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More Excerpts
from "Solo Guitar Accompaniment" an article in Tune Up Magazine
Here are a few
other important things to consider:
- Leave the melody
notes out of your voicings where possible, especially as the top note.
You will notice that this gives the soloist the maximum amount of
freedom in phrasing the melody.
- Develop a sense
of anticipation and the ability to interact spontaneously and decisively.
- This is not
a skill that can be mastered overnight, but on that will come with
a lot of careful trial and error.
- The task of
making the best of a bad initial harmonic or the rhythmic choice is
the gauntlet that must be run here.
- Work towards
the development of a wide repertoire of harmonic devices that can
be easily chosen and employed.
- Vary the textures
you are using. Sometimes the most effective accompaniment is minimal.
It is not necessary to use 5 and 6 note voicings having the root on
the bottom.
- Consider all
the options that are open to you, such as:
- 2 or 3
note voicings
- bass line
figures (in the lowest octave of the instrument's range)
- bass lines
with chordal punctuation
- contrapuntal
melodic ideas
- cluster
voicings
- constant
structure
- counter
melodies with voicings
- pedal point
- harmonics/
special
effects, etc. etc.
- (Most of these
suggestions assume that you are comfortable playing fingerstyle, or
with a combination of pick and fingers).
- Don't forget
the use of space. It's not necessary to try to compete with the piano
in terms of the weight of your accompaniment.
- Beginning with
these concerns should provide a good start along the road to becoming
a stronger accompanist.
An L.A. Times
review of an appearance with vocalist Sunny
Wilkinson may give you more insights into this topic.
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