Comping

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"Charleston" rhythm, simple rhythm commonly used in

comping.[1] Play example (help·info)
Comping (an abbreviation of
accompaniment;[2] or possibly from the
verb, to "complement") is the chords,
rhythms, and countermelodies that
keyboard players (piano or organ), guitar
players, or drummers use to support a jazz
musician's improvised solo or melody
lines. It is also the action of
accompanying, and the left-hand part of a
solo pianist.[3]

The term comping is also an abbreviation

of compiling, whereby the best sections of
several takes are "comped" into one track.
[4]

Types
In a standard jazz combo, the pianist or
guitarist typically comps during the horn
and double bass solos by improvising
chords and countermelodies.

The chordal accompaniment used in jazz

is different from the chordal
accompaniment style used in many types
of popular music, such as rock and folk.
In a rock or folk band, a guitarist or
piano player will accompany by playing
primarily root-position triads consisting
of the notes of the chord known as the
root, 3rd, and 5th. In the key of C, the G
chord would include the notes G, B, and
D (the root, 3rd, and 5th of the chord). In
a hard rock or heavy metal music band,
a guitarist often comps by playing
power chords (root, fifth and octave, or
for fast chord changes, just root and
fifth).
In a jazz band a guitarist or pianist will
comp by playing a variety of chords that
include the notes of the chord known as
the 3rd, 7th, 9th, and 13th (jazz chord
players often omit the root, because the
bassist usually plays the root. The fifth
of the chord is also omitted, except
when the fifth is flattened or sharpened).
In the key of C, the G7 chord in a jazz
context might be performed by playing
the notes B, E, F, and A (the 3rd, 13th, flat
7th, and 9th notes of the chord). As well,
jazz compers may use altered chords
that contain flattened or sharpened 5ths,
sharp 11ths, flat or sharpened 9ths, and
flat 13ths for some songs or soloists.
 For example, an altered G7 chord might
be played with a basic voicing, often the
3rd (B) and 7th (F), along with some of
the following notes A♭, A♯, C♯, and E♭ (♭9,
♯9, ♯11, ♭13), subject to the taste and
style of the performer and/or the
bandleader.

In combos with a guitar player, the guitar

player usually comps for soloists. If there
is both a pianist and a guitarist, as
sometimes occurs in organ trios or big
bands, they may either alternate comping
or comp at the same time. Having two
chordal instruments comp at the same
time is difficult to do well. The two
compers may make different, clashing
interpretations of the same chord (e.g., the
pianist may add a flat 13th, while the
guitarist plays a natural 13th), or the
texture may become overly cluttered. This
may also result in a fight between the
pianist and guitarist. One solution is for
the two comping instrumentalists to play
sparsely.

Chords
Comping is almost always improvised by
the comping musicians based on a chord
chart, lead sheet (which contains the
chords written above the melody), sheet
music, or, in country music, the Nashville
Number System. The exception is well-
known progressions (e.g., 12 bar blues)
and jazz standards such as "I've Got
Rhythm", known colloquially as "Rhythm
Changes". For well-known progressions,
the bandleader may simply say "solos on
blues changes" or "solos on Rhythm
Changes", and the comping musicians are
expected to be familiar with these chord
progressions. Top soloists playing with the
most advanced comping musicians may
simply call out the name of jazz standards,
and the sidemen will be expected to know
the chord progression. For example, the
soloist may request "Autumn Leaves"
without providing the compers with a
chord chart or sheet music. The compers
at the highest professional level would be
expected to know this tune.

Since there are many variant versions of

these chord progressions, the comping
musicians will have to come to an
unspoken consensus on which chords to
use. For example, there are many different
turnarounds used for the last two bars of a
12 bar blues; however, if the bandleader,
playing Hammond organ, plays
I/VI7/ii7/V7 for the turnaround, most
skilled compers will hear these chords by
ear and then replicate them in subsequent
choruses (each full playing of the 12-bar
progression is colloquially called a
"chorus").

Drums
During swing-feel songs, drummers will
usually comp with one hand on the snare
drum while playing time on the cymbals,
typically on the ride cymbal (see drum kit).
More skilled drummers often comp with
even all three limbs excluding their right-
hand ride pattern (snare drum, bass drum,
hi-hats). They will most likely develop the
simple jazz drum pattern and add a few
"bomb" bass drum notes for extra effect.

Horns
In small jazz ensembles ("combos") with
more unusual instrumentation, horn
players (e.g., saxophone, trumpet, etc.) can
comp by playing the melody line in the
background, or by playing a sequence of
notes called "guide tones" which outline
the harmonic framework. Guide tones are
usually the 3rd, 7th, or 9th notes of a given
chord. Guide tone lines are constructed by
descending (or ascending) through the
guide tones of the chart, normally by
semitone or tone. For instance, in a duo for
saxophone and bass, the saxophonist
might comp during the bass solo by
playing guide tones.

For example, during the standard jazz

chord progression ii7/V7/I/VI7 (in the key
of C Major, this would be Dm7/G7/C/A7), a
horn player might play the guide tones, in
whole notes, C (minor 7th of d minor), B
(third of G7), A (sixth of C; sixths are
added to major chords and dominant
seventh chords in jazz even when not
specified) and G (minor 7th of A7). This is
only one possible guide tone sequence. A
second guide tone sequence (in whole
notes) might be F (minor third of d minor),
E (sixth of G7), D (ninth of C Major; as with
sixths, ninths are often added to chord
voicings even when not indicated), C#
(major third of A7).

Drum solo

During a drum solo, the entire band may

tacet (called "laying out" in jazz slang).
Alternatively, the pianist (and possibly the
bassist and/or guitarist or organist)
sometimes comps, often using a
predictable pattern of rhythmically played
chords called "hits". A well-known example
is the second half of "Take Five", with Dave
Brubeck's piano vamp comping for Joe
Morello's drum solo. During piano solos,
pianists often comp for themselves,
playing melodic lines and solos with the
right hand while comping with the left
hand.

Roles
While any jazz instrument can be used for
comping, the chordal rhythm section
instruments (piano, organ, and guitar)
have developed the largest collection of
pedagogical materials about comping.
Since a jazz soloist has such wide-ranging
harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic
possibilities, chordal instrumentalists
must have a similarly wide range of tools
at their disposal to support the soloist
properly.

Comping musicians must know many

different types of chord voicings so that
they can match the mood the soloist is
trying to create. To support some soloists,
a comper needs to use very simple
voicings (such as the 3rd and 7th of a
chord). However, for other soloists who
play in a very dense, complicated style,
compers may need to use chords with
many additional extensions, such as 9ths,
13ths, and altered voicings; they may also
re-harmonize chord progressions
depending on the soloist, thus creating a
feedback of idea exchange between the
soloist and the comper. For the most
sophisticated soloists, a comper may need
to be able to respond in real time to newly
improvised implied chord changes.
Compers must have an understanding of
rhythm that allows them to respond to the
rhythms and beat patterns the soloist
plays, such as Latin or Afro-Cuban
rhythms. As well, they must have a
melodic sense based on a knowledge of a
huge repertoire of different scales and
scalar patterns, to be able to improvise
countermelodies to supplement the
soloist's melodies and fill in empty spaces.

By comping, pianists, organists, and

guitarists provide the "glue" that holds the
rhythm section together. They take the
soloist's improvised solos and melodies
and add harmonies (as a bass player
does) and rhythms (as a drummer does).
By doing this, the comper helps ensure
that the band is always at the same energy
level as the soloist. Wynton Kelly and
Herbie Hancock are examples of pianists
who are responsive when comping. Oscar
Peterson usually comped busily, while
Count Basie comped sparsely. There is no
single appropriate way to comp for a
soloist.

Adapting to soloist
A comper adapts his or her style to that of
the soloist. In a jazz band with multiple
soloists, this may require different styles
for different soloists. For example, the
saxophone player in a band may imply
many extensions and altered chords in his
soloing (e.g., b9, b13, etc.). For this soloist,
a comper may decide to play altered
dominants and dense harmonies. The next
soloist, a jazz guitarist, may play sparse,
delicate melody lines, with lots of space.
For this soloist, the comper may use open
voicings, omit passing chords, and try to
play mainly in the space left by the soloist.
If a soloist starts implying a certain style
or feel in his solo, whether this is Afro-
Cuban music or hard-driving swing, the
entire rhythm section may shift to this
style to support him.

In a tune, if a soloist starts playing in a

jazz-rock fusion style, the comping
musicians may adapt and shift into a rock-
influenced groove. A guitarist who is
comping may turn on an overdrive pedal to
add rock music-style "growl" to his tone. A
guitarist may also use other effects units,
such as a chorus effect. A keyboardist
playing Fender Rhodes electric piano or
Hammond organ may turn up his
preamplifier to produce a natural tube
overdrive tone for his sound. A drummer
may shift to a rock style of drumming.

Soloing

In all but the largest big bands, the

comping sidemen in a jazz show are often
called upon by the bandleader to
improvise a solo. Here, the comper takes
centre stage and performs an improvised
melody line. For 1920s Dixieland and
some Swing era jazz, the comper may
embellish the melody line and improvise
by ear during his solo. For Bebop-style
groups, the comper playing a solo will
often base his improvisations on the chord
progression of the song. Bebop tunes
often have one, two or even three chord
changes per bar and some tunes change
keys every few bars; as such, it is hard to
solo "by ear" on a Bebop song.

See also
Chord chart
 Organ trios, a type of ensemble which
poses particular comping challenges,
since there are usually two chordal
instruments which have to share the
accompanying tasks (e.g., Hammond
organ and guitar)

Further reading
Green, Andrew (2005). Jazz Guitar
Comping. ISBN 0-9700576-4-4.

References
1. Hughes (2002), p.6.
 2. [1] "Glossary of Jazz Swing" from
Mezz Mezzrow's 1946 biography"
3. Hughes, Fred (2002). The Jazz Pianist:
Left Hand Voicings and Chord Theory,
p.5. ISBN 9780757993152.
4. Lesa Soundz, 4 Sound Engineers,
http://www.4soundengineers.com/wh
at-is-comping-the-audio-editing-
technique-all-engineers-should-know/

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