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Probably true about entire Symphony in the Piano..
And they have the entire overview because of the range of the Instrument .
But they can' t play a Unison or bend notes
attack the strings differently..vibrato..etc.
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12-25-2015 02:58 AM
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Robertkoa has a point.
A symphony encompasses string instruments, no? Although we can't utilize a bow, we can utilize vibrato and get a more vocal quality to our sound.
Wasn't it Segovia who said that a guitar is like looking at a symphony through the wrong end of binoculars. Can someone fact check and correct that quote?
George Van Eps is proof that the guitar can be just as dynamic an just as symphonic as the piano. 2born2bop, I don't know that many piano players who are also piano turners themselves. Tuning a piano is not as easy as tuning a guitar. That's why we don't hire guitar tuners to tune a guitar. I am sure at the highest level, concert pianists can do rudimentary tuning. But the entire piano?
And I second the notion of pianists at jam sessions. Hep knows this well, but sometimes a pianist doesn't know when to shut the heck up. Even professional pianists are guilty of this. Listen more, play less.
That being said, playing with a good pianist makes the stage feel like a cloud. You just float. I was once told by a famous author that "a good [pianist] is hard to find"...Last edited by Irez87; 12-25-2015 at 09:48 AM.
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12-25-2015, 10:59 AM #28destinytot Guest
I think guitar enhances this symphonic sound - choir and all - in a way that piano couldn't. The effect of piano could be more, less or equally beautiful - but it would be different to guitar.
And I find it telling that pianist Bobby Timmons was on this session, but that Wes plays on this little gem:
Last edited by destinytot; 12-25-2015 at 11:02 AM. Reason: spelling
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In many cases the guitar functions more like a Hammond B3 organ than a piano. Kenny Burrell for example:
If you replace a piano with a guitar in a band, you've got a totally different ensemble. The guitar has many limitations, but its much more versatile than piano.Last edited by KirkP; 12-25-2015 at 12:48 PM.
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IMO electric guitar beats electronic stage piano. Acoustic piano is great, but those things are hateful.
I like Rhodes or Organ if Piano is not an option. Nord Stage Piano still sounds better as Rhodes or Organ than piano.
While, like Rhodes or Organ, an electric guitar isn't being anything but itself.
Also - guitarists should stop trying to comp like pianists. I catch myself at it a lot. Don't listen to pianists. It'll only cause heartache ;-)
Apart from maybe McCoy Tyner...Last edited by christianm77; 12-25-2015 at 04:22 PM.
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Originally Posted by Irez87
And of course, do we have any idea of just how many years of striving it took George to be able to do what he did. And do you know who listens to him?
Guitarists.
Everyone else likes a guitarist who sounds like a guitar player. They don't care how many years you sweated on your voicings, how long it takes to do what pianists can do in their sleep.
They'll listen to Grant Green...
I think Peter Bernstein has it pegged. Guitaristic jazz.
(Bill Frisell too, of course. And Sco. And Metheny. And the Swing cats, and the Bossa guys... They USE the guitar.)Last edited by christianm77; 12-25-2015 at 04:21 PM.
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Originally Posted by destinytot
On Smokin' at the Half Note he comps for Wynton, he really drives the rhythm. Not that Wynton NEEDS that, but it adds for sure.
Jim Mullen's comping is like that too...
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Originally Posted by Irez87
Keith Jarrett tunes and voices piano...it's not as uncommon as one might think is all I'm sayin'
Originally Posted by christianm77
Hey, it's a guitar forum, I get it. I simply chimed in to acknowledge there are realities about the instrument, and playing, from a pianistic perspective, that your average guitar player, jazz or otherwise, isn't aware of...and vice versa...no two piano players play alike...same for guitar players, yes. It's all music...good, better, best doesn't enter into the equation for me personally, for if it's music it's all good
On a professional jazz level, it's quite common to have rudimentary knowledge of the piano...Miles, Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, Arturo Sandoval, just to name a few, all played, or play, piano at a respectable level.
Enjoy!
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12-25-2015, 06:14 PM #34destinytot Guest
Looking forward to having fun playing around with this next week:
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I actually like guitar players who don't ALWAYS sound like guitar players.
They've figured out a way to transcend the instrument
Think Star Child from 2001: A Space Odyssey
Jim Hall did that
Ed Bickert did that as well
Lenny Breau
I still love Wes for being Wes. But I know that he wasn't the end all be all. But his pocket, yikes!
You could fit the entire world in Wes Montgomery's pocket and still have room for the Moon, you know what I'm saying?
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Wes played in the pocket that's for sure.
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Originally Posted by destinytot
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Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
We'd all be better if we learned to play piano and drums, for sure.
I tinkle around a bit on piano, but I'm not doing that in public any time soon...
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One thing about the guitar is that it's homogeneous, as one guy put it. It blends well. When playing 4/4 behind a bass solo, for example, the sound blends well with the drummer's high-hat. Piano is more percussive, and doesn't blend as well with horns, etc. for unisons. It can be done, but guitar is better for that, I believe. But, of course, a listening pianist will blend and find ways to be less percussive.
The essence of comping on guitar or piano is listening and supporting, some would add goading if the player soloing likes aggressive rhythm players. With singers it's a different ball game: bring them out and help them sound good, or you won't be called again. But---guitar or piano---it's not the instrument, it's the ears...Last edited by fasstrack; 09-08-2016 at 07:33 PM.
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+1 on the "hateful" digital "pianos" ......I had the misfortune to go to some sessions with
a trio of electric piano, bass guitar and drums.
Jeez.....whadda nightmare ....I show up with my Howard Roberts fusion with 13-53 flats
and proceed to add to the murk......
I've never quite recovered from that horrible noise that resulted.
Like......gloop city.
I hadn't played in a group setting for quite a while ....and thought that it was all my fault.
I left the room to compose my cool with a drink so I didn't say something I regretted.
.....Long story short....the piano player who was pretty good, had an upright "steam" piano in the corner
of the room and I suggested he try it on the next number....a Brazilian thing....sounded way better straight
away.
Clearer separation ....except for that pesky bass guitar....oh well.
So the next time we got together, I changed my setup to some lighter round wounds ....worked better
but the piano player insisted on playing his horrible Korg thing.
I bailed at this point because there were no gigs in the offing ....so no lost income....it wasn't worth
changing my concept of sound to fit in with these guys.
So Christian......I salute you for calling a spade a spade .....and I'd rather gig with a spade wielder than
an electric piano.
[Rhodes OK ....real or simulated and B3 ditto]
However.....every man has his price.....that may be why my phone doesn't ring much these days.
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Originally Posted by Groyniad
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I like playing with pianists, but some of them do have overly busy fingers. And a pianist with bad rhythm is a walking trainwreck. But I do like someone comping behind me.
I don't see why one wouldn't want to play the guitar as a guitar. I think there are things we can take from the piano. I think too many guitarists (myself included, and most folks coming from a rock background) tend to play too "blocky". We can afford to add more motion to what we do. That's something we can look to pianists for, but I think it's possible to do that without developing too much "keyboard envy".
I'll break with some of the folks here on the electric pianos. One of my favorite local players uses a Nord, and I think he sounds terrific. He'd rather play on a real piano, of course, but I'll take an in-tune Nord over an out of tune piano any day. (Granted, nothing in the world sounds like a nicely tuned concert grand - I think its the apex of acoustic instrument design - but that's not the usual equipment at jam sessions and low-rent gigs.)
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Old thread, but good topic.
Here's what I don't like about some pianists:
1. They insist on playing a grand piano if there is one. Takes up half the stage. Keeps the musicians from being able to see each other easily. Sacrifices control over the volume. Gives one sound whereas an electronic kb has options. And, of course, it might not be in tune.
2. Most pianists have spent a good deal of time playing tunes, solo. Some do exactly the same thing even if there's a group. They fill a lot of space, play too busy, play dense chords in the frequencies that should be left for bass or soloists.
3. Many pianists, no matter how well meaning, do not leave much space for guitar. The pianist who does leave space is generally emphasizing transitions and decoration, not pounding out the beat in the middle of the bars. The pianist who does busy, random stick-and-jab comping makes it very difficult for the guitarist (well, at least me) to find a part that will enhance the band.
4. With some, I may spend extended periods laying out. That is rarely reciprocated.
5. If the pianist brings an electronic kb and amplification, many play overly loud.
Now, to talk out of the other side of my mouth, I do know some players where the guitar and piano work together effortlessly. In those cases they leave a lot of space, let the bass and drums carry the "chop" to a greater extent and don't pound out a busy rhythmic figure.
Of course, guitarists may be even worse. But I'll leave that for a different post.
If I was a singer/leader hiring a trio, I'd lean toward piano, simply because they can solo and comp at the same time. That's much more difficult on guitar.
But, I've done plenty of gigs with guitar as the only comping instrument. It works fine. The trick, to me, is to get away from the idea of playing block chords all the time. So, the "comp" ends up being a stew of chords, single notes, double stops, passing tones while holding a note on a different string, silence while the bassist does it all, in different octaves etc. I got the basic idea by listening to Ralph Sharon, Tony Bennett's long term pianist. I noticed that every time a tune reached the bridge, he didn't simply pound out the chords. Instead, he'd start playing a little melody a bar or two early that led gracefully to the bridge. I thought it was brilliant (even though it may be commonplace for pianists to do this) and tried to emulate it on guitar.
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Originally Posted by FZ2017
I honestly don’t know. I think ideas like ‘better’ are a bit childish when we are talking about players of that level.
BE had more harmonic concept for sure. A different style of jazz musician. But Wes could lock in like anything, and if you are a guitar comping for piano it’s a different relationship.
Listen to Jim Hall comping for Bill Evans. Simple commonplace voicings, maximum effect.... Quite a few players probably know more chords than Jim, but it doesn’t make them a better comper...
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Originally Posted by christianm77
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Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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Originally Posted by Robertkoa
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Originally Posted by christianm77
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When I was in Chicago in the '90's, the old bebop horn players really disliked electric keyboards They would put up with a terrible out of tune piano if the venue had one, but would hire guitarist over a keyboardist if there was no house piano (Hammond B3 were a different story...) I was just starting out on the scene and grateful to be hired in those situations as often as I was....
PK
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Originally Posted by FZ2017
But last night I listened to his beautiful comping on Coltrane ballads. Heartache ensues again...
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