Live players are obviously to be preferred to digital or pre-recorded instrumental accompaniments; but where musical resources are limited technology can prove invaluable - in halls, in churches and in pubs, which touring groups of singers can visit armed with an accompaniment CD and collect money for charity.
Even in places where for example an organ is available, recorded accompaniments can sometimes provide a much wider tonal palette - and can release the organist to sing where choir numbers are restricted!
Accompaniments should always be played on the best equipment available, via a CD, an MP3 player or a laptop. One way of using a laptop or other computer is to load each track of the accompaniment into a separate slide of a slideshow presentation program, such as Microsoft PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress (obtainable free via www.openoffice.org). Churches which routinely use digital projectors rather than hymn books or carol sheets can use their system to play back recorded accompaniments.
All Easychoral material is derived from non-copyright sources, and downloading it confers a license to use the material freely in the context of worship (which includes carol-singing down the pub) without further payment, provided an acknowledgement of the arranger and a reference to www.easychoral.org are included in any accompanying visual material.
The use of Trade Marks is acknowledged.