Getting better at playing obbligati?

[Gary Chapin]

Hey, folks, I've recently started playing with a singer who is asking me to do more improvised obbligato behind her singing. I'm finding it pretty hard! Improvising is not a skill set I've developed. Any advice on how I might get better at this? (Other than, "Very carefully!")

 

Thanks

Gary

[Alan Day]

I would suggest that during her singing you do not want to add much if anything at all ,her voice is the most important part ,however there will be intervals in her singing ,or long held notes, this is where you can add introductions, or additions to your playing. 

Something for you and her to talk about as you are in a musical partnership.

Al

[Jim2010]

"Improvised obbligato" is an intersting musical concept. Usually, obbligato means a part that needs to be played exactly as written rather than being improvised. In any event, one place to start is to start singing yourself. In the sections of the music that Alan has identified, what would you sing/hum to add a little something? What does your ear tell you to do? If you don't think your ear is good enough, start listening to other accompanists. What kinds of things do they do? Let your ear guide you.

[David Barnert]

This is something that has been a goal of mine for many years and although I’ve made some progress, I have a long way to go. What the accordion player is doing in this video is an example of what I’m aiming at.

 

Spend a lot of time listening to others doing it, and “play what you hear.” I can give a few ideas that I’ve picked up along the way.

• If you know what the underlying chord is at any particular moment, either bounce around between notes of the chord (perhaps in a contrasting rhythm, like, for instance, dGG fGG DG in 8th notes for a G7 chord in 4/4) or play a string of adjacent notes (part of a scale) that goes from one note of the chord to another (again for G7, try fedcB).
• If the vocal tune has busy sections interspaced with held notes, imitate the busy part of the tune during the held note (for instance, in “Silent Night,” play the three notes that make up the word “silent” while she’s singing “night.” If the held note needs a change in harmony, move the passage up or down (diatonically), keeping the same shape and rhythm but using notes that outline the needed chord (as in the first example, above). And play a held note when the melody is moving.
• If playing the tune and it jumps between notes that are not adjacent, fill in the gaps with scales of shorter notes (CE becomes CDE, CG becomes CDEFG).
• If a tune moves from a I chord to a IV chord, don’t be afraid to turn the I chord into a I7 chord by playing something that has a flatted 7 note in it, even though that note isn’t in the prevailing key. When you reach the IV chord, the flat 7 should resolve downward to 6 (the 3rd of the IV chord). Example: in “You Are My Sunshine” (say we’re in C), the first 4 bars are a I (C) chord. Then the word “happy” calls for a IV chord (F). Precede it with a Bb on the words “make me” (or just the “me”) and resolve it to an A when she’s singing the F on “Hap-“.
• Drones, perhaps in pairs (a 4th or a 5th), held for a good 8 bars or more, even if the melody seems to call for a change in harmony, can be very effective if not used too frequently.
• Follow the melody a 10th (an octave + a 3rd) below, harmonizing bc'd' with GAB.
• Develop a set of reusable patterns that you can call upon to fill in a gap that meets certain criteria.

Hope this helps.

[CrP]

Very useful advice and well put. Thank you, David.

[RAc]

Indeed, very good and useful information, David, Thanks!

 

The one addition I'd like to make would be this: Like any other musical skill, these techniques must be explicitly and systematically practiced. One possible practical approach to this is to record yourself playing the "obbligato" (verbatim) part (or take an existing recording), then play it back in infinite loop mode and accompany yourself, forcing yourself to play different variations out of David's toolbox every time through. The brain must get used to a) knowing where in the piece you are at every time and b) drawing from the toolbox in real time. Without drill and practice of exactly this skill, it's not very likely to happen by itself.

 

Another great place to practice this (once you've done it on your own for a while) is in a session with enough participants so that your individual mistakes and experiments don't throw off the entire group. In such a session, you can do things like stop in arbitrary places within a tune and make sure you'll get back in (that helps sharpening skill a above), switch between accompaniment part, melody and both, accompany with chord arpeggios or chord fragments, vary, add or remove melody notes and so on.

 

The important thing (I believe) to understand is that this process requires patient and careful (sometimes frustrating) drill just like it takes a beginner to find his/her way into Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Over time it'll get easier and more natural, but only when you force yourself to do the drill regularly (sounds disgustingly teacherish, doesn't it? Guess I should start following my own advice then before ranting on...)

Edited November 3, 2021 by RAc

[Robin Madge]

Think if you can add to the meaning of the lyrics.

Taking an example from one song we do as Caffrey/McGurk/Madge, "The Halton Mining Disaster"; where birds are described as singing I do a trill and rapid notes,  where a warning siren blares I play a loud chord. it may sound a bit like musical jokes but it does add to the experience of the performance. There are other subtler bits as well!

 

Robin Madge

[Gary Chapin]

Thanks, everyone, these were super helpful. We had our first gig, and it was recorded. While playing the gig I felt "okay" with my playing, but hearing the recording, it actually sounded very okay. David's second point -- about mirroring the melody during the "down" parts -- was very on point!

 

What I discovered is that, apparently, my model for accompanying is Dave Swarbick. I could pick worse role models!

 

I also noticed that playing for another singer is VERY DIFFERENT from playing for yourself singing.

 

You all are great,

Gary

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

On 11/2/2021 at 5:24 PM, Gary Chapin said:

Hey, folks, I've recently started playing with a singer who is asking me to do more improvised obbligato behind her singing. I'm finding it pretty hard! Improvising is not a skill set I've developed. Any advice on how I might get better at this? (Other than, "Very carefully!")

 

Thanks

Gary

Gary mentions playing along with singer; sounds wonderful.  Not done this myself but wish you best of luck with it.. will take sensitivity to know when to support them, and get balance right between volume of yourself on concertina and singer! Like when pianists accompany a singer and generally do not always dominate proceedings unless to support or fill in.

Just think if you happen to get a note wrong you can blame it on the singer instead [as being their fault for being a bit flat etc..,!!]😊