Accompanying Instrument Piano I

66B6351

Bachelor

German

5.0

winter and summer term

2 semesters

In musicals, the piano is a valuable tool for developing vocal works. In this module, students acquire and expand the skills and knowledge they need to accompany their own singing and that of others on the piano. Accordingly, song accompaniments are mainly worked on using both sheet music and lead sheets. Exercises on playing technique and the practical implementation of music theory requirements form a further focus.

1 Fundamentals of playing technique 
1.1 Body posture 
1.2 Hand and finger position 
1.3 Exercises on touch, phrasing and dynamics 
1.4 Independence of fingers and hands 
1.5 Orientation on the keyboard using the sense of touch 
1.6 Use of the damper pedal 
1.7 Scales 
1.8 Fingering 
1.9 Rhythm exercises

2 Music theory and playing from sheet music 
2.1 Working on notated pieces of music of increasing difficulty

3 Practicing techniques

4 References to music theory 
4.1 Circle of fifths 
4.2 Scales (major, minor, pentatonic) 
4.3 Basics of function and step harmony 
4.4 Cadences and chord clichés in various positions, practical exercises 
4.5 Building simple and extended chords 
4.6 Voice leading and voicings 
4.7 Transposition

5 Playing from lead sheets 
5.1 Different types of lead sheets 
5.2 Chord symbols 
5.3 Creating lead sheets from sheet music (recognizing the underlying harmonies of a piece) 
5.4 Reducing chords to major, minor, suspended, augmented and diminished triads to simplify the accompaniment 
5.5 Chord breaks 
5.6 Patterns and their application to chord progressions 
5.7 Fill-ins

6 Musical arrangement 
6.1 Song parts (intro, verse, chorus, bridge, coda) 
6.2 Arcs of tension 
6.3 Song character and style 
6.4 Tempo and timing

7 Special aspects of accompaniment 
7.1 Interplay and communication between accompanist and soloist 
7.2 Simultaneous playing and singing of syncopated and non-syncopated elements 
7.3 Accompaniment places the melody in the foreground and provides orientation for the singing (voicings, dynamics, tempo etc.)

The total workload for the module is 150 hours (see also "ECTS credit points and grading").

• Work practical

Passing the musical aptitude test. 

Students who have successfully completed this module have acquired basic knowledge and skills in the areas of music theory, chord symbol writing, motor skills, playing technique and music theory, which are necessary for accompanying on the piano. They have learned exercises to improve their technique and motor skills and to combine knowledge from music theory with practice.

Students who have successfully completed this module know that an accompaniment that follows very simple rules works well, but that the musical possibilities are not nearly exhausted.

Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences students who have successfully studied this module will use a range of approaches and procedures within piano pedagogy that can be applied in a familiar context to selected and/or standard problems and topics.

Students who have successfully completed this module will be able to use the piano for simple accompaniment of their own singing and that of other singers.

Students at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences who have successfully completed this module apply subject-related skills and abilities in familiar and unfamiliar contexts, are able to carry out a basic transfer of the latest scientific findings and are able to pursue their own compositional approaches. 

Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences students who have successfully completed this module will utilise a range of approaches and procedures within piano pedagogy that can be applied in a familiar context to selected and/or standard problems and topics.

Graduates develop a professional self-image that is orientated towards goals and standards of professional action in professional fields that are predominantly outside of academia;
justify their own musical activities with theoretical and methodological knowledge;
are able to assess their own abilities, reflect autonomously on relevant freedom of design and decision-making and use this freedom under guidance; recognise situation-appropriate framework conditions for professional action and justify their decisions in terms of ethical responsibility;
reflect critically on their professional actions in relation to social expectations and consequences.

The module supports the accompanying seminar and the student's own main artistic subject of musical singing. 

• Music Education – Musical B.A. (01.09.2023)

• Wienhausen, Sascha

• Bergmeyer, Horst