In short you want to work on your Jazz Guitar Comping. It is probably what you spend the most time doing when you are playing in a band. It is also one of the best ways to develop your ability to interact with the people you play with which can makes your solos much much more interesting to listen to and add a complete other dimension to it.
There are ways of thinking about comping that will improve how you comp and in this video I am going to talk about how you
- Connect with the band
- Support the soloist better
- Help the song become a musical story
Comping is a difficult art to teach in a lesson because it is about interacting with several people at the same time, but it is also a huge part of what you do as a jazz musician, and for me a big chunk of what I do for a living, both as a sideman and in my own band. It is also something that I love doing because the emphasis is on playing together with other people.
Jazz Guitar Comping – The Content
0:00 Intro – Comping and what you need to learn
0:33 Overview of Focus areas
1:32 Jazz Guitarists Can’t Comp – Who to learn from
2:04 #1 Lock in With The Drummer
2:23 Understanding interaction and groove in a swing groove
2:57 Don’t Clash with the Drummer
3:42 Is Good Comping Predictable?
3:58 Listen to great examples
4:35 #2 Listen To And Don’t Get In The Way of The Soloist
4:39 What is your goal when you are accompanying?
5:03 Interaction?
5:52 The #1 Rule of when to play!
6:38 Use your “Comping Ears” To Improve your own Soloing
7:31 #3 Give the Music Form, Dynamics and Variation
8:33 The Masters of making variation and development
9:35 Other examples of interaction and variation.
9:55 Take the Responsibility!
10:37 Any Advice? Leave a comment
10:50 Like the video? Check out My Patreon Page
