[Piano] Piano Accompaniment Patterns | A selection of arrangements useful for adding accompaniment and for piano-vocal performance
When adding accompaniment to a melody or doing piano-vocal performances while reading a chord chart, the element that has the biggest impact on the final result is the accompaniment pattern! For beginners, it’s important to get used to simple approaches like root note + melody or chords + melody.
But once you can switch between chords smoothly, you’ll probably want to try arrangements that sound a bit more lush, right? In this article, we’ve picked out several recommended accompaniment patterns that will take your accompaniment and piano-vocal playing up a notch.
They’re not overly complex, yet they all deliver solid musical impact—perfect references for your piano accompaniment.
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[Piano] Piano Accompaniment Patterns | A selection of arrangements useful for adding accompaniment and for singing while playing (11–20)
Four-on-the-floor
The “four-on-the-floor” pattern that can be used for root strumming and chordal accompaniment.
Four-on-the-floor means chopping the chords in time with the meter, and it’s called this because it’s mainly in quarter notes.
When you’re not yet comfortable with chords, you may be doing all you can just to hold a chord and play or sing the melody with a single sustained strum, but switching to four-on-the-floor creates a sense of pulse and helps stabilize the tempo, allowing you to perform the piece more smoothly.
It’s one of the simplest and most approachable accompaniment arrangements, so give it a try.
Octave tremolo
If you’ve gotten to the point where you can quickly identify the root note by reading the score, try turning the root into an octave tremolo to add range to your accompaniment pattern! A tremolo is a technique where two different notes are repeated in quick alternation.
In classical works, when tremolo is indicated, the number of repetitions isn’t specifically fixed; however, when incorporating it into accompaniment, it’s recommended to set it to quarter notes, eighth notes, or sixteenth notes so it’s easier to maintain a steady sense of pulse.
If you’re not fully confident in identifying all the chord tones but you do understand the root note, go ahead and give it a try!
Leap
The accompaniment pattern where you play the root note and then “leap” to a higher chord is recommended for those comfortable with two-hand playing.
It isn’t very difficult if the tempo is slow, but in up-tempo pieces, it’s hard to land accurately unless your hands are familiar with the distances.
Although it’s a simple broken-chord shape, you can’t focus only on the left hand in two-hand playing, so practice getting used to the leap widths first, then add the melody.
If you’re doing accompaniment with both hands while singing, it’s easier to incorporate this leaping pattern because you can divide the roles—left hand for the root note and right hand for the chord.
A Part of Code + Melody
An accompaniment pattern that blends chords with fragments of the melody is perfect for a gentle, ballad-style sing-and-play performance.
Hold a chord with a strum-like sustain and sing, then trace parts of the melody on the piano to intertwine with your vocal, and you’ll get a polished sing-and-play rendition.
This accompaniment is a fairly advanced arrangement that can be a bit challenging unless you have a solid grasp of both the melody and the chords, but if you can add piano like an obbligato while singing your favorite ballad, it will be truly fulfilling.
In conclusion
This time, we introduced relatively simple piano accompaniment patterns, ranging from basic ones to more active styles.
The more accompaniment patterns you have at your disposal, the more a single chord progression can open up entirely different sonic landscapes.
Just a slight change in how you move your left hand can dramatically alter a piece’s character.
There’s no single correct way to create a piano arrangement; through trial and error, your own unique sound will grow.
Using the accompaniment patterns for piano chords we covered as a starting point, enjoy exploring how accompaniment can transform a song, and have fun trying out a variety of approaches!