How To Play With Vocalists

Worship| Music| Church Piano Playing| Practical Matters| Congregational Worship

July 02, 2026•3 min read

"...focus on providing the outline of the melody in a way that is easy for both the vocalist and the congregation to follow."

How do you play with vocalists?

Some churches have vocalists as part of their worship team, while others simply provide the music, and the congregation sings alone. There are many different formats churches will use, and there isn't a specific right way.

However, even if it doesn't apply to your situation, it's helpful to know how to play with vocalists, as you never know when you might need to use this skill.

The basic underlying principle is this...

Remember to stay away from the melody

When you are playing with a vocalist, they will be singing the melody, so there's no need for you to also do it. Otherwise, it just ends up sounding too cluttered.

Instead, focus on providing the outline of the melody in a way that is easy for both the vocalist and the congregation to follow.

Also, when playing the notes on the left hand, try to play under the melody as much as you can. This means that the piano notes are generally lower than the notes the vocalist is singing. While it isn't always noticeable, it can make a subtle difference.

Another tip is that when you're playing a slow song, like When I Survey, make sure you leave a lot of space and play around the vocals. Doing this allows you to play around the different chords and embellish the tune in a way that complements it without being a distraction; plus, it can also create a beautiful sound. This style, though, is more applicable in the context of a solo, item, or maybe someone singing for communion.

When you're just accompanying the singers, the main priority is to keep the strong accompaniment going, while leaving the vocalist to sing the full melody.

In some situations though, you might find that the vocalist doesn't know the song very well, and therefore wants a strong melody instead of a simple accompaniment. In this case, make sure the melody is clear and that you're providing good intros so they know exactly when to come in. Also, be sure to pay attention to the cues for when they finish off a phrase, so that you don't come in too early after that.

The vocalist will certainly appreciate you being sensitive to how they are singing throughout the song, and the clear accompaniment you can provide.

So, that's a few tips on how to play with vocalists; I hope you find them helpful!

Also, if you want to learn more about how to embellish a tune while still effectively supporting worship singing, I teach all of this, plus much more, in my course, Worship Toolkit Bundle.

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This blog post was written by pastor and pianist Kris Baines, from The Church Piano Player. Kris lives in the UK with his family, having recently moved back from New Zealand where he worked as a pastor for the past 26 years (also leading worship/worship teams). Kris has also spent over 35 years writing, recording, and performing music and is now bringing all that combined experience together to help equip church piano/keyboard players.

Check out the church piano player website for more information on online courses by Kris Baines.