I
magine for a moment that you are on stage. On this occasion, however, it isn’t necessary to set the speed,
or to lead in, or to make eye contact with anyone else. Instead, you have practised your piece a zillion times with exactly the same accompaniment, so you know precisely how it will sound. You are, of course, playing to a backing track, which these days is an invaluable skill for any musician; and with some of the fancy backing tracks available, they can be both fun and motivational in an educational setting.
There are lots of reasons why backing tracks are popular – and indeed, many educational publications aren’t seen as complete without them. They often sound great, with imaginative arrangements that bolster a student’s confidence. Teachers may not have a keyboard in their teaching studio or be able to play the piano well enough to accompany their students, or they might choose to lead a group of students on their stringed instrument. The cost of a live accompanist is sometimes prohibitive too, so backing tracks are helpful for parents on limited budgets or those living in places where it isn’t easy to find a pianist.