Using CD Accompaniments

CD accompaniments are readily available. Many method books come with backgrounds for all the songs in the book. Some offer accompaniments at a slow practice tempo, and a faster performance tempo. Some place the melody in the left speaker and the accompaniment in the right, allow the student to remove the recorded melody by panning the balance to the right speaker.

Some CDs that are sold with method books are not intended to be used as accompaniments. They are intended to be listened to by the student as an example of an artistic performance of the piece they are learning. Other CDs are intended solely as accompaniments - there is no model performance included. Some accompaniment CDs feature synthesized instruments, while others feature live musicians. Some publishers make the background accompaniments very "pop" oriented, while others focus on more authentic folk and ethnic backgrounds.

When selecting a book and CD to use with your students, try to find a CD accompaniment that meets your goals and objectives. A list of method books with CDs can be found in the Books and Information section.

I suggest using the CD in the class or lesson, as well as asking the student to practice with it at home. Take some time to show students how and when to practice with the accompaniment.

Some teachers complain that the tempos on the accompaniment CDs they use are too fast for their students. The Amazing Slow Downer is a piece of computer software by Roni Music that allows the user to change the tempo of CD without affecting the pitch. There is also hardware called the Superscope that allows the user to slow down the tempo of a CD for practice.

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