1) What are these tracks for?
The music tracks from Piano-Accompaniments.com are designed to help you familiarise yourself with playing along to the piano parts of works you may be learning. When you play your solo part along with these piano tracks, you will find they help with- keeping in time, and in tune
- getting used to playing with the piano part
- getting a sense of performance
- making practice more fun!
You may well also find that these tracks save you money in hiring rehearsal pianists, at least in the early stages of learning a piece. While these tracks are primarily designed for private practice, many of my customers have also played along to these tracks in public performances and exams. These tracks can provide great benefits to your practise sessions, and are used by musicians all over the world.
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2) What quality are these recordings?
These are high-quality recordings, with a real piano sound rather than synthetic recordings you might hear elsewhere. The tracks are recorded on a top-of-the-range digital piano - a Yamaha Clavinova. A digital piano provides a similar sound to a grand piano, but with the great advantage that I can edit the recorded files in order to incorporate sympathetic tempo changes, any necessary click-beats and breathing points. As I am a professional accompanist I feel I am well placed to be able to judge how each accompaniment should sound.
All this means you will be practising along to performance standard accompaniments, not tinny MIDI files. Please listen to the extended samples for evidence of the sound quality of the available tracks. In addition, each work/movement has its own 15-30 second sample for you to listen to.
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3) Can these tracks be modified?
If you would like to have your tracks modified at all, I am happy to try and re-record bespoke versions for customers. I do this on a voluntary donation basis, and you can find details on this page.
If you simply wish to change the tempo of the accompaniment tracks slightly, you can easily find software on the internet to allow you to do so. This means you can create multiple copies of any track at different speeds, to enable you to customise your practice routine. The software I recommend, for tempo changes of up to +/-15%, is The Amazing Slow Downer by Roni Music.
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4) Can I make CDs from these MP3 files?
Yes, if you have a computer and suitable software. Most PCs come with a version of Windows Media Player, which will do the job easily, and Apple Macs can burn CDs using iTunes. Alternatively you can also use many commercial software packages instead.
There are two main formats of CDs you can buy in shops for this purpose, CD-R and CD-RW. If your CD player can play CD-RWs then use this format (as you will be able to re-write the disk afterwards), but if in doubt please use CD-R disks, as they are much more universally accepted by older CD players. This webpage gives further instructions for burning CDs.
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5) What do you mean by the terms 'performance details' and 'practice versions'?
For many works/movements, you will see the phrase 'click here for performance details'. This brings up a little text box that describes whether I have added click-beats (either at the start of the piece or in places where the piano is silent), whether I have included repeats, whether I have omitted any concerto tuttis and how I might have accommodated solo cadenza passages. See also question 6 below.
'Practice versions' are simply slower versions of fast or more difficult works - these are provided free with the full speed 'performance' versions or when you buy a full sonata or concerto. They can help you build up to playing, hopefully, at the full speed eventually!
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6) What if I want the tracks without click-beats?
If you are unhappy at having occasional click-beats sounding in the works as you perform them (to help you keep in time when the piano is silent etc.), then in most cases I am able to re-record bespoke versions for you without such beats. Please see this page for further details.
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7) How do I buy from Piano-Accompaniments.com?
Browse your way to the works you want, using either the online catalogue, the search box at the top left of the page, or the instrument icons below that box. Clicking the 'Add to Cart' button puts that product in your shopping basket, then press 'continue' to continue shopping. When you have finishing adding to your basket, you should select the 'checkout' page, where you simply add your address details (make sure you add a separate delivery address if necessary), and then proceed to the payment pages. You can use most standard debit or credit cards to make your purchase, and PayPal account holders are able to use PayPal if this method proves easier. The standard checkout system transfers you to Sagepay secure servers to process your online payment. If you wish to pay by cheque, please with details of your required tracks, and I will be able to assist you.
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8) Can I buy from anywhere in the world?
Yes, the recordings can by purchased anywhere in the world. MP3 files can naturally be downloaded anywhere. While each work is priced in Sterling and Dollars, the grey button next to the price will indicate the price in any other currency.
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9) Is it secure to buy from your store?
All internet shopping done via Sagepay (formally Protx) benefits from the latest 128-bit SSL encryption technology, so you can be assured that your transaction is as safe as it can be. I never get to see your credit card details, so there is no question of your security being compromised.
For further information about Sagepay's security please click here.
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10) How long are the MP3 links made available for?
After you have completed your order, you will receive an email containing links. These links will also be made available on your receipt page.
Please use these links to permanently download the files to your computer within 48 hours (2 days) of your purchase. If you are unable to do so for any reason, don't worry as I can
Also, if you ever lose your MP3 files due to a hard drive failure, I will happily send you replacement files.
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11) What if anything goes wrong with my order, can you help or provide a refund?
In the vast majority of cases, customers are able to download their purchased MP3 files automatically and in full. However, on rare occasions you may find that a file has come through incomplete, or even more rarely not at all! This can be due to occasional server timeouts, or perhaps spam filters removing the emailed links. If this happens, , and I will send you any necessary files as email attachments.
If any issues cannot be resolved, or if you are unhappy with any of the accompaniment tracks provided, then I am happy to provide full or partial refunds.
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12) Do I need a broadband connection?
To download MP3 files, I would suggest that a broadband connection is used, although if you are just interested in a couple of small works/movements then a dial-up connection should suffice. The average size for an MP3 file is around 3.5Mb, (the smallest is about 0.5Mb and the largest is 8.5Mb). A full sonata can be anywhere between 10 to 30Mb. With a broadband connection even the largest sonata should not take any more than 10 minutes to fully download.
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13) Can I use these tracks with my personal stereo/MP3 player/Ipod?
Yes, the MP3 files that you download can be used with personal MP3 players or MP3-compatible phones. If you own an Apple Ipod, you should load any relevant MP3 or Wav files into your Itunes library, where you can convert them to AAC files ready to use with your Ipod.
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14) Can I copy and distribute these recordings?
Please do not make and distribute illegal copies of these recordings, as outlined in the terms and conditions. I have spent a long time creating this catalogue of products, and I’m sure as a musician you will respect the amount of effort this has required. I don’t mind you lending any recordings to close friends or family, and I don’t mind how many copies of each track you make at different tempos as long as these are for your own personal use. Thank you.
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15) Who are you and what experience do you have as an accompanist?
My name is Paul Gardner, and I am the creator and owner of Piano-Accompaniments.com. I have been learning the piano for over twenty years and have been awarded a Masters degree in Music Performance from the University of Southampton, England. I have been accompanying soloists for many years and it has become my primary occupation. I have accompanied many hundreds of recitals, diplomas, master-classes, concerts and exams with pupils of varying ability, both in the UK and abroad. Many of these performances have been by their nature of advanced works, and as such I have covered a considerable amount of repertoire.
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16) Why did you set up Piano-Accompaniments.com?
I used to find it very useful when I was practising piano duets or concertos to record the corresponding piano/orchestral part so that I could play along (using a MiniDisc player with headphones). I found this made practising a lot more enjoyable, helped me with listening out for the accompanying part, and proved indispensable for memorising the solo parts. I later decided to translate this idea into creating accompaniments for instrumental repertoire, in particular, the medium to advanced-level repertoire that most classical musicians aspire to play.
Using high-end software and hardware, I have spent many months learning, recording and editing the tracks that you find in this catalogue, in each case creating recordings of a far superior quality to those initial examples I used to make for my own benefit! I very much hope these recordings prove useful to musicians of all ages, all over the world.
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