In addition to teaching piano at the Academy, Carol Feather Martin also serves as a collaborative pianist for our student and faculty recitals. In this article, she provides tips and tricks that every musician should know before embarking on the collaborative adventure of working with a collaborative pianist.
Serving as a collaborative pianist is one way for keyboard musicians to have the opportunity to perform chamber music. Yes, it is a collaborative adventure, not just an accompanist. While you might think that the duty of making things match and work together is magical or falls on the keyboard player alone, that is not true.
All participants are involved in the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) art of cueing, or communicating with non-verbal movements or gestures. A musician cues to begin the selection and when things change throughout the piece – such as change of tempo, mood, or dynamic. Each player should know what all the other parts are doing at any given time. Melodies and other interesting lines are often traded between instruments.
Here is a quick checklist for anyone looking to collaborate with a keyboard musician.
- Learn how to give cues and communicate.
- Be prepared for teamwork.
- Study the piano score. Know your music and be able to keep steady rhythm throughout.
- Be respectful of everyone’s time. Arrive early so that you and your instrument are ready to go.
- Provide clean PDF copies (or originals) to the keyboard musician in a timely manner. If submitted digitally, these should be high-quality scans, not photos.
- Be ready to have fun.
Written by Carol Feather Martin
Edited by Ariel Williams