Tips for Pianist playing in a band 1. Show up to rehearsal on time and be prepared. 2. Bring extra chord charts to rehearsal. 3. Be prepared to be able to play the song a half step higher or lower 4. The singer is always right 5. Avoid playing the melody unless you’re playing a traditional hymn 6. Avoid playing too low in the bass register 7. Communicate with the second keyboard player/guitarist 8. Pay attention to the overall tempo and volume of the song/band
As a keyboardist playing in a band for the first time, I definitely should have watched this a week before my rehearsal instead of in the car on my way to rehearsal as I am now
Absolutely one of the best videos on RU-vid. Thank you so much My Brother. I am a retired keyboard player who started playing in a band in 1971. And played all through the 70’s, 80’s and the mid 90’s. I agree with everything that you’ve mentioned. You are right on point. It’s so important to show up on time, and prepared. It is also so true that the keyboard player becomes the MD by default. I hope that the up and coming musicians take note. I also checked out your video on what is expected of the auxiliary keyboard player in a band. It was very informative. You are a very good teacher. Keep on doing what you’re doing. I wish you all the best. Many Blessings my brother.🙏🏾
I’m the MD in my church as a guitarist/bassist. I’ve learned these skills through many years of experience. I’ve personally had this conversation with all the musicians, but I’m so thankful for this teaching. I’ve shared it with every musician I know. Because at 61 years of age I’m still amazed by folks that don’t know these skills. Our job is to accompany the vocalist, not the other way around. Thank you so very much. God bless.
This deserves a million views. As a musician, non pianist. I've encountered all of these issues in a band setting. Inspiring/active musician, keep it simple and build musically as a band. One band one sound.
Great tips! Especially not playing the entire melody.! We need more depth to this tip! Examples of “over playing” and “a good accompaniment would be awesome!!
Do you guys have some experience on transposing/assigning the neighbouring key which is asked to be played by vocalist to the original key on some digital keyboards? For example the song is in c but someone asks you to play it in b so i just transpose a halfstep on my digital keyboard and play like its an original, is this solution worse somehow? Is it common to do that? For me its like a capo for keyboards
Thanks for the video! I will be soon playing as part of a band for the first time, and I was super nervous about my skills. I feel a bit more confident now, so thank you!❤
Excellent advice! I'd add the following as well. The rhythm section sets the floor on stage volume. If they're loud, the game is over because everyone else has to be louder. There should be 3 distinct layers of volume in a live performance. At the lowest layer is the rhythm section. Next in its distinct and louder volume layer are all of the lead instruments (guitars, piano's, horns, etc.). And finally and clearly out front of all of this are the vocalists. Unless you're a vocalist, you have only one job.........and that's to stay out of the vocalists way, fill the holes between lyrics, and shine on solo's, intro's and outro's. Your job is to make the vocalist sound better than if you were not there. And as a lead instrument, when it's not your turn, your volume needs to come down to a level consistent with the rhythm section. So simple a concept, yet so frequently never understood or accomplished.
I’m a beginner /intermediate EG player. Singer always expect me to transpose on the spot and ask me to do an instrumental solo I was unaware of. When you said “ can you lower it”I laughed so hard
Wow, this is so spot on!!! I learned all of these tips the hard way - by violating them. I've been in bands where I been in dueling volume controls with the guitarist (we had a sound man who didn't make it any easier!). I almost have to tape my left arm to my body when I see a bass player because I enjoy doing bass runs - they definitely do not like you invading their space. In short, this entire video is absolutely must-know for a keyboard player in a band. Well done!!
I like these tips! Very practical and realistic, especially when he says to be responsible for being the reliable one about music charts or adjusting the key of the song. Follow the singer!
I played keys and piano for 12 years gigging and I'm trying to remember what my thought process was on all this back then. I'm talking from 1992 to 2004. Definitely one of the first things I learned was to stay out of the lower keys. Bass players are NOT into that and its very confusing for them becasue they are not used to competing with sounds in their range. However you COULD help accentuate a note with them now and then and they seemed to appreciate it. Its always been my experience that keyboard/piano players still tend to under play rather than over play. They are usually pretty cautious. Often they cannot be heard at all and sometimes this is becasue the soundman does not know what to do with them, so they just turn them down. I always did by best to make sure my solo's were loud and clear. Keyboardists also need to remember that often they are secondary instruments to the 6 string guitars. Not always...but mostly. Which makes a keyboardists job tough becasue often you are just holding rock organ notes and the like to fill up the sound. Often the audience CANNOT hear you, but if you suddenly stopped playing , they would know something is missing. Even I sometimes wondered if I was making any real sound becasue playing background harmony notes can get boring. One thing I'm jealous of these days is the live equipment and PA's seem SO much better than what we used. At 56 I don't do it anymore though. I thought I would ALWAYS play music. For me it just takes up too much time to keep my chops up. I also learned that if I don't have gigs to practice for, I don't really even feel like playing.
As a bass player and a keyboard player, it's NOT confusing. It just sounds terrible. Two notes a step or two away might be fine in theory, working well at higher frequencies, but audibly strange things start to happen at low frequencies. Unless you're doubling, stay out of the way.
I've been known to violate this rules 😅 I've been having issues with the guitarist in my church for some time now He increases the Volume of his guitar to the highest and always says that keyboard is an accompany instruments. Most times I can barely hear myself Should Guitar (lead guitar) be louder than the keyboard? Secondly He would be like☹️ 'play reh not fah' and it really pisses me off😑 It's fun though 😅 I really learnt alot from your lessons You're really an experienced professional Pianist Love to be like you someday
It’s not about which instrument should be loudest. There should be a balance among all instruments. So if you can’t hear yourself, the guitar is most certainly too loud.
Big oof on the transpose bit 🤣, highly agree, it's only for EMERGENCIES. Can't tell you how many times I've heard someone playing keyboard and think to myself, dang they sound good, come to find out, they only play in Ab and always use the transpose button. The respect and admiration I had is replaced with disgust😭. I've only used that transpose button once and that was because I wasn't even playing for a year and had to fill in for our keys player since it was super last minute.
I used to use the transpose button when the choir needed to lower the key from what was written. one thursday we practiced in the church and i used the transpose button. on sunday everything was set up in the church correctly, but the "before service" practice was in the practice room and not main room of the church. the practice room had an acoustic piano and no transpose button. luckily i had learned "sort of" knew how to sight transpose chords and it was just practice. my accompaniment was pretty basic and my head hurt from all the thinking. now i think that the transpose button is like an addictive drug. stay away from the stuff even if the first hit is free. if you are already on it the sooner you go into detox the better. and as much as it hurts to voluntarily stay away, it is way less worse than having it unexpectedly and forcibly taken away from you.
@@0biwan7 yeah man, I've only used it that one time because I had just started playing keyboard and knew nothing about how to transpose to other keys. The choir wasn't comfortable in the song's original key so I had no choice but to use the button😩. Other than that, I've never even looked at that button, I didn't even know where it was on my own keyboard until two weeks ago
Great tips, very professional. The hardest thing to do imo would be to be prepared to play the song a half step higher or lower, especially if asked to do on the spot. That means you'd have to know your scales and your chord degrees, or have a very good ear
Sincerely have learnt something new from you today @warren most especially about the chord sheet because I taught it's not professional enough bringing chord sheet to rehearsal, but you have shown me that it's ever the best way. Thanks so much
Thank you Very Much Sir. Warren for this Tutorial. Please can you make another video explaining how you Would find Harmony Notes for the different parts in the choir. Especially when it comes to scoring a song or songs for the Choir. Thank you sooo much Sir. It'll be a big help Sir.
As a piano player "in a Band" most of my adult life, I have experienced all of the things you mentioned. They are all "spot on" and very important. A couple of them made me smile. Great video that everyone in a Band should listen to and put into practice. You are very easy to listen to and I enjoy your videos and instruction! Take care.
I found it much easier to communicate with the other members after I learned how to play without looking at my hands. Many soloists never learn this skill.
@@anj10730 pick the simplest song (no shame in resorting to nursery rhymes) or scale or fragment of a melody you know. then close your eyes. try until you can get it 10 times in a row. then do it a hundred times. then move on to something that is almost as simple. with a little luck, you'll amaze yourself 5 minutes before you die of boredom.
So many times ive been trying to redirect everybody on the same page but singers mostly think they know everybody's parts wanting to take the musical director's spot failing miserable in the process
This is such a great video! I’ve been on my church’s’ worship team for just over a year. There is definitely a learning curve! Thanks for this! I hope you’ll do more videos about the band dynamic (and if they already exist, I’m looking for them) 😁
I think that I understand the need for the transpose button though I agree the perfect pianist doesn't need it... 2 scenarios: 1) I play keys as a 4th instrument and when producing demos or writing songs it's very useful to play some piano. 2) I'd rather work with a pianist who uses the transpose button, but can keep up and play every chord in the progression than one who plays in every key but doesn't know some of the chord extensions and substitutions that are needed.
My beef with the transpose button is that it keeps keyboardist complacent, propping them up with artificial growth. I’m about real growth. What happens when the player has to play a keyboard that doesn’t have a transpose function?
Thank you so much for doing this video! I'm new to playing with others and I always felt this out-of-sink feeling as we play. These points give me ideas on the important points to bring up when dialoging with other musicians.
I am not a professional or I wont even consider myself a very competent musician but I remember a lady in my church had to sing a song and asked me to provide the music the week before. That afternoon I asked her to send me a whatsapp voice note of her singing the song where she was comfortable and from that I found the key and learned it. I am not on the level to just change the key on the fly unless I stick to playing the 1 4 5 block chords. But its really important because people send you a song, you figure out the key and when they sing the song its not even a half step higher a lower. The lady in question, the song was sung in G and she was comfortable singing it in D. So you have to try to figure out before the rehearsal where she is comfortable singing if you are not able to just play the song in any key as with me.
Mr Warren McPherson, do you know you are just explaining my story with Tip no. 3. It was just like you were talking to me. That's exactly what I face in my church. Damn, these guys don't care. Just play 🎹!!!
Have you ever heard of a professional artist who refuses to practice and to rehearse.? I may just find someone else to do my songs. Seriously, he acts like a child. I am going to finish the demo but this is really frustrating. I am just going to have to learn to sing. 😒
There is a legit use for the transpose button. If you are practicing with a recording, but your band will be playing the song in a different key, use the transpose button when you are practicing so you will be practicing in the same key that you will be playing with the band. (You could pitch-shift the recording, but that's extra work and it always sounds weird.)
I’ll repeat; YOU DON’T NEED THE TRANSPOSE BUTTON!!! As a pro musician I’ve gone 20 years without ever using it. There’s no scenario you can create to justify its use. It’s always a choice to use or not to use; but it’s certainly not needed.
@@PianoLessonwithWarren Did you understand my comment? Did you think before you answered? I am practicing with a recording. My band will be playing the song in a different key from the recording. Therefore I use the transpose button during practice so I can practice with the recording, but in the same key the band will be playing. Then when I play with the band, I play in the correct key without the transpose button.
@@hacerclic1020 i understood your first comment, and as I concluded, it’s always a choice, not a need. The scenario you created isn’t new, and musicians have had to make due long before the invention of the transpose button. If you fell the transpose button make you a better musician, I won’t argue with that, I simply disagree given my background and training.
@@PianoLessonwithWarren Okay, my band played Great Things (Phil Wickham) last week in the key of A. The recording I wanted to practice with at home is in the key of B. While practicing at home, I used the transpose button to transpose up two half-steps so I could play A chords while practicing with a song recorded in B. Then with my band I played the song in A without transposing. How would you practice with a recording in B while learning the song in A?
Hi Sir, I have been following you for a long time, the significant for me following you is to play like you, but unfortunate I don't have someone to put me on the right path, I asking you if I can seek your help. I want you to be my rode model. I lived Liberia in Africa, please please please sir I readly need your help to promote my musical game and for my to be strong in music to be one of the greatest player in the World. Thanks for your Cooperation
I experienced all the bad situations you mentioned. It's really difficult to find advice for pianists in a band in youtube, the great majority of the videos explain how to play alone. I'm still having trouble when the singer changes the structure or the tone of the song, but I'll get used to it. Thank you for this video.
I think the times you should prefer the melody on top is if the singers dont know the melody (for example at practice when the song is new but you've already practiced it because you've followed tip #1) or if the singers are silent (pausing to go to communion, 4-8 bars leading into the next verse).
@@PianoLessonwithWarren this video helped very well because I’m all over the place. I will learn to be patient. I asked this question because I don’t really understand the MID, LOW, HIGH, and all them stuff on the monitor
So. Hey! Checking in. Video right on time as always. Still playing in 12/14 keys everyday (Seriously my opinion). Getting attention I do not want right now! Got Nashville artist interested in my songs. Doing a demo for Nashville. All my songs! Diva star drama having to deal with@@@!! I rewrote my songs in a country and western rhythm. I am buying cowboy boots! Hunter A. Smith check him out is the star that will be singing my songs. You know I am blessed with the music and the lyrics. So Warren having problems getting songs copyrighted and taking to market. Any advice? Oh. I step on e every one when I play. I am so rude!
@@worldcitizen9202 ask any of my students and they’ll disagree with that statement. Also ask any of my students and they’ll tell you I’m strongly against the use of transpose button. It’s an excuse to not put in the work to get better, while proping up ones skills to appear like pro players. Please note, this is not directed at you in any way, just stating my views per your original comment, so don’t take it personal.
That's the main issue with me; I'm not a very talkative person, and I'm not very good at some of the thing you just said. I have a tendency to overthink whether or not I am capable of doing certain things. @PanioLessonwithWarren
