Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Composer's Lounge Writing a good accompaniment.

What are the techiques for writing a good accompaniment for yourself if your singing a melody.

I normally write my acommpaniments like this, which is rare to actually not make it boring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1PqA6c5_Ic

But I'm wanting to write acompaniments like this, but I just don't know how too. I especially like how it changes around 2:15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP2uueB8Cc0&feature=related

or i'd like to write my accompaniments in this style
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7qGYAsHOOc&feature=related


how do you write acompaniments like this, cause I'm completly lost on how to do it. I've tried to play arpeggios and different things, but nothing sounds good.

My method for writing an accompaniment to something I sing is to play a chord progression on piano then start singing a song I've wrote to that progression. So I can get a good progression down, but I can't get past just chords.

What is some good advice you have?

"Something Corporate": Sounds like just arpeggios. Usually I don't care about voice leading, but for accompaniment I find you need to use that a lot.

The Pop Piano Book by Mark Harrisson has a lot of information on how to write accompaniment in different styles.

I actually learned the first part of the the Something Corporate song. It's so much easier than it sounds, and you were right it is arpeggios basically.

All you have to do is hold the sustain pedal down the whole time. The Right hand only has 3 notes it ever plays. =).

Just Alternate an F and Bb above the F in the right hand while playing a Bb note in the left hand. The play a D note in the left hand while playing alternating between a F and A in the right. Next play a G note in the left while alternating F and Bb in the right. Then lastly play a Eb note in the left while alterating a F and Bb then going to alternating F and A, then back to alternating F and Bb. It sounds really cool, listen to the song to get the rhythm right.

And voice leading. That's why the right hand almost always plays the same notes.