Any advice for comping in a duo with vocalist?

[Pcrist]

One tip I didn't see in here that applies to comping in general. The top note when moving from one chord to another should move no more than a whole step - unless you are staying in the same basic chord - just perhaps a close substitution - then jumping more than a whole step is ok. Why - while you want to somewhat create your own simple counter melody you don't want to distract the listeners ear from the singer/soloist. This goes to back Bach at least. That all said: rules are there to be broken...

[mikeSF]

My main group is voc & guitar duo, me on 7-string sometimes incorporating the looper. We do standards and a good bit of jazzified Beatles, etc.
Without knowing how you play, I'd say get used to working in the keys that are most comfortable for the vocalist. Also avoid playing the melody note in your voicings. Get a walking bass game going for yourself and that will help fill out the low end and provide a vehicle for more complex arrangements. Listen to some Tuck & Patti and Kate McGarry/Keith Ganz.

Sounds fun and good luck!
sorry for the old video but gives you an idea:

[JazzerEU]

Most of my professional career was spent accompanying singers in duo settings. The best piece of advice I can give is learn to accompany yourself singing. I waited until my last year at university to do this. My accompanying changed DRASTICALLY after doing this regularly. My singing is best described as Stallone Singing The Standards. I thought if I could accompany myself (a horrible singer) well, then I could accompany anyone. At first, it forces you to simplify your playing. Having good chemistry and trust with your singer is very important. I played with a singer during the prime years of my career and we had VERY good chemistry and I could play things accompanying her that I wouldn't be able to do with most singers. Learning the lyrics to songs and singing the melodically will subconsciously make you play more lyrically in general because you'll internalize the lyrically intent of the song. Your phrasing will also improve when you go to play the melody in an instrumental setting.

Please excuse the quality of this video, it was recorded on an iPhone 4s selfie camera back in 2016.

With other singers who were less experienced, or felt a little exposed in a duo setting with a guitarist and needed more "sound" for lack of better terms, I would usually walk bass and play chords Joe Pass style and/or play Freddie Green style at times using walking freddie green chords (walking bass but with a different chord on every quarter note). I usually shied away from any dead strums to keep my playing clean at the prime of my career, but as I got older and started practicing more funk and pop guitar towards the end of my career, I found that muted strums when comping more sparsely in jazz in duo settings can be helpful to give singers a better marking and feeling of the beat/time feel. My teacher always taught me to be able to not rely on extra muted strums and internalize the time feel and be able to play without muted strums and have complete right hand control.

[Christian Miller]

Most of my professional career was spent accompanying singers in duo settings. The best piece of advice I can give is learn to accompany yourself singing. I waited until my last year at university to do this. My accompanying changed DRASTICALLY after doing this regularly. My singing is best described as Stallone Singing The Standards. I thought if I could accompany myself (a horrible singer) well, then I could accompany anyone. At first, it forces you to simplify your playing. Having good chemistry and trust with your singer is very important. I played with a singer during the prime years of my career and we had VERY good chemistry and I could play things accompanying her that I wouldn't be able to do with most singers. Learning the lyrics to songs and singing the melodically will subconsciously make you play more lyrically in general because you'll internalize the lyrically intent of the song. Your phrasing will also improve when you go to play the melody in an instrumental setting.

Please excuse the quality of this video, it was recorded on an iPhone 4s selfie camera back in 2016.

With other singers who were less experienced, or felt a little exposed in a duo setting with a guitarist and needed more "sound" for lack of better terms, I would usually walk bass and play chords Joe Pass style and/or play Freddie Green style at times using walking freddie green chords (walking bass but with a different chord on every quarter note). I usually shied away from any dead strums to keep my playing clean at the prime of my career, but as I got older and started practicing more funk and pop guitar towards the end of my career, I found that muted strums when comping more sparsely in jazz in duo settings can be helpful to give singers a better marking and feeling of the beat/time feel. My teacher always taught me to be able to not rely on extra muted strums and internalize the time feel and be able to play without muted strums and have complete right hand control.

I really enjoyed that clip. I liked the feel and those deft little reharmonisations. It sounds like the playing of someone who really knows the songs as songs, inside and out. Thanks for posting, hope you are still playing for pleasure.


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[bloos66]

I saw this recently - if you want to learn from the best, have a look at this - 10 Principles of Jazz Accompaniment - Martin Taylor - Guitar Lessons - TrueFire - Martin Taylor's 10 Principles of Jazz Accompaniment (Jazz Guitar Comping for Vocalists)
Note - I've had a full Truefire membership for many years..

[Bobby Timmons]

The op hasn't been here since 2022.