Piano accompaniment procedures...

Hi all,

When I compose a piano accompaniment part (for example: sonata for clarinet and piano), it's always arppeggios, broken chords or rythm figures (oom-pah)...

This is dull, but I don't know what to do else! :)

Any suggestions?

The value of piano accompaniment to me is the contrast between the percussive nature of the piano and the melody instrument - many such instruments can be percussive too, of course, like staccato and particularly the strings with their propensity for sharp attacks.

There's nothing wrong with arpeggios, especially with a few added notes, nor strides etc. The secret is getting good, interesting harmony. But you can always counterpoint the piano with the instrument, with care - a solo line or two lines...one above, one below the clarinet? What about giving the clarinet the bass with quiet piano chords very high?

Might be worth studying some melodic piano pieces to see how the masters/missuses dealt with accompanying their own melodies. Chopin is an obvious one - so is Liszt where he'd often "suspend" the melody in the middle of the texture, played alternately by L & R hands (usually the thumbs!)

The value of piano accompaniment to me is the contrast between the percussive nature of the piano and the melody instrument

Oh, that's true!

I'm (was) too much thinking piano as "harmony part"...

a solo line or two lines...one above, one below the clarinet? What about giving the clarinet the bass with quiet piano chords very high?

Might be worth studying some melodic piano pieces to see how the masters/missuses dealt with accompanying their own melodies. Chopin is an obvious one - so is Liszt where he'd often "suspend" the melody in the middle of the texture, played alternately by L & R hands (usually the thumbs!)

Lol really? Sounds interesting... that's an other "received idea" to think piano as only under the solo instrument

Also, I would suggest that you eventually stop thinking of the piano as accompaniment, and perhaps start thinking of the two instruments more as equals. In most of the instrumental sonatas written by the great composers, I would estimate that the piano tends to get about 1/3 of the melodic material.

This might involve, for example, doing something like having the clarinet play sustained notes (either bass, middle harmony, or a descant line) while the piano plays the melody for a while.

If you want to hear a good example of the piano trading off melody with the soloist, listen to "Adagio and Allegro" for horn by Schumann

Also, I would suggest that you eventually stop thinking of the piano as accompaniment, and perhaps start thinking of the two instruments more as equals. In most of the instrumental sonatas written by the great composers, I would estimate that the piano tends to get about 1/3 of the melodic material.

If you look at Mozart and contemporaries, you'll even find that the piano tends to be seen as the most important instrument. Titles like "Sonata for the pianoforte, with the accompaniment of a violin" are quite common. This way of thinking has certainly gone out of fashion since, but just about all really great music written since for a solo instrument and piano is best described as chamber music for two equal instruments, rather than solo music with accompaniment.