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I've always just volunteered as a accompanist, but now that I am a professional (ie. out of school, and all that), I'm being asked to accompanying by people I don't know, and "what are my rates?"

I don't know what to answer!!!

I don't know what is a good rate, and I don't know if I should charge hourly, or per practice, and I don't know how much performance time I should charge (seeing as in my cases so far, its just two or three songs of the whole concert). I don't want to be cheap, but I also know that, out of personal morals, I don't want to charge these people a ridiculously absurd amount.

One person suggested that I give one set price after knowing what the job would include (ie. practices and performances), but that's kinda hard when the director of a music centre wants to know what I charge for future reference and referrals.

Plus I don't know how much to charge! Please help! How do others deal with their fees for accompanying?

Thanks!

Around here, the consensus is:

Rehearsal time = $35/hour
Plus $40 for the performance

okay... Would that be US money, I'm guessing? (I'm Canadian)

Also, is that a flat fee for the performance, so no matter how long the concert is, or how many pieces you're playing, that's what it is? Or is it 40 hourly?

Maybe I'm being hard on myself, but I don't think what I'm doing is worth that much! :S

A good accompanist is hard to find, and people will appreciate your service, so don't undercharge.

Yep, USD.

Dredged this one up from a while ago...

I'm in the following situation - a co-worker asked if I can accompany his daughter in the Barat Andante et Scherzo for Trumpet and Piano (anyone familiar with it - it's new to me). The performance is next Wednesday. The piece itself doesn't look too bad, but certainly not easy either.

Any suggestions? As he's a co-worker I would ordinarily give him a break, but on the other hand this is a rush job and I'm gonna need to do a decent amount of practicing to get this up to snuff in a week.

My gut feel is to go with a nice round figure of $100 bucks, which would get the performance and an hour's rehearsal. Then if his daughter wanted additional rehearsal time, $25 an hour.

Does that sounds reasonable? I welcome advice or other suggestions.

my teacher doesn't charge $100/hour ever, which sounds too much. he probably charges about $40-50 but rehearsal would be about half of that much.

That converts to £18. Now there's a bargain!

An hourly rate for a performance = $40?

Let's see...

Time to get there, time for the complete performance whether you are working or not, time to return home, giving up your services for other paying jobs (instruction, etc) all for $40?

Nerves/anxiety/pressure?

I would think a performance would be at least $100.

Other than that IT IS a volunteer job!

I guess it is all about sharing or earning a living. And where you might live might be a factor.

At the time I didn't know, but now I resent that my organist job paid less the janitor who only cleaned the sanctuary once a week.

One month ago I did a concerto movement 2nd piano for a girl for her competition audition. I practiced with her for 2 sessions. I then did the real performance session with her. I charged based on 'project', not on hourly rate. The project charge is US $150.

I believe the accompanying charge per hour is usually on par with the average charge for a lesson per hour.

StephanieF

But what about the travel time?

Time before, time after?

Lessons are usually booked back to back.

I just would like to see respect for the time alloted for those who perform.

Are you maybe also suggesting that this extra time is included?

I play flute as well as piano and all of the accompanists I have worked with charged a per hour rate for practices and usually the per hour rate flat out for the performance even if the performance was 5 or 10 minutes. I would imagine if the music was incredibly difficult or there was an extensive amount of travel to get to a practice or performance that could be negotiated into the price, however usually it is just the usual rate.

This is why I only accompany my own students. It is also why a lot of accompanists work closely with instrument or voice teachers so that they are doing all of the accompanying for a studio recital and more than one student at a festival.

I have been paid as much as $100 per hour and as little as $20 per hour. It depends on the market, client, how much/little time I have to prepare, and sometimes the financial situation/motivation level of the soloist. I usually charge the same rate for rehearsals, lessons, and performances [making sure there is adequate rehearsal time].

When I accompany former students still in school, I do tend to be a little easier on them [financially] than I would be for someone outside of school, working full-time, or supported by others who can afford it.

Student accompanists here charge between $20-30 per hour, fwiw. The cost of living here is relatively cheap.

This is a tough question that I've been struggling with for years.

On the one hand, you don't want to get a reputation for overcharging, and on the other you don't want to feel foolish not charging enough for your time practicing, time rehearsing, etc.

I've stopped playing Hindemith accompaniments for kids' competitions - not worth the time and effort, plus the parents are unwilling to pay what my efforts are really worth. About a half dozen years ago I found myself practicing for 17 hours on Vaughn Williams's concerto for Oboe and strings (I was the strings) - first movement only. It took me 3 hours just to write in the fingers numbers (part of the 17 hours). Then it was drill, drill, drill, all in one week for some competition. You don't want to know how much I got paid for that one - definitely a lot less than I should have.

Every so often I'll get a job and then just figure in a rough estimate of practice time, the amount of the rehearsals, etc. Usually school concerts pay around $250 per - this includes 2 rehearsals as well as the performance. And unless the music is really a bear, most of the accompaniments are easy to knock off.

A local choral society where I live paid me recently (I worked for them for 2 years and played their concerts as well) $60/2-hour rehearsals. That being said, I clocked in about 10 hrs/week breaking down the choral parts (considered part of the job). I could have made lots more $ just by teaching privately and done something else with the other 10 hours. But it's now on my resume, plus I got to work with a very big time choral conductor and his soloists, etc. No amount of money could equal the experience I picked up there.

Victor Borge did a sketch on Accompanying. I can't remember how it goes, but it was with a tenor and he was on piano.

Matt

Hi all,

What follows is a rewrite of something I posted about a year ago. I think it fits here.

"I've never played piano at a wedding, but I've photographed a good many weddings over my career as a photographer, http://tomfoleyphotography.com/. Please take a look.
So I know the complications of dealing with brides and their moms. It may be instructive to see how a wedding photographer would set up a bill for the music, if he were a musician.

I suggest setting it up ala carte based on the amount of time involved.
1. A set fee for the service itself, (you can safely do this because you know exactly how much time is involved).
2. An hourly rate for rehearsal of the wedding itself, (I've seen these go on for hours and hours, and it's only fair to protect yourself and your time).
4. A lesser hourly rate for rehearsal time involving other musicians at the site of the wedding, and perhaps a still lesser hourly rate for rehearsal time in your own studio space. Again, you've got to protect yourself from the hours it may take teaching the notes to the bride's cousin who doesn't understand why all those black dots are all over the music. I've heard horror stories from pianists and organists about this kind of thing.
5. I would provide them a list of anywhere from six to ten pieces with which you are comfortable, and from which they can choose.
6. I would charge a learning "fee" for difficult music you don't know. The fee should be based on how much time you believe it will take to learn it, mitigated by how useful it would be to you to have the new piece in your repertoire.

I would have the entire ala carte menu printed up and given to them before your initial meeting. If that is not possible, then as close as is comfortable to the beginning of your meeting with them. It is to your advantage in a negotiation to have all of this information out there before anyone starts making assumptions about the cost of your services.

If done well, a presentation like this looks more professional, and they may see in it ways of saving money--and you grief. It may be cheaper and more satisfactory, for example, for them to hire a really good soprano soloist, rather than to have you teach the notes to the bride's cousin.

My sense is that too many musicians charge a flat fee for a wedding, and set themselves up disadvantageously. I hope this is helpful.

Tomasino