CHORD COMPING

Hey Yall,

Let's talk about Chord Comping. It's not to difficult to define the word when you think about Jazz history from New Orleans.

When western music blended with African American music terms such as blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation followed.

Comping is in a sense a sycopation of playing the chords to jazz music. Some may attribute its birth in Dixieland jazz as early musicians would use a technique named, call and response. This pattern of improvisation would speak a language played by one musician followed by another band member playing the same riff, or rhythmic pattern over the same amount of measures. During this time a pianist or guitarist often played an arrangment of chords over and and over creating syncopated chords.

Today the main instruments that comp chords are the piano and the guitar. Sometimes when both instruments are present in the same group they must listen to each other and be careful not to overplay each other but to find the space each instrument can fill. For example, when a pianist is in a certain range of the piano the guitarist can comp in a different range. Or both instruments can figure out syncopation that compliments each instrument.

When a piano is alone in the band with a quartet of drums, bass, and sax, comping can be most interesting.

Let's look at All Blues by Miles Davis.

This is a simple triple meter that offers a good opportunity of comping. Let's say you're playing a swing waltz. The first chord is Bb13. You can play the notes Ab-D-G while the bass plays the Bb walking bass. If you want to comp then hit those notes in syncopation on the "and" of "one" and then on "three" of each measure. YOU DID IT!

You have just comped! Just follow that pattern during the whole song.

The only thing is that you may get tired of playing the same thing over and over again. So when you get to the D7 chord just play it on the first beat and hold it. Then play the Eb7 and hold it on the first beat then when you go back to the beginning start your original comping again.

One of the best ways to learn chord comping is to listen and study from the masters. Once you hear something you like, try to imitate it into a song you're learning. Some of my most favorite albums are: Bill Evans Trio; Sunday at the Village Vanguard. This was the last album that Bassist Scott Lafaro made before his accidental death. Bill Evans had just put together his best trio when it fell apart sending Evans into a lifelong search for the perfect trio.

Another CD that has good comping is Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil. Herbie Hancock plays an amazing amount of riffs and comps but seems to never get in the way of anybody else.

And of course no CD collection can be without Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. This album changed the face of jazz music forever and everyone should know the background about it. Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly dazzles us with the skills of the jazz piano.

Remember that simple is good. Simplicity allows for breathing room for the solist. When you change up your comping, it brings in a nice change to the dynamic. Advice I should remember for myself!

Later,

John