Last week I expressed my concern that the way we teach the melody/accompaniment relationship is flawed. Too many seem to think of the melody as "important" and the accompaniment as "unimportant", but that is simply not the case. Today we're going to look at what part of that relationship should look like.
A huge component in the relationship between melody and accompaniment is contrast, and when you find the right balance in that contrast, that's when the magic of music is made. It is this balanced contrast that keeps music interesting and alive, but if we put all of our work and attention on only one side, then the scale is tipped and true potential of the music is missed.
There are many areas of contrast between melody and accompaniment that we must learn to take advantage of:
I'm sure there are even more areas of contrast between melody and accompaniment that I'm missing, but this list gives us a good start. Understanding this, gives the accompaniment a much greater role in the creative process and gives us an opportunity to make our music even more beautiful and captivating.
Next time we will look at areas in which the melody and accompaniment should complement each other.
A huge component in the relationship between melody and accompaniment is contrast, and when you find the right balance in that contrast, that's when the magic of music is made. It is this balanced contrast that keeps music interesting and alive, but if we put all of our work and attention on only one side, then the scale is tipped and true potential of the music is missed.
There are many areas of contrast between melody and accompaniment that we must learn to take advantage of:
- Contrast in color. I chose this one first because it is probably the most important! I believe that when accompanists are being asked to play "softer" or when a pianist is asked to make his left handed "softer", what is really being asked for is a change in color. The listener's ear is always going to go toward the brighter color being created and that will only be partially affected by volume. If an accompanist is only trying to play "softer" than a soloist but is still playing with a bright, soloistic tone quality, then they will likely still be heard above the soloist and balance is compromised. Creating a warmer color in the accompaniment and a brighter color in the melody will make the melody sparkle, and the balance will be great for the listener even when the melody/accompaniment are at more or less the same volume
- Contrast in Motion. Very often, composers have created contrast of motion between the melody and the accompaniment. When melody is moving quickly, the accompaniment is often more static. When the melody sustains, the accompaniment often is tasked with continuing the motion. When this contrast is balanced properly, then music takes on an organic vibrancy that is very exciting.
- Contrast in Rhythm. Rhythm is one of the most exciting, life-giving elements of music, and rhythmic interest is often placed in the accompaniment. What a disappointment it would be to a composer if he had spent a lot of time writing a rhythmic, interesting accompaniment and he heard a performance where it was played as dull, boring "background" music.
- Contrast in Texture. Texture affects the feeling of a passage of music perhaps more than anything else. When the melody is very busy, often the accompaniment may be written with a lighter, sparser texture so that the passage doesn't become heavy and bogged down. On the other hand an accompaniment may have a full, thick texture to give support to a simple, lyrical melody line. We must be aware of when a contrasting texture between the melody and accompaniment is serving a purpose, and we must take full advantage of those moments.
- Contrast in Articulation. I often tell my students that articulation is the character of the music. When a composer indicates contrasting articulations between the melody and the accompaniment, multiple "characters" are being called for. Just as we wouldn't cut a character from a story, we wouldn't want to take one away from our music by not giving the accompaniment's articulation the attention it deserves.
- Contrast in Dynamics. This point is the most zealously followed by most musicians, albeit to an extreme degree. As I said before, often the volume issue can often be settled by difference in color, but we must definitely be aware that often there is a contrast in actual dynamics that is necessary and indicated by the composer. If a composer has indicated forte for the melody and pianissimo for the accompaniment, there is probably a specific effect that he is trying to create, and we must work to bring that to life. Often dynamic contrast is not simply for volume balance but for creating unique colors and effects.
I'm sure there are even more areas of contrast between melody and accompaniment that I'm missing, but this list gives us a good start. Understanding this, gives the accompaniment a much greater role in the creative process and gives us an opportunity to make our music even more beautiful and captivating.
Next time we will look at areas in which the melody and accompaniment should complement each other.