Collaborative pianists unite

I've got various Google Alerts set up that tell me if there is anything interesting out there in internetland. The alert told me that my blog has been discovered by another pianist and blogger.

Christopher Foley is professor of collaborative piano and chamber music at the Royal Conservatory of Music Community School in Toronto. He's also the author of the excellent Collaborative Piano blog

Collaborative piano is the new name across the pond for piano accompaniment. I rather like it. It sums up far more accurately the job of a pianist who works with other musicians. One thing an accompanist does NOT do is follow. Whatever music I am playing, whether it's opera, lieder, Victorian parlour song or musical theatre, I don't tag along with the singer, three steps behind with a bowed head.

Accompaniment is essentially the art of working with people. In my experience, I take what someone gives me and work with it to improve, support, lead and co-create. This is also a feedback loop, in that whatever I do will cause the performing partner to react, improve, support lead and co-create in return. In a good duo or trio partnership this can lead to some extraordinary performances.

As a collaborative pianist both by training and by inclination, I have a certain bias. I think to be a cp you have to have wide-ranging musical tastes and be flexible enough to accommodate and incorporate another's strong desires and decisions. Most cps I know are excellent musicians who are (on the whole) extremely reliable and consistent.

They are also usually nice people to know.

But then I would say that.

There is a fine article on Chris's site that lists the preferred skills for the collaborative pianist. It's a long list. And as someone who has worked in most branches of the music business, I can say that it's pretty accurate. There is one more thing I would add - a strong sense of self-worth. It's one job where the better you are, the less people notice you. Sad but true.

And one more thing - yes, I AM good enough to be a solo pianist.

I simply prefer co-creating with other people to being locked in a room for 6 hours a day in front of a keyboard. Mind you, I've written a blog, a website, an ebook, articles and reviews for magazines, scripts for vocal physiology videos and a book.

Maybe I've just swapped one locked room with a keyboard for another...


Jeremy is the co-author of Successful Singing Auditions

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