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Five Killer Comping Strategies
Whenever an additional tactic occurs (and it will, with time), immediately jot down your fresh concept and then choose another small handful of tunes you know intimately to develop over... and watch an embarrassment of riches spread into all of your ensemble playing.
- Accompany in the way(s) you always do, yet now?insert much more intentional quiet space?until re-entering only at critical harmonic turnarounds, key changes, and/or bridges, as experienced performers generally don't need or want to be spoon-fed changes continuously. Such an approach also will better stagger and vary any group's orchestration textures, often leading to greater spontaneity plus conversational interplay throughout.
- Craft beautiful and lush "open spread" chord voicings, perhaps even arpeggiated,?as appropriate—moving them only when necessary—at a lingering, relaxed pace such that soloists may literally luxuriate in your color(s).
Ralph Towner
guitarb.1940
Bill Frisell
guitar, electricb.1951
John Abercrombie
guitar1944 - 2017
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto1930 - 2015
Herbie Hancock
pianob.1940
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
Now, for each of these five core approaches,?select a small handful of favorite tunes (you truly love) to practice, develop, and wed with each strategy. After perhaps a month or more, once you have a solid handle on such techniques for each tune selected, cultivate a second contrasting method—choosing a combination of two discrete?prepared-in-advance approaches?for every tune you wish to expand upon (avoiding like pairings on comparable tunes will provide even more flexibility in one's ability to accompany freshly).
Practicing just these accompaniment?homework strategies,?especially before important sessions, performances, tours, or recording dates, can explode one's professional creativity within just a matter of weeks and months, plus, you won't necessarily need as much advance planning to be similarly creative in future endeavors, as you'll be able to more readily imagine creative approaches in real time—perhaps akin to some sort of Jedi mind tricks (a la Star Wars, yo!)—with increasing ease and flexibility. Regardless, learning to spaciously vary one's accompaniment conceptions?artfully?is key.
One more thought: whenever an additional tactic occurs (and it will, with time), immediately jot down your fresh concept and then choose another small handful of tunes you know intimately to develop over—in addition to the other two contrasting approaches hopefully previously learned—and watch an embarrassment of riches spread into all of your ensemble playing.?Now dig them big apples!
Do let me know if this is helpful to your own ensemble performances, or if you have any duly considered questions(?), as?I'm always?listening...
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