Finding Your Space-Comping Techniques For Keyboard Players
"When a musician makes the transition from learning an instrument on their own to playing as part a group, they will inevitably face the question of exactly what to play while playing the chords behind a vocalist or instrumental solo (referred to by musicians as “comping” from the word accompanying). Once the musician reaches the point in their development where they are able to correctly play the notes in each chord of a written or non-written arrangement, it then becomes their job to use those chords to come up with musically appropriate parts for the various sections of the tune. While what is and isn’t “musically appropriate” will be different in each situation, in general, each musician in the band must listen carefully to how their individual part fits into the overall picture of the song. The great jazz educator John Laporta once described the process of accompanying a soloist to me as “weaving a beautiful carpet for the soloist to stand on” while they are soloing. As you listen to your favorite music, it is instructive to pay attention to how the individual parts being played by each instrument fit together Also. it can be instructive to listen to both orchestral and big band arrangements to hear the types of parts that arrangers compose to fit behind soloists.
. Check out this classic example of rhythms section playing by James Browns' group from the
1960s
. Check out this classic example of rhythms section playing by James Browns' group from the
1960s
or this more recent example of recorded keyboard parts blending together:
In each of these examples the song is composed primarily of only one chord sequence, so musical interest is created by the way the individual parts fit together.
With the wide variety of sounds and different types of instruments available to them, keyboard players face perhaps the widest array of choices when it comes to different comping techniques. Different styles of music require different approaches, but in general you should think of comping the same way you would think of actually composing a backround part to fit behind a vocal part or solo Because the piano lends itself to solo performance, keyboard players have often spent years playing solo before they start playing with a band. As a result they often have a tendency to overplay when first put into in a band situation. If the rhythm section consists of piano, bass ,and drums.the bass player will generally play the roots of the chords in some sort of rhythmic pattern leaving the pianist with quite a bit of room to play accompaniment parts. However as one or more guitarists ( or 2nd keyboardist) are added to the band, the keyboard player will generally have to simplify their parts to fit in with what the rest of the band is playing. In addition, there are special challenges posed when comping along with guitar players. Because loud guitars can have a tendency to overpower keyboard parts, the keyboardist will need to make sure both that their amplification equipment is powerful enough to compete with guitar amps and that they are choosing parts and keyboard sound that will cut through.
Here are some comping strategies to try:
Listen carefully to the parts that other rhythm section players are playing and try to find a type of part that isn’t already being played by someone else. Try to make sure that different parts of the frequency spectrum are represented; low, mid, and high frequencies- if everyone is comping in the same register and using the same types of sounds all of the parts can get lost. You should also make sure that the rhythmic patterns that you choose don’t conflict with another part. For example,if you hear that the guitarist is playing an eight note pattern in the mid register, you could try playing an organ pad (a sustained chordal part) in a higher range..In most cases simple parts will work better than more complicated ones.
.
Piano parts consisting of steady eight notes have been part of rock music since the days of Jerry Lee Lewis and before.. They can be surprisingly difficult to play at fast tempos and must be completely in time with the drummers hi hat or any eight note guitar parts. There are also many piano parts consisting of steady quarter notes and these also must be played evenly.
In more modern styles of pop music, samples, loops and synth effects can often take up sonic space and provide atmosphere without interfering with any of the other rhythmic parts. These types of parts are uniquely the domain of the keyboard player.
Good comping, like any other musical skill, takes practice. The most important step involved is to train yourself to listen carefully to exactly what each musician around you is playing and to play parts that are complimentary. By giving a bit of thought to the way in which an accompaniment part is put together, a musician can go a long way toward turning some chord symbols on a page into enjoyable music.
DG"
With the wide variety of sounds and different types of instruments available to them, keyboard players face perhaps the widest array of choices when it comes to different comping techniques. Different styles of music require different approaches, but in general you should think of comping the same way you would think of actually composing a backround part to fit behind a vocal part or solo Because the piano lends itself to solo performance, keyboard players have often spent years playing solo before they start playing with a band. As a result they often have a tendency to overplay when first put into in a band situation. If the rhythm section consists of piano, bass ,and drums.the bass player will generally play the roots of the chords in some sort of rhythmic pattern leaving the pianist with quite a bit of room to play accompaniment parts. However as one or more guitarists ( or 2nd keyboardist) are added to the band, the keyboard player will generally have to simplify their parts to fit in with what the rest of the band is playing. In addition, there are special challenges posed when comping along with guitar players. Because loud guitars can have a tendency to overpower keyboard parts, the keyboardist will need to make sure both that their amplification equipment is powerful enough to compete with guitar amps and that they are choosing parts and keyboard sound that will cut through.
Here are some comping strategies to try:
Listen carefully to the parts that other rhythm section players are playing and try to find a type of part that isn’t already being played by someone else. Try to make sure that different parts of the frequency spectrum are represented; low, mid, and high frequencies- if everyone is comping in the same register and using the same types of sounds all of the parts can get lost. You should also make sure that the rhythmic patterns that you choose don’t conflict with another part. For example,if you hear that the guitarist is playing an eight note pattern in the mid register, you could try playing an organ pad (a sustained chordal part) in a higher range..In most cases simple parts will work better than more complicated ones.
.
Piano parts consisting of steady eight notes have been part of rock music since the days of Jerry Lee Lewis and before.. They can be surprisingly difficult to play at fast tempos and must be completely in time with the drummers hi hat or any eight note guitar parts. There are also many piano parts consisting of steady quarter notes and these also must be played evenly.
In more modern styles of pop music, samples, loops and synth effects can often take up sonic space and provide atmosphere without interfering with any of the other rhythmic parts. These types of parts are uniquely the domain of the keyboard player.
Good comping, like any other musical skill, takes practice. The most important step involved is to train yourself to listen carefully to exactly what each musician around you is playing and to play parts that are complimentary. By giving a bit of thought to the way in which an accompaniment part is put together, a musician can go a long way toward turning some chord symbols on a page into enjoyable music.
DG"