Accompanying Instrument Piano II

66B6355

Bachelor

German

5.0

winter and summer term

2 semesters

In musicals and vocal pedagogy, the piano is a valuable tool for developing vocal works. In this module, students acquire or 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 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 with increasing levels of difficulty

3 Practice 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 leadsheets
5.1 Different types of leadsheets
5.2 Chord symbols
5.3 Creating leadsheets from notes (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 emphasizes the melody 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").

• Examination of artistic qualification

The module concludes with a graded artistic examination. 

Performance of an instrumental piano piece, a self-sung song with own accompaniment and an accompaniment by a singer. The three works should be of different styles or genres.

The duration of the examination is approx. 15 minutes 

It is recommended to have successfully completed the module Accompanying Instrument Piano I. 

Students at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences who have successfully completed this module are able to work out pieces using sheet music and can play using chord symbols. They have learned to simplify chords in a meaningful way and have been given rules that make it possible to create a simple chord accompaniment according to the form and style of the song in such a way that the singing is in the foreground and is supported.

The students at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences who have successfully studied this module know that an accompaniment that follows very simple rules works well, but that the musical possibilities are not nearly exhausted. They have learned ways to create their own fill-ins and playing patterns, to further refine their playing technique and to develop their musical expression on the piano in the future.

Students at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences who have successfully completed this module will be able to use it as a tool for developing vocal music - both in relation to their own repertoire and in the context of vocal pedagogy.

Students at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences who have successfully completed this module apply subject-related skills and abilities in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.

Students develop innovative approaches to teaching music by using their didactic and methodological repertoire in a target group-oriented and varied way.

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 can adequately assess their individual qualification profile with regard to interdisciplinary competencies for self-regulated learning that are relevant to successful study.

The module should be seen primarily in the context of and as preparation for teaching practice. 

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

• Wienhausen, Sascha

• Bergmeyer, Horst