Why Practising With Accompaniment Can Make a Big Difference

When you're learning a new piece of music, it's easy to spend most of your practice time playing your part on its own.

You work through the notes, rhythms and tricky passages, perhaps with a metronome, and gradually become more comfortable with the music. But eventually, there's another really important step: hearing how your part fits with the rest of the music.

This is where practising with accompaniment can make a big difference.

Why practise with accompaniment?

Playing along with accompaniment gives you a much better sense of the

complete piece. Instead of hearing only your flute, clarinet or saxophone part, you can hear how your music interacts with the piano, orchestra or other instruments.

It can help you develop:

• Better rhythmic accuracy

• A stronger sense of pulse

• More confidence when playing your part

• An understanding of how your part fits into the music

• Better listening skills

• More musical expression and phrasing

• Tone

It can also make practising much more enjoyable! There's something quite different about playing your instrument when it feels like you're performing with other musicians rather than simply practising by yourself in your room.

But what if you don't have a pianist?

This can be one of the challenges of learning an instrument. Not everyone has access to a pianist who can play their accompaniment whenever they want to practise. While YouTube can be a fantastic resource for finding backing tracks, it isn't always easy to find exactly the right arrangement or tempo for the piece you're learning. This is one of the reasons I like using Tomplay.

Tomplay provides interactive sheet music with professional recordings and accompaniment tracks, allowing you to practise your part while hearing the other musicians. You can adjust the tempo, repeat sections and work through the music at a speed that suits you.

For students, this can be particularly useful because you don't have to wait until your next lesson to experience what the piece sounds like with accompaniment.

Explore Tomplay and see what's available for your instrument.

A great way to practise a new piece

One approach I often recommend is to first learn your part on its own. Make

sure you understand the notes, rhythms, articulations and dynamics. Work through the difficult sections slowly and gradually build up your confidence. Once you're comfortable with the notes, introduce the accompaniment. Don't worry if it feels difficult at first!

Playing along with another musician or recording can reveal things that aren't always obvious when you're practising alone. You might discover that you tend to rush a particular section, struggle to come back in after a rest, or aren't quite holding a long note for as long as you thought. That's actually a good thing. It gives you something specific to work on.

Don't always practise at full speed

Another advantage of interactive accompaniment is that you can slow things down. If the original tempo feels too fast, start slower and gradually increase the speed as you become more comfortable.

This is particularly useful for difficult passages. Rather than repeatedly making the same mistakes at full speed, slow the music down, work through the challenging section and then gradually build the tempo back up. Once you're confident, try playing it at the intended tempo.

YouTube can be a great practice resource too

You don't necessarily need fancy technology to practise with accompaniment.

I have a range of videos on my YouTube channel featuring flute, clarinet and saxophone music, including piano accompaniment tracks, demonstrations and other music resources.

These can be a great option when you simply want something to play along with, or when you're looking for some inspiration for your next practice session. You can find my videos and playlists on my YouTube channel here. You will find popular method books such as Essential Elements, Standard of Excellence and Rubank Elementary as well as various exam playlists for AMEB and Trinity College.

I regularly add new videos, so it's worth subscribing if you'd like to find more music and practice resources as they're released. And you can request new accompaniment and demo tracks by becoming a member!

Make practice feel more like making music

One of the biggest things I encourage my students to remember is that

practice isn't just about getting the right notes. We're learning music so that eventually we can make something musical with those notes. Playing with accompaniment is a great way to bridge the gap between practising and performing.

It can help you develop your musicality, listening skills, rhythm and confidence, while making your practice sessions feel much more like actually playing music.

So next time you're practising a piece you've been working on, try playing it with an accompaniment track. You might find that it changes the way you hear and play the music and makes your practice session a little more enjoyable too!

More from Monique's Music

If you're learning flute, clarinet or saxophone, you can find more practice tips, music resources, accompaniment tracks and demonstrations on the Monique's Music website and YouTube channel.