Hi there,

I have been playing by ear but I don`t know how to accompany singers or a melody. I cannot possibly use block chords and a standard boken chords ALL the time. It will sound boring.

Pls help me!! Thanks

Well, do u know how to `feel` chords by sound or improvise? Caz if u do, then that will make it alot easier.

This might help:
If your melody has the guitar chorda written over the top then you can just play them at the time where they are

Thanks DW and Charly for your help.
However, I play the keyboard.
Yep, I can insert chords to the melody line by sound but cannot improvise. How to improvise?

Thanks!

When u say put chords in, do u mean like standard triads?
Ie: C chord...CEG
A chord...ACE
F chord...FAC
G chord...GBD and so on...
Caz if yr providing acc for singers or pop music, then this is not enough. Or rather, it`s too dull and too empty. The best acc. sould be one that is not restrained within the sleketon of the chord( skeleton as in the 1st,3rd,5th notes), ie: This is what I will do for the above chord example( extra notes that can decorate the chord, u`ve to choose em by sound.):
C Chord.....C, DEG or C,EGA
A chord.....A, DEG or A, CDG
F Chord.....F, GCD or F, ACD
G Chord.....G, DE or G,AD etc( too many possible combinations to be listed)...
It`s not wrong to do broken chords, but u should do with some decorations, either on the right, left hand, or within the chord itself( as in my abovestated example).
SO, this is what I`ll play ultimately for my chord C on BH:
LH: Lower C, GA(together) Higher C,D
RH: DEG(together)... DEG (together)...Higher GEDC ( fill in)
You have to learn to do fill ins( can be belonging or not from the chord itself)or can replace the right hand with partial variated melody, etc. It`s hard to list all the way u can improvise, caz it`s all pretty much up to the individual.
Improvisation will come alot easier if u play alot of jazz also. If u`re really interested abt. improvisation, then u should pick up a gd book on it and start doing it yr own style. Most importantly is to put it into use often...caz that`s the only way u can improvise better.

Thanks for replying.
What is BH in "my chord C on BH" ?

That means I can use the ear and improvise. Noticed the chords U suggested are 1 note away from the main chord. Eg: C Chord: C E G become C D G ?

Probably, add in some cadences as well?

Thanks

BH means both hands. Yap, yr right. The notes are all one note away in the example I listed above. But that is just 1 of the thousand limitless choices...just remember: do by sound. So, any note that makes the primary chord colourful is a good decoration. But dun think of cadences when yr doing improvisation. The idea itself is too classical and restrained, and thus yr chord outline will not be as colourful and nice.
IE: Mary, Had, a, Little, Lamb
Suppose to be (LH) : Chord C throughout ,

But I`ll probably do : Mary , Had a, Little , Lamb
this on my (LH)as chords:CEGAflat, BEG ,BflatDEG, AC#EG
or:CEGAflat, CFGA , C#EGA ,C#FGBflat
So, as u can see the sound becomes colourful with all the decorations. Go try on yr piano. They sound really nice.