includes 2 CDs
AN APPROACH TO COMPING
by
Jeb Patton
by
Jeb Patton
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ADVANCED CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES
by Jeb Patton
Cover Design - Linda McLaughlin Book Design - Attila Nagy
Chapter 1–Left Hand Comping Inspired by the Forefathers of Jazz Piano . . . 8
Chapter 1A–Playing Tenths in the Left Hand . . . 9
Chapter 1B–Left Hand Comping by Barry Harris . . . .13
Chapter 2–Comping Fast Tempos . . . .31
Chapter 2A–Comping Fast Tempos with your Left Hand . . . .32
Chapter 2B–Comping Fast Tempos with Trombone Voicings . . . .44
Chapter 3–Introduction to Rootless Voicings. . . .54
Chapter 3A–2-note Shapes over Guide Tones. . . .55
Chapter 3B–3-note Shapes over Guide Tones. . . .61
Chapter 3C–Comping with Trombone Voicings in the Left Hand . . . .74
Chapter 3D–3 and 4-note Shapes over Trombone Voicings. . . .89
Chapter 4–The Elegant Comping of Hank Jones. . . 111
Chapter 4A–Drop 2’s Applied to the Diminished and Sixth-Diminished Scale. . . . 112
Chapter 4B–Passing Chords Revisited. . . 122
Chapter 4C–Other Harmonic Devices that add Motion . . . 131
Chapter 4D–Comping like Basie. . . 148
Chapter 5–Shapes and Rhythms . . . 162
Chapter 5A–Extracting Shapes from Scales. . . 164
Chapter 5B–Moving Shapes Outside of the Scales. . . 193
Chapter 5C–Comping Over the Bar Line. . . 212
Interviews . . . 245
1. Barry Harris’s LH Comping on the changes to “Morning Coffee”
from Barry Harris at the Jazz Workshop. Riverside – 1177 (1960). . . .14
2. Barry Harris’s LH Comping on the changes to “Luminescence”
from Barry Harris Sextet – Luminescence! Prestige – 7498 (1967). . . .21
3. Bud Powell’s LH Comping on the changes to “Fine and Dandy”
from Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, J.J.Johnson. Prestige – 7024 (1949). . . .39 4. Bud Powell’s Comping on the changes to “Fine and Dandy”
from Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, J.J.Johnson. Prestige – 7024 (1949) . . . .46
5. Ahmad Jamal’s LH Comping on the changes to “Broadway”
from Ahmad Jamal’s Alhambra. Argo LPS – 685 (1961); also can be found on
Ahmad Jamal Trio Cross Country Tour (Disk 2) Chess Records . . . .80
6. Wynton Kelly’s Comping on the changes to “Remember”
from Hank Mobley’s Soul Station. Blue Note – BSP 4031 (1960) . . . 100 7. Hank Jones’s Comping on the changes to “Falling in Love with Love”
from Kenny Dorham’s Jazz Contrasts. Riverside – 0888072301320 (1957). . . 137 8. Hank Jones’s Comping on the changes to “Did you Call Her Today”
from Ben Webster’s and “Sweets” Edison’s Ben and Sweets.
Columbia –CK 40853 (1962). . . 153 9. Bill Evans’s Comping on the changes to “On Green Dolphin Street”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to the jazz masters Barry Harris, Bud Powell, Ahmad Jamal, Wynton Kelly, Hank Jones, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, and Herbie Hancock whose work inspired the cre-ation of this book; Jimmy and Mona Heath, and Tootie and Beverly Heath for their love and encouragement; Harold Mabern, Peter Bernstein, Kenny Barron, David Hazeltine, Michael Weiss, Aaron Diehl, for their incredible contributions and positive feedback; David Wong, Pete Van Nostrand, Jerry Weldon, and Joe Magnarelli for their beautiful playing on the CDs included; Tom Tedesco and Tedesco Studios; the faculty of Queens
An Approach to Comping:
Advanced Concepts and Techniques
This is the book I searched for when I first started playing jazz, but could never find. I wanted to know what the pianist was doing exactly when he/she was comping. It is my hope that this workbook series can uncover some of these mysteries and act as a helping hand for the aspiring jazz musician. It is meant to be a window into the myste-rious world of what happens in the background: the groove, the backdrop, the rhythmic conversation, and the colors behind the soloist. It underscores the piano player’s role behind a horn player, as a comper.
Comping is a term to explain how a pianist, guitarist or other chordal instrument plays chords in rhythm to propel, or support the soloist. It is different than playing behind a vocalist in a rubato fashion (often called accompanying) in that there is a propulsive component to it that often reflects the short, percussive sound of the word, “comp” itself. The world of comping is not limited, however, to short, percussive rhythms; comping can be soft and airy, it can be distinguished and subtle, just as it can be vigor-ous and driving.
Just as a language developed in jazz about how to improvise, a parallel language de-veloped pertaining to how to comp. Even though the intangible sublime moments that happen during the interplay between soloist and comper cannot be captured in a book, you can be challenged and inspired by imitating and assimilating some of the comping that is a part of the jazz canon.
This is part two of a two-part endeavor. Each part is completely self-sufficient and can be used alone. Together the two workbooks address the comping language as practiced by thirteen unique pianists with twenty five complete comping transcriptions accom-panied by over one hundred comping exercises all aimed at helping the aspiring music student learn about comping, and moreover, about playing jazz.
Generally speaking, the two workbooks are divided based on level; thus the two titles:
An Approach to Comping: The Essentials and An Approach to Comping: Advanced Concepts and Techniques. In the appendix you will find a complete guide explaining
how jazz pianists, classical pianists, non-pianists, jazz vocalists, jazz guitarists, and drummers can best use these workbooks.
Elegant Comping of Hank Jones; and Shapes and Rhythms. In addition to a variety of comping exercises, you will find nine complete comping transcriptions of Barry Harris, Bud Powell, Ahmad Jamal, Wynton Kelly, Hank Jones, and Bill Evans. Some are examples of left hand comping, most are two-handed comping transcriptions as played behind a given soloist. Also, the comping styles of McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock are illustrat-ed in detail. You will then be askillustrat-ed to reconstruct the original comping transcription as played by McCoy and Herbie using clues given. As you comp along with each comping transcription/illustration you will be adding new comping rhythms and progressions from the pianist that you are studying to your comping repertoire.
The following is a more detailed overview:
Chapter 1 continues from where our discussion of LH (left hand) shells left off in
Chap-ter 2 of The Essentials by adding a third note to the two-note shell thus creating skel-etal or related structures meant to be played with the left hand alone. The tenth (often found between the outer two voices of this LH voicing) represents a pivotal sound of jazz piano reminiscent of Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum. It should be studied even if you have to divide the voicing between the hands. The LH comping of Barry Harris is illus-trated and discussed.
Chapter 2 deals with uptempo comping. First, the focus is on developing your LH
com-ping during a fast tempo as we delve into Bud Powell’s incredible LH comcom-ping. Assimila-tion exercises are given. Uptempo comping using trombone voicings is discussed at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 3 explores rootless voicings and uses them in conjunction with the rhythms,
voicings, and progressions of Ahmad Jamal and Wynton Kelly. Two and three-note shapes are placed over guide tones and related structures. In the middle of the chapter your LH gets a work out, as trombone voicings are practiced using the LH alone. Then, three and four-note shapes are placed over trombone voicings.
Chapter 4 investigates the incredible comping of Hank Jones by examining his use
of drop-2 voicings, passing chords, and comping in the Basie style. Two complete two-handed comping transcriptions are presented and analyzed.
Chapter 5 discusses creating voicings by cutting shapes out of scales, moving shapes
outside of the scale, and exploring rhythms that obscure the bar line. In addition, the rhythms, voicings, and progressions of Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, and Herbie Hancock are presented and studied.
The comping transcriptions contained within span different styles and eras of jazz. It is my belief that the lineage of jazz comping is interconnected in many ways. To be an accomplished comper, one must have a firm grasp of the history, and at the same time be striving forward, in search of your own unique voice.
Investigating the jazz canon does not just include learning solos from your heros, but also studying what they are playing when they are not soloing. For a piano player in a jazz quartet or quintet that is most of time. Moreover, it is illuminating to check out what the left hand is doing during a piano solo that is predominately made up of RH lines.
This book offers an opportunity to imitate the masters, and at the same time combine and assimilate the material with the hope of synthesizing something new and unique. The goal is to assimilate the unique language of jazz comping so that you can start to comp tastefully, thoughtfully, and decisively on your own.
Comping Transcription Instructions
For each comping transcription, you are advised to comp along with the original record-ing at different tempos usrecord-ing a slow-down device. The icon found throughout the workbook indicates that the given example, transcription, rhythm guide, progression, or exercise should be used in conjunction with the original recording.
Whenever possible hum or sing the melody (if applicable) and/or the horn solo from the original recording as you play through the comping transcription. This way you can begin to get a feel for the interaction between comper and soloist. Afterwards, you may use the CD that accompanies the book to “comp” along with a piano-less band. See CD
instructions for more information.
These volumes are to be worked through several times in different ways. As you gain more knowledge and skills regarding voicing styles you may be able to revisit old exer-cises and apply the new skills learned. In this way, professionals and beginners alike will be able to gain something unique and worthwhile from each exercise found inside. After selected comping transcriptions, a comping guide is provided which outlines the comp in rhythmic notation. Comp through the example following the rhythms using a variety of voicing styles that will be explained in the upcoming chapters. Since the com-ping transcriptions are dispersed throughout the two volumes, only apply the voicing
2. Comp with rootless voicings (from Chapter 3),
3. Comp with drop 2’s and Basie style voicings (from Chapter 4) 4. Comp with shapes cut from scales (from Chapter 5)
Following each comping guide, five comping rhythms and five progressions are provid-ed. These are rhythms and short progressions extracted from the comping transcrip-tions. The CR’s (comping rhythms) are to be applied to other standards, the CP’s (com-ping progressions) are meant to be looped and transposed through the keys. The five comping rhythms and five comping progressions are for the purposes of assimilating some of the language of the comp so that you can apply some of the material in different situations and eventually create your own comping language.
CD Instructions.
The most important aspect of this two-volume workbook is what is not written inside. It is the music itself that the workbook attempts to explain. It is vital that you are playing with a CD, or record, or tape, or something if you don’t have enough gigs with live musi-cians. That’s really how the music is learned, not from words.
I realize that many of the examples presented are difficult, some being at break-neck speeds, others are slow but with huge voicings with difficult stretches etc. I’m afraid this is an unavoidable reality of this music. Jazz is hard. On the bright side, I have decided not to simplify anything or give you anything that is watered down. I think that if you are willing to break these transcriptions down to more digestible pieces, and slow the tempo down, you can have a lot of fun comping along with the incredible original re-cordings (easily available on itunes or amazon.com).
As an accompaniment to the original recordings, I’ve created a comp-along CD with pia-no-less tracks that correspond to all of the comping transcriptions contained within the workbook. To make things a little easier, the corresponding track on the CD is at a much slower tempo compared to the original recording.
The icon found throughout the workbook indicates that the given exercise, tran-scription, rhythm guide, progression, or exercise should be used in conjunction with the CD included with this workbook. The appropriate track number is listed beside the icon. On the CD, the soloist is not playing the solo from the original recording, and the bass and drummer are not playing the precise notes as played on the original. Here are some pros and cons pertaining to the comp-along CD included in this volume.
PROS CONS
• The tempo is slower
• It’s track contains no piano allowing you greater freedom
• Provides a different solo to comp along to over the same progression • It’s not meant to be a mere copy of the original, and thus is more in line with the general idea of jazz: con-stantly evolving
• You aren’t playing with the jazz masters
• You can’t hear the pianist’s place-ment of comp (where exactly the chord occurs rhythmically in the measure; often these subtleties cannot be written down)
• You won’t be inspired by the pia-nist’s sound he gets from the piano • You can’t hear the pianist’s swing
feel and other subtleties
• You won’t hear the subtleties of the bass and drums from the origi-nal recording
In conclusion, the comp-along CD, although helpful and hopefully fun to play with can-not be a substitute for the original recordings. It is vital that you take the time to acquire the following records/CD’s not just for the purposes of this workbook, but to have them for your own jazz record collection. Each comping transcription is taken from a record that falls under the category of “records every jazz musician should have.”
Below is a list of the albums that you will need before going on. If you would rather not purchase the entire album, many of the individual tracks are available on itunes for about a dollar.
You may notice that the selections are all from a period in jazz spanning from the late 1940’s to the 1960’s. This is not to dissuade you from absorbing and listening to the great jazz from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s, it’s just that much of the foundation of modern jazz comping occurred in that magical twenty-year period mentioned above. In-terestingly, the same period gave birth to many different eras and styles in jazz. Gaining an understanding of the comping taking place during this extremely fertile period will allow you to pursue any direction in jazz that you desire. Not only that, hopefully you will be inspired to carve a new path. Please do not proceed to the following chapters
1. “Morning Coffee” from Barry Harris at the Jazz Workshop. Riverside – 1177 (1960) 2. “Luminescence” from Barry Harris Sextet – Luminescence! Prestige – 7498 (1967) 3. “Fine and Dandy” from Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, J.J.Johnson. Prestige – 7024 (1949)
Chapter 2:
1. “Fine and Dandy” from Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, J.J.Johnson. Prestige – 7024 (1949) 2. “Fine and Dandy” from Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, J.J.Johnson. Prestige – 7024 (1949)
Chapter 3:
1. “Broadway” from Ahmad Jamal’s Alhambra. Argo LPS – 685 (1961); also can be found on Ahmad Jamal Trio Cross Country Tour (Disk 2) Chess Records
2. “Remember” from Hank Mobley’s Soul Station. Blue Note – BSP 4031 (1960)
Chapter 4:
3. “Falling in Love with Love” from Kenny Dorham’s Jazz Contrasts. Riverside – 0888072301320 (1957)
4. “Did you Call Her Today” from Ben Webster’s and “Sweets” Edison’s Ben and
Sweets. Columbia –CK 40853 (1962)
Chapter 5:
1. “On Green Dolphin Street” from Miles Davis’s 1958 Miles. Columbia SL – 1268 (1958); also can be found on ’58 Sessions Featuring Stella by Starlight. Columbia CK – 47835
2. “Passion Dance” from McCoy Tyner’s The Real McCoy. Blue Note BLP – 4264 (1967) 3. “One Finger Snap” from Herbie Hancock’s Empyrean Isles. Blue Note BST– 84175
(1964)
After comping along with the original recordings, use the “comp-along” CD as you venture away from merely copying the masters note by note to creating your own comp that is quite different from the original. In this way the comping transcription is used only as a jumping off point. When Bud Powell or Hank Jones were comping on these records they weren’t playing something they had learned previously, they were in the moment, improvising, creating, and moving the music forward.
In addition to the comping transcription comp-alongs, the accompanying CD contains some helpful tools to help develop your skills playing blues and rhythm changes, as well as playing over the bar line. This includes an interactive drum track to play along with as you delve into the comping rhythms from Chapter 5, and bass and drums playing blues and rhythm changes through the keys to be used as needed throughout the
vol-Finally, as a special bonus, the final section contains two more conversations with some of my favorite musicians that also happen to be some of my favorite “compers.” Unlike in The
Essentials, the interviews are by non-pianists offering a different perspective on comping.
The first Q and A session is with one of the great voices of jazz guitar, Peter Bernstein. Following that legendary drummer, Albert “Tootie” Heath offers his insight into comping. Hopefully these informal interviews that address more of the abstract aspects of effec-tive and artful comping will serve as a stimulating contrast to the technical material that makes up most of the volume. Sometimes the wisdom imparted by master musicians that are a part of this great music and that have played with so many legends of jazz can be even more worthwhile and inspiring than studying the actual notes.
It is my hope that An Approach to Comping: Advanced Concepts and Techniques can uncover some of the mysteries surrounding the art of comping, challenge you, and ulti-mately enhance your comping experience. Enjoy every second of music making, not just soloing. Sometimes the real joy happens when supporting someone else, as you and the soloist are elevated to a level that can be reached only when playing together.
Art Tatum, Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, Bud Powell to name a few, made an indelible mark on jazz piano. Even today, the great modern jazz pianists all owe a large portion of their LH comping repertoire to the great founders of jazz piano. To ignore the contribu-tions of the forefathers would be a mistake.
In this first chapter we examine the transparent and elegant structures employed by everyone from Duke Ellington and Willie “the Lion” and Teddy Wilson, to Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, to Mulgrew Miller and Geoff Keezer. The sound of tenths is some-thing unique to the piano, permeating the sound of Ragtime, Harlem Stride, Bebop, and beyond. Interestingly, much of this LH comping contains the root. Before using purely rootless structures in the LH (an important feature of modern jazz piano), it is import-ant to gain a firm foundation with these rooted LH voicings.
Later, we will study two transcriptions of Barry Harris’s LH comping over familiar har-monic forms. A comping guide, along with comping rhythms and progressions follow the transcriptions to help you assimilate the style.
Chapter 1A: Playing Tenths in the Left Hand
To begin, we revisit skeletal structures and guide tones found in Chapter 2 of The
Es-sentials. This time, however, we play these structures in the left hand, creating voicings
commonly employed by the great swing and stride piano players. Most of these voic-ings require a large span, making them a bit difficult to manage for many. Their sound, however, majestic and transparent, is a crucial part of the jazz canon and inseparable with the general sound of jazz piano. Even if you can’t quite reach a lot of these stretch-es, playing 2 out of the 3 notstretch-es, or playing them in stride style, i.e. playing the bass note alone on beat 1 followed by the upper two notes of the structure on beat 2, is important when building a foundation for left hand comping. At the end of the section we will ex-amine left hand comping as played by Barry Harris during his solos on his tunes, “Morn-ing Coffee” and “Luminescence.”
The following progressions include skeletal structures as well as guide tones with a fifth in the bass. In other words, you can substitute the 5th for the root to imply the
desired chord. Just as we did with shell voicings, getting use to playing the fifth in the bass is important. Notice the tenths created between the thumb and pinky in many of the voicings
Play the following ii7 – V7 – I progressions through the keys. FIG. 1
Now, let’s substitute the V7 with the V7 a tritone away. Play the following ii – bII7 – I progressions through the keys.
FIG. 2
Next, practice the following ii – V – I progression employing different inversions of each chord. To create these voicings start with any chord tone as the bottom note. For the middle note skip 2 chord tones and play the 3rd chord tone you come to. For example, if
the 3rd is the bottom note, skip the 5th and 7th and play the root as the middle note. For
the top note skip 1 chord tone and play the 2nd chord tone you come to. So, to complete
and therefore sound related when played in a sequence. To avoid m9ths in the voicing or to add variety, a root may be replaced with a 9th as long as the 9th is not the bass note.
Practice these structures through the keys. FIG. 3
These types of voicings are used in stride playing and in walking tenth playing. Pianists like Art Tatum were famous for being able to seamlessly improvise long passages of LH walking tenths in his breathtaking piano solos.
Returning to Chapter 2B from The Essentials, we can now add a third voice to the shell voicings. For example, in the following figures we have applied skeletal structures, guide tones with a fifth in the bass, andother related structures built on the 3rd and 7th of
chords to create 3-note LH voicings for FIG. 12 and 13 (in Chapter 2B from The
Essen-tials.) These LH voicings could be described as “walking tenths” because they mimic a
bass line. Even though not all of the intervals between the outer voices are tenths, the general effect is what’s important.
FIG. 4ii
Comping Exercise #1: Navigating Through the Blues with LH Skeletal and Related Structures. Compose a simple blues riff for the RH. In your LH improvise/compose a
reharmonized blues progression of your choice with skeletal and related structures us-ing half notes. In other words, employ “walkus-ing tenths” in your LH. Transpose to F and
Chapter 1B: LH Comping by Barry Harris
Back in Chapter 2 of The Essentials we explored the LH comping by Sonny Clark. The transcription represented an example of how pianists can create a harmonic pad for their RH improvisations. LH comping doesn’t necessarily have to be punchy and short. Sometimes longer notes support the RH lines better by clearly outlining the harmony. It is important to realize that comping doesn’t only consist of short jabs at the keyboard. In this section, LH comping in this way is explored further by studying a pianist who em-ploys larger voicings reminiscent of the swing era. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Barry Harris happens to have large hands. Instead of shells employed by Sonny Clark, Barry Harris primarily uses skeletal structures in his LH. Even though the harmonic pad creat-ed is prcreat-edominantly stable and sustaincreat-ed, rather than short and choppy, it is not without rhythmic variation.
Comping Exercise #2: Exploring Barry Harris’s LH Comp on the changes to
“Morning Coffee” and “Luminescence.” Below are two comping transcriptions of
Bar-ry Harris’ left hand during his solos on “Morning Coffee” and “Luminescence.” Observe the use of skeletal structures and guide tones with the fifth in the bass. Also, observe the use of passing chords especially in “Morning Coffee” (an example of F Blues). Write in the chord symbols above the treble clef. Play as written if possible, or split between the hands and play as a two-handed comp. For advanced piano students, memorize or transcribe Barry Harris’ RH in the space given. Use the original recording with a slow-down device and comp along with the CD included. Practice selected BHCR’s and BH-CP’s (Barry Harris Comping Rhythms and Barry Harris Comping Progressions) at the end of the comping transcriptions. Due to the fact that Barry’s LH comping on “Morn-ing Coffee” contains so many sustained notes, it works better as a LH comp“Morn-ing pattern instead of a two-handed comping guide. Pick a standard of your choice and apply some of Barry’s rhythms. Improvise over the harmonic progressions as you transpose them through the keys.
As you play through the transcriptions you will find many places where the LH is play-ing on an upbeat. When listenplay-ing to the original recordplay-ing pay special attention to exactly where the syncopation occurs against the beat. Barry has a relaxed rhythmic lope that’s instantly identifiable. Because of this, Barry’s hit on the “and of 4” is going to occur a bit later than it would if played by other pianists. In Chapter 1 of The Essentials, we studied CR’s subdivided in triplets. Barry’s LH comp falls in line closer to that way of playing than if you were to read the transcriptions as written. The interesting thing
original recording.
Play along with the and with Track 1 (demo) and Track 2 (no piano).
For “Luminescence” play along with the and with Track 3 (demo) and Track
Comping Fast Tempos
Part of what it means to be an effective comper is to be able to play in any situation and make the soloist feel comfortable and add to the groove of the band. Sometimes this calls for playing an extremely slow ballad, or an inbetween medium to slow tempo, or to play an upbeat standard. At times it means to play an extremely fast tempo. Playing the extremes of the spectrum of tempi has always been unique to the jazz experience. Jazz is always challenging its boundaries; that’s part of the definition of what jazz is. Inevitably you will be in a situation where you need to play fast.
Even if you do not have the extreme technique to play nonstop eighth notes at a blister-ing tempo, you can still offer support that fits. It doesn’t require herculean virtuosity. Your role as a comper is to make everything feel settled, yet moving forward. Your job is to make the band swing.
In this chapter we will investigate comping with our LH as well as two-handed comping at a fast tempo. Exercises and transcriptions are provided to help point you in the right direction.
with your Left Hand
The Barry Harris comping transcription from the previous section is played at a brisk tempo. Still, Barry manages to play all kinds of syncopated rhythms at a med/up tempo. As we increase the tempo, the space between the beats becomes smaller and smaller making it increasingly more difficult to play squarely off the beat. Often inexperienced players end up comping in between beats, or at the very least, never find the groove, leading to problems with rushing or slowing down.
One effective solution is to perceive the tempo as half as fast. In this new half time feel we can play familiar comping rhythms like the Charleston. In the fast tempo these famil-iar CRs take on a new form. Instead of playing:
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FTCR 1 FTCR 2In other words, we double the rhythmic value of each note in FIG. 1 to get our new com-ping rhythm (FIG. 2). In this way, we avoid the “ands” completely and focus on comcom-ping on either beat 1, 2, 3, or 4. This decreases the likelihood of finding ourselves comping in the cracks, and we can therefore be more decisive when we comp at the fastest of tempi. Let’s now add these 2 Fast Tempo Comping Rhythms to our list of CR’s. FIG. 2 consists of FTCR 1 and FTCR 2. As we start to explore left hand comping at uptempos, we turn our attention to one of the most influential and formidable voices in jazz, Bud Powell. Spend some time listening to Bud comp for himself on some of his trio albums such as “Jazz Giant” on Verve.
Bud made famous a distinctive LH comping device that he often employed while soloing. Listen to “All God’s Children Got Rhythm” or “Get Happy” for a reference. The LH figure is at times a pedal point or drone, that contains a rhythmic propulsion that sets off the RH line above it. Below is an example of this LH figure streamlined and simplified to fit the next comping exercise.
Practice the LH alone: FIG. 3
Also try the following incorporating the V7b5. FIG. 4
If the tempo is incredibly fast, you will need to practice these left hand figures playing the low “C” on “3” instead of on the “and of 2.” For our purposes, we will focus on the latter placement.
To fully digest these LH figures, we need to be able to freely improvise on top of them with our RH. Here are some exercises that address this obstacle and also build
indepen-1. diatonic step above target note 2. target note (note of the major scale)
3. chromatic lower neighbor of the target note 4. back to the target note
4-note diatonic pattern (ascending) FIG. 5
Note that sometimes the chromatic lower neighbor is contained within the diatonic scale.
The 4-note diatonic pattern (descending) is constructed like this: 1. chromatic lower neighbor of the target note
2. target note (note of the scale) 3. diatonic 3rd above the target note
4. diatonic step above the target note 4-note diatonic pattern (descending) FIG. 6
The 3-note pattern is easier. It is the same ascending and descending. The construction is as follows:
1. chromatic lower neighbor of the target note 2. target note
3-note diatonic pattern (ascending and descending) FIG. 7
Comping Exercise #3: Diatonic Patterns with the Bud Powell Pedal/Drone. Comp
using the Bud Powell pedal/drone pattern (from FIG. 3) in your LH as your RH plays the 3 and 4-note diatonic patterns. Feel free to mix and match to create unique melodic pat-terns. Practice the patterns in both 8th notes and triplets. Also, experiment with
accent-ing different notes of the patterns. Here is one example: FIG. 8
To better fit the V7b5 Bud Powell pedal/drone pattern (from FIG. 4) we can work with the whole tone scale in our RH. In the key of F we will be using the C whole tone scale. Often when soloing in jazz, look to the dominant of whatever chord you are playing. It provides a feeling of motion; tension that can be easily resolved at any time by moving toward the tonic. The following pattern captures an important aspect of the bebop sound especially when coupled with the LH syncopated pedal/drone pattern (from FIG. 4). 4-note whole tone pattern (descending)
You can build a related ascending pattern like this: 4-note whole tone pattern (ascending)
1. target note (the note of the whole tone scale that you are on) 2. diatonic 3rd above
3. target note
4. chromatic upper neighbor of target note FIG. 10
By making minor adjustments to the RH pattern, you can come up with hundreds of variations. Try placing the second note of the 4-note whole note pattern on the beat. Also, you can add extra upward leaps to the pattern by inserting an extra diatonic 3rd(s)
that leads to the target note. By adding this wrinkle to the pattern, it becomes asym-metrical and rhythmically more interesting. This difference is highlighted when you add accents as shown below.
Comping Exercise #4: Whole Tone Scale Patterns with the V7b5 Bud Powell pedal/ drone: Comp using the V7b5 Bud Powell pedal/drone pattern (from FIG. 4) in your LH
as your RH plays the 4-note whole tone pattern. Experiment with tweaking the pattern to create asymmetries in the RH. Add accents.
Comping Exercise #5: Improvising over LH Shells and Skeletal Structures using FTCRs. Finally, freely improvise with your RH as your LH plays a shell, skeletal
struc-ture, or drone pattern employing FTCR 1 or FTCR 2 over a I-VI7-ii7-V7 sequence or equivalent progression. Play in multiple keys. For readers with no soloing experience use the diatonic patterns above from FIG. 5, 6, 7, and 8. One pattern will work for all four chords of the sequence. In other words, if you are in C the diatonic patterns derived from a C major scale will work for the I, VI7, ii7, and V7 (Cmaj7, A7, Dm7, G7).
Use Track 5 to practice the next two progressions through the keys. On the CD
the figures shown are repeated 2 times before moving up a half step. For the next two examples the chords change every two beats. LH drones work well for this exercise. For hits on the “2” you can play the chord symbol on “1” or “3”; for hits on “4” anticipate the harmony of the next bar.
FIG. 12
moving up a half step. FIG. 14
FIG. 15
Comping Exercise #6: Exploring Bud Powell’s LH comp on the changes to “Fine and Dandy.” We are now ready to tackle our next comping transcription. Designed for
pianists, this one should be slowed down at first. For those of you with smaller hands, feel free to redistribute the LH voicings between the hands. This is an example of LH comping as played by Bud Powell during his solo on “Fine and Dandy” on the record entitled Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, and J.J.Johnson. Pay attention to the LH syncopations and accents. With the exception of a few hits on the “and of 4”, most of the comping tran-scription consists of hits on 1, 2, 3, or 4. FTCR 1 and 2 and closely related variations oc-cur throughout the comp. Bud’s propulsive power is undeniable, and much of his energy emanates from his LH comping. Advanced pianists should memorize and write in Bud’s RH solo. As always, improvising your own solo in your RH while playing Bud’s LH comp-ing is always helpful for buildcomp-ing independence and inspircomp-ing your RH lines. Use the and Track 7 (demo) and Track 8 (no piano).
Let’s return to our two fast tempo comping rhythms from FIG. 2 of Chapter 2A: FIG. 1
These two rhythms work quite well when applied to TV’s.
Comping Exercise #7: Isolating FTCR 1 and FTCR 2.
Practice an uptempo tune using TV’s over bass notes with either FTCR 1 or FTCR 2 for the entire form.
Comping Exercise #8: Constructing Your Own Up-Tempo Comping Pattern.
Choose an uptempo tune and comp on “1” and “3” of every bar. Once in a while, to add punch and a feeling of forward motion, comp on “2” or “4.” When you play on “2” or “4” do not play the half note on “1” or “3” immediately before or after. For example:
Let’s now take a look at Bud Powell’s up-tempo comping behind Sonny Stitt on “Fine and Dandy.” We return to the authoritative and all-important record of flawless bebop playing: Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, and JJ Johnson. Listen to how effortlessly Bud comps, even at the most blistering speeds. It never feels frantic or rushed.
Comping Exercise #9: Shedding Using Bud Powell’s Comp on the changes to “Fine and Dandy.” The comping transcription starts after the melody. The comping rhythm
guide that follows starts from the beginning of the melody chorus. Again, use a slow down device to play along with the as well as using the play-along Track 9
(demo) and Track 10 (no piano). For advanced students, comp along with the fast
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7 Fmaj9Bud Powell's Comping Guide on the changes to "Fine and Dandy"
We will conclude by discussing an approach to comping up-tempo rhythm changes. To do this, we need to return to our discussion of LH comping from Chapter 2A. Our LH has to be the foundation. By keeping our LH comping harmonically simple, we can give the soloist or our own RH more room to stretch while playing lines.
If you study the great LH comping of Barry and Bud Powell during rhythm changes you will notice that they seldom ever play half note changes in their left hand for an entire “A” section. The bass player usually handles all of the I-VI-ii-V movement freeing the pia-nist to play something harmonically more simple yet rhythmically propulsive on top. Check out the LH comping from the example below. It employs a drone reminiscent of the ones that we practiced in Chapter 2A that fits the deep harmonic structure of rhythm changes. The method of highlighting beat 4 or beat 2 of the next measure is followed to produce rhythmic propulsion. Practice only the LH pattern in many keys. As you get more comfortable, you can begin adding TV’s to your RH following the rhythm of the LH.
The following is a highly rhythmic style of comping in which the two hands play differ-ent rhythms at times. This style implemdiffer-ents TVs over shells, creating a strong somewhat raucous comping style. It isn’t quite as elegant as the spread voicing style because of the doubled notes. The style is effective, however, especially when you need to be strong and forceful.
Notice how the harmony has been simplified for the first four bars. It’s not until bar 5 that we see significant harmonic motion. The Cm11 on beat 4 of m. 1 acts as a diatonic passing chord, specifically as a passing ii chord (Pii). The underlying harmony resem-bles the deep harmonic structure studied in FIG. 1 of Chapter 3D from The Essentials. The passing ii chord functions as V7 creating the basic progression: I–V7–I–V7. This simplification is useful when playing fast.
FIG. 7
Comping Exercise #10: Up-Tempo Rhythm Changes. Use the LH comping pattern
above as a guide. First, practice improvising with your RH while playing the pattern with your LH. Then, use trombone voicings in your RH to create your own rhythmic comping pattern. The above example offers one solution.
By playing Cb in the LH on beat 4 of m. 1 and beat 4 of m. 3 instead of C natural, you can imply a whole tone sound. If playing with RH TVs, use V7#5 in place of Cm11 for this variation.
We are now ready to explore the centerpiece of comping in modern jazz: comping without the root. Since the era of Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans there has been a shift in the way of approaching voicings when playing with a rhythm section. Pianists of today predominantly use rootless voicings while comping. There is no bright yellow line, how-ever, separating the great compers of the past and contemporary pianists. We’ve seen in all of the comping examples so far pianists employed rootless voicings as part of their voicing repertoire.
Therefore, our goal should be enhancing our harmonic palette for comping. We are add-ing to our library, not replacadd-ing its contents. We want to be able to use the right voicadd-ing for the right situation. Voicings with roots have an earthier sound; rootless voicings are more modern and sleek. To only play rootless voicings can be one-dimensional, just as being anchored to the root all of time can be limiting.
Often in jazz camps and other places that require a pianist new to jazz to perform in a combo after only a few days, rootless voicings are given to the student to serve as an instant fix. To fit into the rhythm section, the student is given ready-made shapes that are often memorized and learned by rote. Students are often chastised for playing a root—the reason being the bass player might get mad because the pianist is invading his/her realm in the context of the combo. Consequently the jazz newbie learns rootless voicings that are usually voiced too high, yielding a sound that is too thin, and is forever stuck in the upper regions of the piano.
Hopefully at this point we have an advantage over the jazz camp piano student. We have seen a variety of voicing styles applied to real musical situations as played by the jazz masters. Because we went through the whole gambit of rooted voicings in The
Essen-tials, our ear is grounded—we can hear the root even if it is not implicitly played and
there is no bass player. As you go forward, it is my hope that we can integrate these new sounds with our growing repertoire of voicings.
This chapter is divided into four sections highlighting four different rootless voicing techniques: 2-note shapes over GTs; 3-note shapes over GTs; TVs and related shapes played with the LH; and 3 and 4-note shapes over TVs.
Accompanying this material will be three comping transcriptions containing examples of these voicings, including: Ahmad Jamal’s left hand comp on the changes to “Broad-way”, Red Garland’s comp on the changes to “Diane” adapted for the LH, and Wynton Kelly’s two-handed comp on the changes to “Remember” behind Hank Mobley.
Chapter 3A: 2-note Shapes over Guide Tones
In the following section we concentrate on a beautiful and rather delicate voicing–one that contains the two guide tones (GTs) or closely related shape in the LH and a small 2-note shape in the right. By this point, being able to play the guide tones of a given chord should be relatively quick and easy. If we can have our left hand quickly find the 3rd and 7th without thinking about it, we can focus our attention on the right hand and
weave chromatic melodies that also function as the upper extensions of the chord. Being able to discern the GTs clearly in the left hand is important. They serve as the principle identifier of the rootless voicing. When playing with bass and drums, being clear with what rootless voicing you are playing is essential. For now, only playing the 3rd and 7th (6th) in the LH is one simple way to accomplish this. Later, when we add
more notes to our LH rootless voicings, it is my hope that the GTs will still be clear and easy to hear.
Below, practice through the A section of rhythm changes with only the two guide tones in the LH. Next add a voice in the RH no more than a fourth away from the top note of the LH. As you move to each subsequent chord, move the RH voice to a tension or chord tone close by, thinking of the horizontal line. See example below.
sions must by a b13 (#5) in order to give the altered chord its characteristic sound. For this exercise, however, you can choose b9, #9, b5, or b13 for the RH voice.
Compared to the more massive rootless voicings containing TV’s in the LH (to be dis-cussed later in this chapter) or rooted spread voicings from Chapter 5 of the Essentials, these transparent, smaller voicings are more negatively affected by doubled notes and other offenses listed later in this section. They are, in a sense, more fragile. As we con-tinue to explore more comping transcriptions and see traditional jazz piano voicing rules being broken left and right, we realize that trying to pin down voicings to a set of rules is fruitless. There are, however, some voicings that seem to pop, and others that are weak and milquetoast-like. It’s worth it to try to come up with some reasons why this is the case.
Imagine a spectrum of voicings consisting of 2 and 3-note shapes over guide tones. On one side you have voicings that are completely dissonant, and unusable in many tradi-tional situations. On the other side of the spectrum, you have chords that don’t sound hideous, but still lack something. Many of these chords sound empty, or have a plain quality. In the middle you have chord voicings that are clean and defined with a certain sonorous richness. What are the reasons for the differences in sound?
It may be because of certain clashes, spacing problems, or doubling within the voicing. Below is a list of potential crimes you can commit against 2 or 3-note shapes/GTs. These have a cumulative effect; the more of these infractions you commit and the more serious they are, the weaker the overall sound of the voicing. Of course, sometimes the infrac-tions can add a bluesy or distinctive character and can therefore be desirable. Plenty of beautiful and iconic voicings played by Thelonious Monk contain many of these so-called infractions. Nonetheless, generally speaking, certain things should be avoided to ensure an effective voicing. The infractions (in approximate order from most severe to mildly offensive) include:
• Creating a m9th somewhere in the voicing (except in certain modal contexts) • Having a half step under the top voice
• Doubling an octave above the bottom voice
• Having a P5 in the LH when the bottom note is not a 3rd or 7th
• Having a space between the hands of more than a fourth • Doubling one of the GT’s in the RH
• Having a natural fifth in the alto voice when creating 4-note dominant chords • Playing the root somewhere in the voicing other than in the melody
categories. The top two rows refer to the RH, the bottom to the LH. When building these voicings make sure you have one note from each category. The quality of chord and choice of tensions will determine which note from each category you choose. Keep in mind, the RH and/or LH could be inverted.
Root Category: R, 9, #9, b9 (or ∆7 if GTs contain the 6) 5th Category: 5, b5, #11, 11, #5 (b13), 13
7th Category: ∆7, b7, bb7, 6
3rd Category: 3, b3, or 4
Comping Exercise #11: Working with 2-note Shapes/GTs Through Rhythm Chang-es. Navigate through an entire chorus of rhythm changes using 2 notes over GTs. The
first eight bars are done for you. As you play through the next example, strive to hear the horizontal motion between the voices. First focus on horizontal lines generated by 3–7 and 7–3 motion in the LH. Then see if you can hum the alto voice. Finally, hum the soprano line while playing the alto line and vice versa.
Use Track 3 and/or 4. Always listen to the bass player for the harmony. There
may be some slight differences from what is printed below. FIG. 2
countermelody using 2 notes over GTs while keeping the C pedal. The first four bars are done for you. Find a melody and countermelody that works with the chords. Then, experiment with your own chord changes.
FIG. 3
Each four-note voicing above contains one note from each category (root, 3rd, 5th, and
7th). For example, Fmaj9 contains a C (from the 5th category); a G (from the root
catego-ry); an E (from the 7th category); and an A (from the 3rd category). Note the use of ∆7 as
a tension for Fo7 fulfilling the root category.
Having a P5 in the LH can upset the delicate balance of these 4-note voicings. The per-fect fifth interval, like the octave, can sometimes overpower the sound of the voicing. When inverting the guide tones of maj7, min7, min7b5, and 6 a P5 is created. Be careful of using this inversion too much. In fact, the inversion of the major sixth guide tones (with the 6th as the bottom note) should be avoided all together. A P4 or A4 is more
Modified Guide Tones
Occasionally it is necessary to modify the guide tones in the LH to create the versatile 4th interval. Modified Guide Tones (MGTs) can be defined as two notes that function like
guide tones but are not 3rd and 7th (6th). For example, when constructing minor chords,
instead of the normal GTs, you can use MGTs (1-4) or (4-b7). For half-diminished and di-minished you can use MGTs (1-b5) or (b5-1). Note that in these cases, the root is played in the voicing.
MGTs (1-4) and (4-b7) should not be inverted. Their inversions, (4-1), and (b7-4) are both P5s. As we have pointed out, this is an undesirable interval for your LH especially when the bottom note is not the 3rd. Also, when using MGTs, the rule regarding having
one note from each category does not apply.
Below is a chart outlining some useful 4-note chord voicings. To build the chord, play the 2-note shape in the RH over the guide tones of the chord symbol. MGTs are indicated when necessary.
Be careful that the RH interval or the space between hands does not become too wide. Also, be aware of other infractions such as having the root under the melody, having a P5 in LH when the bottom note is not a 3rd, or having a natural 5th in the alto voice for
dominant chords.
A roman numeral next to the GTs or MGTs indicates the preferred inversion. (I)=the LH shape should be used in the non-inverted form. If there is no roman numeral indicated, the LH shape may be inverted freely.
Major Chords:
Chord Name 2-note shapes/GTs or MGTs
C6/9 9 & 5/C6 (I)
Cmaj7 9 & (5 or 13)/Cmaj7
Cmaj7(#11) 9 & #11/Cmaj7
Dominant Chords:
Chord Name 2-note shapes/GTs
Chord Name 2-note shapes/GTs or MGTs
Cm7 (R or 9) & (5 or 11)/Cm7
b7 & b3/MGTs (1-4) (I) b3 & 5/MGTs (4-b7) (I)
Cm6/9 (R,9, or ∆7) & (5 or 11)/Cm6
You can create rootless m6/9 voicings by thinking of them as dominant chords built on the IV. The rootless voicing for Cm6/9 is the same as the rootless voicing for F13.
Half-diminished Chords:
Chord Name 2-note shapes/GTs or MGTs
Cm7b5 (R or 9) & b5/Cm7b5
(b7 or b13) & (b3, 9, or 11)/MGTs (1-b5)
Alternatively, you can generate half-diminished voicings by thinking of them as domi-nant chords built on the bVI. The 4-note voicing for Cm7b5 using MGT (1-b5) or (b5-1) is identical to the rootless voicing for Ab13.
Diminished Chords:
Chord Name 2-note shapes/GTs or MGTs
Co7 (R, 9, or ∆7) & (b5, 11, or b13)/Co7
(bb7, ∆7, or b13) & (b3,11, 9)/MGTs (1-b5)
By thinking in terms of related diminished chords, you can quickly create other dimin-ished voicings. Co7, Ao7, Gbo7, and Ebo7 are considered related since they share the same chord tones. Therefore the guide tones for Ao7 are the same as the MGTs for Co7. Once you generate one diminished voicing, simply transpose it up or down a m3 to ac-cess the other voicings.
We now need to apply these chords to a real situation.
Comping Exercise #13: Comping through Standards Using 2-note Shapes/GTs or MGTs: Experiment by comping through your favorite standard using these 2-note
Chapter 3B: 3-note Shapes over Guide Tones
In Chapter 5 of The Essentials, we examined various 3-note RH shapes to be played over a LH shell. This time, we will be building on top of guide tones, creating a need for slightly different 3-note RH shapes. Because the GTs are often already contained in the LH, these chord tones should be avoided in the RH. In this section we will examine two of the most quintessential 3-note shapes (and their inversions) that work well over guide tones: triads and fourths.
It should be noted, however, that since we are now working with 5-note shapes that are a bit more substantial compared to the 4-note shapes from the last chapter, we are able to get away with a limited amount of doubling of guide tones in the RH.
Below are a few examples of triads over GTs of greater or lesser degrees of effectiveness due to the number of infractions committed.
Because of the m9th present, this voicing does not work well. FIG. 1
Since no infractions are committed in the following case, this voicing is highly effective. FIG. 2
It can be helpful to examine the intervals within the chord. A colorful satisfying voicing often contains a mixture of 7ths, 9ths (2nds), and 4ths. Traditional staid voicings have more 3rds. To me the first voicing (F13) is more successful than the second voicing (F9). Notice the 9th between the bottom voice and the middle voice in the RH. In the F9
voic-ing the interval between the bottom voice and middle voice in the RH is a 10th(3rd). If
you lower the RH middle voice a half step producing an F9(#11) listen to the difference. In the end, both voicings are not ideal since they contain doubled guide tones, but are certainly used effectively in many situations by many pianists.
Triads/GTs and MGTs
Let’s now investigate triadic shapes over guide tones (GTs) and modified guide tones (MGTs) for various chords. The easiest way to generate potential triads is to examine the parent chord scales for each chord in question. Then, we can try different triads gener-ated from the chord scales and measure their effectiveness considering any infractions against the chord voicing from the above list.
Below is a table of chord names, chord scales, triads/GTs (MGTs) and RH triadic shapes in general terms categorized in terms of chord quality. When describing RH triadic shapes ∆=major, m=minor, o=diminished, +=augmented, and t=triad. Keep in mind that this is not an encyclopedic list of all possible chords, but just a compilation of some of the important ones.
The triads and GTs are very manageable, and can be inverted separately in each hand. Again, roman numerals are used if there is a preferred inversion for the LH GTs or MGTs. If no roman numeral is indicated, the GTs or MGTs may be freely inverted.
Try to have no more than a 4th between your hands so that the voicing sounds like one
sound instead of two separate entities. Avoid doubling the lowest voice. Doubling the highest voice is possible, although not ideal.
I’ve included only the triads that yielded voicings with the least amount of infractions and/or sounded the best. Often, if two or more infractions were found, the voicing was
Major Chords:
Chord Name Chord Scale Triads/GTs (MGTs) General Terms
C6/9 Major G/C6 (I)
Em/MGTs(6-9) (I)
∆t off the P5 mt off the M3
Cmaj9(#11) Lydian D/C∆7, D/C6 (I), Bm/
C6 (I) ∆t off the M2, ∆t off the M2, mt off the M7
For major 6/9 avoid having a P5 between the bottom two voices. Usually, having the 3rd
on the bottom works the best.
Dominant Chords:
Chord Name Chord Scale Triads/GTs General Terms
C7(13) Mixolydian Am/C7 mt off the M6
C13(#11) Lydian Dominant D/C7, F#o/C7, ∆t off the M2,
ot off the A4,
C9(#5) Whole Tone D+/C7, Ab+/C7 +t off the M2,
+t off the m6 C7(#9) C7(#11b9) C13(#11,#9) C13(#11b9) etc. Half-Whole
Diminished Eb∆/C7, F#∆/C7, A∆/C7, Cm/C7, Ebm/C7, F#m/C7, Co/C7, Ebo/C7, F#o/C7, Ao/C7
∆t off the m3, ∆t off the A4, ∆t off the M6, mt off the R, mt off the m3,
mt off the a4,
ot off the R,
ot off the m3,
ot off the A4, ot off the M6
C7(#5#9) Altered Ab∆/C7, Gb∆7/C7 ∆t off the m6
∆t off the d5
7sus Chords
Use any of the minor chord voicings containing m7 GTs or MGTs listed under “Minor Chords” transposed a P5 higher. For example, for C7sus you can use Gm7(13) or Gm7(11)
Chord Name Chord Scale Triads/GTs (MGTs) General Terms Cm7(13)* Cm7(11) Dorian Dm/Cm7*, F∆/Cm7*, Eb/MGTs(1-4) (I), Eb/MGTs(4-b7) (I) mt off the M2, ∆t off the P4, ∆t off the m3, Cm6/9, Cm∆7(13,9) Cm∆7(11,9) Melodic Minor
(ascending) Dm/Cm6, G∆/Cm6, Bo/Cm6 mt off the M2, ∆t off the P5, ot off the M7
* – Always keep the big musical picture in mind when adding tensions. If you are play-ing Cm7 in context of a ii7 –V goplay-ing to Bb major, the 13th is usually omitted because it confuses the movement to the V7 chord.
Half-diminished Chords:
Chord Name Chord Scale Triads/GTs (MGTs) General Terms
Cm7b5 Locrian#2 Locrian Do/MGTs(b5-1), Gb+/MGTs(1-b5), Bb∆/MGTs(1-b5), Ebm/MGTs(1-b5) (I) ot off the M2, +t off the d5, ∆t off the m7 mt off the m3
To generate rootless half-diminished chords think of them as dominant chords built on the bVI. The voicing for Cm7b5 is identical to the rootless voicing for Ab13. Simply find the dominant chord a M3 below and build a rootless voicing using the guide tones belonging to the dominant chord. Cm7b5 is very similar to Ab7/C. Since the GTs of the bVI7 contain the root of the half-diminished chord, all choices have at least one infraction.
Diminished Chords:
Chord Name Chord Scale Triads/GTs (MGTs) General Terms
Co7 Whole-Half
Diminished Bo/Co7, Do/Co7, Fo/Co7, Abo7/
Co7, Bm/Co7, Do/
MGTs(b5-1), Fo7/ MGTs(b5-1), Abo/ MGTs(1-b5), Bo/MGTs(1-b5) ot off the M7, ot off the M2, ot off the P4, ot off the m6, mt off the M7, ot off the M2, ot off the P4 ot off the m6,
Due to the volume of acceptable diminished voicings, only a select few were selected. We now need to apply these chords to a real situation.
Comping Exercise #14: Using Triads/GTs (MGTs) to Comp through Rhythm Chang-es. Complete a chorus of Rhythm Changes using Triads/GTs. The first eight bars are
done for you. Feel free to use your own chord changes and/or extensions.
Use Track 3 and/or 4.
FIG. 4
4th Shapes/GTs and MGTs
Another very important 3-note shape that can be placed over guide tones or modified guide tones is the fourth shape (two fourths stacked on top of each other). Following the same list of infractions to avoid, we can come up with several fourth shapes that work well over GTs (MGTs).
Again, we can select chord scales to accompany different chord qualities and see what 4th shape derived from the scale works. Below is a table reflecting chord name, chord
scale, related 4th shape/GTs (MGTs) and RH shape described in general terms for several
Chord Name Chord Scale 4th Shapes/GTs General Terms
Cmaj9(13) Major G-D-A/C∆7 from P5
C69 Major C-G-D/C6 (I) from R
Dominant Chords
Chord Name Chord Scale 4th Shapes/GTs General Terms
C7(13) Mixolydian C-G-D/C7,
G-D-A/C7
from R from P5
C7(#11) Lydian Dominant F#-C-G/C7 from A4
C13(b9#11) Half-Whole Diminished C-Gb-Db/C7, F#-C-G/C7 Drop 5 th and 4th from R or A4 C7(#5#9) Altered Db-Ab-Eb/C7, Gb-Db-Ab/C7 from m2 or A4 7sus Chords
Chord Name Chord Scale 4th Shapes/GTs General Terms
C7sus Mixolydian C-G-D/C7sus,
G-D-A/C7sus from R or P5
Minor Chords
Chord Name Chord Scale 4th Shapes/GTs General Terms
Cm7(11) Dorian (omit the 6th) C-G-D/Cm7,
F-C-G/Cm7, Eb-Bb-F/ MGTs (5-1) (I) from R from P4 from m3
Cm7(13) Dorian G-D-A/Cm7 from P5
Cm69 Melodic Minor
Half-Diminished Chords
Chord Name Chord Scale 4th Shapes/MGTs General Terms
Cm7b5 Locrian(#2) or Locrian Locrian (#2) Ab-Eb-Bb/ MGTs (1-b5), Eb-Bb-F/ MGTs (b5-1) D-Ab-Eb/ MGTs (b5-1) from m6, m3, or M2 Diminished Chords
Chord Name Chord Scale 4th Shapes/GTs General Terms
Co7 Whole-Half
Dimin-ished C-Gb-D/Co7, F#-C-G#/Co7 Drop 5
th and 4th
from R or A4
Let’s return to our Rhythm Changes example and apply these 4th shapes/GTs.
Remem-ber that inverting the 4th shape is ok as long as the spacing between the hands remains
relatively consistent.
Comping Exercise #15: Using 4th Shapes/GTs and MGTs to Comp Through Rhythm
Changes. Complete a chorus of Rhythm Changes using 4th shapes/GTs. The first 8 bars
are done for you. Observe the inverted 4th shapes. Feel free to use your own extensions.
Use Track 3 and/or 4.
shape up a whole step to generate the following colorful voicings. FIG. 6
In the following figure, the middle voice of the RH moves around yielding interesting voicings containing 4th shapes/GTs with plenty of inner movement.
Comping Exercise #16: Using 4th shapes/GTs with a Moving Middle Voice in the RH.
Practice the following progressions through the keys. FIG. 7
Comping Exercise #17: Synthesizing Both Types of 3-note Shapes/GTs. Returning
to our original modified I-VI-ii-V progression from the last section in which we impro-vised a melody and countermelody, use any of the above 3-note shapes/GTs to create a beautiful progression over the C pedal, paying attention to the voice leading between the inner voices. You can use any inversion of triads, 4th shapes, or modified 4th shapes.
The example below utilizes most of the original melody and countermelody, and places a new melody above. The C pedal pattern is slightly adapted to make it easier to play the voicings. For those with small hands, omit the bass figure, and play with a bass player, or recording of yourself playing the bass figure. This is meant as a rubato intro to a ballad, so go slowly. Go for this kind of counterpoint when making your progression.
As you have probably noticed, combining triads (especially in 2nd or 3rd inversion) or 4th
shapes with GTs or MGTs often yields a voicing that could be labeled as a 4th voicing, i.e.
a voicing that predominantly consists of 4th intervals. This is true because of the fact that
an inverted triad contains a fourth, the spacing between your hands is often a 4th, and
the GT is often a 4th. As we will see later, comping using 4th voicings is critical to modern
jazz piano. Wynton Kelly, Hank Jones, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, and Herbie Hancock all make excellent use out of this iconic sound.
Below is a quick reference guide to some of the most important 4th voicings presented
as five ii-V-I progressions. The guide shows three unique voicings for tonic major; three voicings for m7(11); five dominant voicings including 9(13), 13b9, and 7alt; two half-di-minished voicings; and three voicings for tonic minor.
The voicings for G13, G13b9, and G7alt can be used for Db7alt, Db7#9, and Db13(#11) just as the voicing for G13b9 can also work for Abo7 or Do7. After all, these chords share the same guide tones. For the half-diminished voicing in m. 10, the natural 9 can be substituted with the b3 if the natural 9 clashes with the melody played by the horn player or singer.
Comping Exercise #18: ii-V-I with 4th Voicings. Experiment by choosing one voicing
from each column to create a variety of major and minor ii–V–I voicings. Strive for good voice leading especially between V and I(i). Transpose and apply to standards of
dropped from the root; “Mt–P5” refers to the RH being a major triad built off the perfect fifth. Most RH shapes are placed above GTs. MGTs are indicated when necessary. The as-terisk refers to modifying the 4th shape by moving the middle voice up a whole step.
Comping Exercise #19: Applying 4th Voicings to standards.
Drawing from the extensive library of 3-note Shapes/GTs (MGTs) that we have assem-bled, play through the changes to “On Green Dolphin Street” using half notes. Below is one possible solution. Comp along with Track 14.