Benefit of Keyboard Accompaniment/Arrangement Training: Improve/develop the ability to see/hear a melody & create an accompaniment – at the keyboard.

INTERVIEWER, Sue Styles

Sue: Why Were the Books Written?

Gayle: As a young girl, my dad & I would play music together. What impressed me was how fast he heard the chord changes (faster than me!). Always an appropriate chord – even when it was something he had never heard before!

Later, during my piano teaching years, I became aware that training this area of the brain was missing from most formal training systems. Although students are encouraged in the areas of sight-reading, technical, performance & interpretive skills, they are often left uncomfortable if asked to create their own accompaniment for a basic melody – at the keyboard. This is why the books were written – to challenge students to hear/look at a melody and create their ‘own’ arrangements.

Sue: How do Your Books Produce Well-Rounded Musicians?

Gayle: I should first mention that there are two series of books – the MA & the KA BASICS series. The MA series is, mainly, everything written out in full with detailed information for each accompaniment. This has been made possible with the help of symbols & abbreviations (a new music shorthand). The KA series is, mainly, folksongs & original melodies challenging students to anticipate harmonic changes & apply chords, styles, rhythms, patterns & progressions in a style & rhythm to suit the melody.

Sue: So, you are saying that in the MA, the full accompaniment is written out using your symbols & abbreviations and as they learn more & advance with just melodies in KA, students choose or experiment with their own accompaniment/arrangements?

Gayle: Yes. However, for all music areas to progress equally, it is recommended that the two series be worked together at the same pace.

Sue: I’m thinking of my own kids taking music lessons, or even when I learned to play the trumpet, we were just asked to memorize or read the notes on the page.

Gayle: Yes, most learn this way and that is fine but with KA skills as an equal part of the training. Teachers seem to appreciate that the books are written as a self-study and take minimal time at the lessons. They need, only, assign the pages for the students. KA skills are targeted in the routine practice, the same as sight-reading, technical & other music areas.

Sue: This really sounds like it has been a missing link in the formal training!

Gayle: Yes. I will continue to lobby to have KA skills recognized as a valid subject and challenged routinely – the same as for other music skills.