J

jA m

F

? C

wwG

F w

wwC

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

Lesson 11.

Lesson 12:

12


13/15

? 44 ... ..

C F/C ..

C ... ..F Bb/F

F E m D m

?

wwC ww

G/B ... ..

A m G F G

? ... ..C F/C

.. C ... ..

F Bb/F .. F G

?

A m F E E7/G

A m F .. j .. j

C/G G 7 wwC F/C C

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'.

Lesson 13:

13


14/15

? 44 C

A m J F

G

?

J

C J

A m J

F J

G

?

C

A m

F

G

? J C J

A m J

F G w C

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

Lesson 14:

14


15/15

? 4

4 j wD J

G A j wD J

G A

? j wD j w

E m7 j D/F J

G A

? j

B m j B m/A j

E7/G

J G A

?

j wD

J G A

j G

rit.

wwD

Many pop ballads have a dotted rhythm that emphasises the 'and' of beat 2. "Your

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

a guitar-like pattern with this rhythmic feel.

Lesson 15:

15

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

Documents

eBook- Pop Ballad Accompaniment for Piano