See the red dot in the picture above thats the root. Heres is the pdf file for the exercises in this lesson. Encourage them to listen to rhythms found in the pianist. Many of these chord shapes will become your goto grips because they are all movable on the guitar, just like barre chords.
As described above wont be thinking purely in terms of chords. Lets dive in and learn 10 classic and essential jazz guitar rhythm patterns. Once a player can navigate a tunes harmony confidently, then rhythm can more easily come to the foreground. Nov 11, 20 in any event, you can get a long way playing jazz guitar with a threelegged stool, that is, modal playing to be covered in a future post, comping chords and single note lines. Chord tones 1 and 3 are played in the left hand, and chord tones 7 and 9 in the right hand. Just because you practice scales, chords, patterns, and exercises doesnt mean you will sound stiff and mechanical, or that you will become a jazz great. The next jazz comping rhythm is the called charleston which is a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note. That is a pretty simple definition of comping chords, but it works. Included with the music and tab notation are the recorded audio example and a backing track to help you practice. This is one of the few books if any that explores improvising in the latin jazz style. Playing a steady rhythm lets play each chord in a steady pattern of quarter notes.
The left hand patterns taught in this book have been divided up into four different groups. Jazz piano comping how to comp the jazz piano site. You can download a pdf and read the article on my blog via this link. By holly day, jerry kovarksy, blake neely, david pearl, michael pilhofer. Jazz drums thelonious monk institute of jazz online jazz handbook. Playing nonrepeating stabs this is more like comping as played by pros. These progressions feature various voicings and techniques, including tritone substitution, the. The other books teach montuno playing or comping but do not address improvisation or soloing. The first comping rhythm well explore is probably the most popular and wellknown jazz guitar rhythm, the freddie green fourtothebar quarter note pulse. Jun 21, 2017 comping is a term coined by jazz musicians, which means accompaniment. As pianists we need to be ready to accept 2 different roles. The jazz guitar comping video lesson of your dreams.
You may notice that certain phrases appear in many solos. His use of a two feel and a four against three feel along with his impressionistic voicings, produced what is now a standard jazz waltz feel. Here are the basic patterns well start with example ia example 1b notice that in example 1b the rhythms are the same as in ia except that the last note note of the. It is also the action of accompanying, and the lefthand part of a solo pianist. No comping just holding down chords once per symbol. In comping patterns 10 to the i chord is played with chord tones 1 and 7 in the left hand, and chord tones 3 and 5 in the right hand. Click here to download a printable pdf of this months notation. Introduce the snare and bass drum as having comping voices, which can help support a rhythmic idea either in the piano, soloist, or big band. Comping rhythms for jazz piano now that you can walk a bass line, and know which notes to play for a nice 4note voicing sound with your right hand, lets talk about rhythm and give you something to practice.
But broadly, there are three different comping styles or approaches you can employ. Jazz piano basics dan davey tensions are non chord tones that are added to a chord to change the colortexture of the chord. Of course much of this can be linked to chopin and ravel demonstrating. I will then demonstrate how these jazz comping ideas sound on on a. Mar 24, 2011 think of comping as a conversation between the soloist and the rhythm section. Essential jazz guitar comping rhythms twg terence wright guitar. Try each of these with different comping patterns, and try them with and without the bass drum. The following lessons introduce some of the basics of jazz guitar chords. Once you have learned a few of these patterns you will be able to combine them in a number of ways to create a solid jazz feel. Essential jazz guitar comping rhythms in this lesson we will examine some of the most widely used and effective comping rhythms in jazz.
Chord voicings to get started with chord voicings for any jazz standard at the piano, you must first learn how to form rootless chord voicings. Piano comping practice tips cocktail piano lessons. It is the most important role for all rhythm section players, such as pianist, bassist, guitarist and. This entry was posted in blog, news and tagged comping, comping guitar, guitar, guitar comping jazz, guitar comping lesson, guitar comping patterns, jazz comping, jazz comping rhythms, jazz guitar, jazz guitar comping, jazz guitar comping rhythms, jens larsen on june 11, 2018 by jens. Mark watkins received his degrees from brigham young university and indiana university and has studied with eugene rousseau, daniel deffayet, ray smith, and yushi ishiwata and jazz with david baker. Any time youre faced with playing straight chords or even playing melodies from a fake book which pretty much just gives the chord names, youre left to your own resources to supply an interestingsounding.
There are two different patterns to try on the ride and two different hihat patterns. The outcome is an exploration of different approaches to developing confidence and aptitude in solo jazz piano performance. Great lefthand accompaniment patterns for the piano or. Memorizing tons of new jazz chords often leads to confusion. Jim hall chords and comping techniques learn jazz guitar. In the video, i only have time to demonstrate the snare drum variations but you should also practice these on the bass drum. Building a solid vocabulary of great jazz comping rhythms is difficult.
As well as the creation of accompaniment patterns for solo jazz piano performance, outcomes of this project include a greater descriptive understanding of the process of. In this lesson we will examine some of the most widely used and effective comping rhythms in jazz. In this video i show you 5 jazz piano comping patterns which will work over a c minor 7 chord. Great examples of this kind of interplay can be found on sonny rollins album the bridge the interplay between him and guitarist jim hall is one of the greatest dialogues in jazz. For example, a short pattern that is played on two strings could be played on strings 12, 23, 34, 45, and 56. This type of odd grouping with your 8th notes is a great way to create interest and. It is the most important role for all rhythm section players, such as pianist, bassist, guitarist and of course drummers. Try to play the phrase on as many sets of strings as possible.
Jazz guitar comping rhythms exercise to make your own. It has a practical approach that gets you started immediately, and also includes a cd that helps you gauge yourself along. Here is the same rhythm pattern applied to a iivi in c. The i iv v chords are all related through the circle of 5ths which creates a natural sense of tension and release in the blues progression. Pick up a free copy of my 64page jazz guitar pdf here and learn more about comping, improvisation and the necessities of playing jazz guitar. Any time youre faced with playing straight chords or even playing melodies from a fake book which pretty much just gives the chord names, youre left to your own resources to supply an. Comping is one of my favorite things to do, as i find it brings together the best of harmony, melody. Developing your jazz drum comping learn jazz standards. This is somewhat of an unconventional guide to jazz guitar comping since well be taking a detour. Youll play two halfnotes rhythms in each measure, thus the term two. Listening to jazz recordstapes should be part of every musicians daily routine. It is what the rhythm section players do while the lead player plays the head of a jazz tune or solos over it. The jazz waltz bill evans transformed the jazz waltz creating the standard which is still in use today by composers and performers.
You will learn six standard comping phrases in part four. You can get creative, and rhythmically displace the halfnote rhythm around the bar to create variety. Note that scale degrees 10 is the same as 3, 12 the same as 5, 14 the same as 7, and 15 the same as and root. Jazz guitar comping rhythms exercise to make your own jens.
Creative comping is designed for guitarists looking to build their rhythm guitar vocabulary and better connect with their music through comping its for guitarists who. Comping means accompanying or complementing a soloist by playing the chords. The two chord forms presented above download the pdf file for reference here are the g7form with the root on the low e string and the c7form with the root on the. This provides smooth transitions from chord to chord. After ive taught you basic jazz guitar rhythm patterns, let me raise your playing to the next level with this advanced jazz guitar comping lesson. Like with the eighth notes, practice this over a static chord, then a iivi. A horn section pattern lets pick a rhythm that imitates a big band born section. One of the most important tools for your piano playing bag of tricks is a good supply of lefthand accompaniment patterns. When you are comping it is a big part of the job to listen to the soloist and the rest of the band and fit in what they are doing. Jazz drums thelonious monk institute of jazz online jazz. Complement the soloist rhythmically and harmonically stay out of the soloists way.
Watkins has performed in more than 20 countries and with artists ranging from bob mintzer jazz saxophone to marlene pauley classical clarinet. This book is not intended as a compendium of every possible pattern or harmonic approach. Comping is an art, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. It has a practical approach that gets you started immediately, and also includes a cd that helps you gauge yourself along the way. For example, on the pdf for download below, i have patterns a g notated on the snare with the ridehats and then with the bass drum. How to comp on piano like a pro making music magazine. Want to create musical conversations when comping need help connecting the sounds in your head to the fretboard. Take a one or two bar phrase and transpose it to all 12 keys.
Download your free 62 page pdf beginner jazz guide. The iv and v chords are extended to include the 9th e. I love the creativity and the musical conversations that develop between a soloist and rhythm section in jazz. Practical tips for your jazz rhythm section matt pivec, clinician director of jazz studies, butler university school of music. Use a prepared attack and let gravity drop the weight of your armshandsfingers into each chord with just enough support to keep your hands. These piano comping practice tips are meant to give you specific exercises to practices that will improve your harmonic understanding and help you learn the chords to a bunch of jazz tunes.
Comping guides, rhythms, and progressions derived from the transcriptions. Usually, the root bass note is found at the bottom and therefore, its very easy to transpose. Comping is a term coined by jazz musicians, which means accompaniment. In any event, you can get a long way playing jazz guitar with a threelegged stool, that is, modal playing to be covered in a future post, comping chords and single note lines. Those lessons i learned, the ornaments, the rhythms, picking patterns, chromatic concepts, subs, and more, transformed my relationship with the guitar. Everything you need to take the chords you know already and turn them into sophisticated, musical phrases. You can comp sparsely and delicately listen to count basie or aggressively and busily listen to mccoy tyner. Rhythm is widely seen as the most important element in. This book is very well structured and helped me make the transition from simple comping patterns to the jazz sound that im looking for.
I only included 100 left hand patterns, but there are so many more patterns you can. One of the most important things to remember is that comping is shorthand for accompanying. Jazz comping rhythms guide jamie holroyd guitar jamie. Jazz, blues, and boogiewoogie left hand patterns, 3.
Jazz blues guitar comping exercise jazz guitar online. Most jazz comping rhythms are simple and straightforward. Comping is a term for improvising on the snare drum while keeping time with the ride, hihat and bass drum. Introduction to jazz guitar chords and comping styles. More than any other ingredient, the jazz tradition is based on listening. Apr 06, 2016 these piano comping practice tips are meant to give you specific exercises to practices that will improve your harmonic understanding and help you learn the chords to a bunch of jazz tunes. Developing basic comping rhythms jazz guitar lesson youtube. Cindy moorhead continuing our exploration of cool things to do with a jazzblues chord progression in a rhythm section, id now like to demonstrate an accompaniment, or comping, technique favored by jazz guitarists, pianists and organists alike over a swingstyle walking bass line provided by a bassist, second guitarist or keyboardists left hand that provides. Mar 21, 2017 in this video i show you 5 jazz piano comping patterns which will work over a c minor 7 chord. Studypractice notes never throw your hands at the keys. The role of 2 and 4 is taken away from the snare drum i.
Apr 05, 2020 after ive taught you basic jazz guitar rhythm patterns, let me raise your playing to the next level with this advanced jazz guitar comping lesson. Piano comping is primarily about grooving, and yes, it. Before we can get into piano comping, we need to learn the chord voicings for the song. Youre job here is to support the soloist by providing a rich harmonic background for them to play or to sing over. Jazz keyboard voicings and bass line writing nafme. To give you that same musical transformation i created the creative comping video course. Instead of making a set of comping rhythms i decided to make this exercise so you can add some rhythms to your vocabulary.
Since a chord progression is usually repeated throughout an arrangement, there arent as many chords to identify as you might think in a given chart. Pdf methods ebooks guitar walking bass lines diatonic licks bundle 40 mixolydian jazz guitar lick 40 minor dorian jazz guitar 40 major jazz guitar licks 40 ii v i jazz guitar licks 101 dominant arpeggio patterns. All of these are chord tones ct, and therefore, these are not tensions. Many older musicians call this playing in two, or will say lets play in two for the first chorus. Harmonies, voicings, and grooves paperback january 1, 2012. Comping rhythms 10 examples you need to know jens larsen. My goal here to clarify a basic jazz pattern on the drums and then the steps to take to begin freeing up the left hand and bass drum to be able to comp or improvise patterns that compliment the music youre playing to. The ride cymbal and hihat patterns will change in this format since we have one less beat per measure, but the feel doesnt change. Download all rhythms, patterns, and lesson notation in the pdf file below. In this lesson we will explore some useful voicings, patterns, and rhythmic ideas for right hand comping over the 12 bar blues. Follow up with a homework assignment that requires the student to write out the chords on paper. Jazz chords 11 complete lessons for guitar matt warnock. Rhythm is widely seen as the most important element in jazz music and many other musical idioms. Know chords but struggle to create chord phrases need a boost with your beyond shapes chord work.