Voice and piano - a balancing act

So back to the singer-pianist.

He's been working on his voice with Gillyanne, and has come to me for some sessions on integrating singing and playing. Coaching singer-pianists is one of my favourite things to do. They are usually good musicians (see previous blog What Do They Teach Them At College) open to new ideas. As I have intimate knowledge and a muscle awareness of the trials and joys of playing for my own singing, it's interesting to see how other people cope with the problems.

He's an excellent pianist, and can be heard playing at major London hotels like the Lanesborough. He has a smooth bass voice and can switch between jazz standards and comedy patter songs, so is pretty versatile.

The problems: balancing voice and piano (the usual one), diction and projection (with and without the mike).

I suggested that he began by rebalancing the piano playing. Solo pianists tend to amplify the upper right hand, so that the melody shines out above everything else. Accompanists can't afford to do that, as the melody is usually allotted to someone else. So in my own case (and I am an accompanist by training and by inclination) I emphasise the lower left hand, to create a really solid foundation for the rest of the harmonies. This means that you can make the right hand harmonies more transparent, yet get a richer sound. Rebalancing like this will mean that the voice is supported from underneath (yes, even a bass voice), without too much going on in the same pitch range to blur the sound.

Although this is a bit of a brainpain to begin with for him, the effect is pretty instant - his voice begins to come to the fore, and he "gets it" that vocal life becomes easier.

More later...

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