When you’re learning a tune, it’s really easy to know what your right hand is going to be up to – after all, it pretty much completely owns the melody.  But the left hand? Sometimes you’re left wondering what’s this thing do?

When you learn a tune, if you’re given an accompaniment, you’re set.  After all, what do you get when you are given an accompaniment? In modern parlance, you get a

“curated set of harmonies that perfectly compliment the melody”

Of course that’s a little tongue in cheek, but you do feel like you get a free pass because someone who “knows” has put it together.  As long as you play it correctly, you will be “right” (whatever that means).  No argument.  No guff.  After all, some acknowledged shining light has written it, not you.  No one will gainsay you. 

And that’s such a safe and comfortable place. 

Because once you’ve learned that left hand and “perfected” it (whatever that means), you have a whole package, and it can be incredibly challenging to break out of it. 

It might be a trap.  Safe and suffocating share too many letters!

But what if you only get the tune itself and are left to fend for yourself for the accompaniment?  Then you really will be asking what to do with that left hand!  And that probably feels really uncomfortable.  So, what should you do with that left hand thing?

Well, you know you could just lay your hand on the sound board and wait for the tune to end.  That would be weird.  And possibly boring.  So, you might feel compelled to fill the space with sound.  And that’s an idea.  But let’s think about it for a sec – what does filling the space with sound from the left hand do for us? 

It makes us feel comfortable.  Most people are ever so slightly scared of silence.  Ok, many are deathly afraid of silence.  So, we throw a bunch of notes into the air and expect that to act like a sort of sonic weighted blanket. 

It makes us feel better.  We all know that if the right hand is going, it will be more challenging to keep the left hand going (especially initially).  But most of us are always comparing ourselves to others and we seem to be inclined to find ourselves wanting.  Putting up a bigger sound fence is more challenging and so we can be content that we’re better at playing.

Do we need to fill up all that space?  Probably not.  A very wise teacher told me years ago,

“The Melody is what’s important!” 

The rest is, as they say, just details.  The accompaniment is ancillary.  There’s a reason it’s called an accompaniment after all.  So, we need to press that left hand into the service of the melody rather than hoping to make it so spectacularly mesmerizing that no one can actually play it!

What does service to the melody look like?  Well, it might be:

A simple set of supporting tones.  When I say simple, I mean simple – single notes, light and broken octaves, tenths, or fifths? Simple. And usually beautiful – you do play the harp after all – use it!

The chords of your choice – blocked, broken, rolled, arpeggiated, unstructured – up to you.

Big fancy countermelodies – variants and shifts around the melody can be a nice accompaniment.

Lending a hand – sometimes the left hand can lend a hand to the melody taking a note here or there to help the right hand render the tune better, faster, stronger.

Combinations of those – a little variety is helpful to maintain the interest of the player and the listener.

When you’re putting your ideas together, have the left hand do those things that –

Can actually be done – don’t craft a left hand you cannot actually play! (don’t ask me how I know this)

That enhance the melody – make your accompaniment like a delightful perfume not a cloying cologne!  It should be just enough to keep your interest piqued and not so much as to be repellent.

Don’t steal the show – if the only thing your listeners remember when you’re done is that flashy left hand, you might not consider that a success of sharing the melody.

Help the melody convey the story – one of my favorite exercises is to play a tune and change its tenor via the left hand.  Try it!  Make a “happy” tune “sad.”  Or make a “sad” tune “pensive” then “hopeful” and then try to invoke a crying jag.  It’s up to you what the story is, but your left hand can help you be in control of it.

No matter what you decide to include, ensure that the accompaniment acts in service to the melody – that it improves, impels, or increases the melody.  Because that’s what that thing does!  What do you do with this thing?  Let me know – I’m always looking for ideas!