Jazz Guitar Comping

[dirkji]

All discussion here is related to this guitar lesson about comping:

How to Comp Like a Piano Player

[Goofsus4]

Good lesson, Matt. I take it this technique is only to be used when you have a bass player? I often comp with shell voicings, but include the root in the bass most of the time. I do use this concept when harmonizing melodies for chord melody/solo playing, but when comping I have generally been sticking with fuller voicings. This is more of an approach for those playing in emsembles?

[m78w]

Hey Goofsus4,
I acutally love using this technique on solo gigs and playing behind singers or horns in a duo setting. It really opens things up for me, I don't have to think about playing a bassline all the time and I still get the sound of the chord progression sticking out. To me it's more of what a pianist might play in a solo or duo setting. I also like to mix the two up, using 3rds and 7th, and then playing bass lines, then just playing chord grips, or just single lines, or just octaves. It helps to keep things interesting while playing a solo or duo gig.

And it does work great in a trio setting as well. check out any recordings by Lenny Breau, Ed Bickert or Ted Greene to hear how these things sound.

If you go on youtube there's a great clinic with Ted Greene, if you watch you can see that he hardly ever plays the roots in his low notes, it's usually some combination of 3rd or 7th.

MW

[mike_k]

Hey Matt,

Thanks again for another well laid out and informative lesson. By the way you completely beat me to the post. I concur, in that this is an excellent method to apply for extra choruses for chord-melody solos.

All the best,
Mike

[m78w]

Hey Mike K,
Glad you dug the lesson, and great minds must think a like!

MW

[renema]

Another related subject worth exploring is adding tensions to the basic 3_7 chord sound. One interesting possibility is to add a tension inside:
Example C7 voicings: (Bb-D-E) or (Bb-D#-E) or (E-A-Bb) or (E-F#-Bb)

[m78w]

Absolutely, that's the next step after learning the basic 3rd 7th voicings. An easy one is to add one note on top of the 3 and 7. So for C7, E Bb D, or Bb E A.

MW

[Oladipupo]

What is comping all about both on Guitar & Piano

[m78w]

Comping is short for "accompanying"(sp?). It is when a piano player or guitar player plays chords behind a soloist or other instrument playing a melody.

It is like the "rhythm" guitar in a pop/rock setting compared to the "lead" guitar, so Ron Wood comps in the Rolling Stones while Keith Richards playes lead.

MW

[Stringbean]

There are some difficult stretches in this lesson. Am I seeing this correctly, we are to play notes on the 5th and 10th fret simultaneously?

[m78w]

Yeah, those are the lenny stretches, they may seem difficult at first but after a while you get used to them. If the are beyond your reach you can also play the D and Ab on the 6th and 5th strings on the 10th and 11th frets. That will cut down the stretch to nothing at all.

MW

[Stringbean]

Ugh, I'm not digging these stretches. But, I found those melody lines one octave down, right near those comping notes....I'm hearing it! I'm sounding like jazz, a first!....cool!

[m78w]

Great! Glad you were able to work out a better fingering for yourself!

MW

[JessJazzer]

Nice to learn a new type of comp. Cuz right now all I can play is Freddie Green.

[m78w]

Yeah JessJazzer, this stuff is really helpfull when playing in a big band because you end up staying out of the harmonic range of the bass and piano most of the time. It also keeps things really simple so the pianist can play is big voicings and not worry about clashing with the guitar.

MW

[keith]

Thanks for the lesson, always appreciated!

[pierre richard]

Herb Ellis has a nice style of comping...two or three notes per chord which include the 3rd and 7th....

closed voicing with a great sense of rhythm..

time on the instrument......pierre......

[wizard3739]

good lesson!!

wiz

[trtjazz]

Thanks for the lesson, you're a treasure trove of info! Thanks for the site, big help to a dope like me.

[604bourne123]

thanks alot keeps me coming back.richard

[apmilano]

Can someone please tell me what "comping" is? What is the technical definition.

[musicalbodger]

Originally Posted by apmilano

Can someone please tell me what "comping" is? What is the technical definition.

ampilano, if you look higher up this thread you'll see that Matt already explained it.

"Comping is short for "accompanying"(sp?). It is when a piano player or guitar player plays chords behind a soloist or other instrument playing a melody.

It is like the "rhythm" guitar in a pop/rock setting compared to the "lead" guitar, so Ron Wood comps in the Rolling Stones while Keith Richards playes lead."

[renema]

To me, comping is "complimenting" the soloist. Trying to play in a way that says:"This singer is fantastic, I love his solo etc... " If you comp well, you get the gig with that singer:=)

[604bourne123]

Originally Posted by apmilano

Can someone please tell me what "comping" is? What is the technical definition.

most chords are sevenths when you go to comp you go to the third and the seventh hit the two notes every time you go to a chord

[renema]

Sometimes i just play the root

[musicalbodger]

sometimes I just root to play !!

[604bourne123]

Originally Posted by renema

Sometimes i just play the root

when you go to play with someone just the root kind of you do that anyway but the bare 3and 7 you can add to it/flat 5/9ths/

[dcmey]

Great lesson Matt. I absolutely love playing fingerstyle. For a while I wasn't a great strummer but was a good fingerstyle player. Now I am getting much at better strumming but I still go to fingers when play a solo. My bad, I was thanking for the Right Hand Technique lesson. The comping lesson is cool to thank you.

[syllerud]

Hello and thanks for the lession, i have one question thou.
When operating when chords such as: C13 and C9, do i have to strum the 3, 7 and the 9/13'er?

[604bourne123]

howard roberts has a video 1954 or something