WHAT YOUR ACCOMPANIST CAN + CAN’T DO
If it’s not on the page, it doesn’t exist. Your accompanist isn’t guessing your intentions, they’re reading what you give them. The clearer your music, the closer you get to the performance you actually want.
YOUR MUSIC HAS TO SAY EVERYTHING
Actors often rely on explanation.
I’m a Broadway audition coach and pianist. In live performance, explanation doesn’t help. The page is the communication.
If you want something specific, it needs to be written clearly and correctly.
WHAT YOU CAN SAFELY CHANGE
Some adjustments are easy to execute when they’re notated clearly.
Tempo is flexible — just give a clean, confident count-in.
Repeats and vamps can be added with clear markings and cues.
Dynamics can be altered by crossing out and rewriting.
Fermatas work when they’re visible in the piano part.
Buttons or final chords can be written directly into the score.
Style shifts like swing can be indicated simply with standard notation.
These are straightforward because they’re readable at a glance.
WHAT GETS RISKY
Some changes require more clarity — or more skill from the accompanist.
If you change lyrics or melody, mark it so it matches what you’re singing.
Chord charts can work, but only if they’re simple and the pianist is comfortable comping.
Rewriting rhythms needs to be fully notated, not described.
“Just jam” only works if the structure is clear and the accompanist has the skill set.
If there’s ambiguity, the execution becomes inconsistent.
WHAT TO AVOID IN THE ROOM
Some requests are unrealistic under audition conditions.
Changing keys requires advanced sight transposition — not a safe assumption.
Altering genre or style dramatically isn’t a tweak — it’s a new arrangement.
Asking the accompanist to fill in missing material or invent sections on the spot will fail.
If it’s not fully written, it’s not reliable.
SET YOURSELF UP TO SOUND RIGHT
The accompanist’s job is simple: play what’s on the page.
The more precise your music is, the more precise their support will be.
If you consistently use a cut, invest in having it arranged cleanly.
Clarity isn’t extra, it’s the whole game.
🥜 IN A NUTSHELL
Don’t explain your music, notate it. If it’s clear on the page, it has a real chance of sounding the way you imagined.
