From Bill, via email:
Once before you helped me with a bowing question--now I've another--and
maybe you even have the product I'm looking for.
Do you know of a piano tutor book or tape that teaches how to
second for fiddle on the piano? My wife and I would surely like
to get hold of such an item.
Thanks, Bill
Hi Bill,
You are in luck! I've got several suggestions for piano accompaniment:
First of all, I play a lot of piano myself, and often get hired
to play at dances to accompany the fiddler. I always bring along
and use my own book, which is a Chord
Encyclopedia for 1400 fiddle tunes. With it, the fiddler calls
out the tune name, and then I look it up in the book, and know
what chords to use on the piano or keyboard.
Now for the actual techniques of playing back up piano I've produced
an instructional DVD video that starts right from scratch and
teaches how to play good solid accompaniment to a fiddle tune.
Its not even necessary to know how to read music to use this method.
The title of the DVD is - Piano Accompaniment
to Fiddlers, First Lesson, by Ryan Thomson.
Thirdly, I've written a very reader friendly book covering the
whole gamut of how chords are made up from scales, and the relationships
to various keys and so forth. Its written from two different viewpoints,
one for folks who just want want to "look up" the answer
to a music theory question in a table or diagram, and the other
for those who like to understand the principles the the theory
itself. This book is actually good for any type of music, classical,
fiddle tunes, jazz, and more, and is written from the point of
view of how accompanying chords fit with a melody. The title of
it is - A Folk Musician's Working
Guide to Chords, Keys, Scales, and More.
best regards, Ryan
Further note from Ryan: I've heard most of the best piano players
in the US who specialize in back up for fiddlers at dances. Although
I've had various periodic favorites, from either coast and in
between, over the years, I keep coming back to Bob McQuillen from
New Hampshire. To my ears he's simply the best I've ever heard
or played with, the ultimate fiddler's friend.
He has an incredible knack of simultaneously: making a fiddler
sound great; and providing a wonderful forward momentum for the
dancers. He avoids the sins of many "hot shot players,"
such as: showing off with fancy licks; competing with the other
musicans; or playing too loudly. Not to mention, when we did a
dance together as a duo, he was happy to help me carry in the
sound system!
Although my own playing style differs from Bob's, I've strived over the years to keep my own playing fiddler friendly as well, and I guess it is because the other fiddlers just keep right on hiring me!