One of the things about playing the piano that I miss the most is accompanying friends of mine when they're singing. Back in my first round of college days, I would spend hours in the practice rooms with friends and help them learn songs. Sometimes I would help fellow actors prepare songs for auditions. But mostly it was just having fun. My friend Marcia and I would literally spend hours in there going over music. And once I got a piano in my apartment, many nights were filled with music. I truly did enjoy it.
I was never one to enjoy playing solo in front of people, whether at home or in a recital setting. There was so much pressure...at least pressure I'd put on myself. But I was great support when there was someone else in the spotlight. I did accompaniment on at least 3 different shows and had absolutely no issue as far as nerves go...even when I did hit the occasional wrong note. I also learned how to take music from a condensed score and modify it for my abilities so that it not only supported the singer, but made me sound pretty good as well.
There is a great connection between a singer and an accompanist. You have to be able to guide each other through the journey of a song. Sometimes, one party will get lost or off track and the other must be able to bring them back, often without anyone else realizing what is going on. There is just something simply beautiful about the relationship between piano and singing. To connect and make music together with someone...I do miss that.
That is all.
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