A piano accompanist highlights the skills of another musician, often singers, and must be able to read and anticipate music. They are often seen as failed soloists but are recognized in the music community for their talent.
A piano accompanist is a pianist who, during a particular piece, is tasked with highlighting the skills of another musician. That is, while the piano accompanist may be a skilled soloist, the person or group the pianist is playing with is always the center of the piece. The pianist’s music may simply be a skeleton of the piece played by an orchestra, or it may complement the other player in subtle ways. Although a professional accompanist must be highly qualified, the degree of skill required is often venue dependent, and therefore there are many people who accompany others at the piano without considering themselves accompanists.
Singers are probably the most common musicians paired with piano accompanists. Soloists almost always require some form of accompaniment to provide background, and in many lower budget settings this is provided by a piano accompanist. Musical theater auditions and rehearsals are also often dependent on a piano accompanist, because it would be impractical to use the entire orchestra. Singing teachers often play the role of piano accompanist during lessons, allowing students to get an idea of what music sounds like with simple music.
Other instruments that don’t normally sound full, such as violins or flutes, are sometimes accompanied as a singing voice. This is a particularly popular practice during recitals and other non-professional presentations. The ability to accentuate, not dominate, a finer instrument is one of the most important skills an accompanist can learn.
Piano accompaniment music is often provided along with the singing music. This is usually the type of music brought to an audition and is often much simpler than a full score. A piano accompanist must have the ability to read and anticipate music, because he or she may not have a lot of time to practice with music. Performances planned for an audience are often able to provide the accompanist with music in advance.
Many people characterize piano accompanists as failed soloists. The idea is that if one becomes a piano accompanist, he or she lacks the talent to succeed as a solo act and therefore has chosen to take on musical work that is mechanical rather than musical. Within the escort community, however, there is recognition of the art of escorting and even awards given to spectacular escorts. Musicians who depend on these performers should take the time to be courteous, respectful, and considerate of their sidemen, because it takes real talent to make someone else’s talent shine.
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