Comping in a duo - 5 strategies you need to know

[@JensLarsen]

Check out my other comping video: Comping - Are you practicing the right way? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnS5ZItmZ62Znqc&index=22&list=PLWYuNvZPqqcF5S1dyREhN6BRUot19Oj7U

[@matthewleary8072]

I sing songbook standards and play guitar at the same time, I usually use the walking bass method mixed with two layer or freddie green. Came to this video to get more insight and it was very helpful! thank you

[@MorningCarnival]

I’ve just started playing with a trombonist so this is very useful, thanks.

[@JensLarsen]

Great!

[@NinjaTurtle0411]

Reaaally appreciate the video. Always love learning different approaches to playing rythm and back up voicings.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much! I am really glad to hear that! 🙂 If you have suggestions for video topics then go for it :)

[@Androslop]

This was the lesson that I have been waiting for so long.

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you found it useful! 🙂 did you ask me for it?

[@Androslop]

No, I did not ask for it, but this video of yours is very convenient and will be very useful to my playing in this duo: kzbin.info/door/1Qgn-b3PE6_hB67H_EnctA Your lessons are great!

[@JensLarsen]

That's great! The duo sounds good! Don't be afraid to ask or suggest topics! :)

[@Artificalimages]

This is very important topic for all guitarist. Your tips are great. Thank you.

[@cbolt4492]

This is my ultimate goal 😎

[@tomcykman]

Thank you for this lesson. Very hard to find it organized like this!

[@JensLarsen]

You are very welcome 🙂

[@tomcykman]

@@JensLarsen Some more lessons with song examples on two layers and harmonized basslines would be awesome! Thank you!!

[@JensLarsen]

@@tomcykman there is a study guide on my website. Did you check that out?

[@tomcykman]

@@JensLarsen Thank you, I'll check it right now!

[@martinherje3153]

Hey Jens! Thanks for going all out and making a video about my suggestion on your live stream a while back!

[@JensLarsen]

You're very welcome Martin! Keep at the ideas coming! 👍🙂

[@TheStavrin]

Very nice lesson Jens , thanks a lot !

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! 🙂 Glad you like it!

[@joeknipes9567]

There are some great duo recordings to check out. Artists like Joe Pass/Herb Ellis, Chuck Wayne/Joe Puma, Joe Pass/Zoot Sims, Jim Hall/Bob Brookmyer, etc. ***Also, saxophonist Ben Wendell features duo performances on his KZbin channel, and many of them are with top guitarists! Finally, Guitarist Mike Moreno has a bunch of duo performances on his KZbin channel with other guitarists including Mike Stern, and Ben Monder.

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, certainly 🙂

[@JazzDuets]

awesome!

[@JensLarsen]

Thx Nick!

[@zu0832]

Great mention of Jim Hall who played harmonized bass lines that swung like mad...he listened to pianists and learned how to back singers in a duet settings(Joe Pass not too shabby at that also)

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! I rarely find it difficult to mention how great Jim Hall is 😁

[@jonathanzielke2280]

Thank you so much for these lessons! Have been following sicne a long time!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much! I am glad you come back to check them out! If you have any suggestions for topics or things you are looking for the feel free to let me know 👍

[@MrRandyFlaggTDM]

great stuff

[@piogit]

Super! Very usefull lesson. Thank you

[@JensLarsen]

You're very welcome! :)

[@StefanLeipziger]

Great material (as always)! I really like your new term "two-layer comping"! Jazzy greetings, Stefan

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Stefan! Yes, I had to come up with something for that 🙂

[@MJCGuitar]

Fabulous concepts.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Mark! Glad you like it!

[@omcho89]

Fantastic lesson Jens! I give thumbs up for Freddie Green comping style, because, as you said, it is very swing (Gypsy Jazz-ish really, which I like very much :)) style. Not much room for modern sound as you mentioned, but it swings like hell \m/ \m/. Thank you Jens, take care!

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it Omar! 🙂

[@kamaismusic]

Dear Jens, i couldn't find lessons about harmonised Basslines. Is it possible for you to show the world some exercises to cover that. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. You are great.

[@JensLarsen]

That is very true! I didn't make one yet, but it is on the list for sure!

[@kamaismusic]

Thank you!!!

[@miguelmeneses7323]

Amazing lesson! The only thing I think was missing was comping on rubato ballads; I've been struggling quite a bit with this because I dont really know how to approach it.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Miguel! I guess that is difficult to talk too much about as a strategy because it is much more about interaction and really knowing the melody of the piece you are playing. If you don't know the melody then it is pretty impossible to do well :)

[@frdagaa]

Nice comping summary! I guess something else that could be mentioned is counterpoint lines. That seems to be common in a number of guitar duos eg the Doug and Jimmy Raney sessions. But it isn’t exactly comping - more like dual solos.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! Most of the time counterpoint lines won't be accepted as comping on a gig where I play :)

[@Trombonology]

Excellent discussion of a subject of particular interest to me! I think it's important to become skilled and flexible enough to let the material and environment dictate, to some degree, the approach. As you show, there are pros and cons to every style of comping, based on where it's applied. Although I listen to and enjoy the whole history of jazz guitar, I suspect I'm in the minority among your subscribers in being very much rooted in the Swing school; that was my first interest and I still love to hear Freddie Green and his disciples chunking away in a big band or small swing outfit -- it's all about supplying groove, whereas guitar in bebop and beyond became much more interactive and focused on providing color as well as rhythm.

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks Elizabeth! That is indeed how I think about it, finding the approach that fits the song right now. One thing about the Freddie Green stuff though: It is rarely used as a standalone thing, and mostly a part of the rhythm section right?

[@Trombonology]

Absolutely, Jens. Now, people like me could listen to it on its own just for the beauty of it when it's done right but, yes, it functions strictly as rhythm. ... One reason I love your comping, on the other hand, is that you compose melodies that could stand alone.

[@guitarguytristan]

Do u have any lessons just for walking bass comping Jens? Thanks! Your videos are awesome :)

[@JensLarsen]

I certainly do Here's a few: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qna1dIxmhraWrLM&list=PLWYuNvZPqqcFEu6QldXHj6iE0dS0jSexX&index=1

[@MaxSchranner]

Thank you for the lesson. When comping with harmonized basslines, do you also use diatonic chords or only chromatic chords?

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, I use both. It will depend on the progression :)

[@mikec6733]

What are some good recorded examples of jazz duos - (guitar + one other musician/singer)?

[@JensLarsen]

Joe Pass with Ella Fitzgerald, Jim Hall with Ron Carter and Jim Hall with Pat Metheny.

[@mikec6733]

@@JensLarsen Thank you for answering my question. I'm completely blown away by your advanced guitar harmonic knowledge. I've been noodling around (very earnestly) on the guit for decades. Right now my dream is to be a rhythm guitarist in a band that draws eclectically from many traditions, and creates original compositions. I've never had the abilities to concentrate and dig into and digest the harmonic palette of the fretboard like you have. I stand in awe of what you've been able to accomplish so far. Thanks once again! 😀

[@lydianetc9870]

@@mikec6733 I recommend also checking out Peter Bernstein and Rotem Sivan duo videos on youtube

[@mikec6733]

@@lydianetc9870 thanks. I probably will check that out.

[@grestyman]

@@mikec6733 Also Barney Kessel and Julie London - Cry Me A River is a classic

[@JensLarsen]

How do you comp in duo settings? 🙂

[@captainkangaroo4301]

Comping in a duo setting is a very song specific thing. It also depends upon the preferences of the vocalist. Some vocalists seem to have the ability to convey the groove in their dynamic voicing of a song giving the guitar player a little more room. Think Anita O’Day.

[@hubertvancalenbergh9022]

True, it is song-specific. I've mostly accompanied vocalists in this type setting and seek to emphasize what they want to convey. With a guitarist I would be prone to give short counter-rhythmic chord stabs (mostly without emphatic bass). I don't 'chug along' from beginning to end, as this tends to sound predictable and boring pretty quickly. Keep the listener interested! When playing bass walking is of course a mandatory skill.

[@richardsorice4509]

Another great lesson, Jens. As always, thank you! I do play some guitar duos or guitar-piano duos. Sometimes after trading fours, we'll solo at the same time for one chorus, creating some cool counterpuntal lines. I have used the first four methods of comping. I want to use the fifth idea using harmonized bass line chords. I haven't done the work to figure it out and memorize it. On my to do list :)

[@timrune]

I use four of the five methods you're covering (to the best of my ability :-) ), the 'harmonized bassline not so much. I also sometimes use what i consider a more 'classical' approach - for instance I play 'My one and only love ' With a singer, and I tend to play it a little like a Lied, a classical piece of music, that is. So I more or less use faster arpeggios and some counterpoint-movement to the melody. Great lesson, once again :-)

[@Formisdestiny]

Thank you for the excellent lesson. Which year and model is your guitar?

[@JensLarsen]

You're very welcome! That's my #1 axe. It's a '77 Ibanez AS2630 🙂

[@Formisdestiny]

Jens Larsen I don’t know if you keep up with this but if you had around 2k to spend, which current Ibanez model would you choose?

[@JensLarsen]

Probably one of the Scofield models? But for that price you can easily get a better 2nd hand ibanez from the beginning of the 80's

[@Formisdestiny]

Jens Larsen cool, which one in particular should I be on the lookout for?

[@JensLarsen]

So 70's- 80's AS2630, AS100, AS200, the Lee Ritenour model is a great guitar as well and often not that expensive

[@jorgtully1774]

Suggestion for the next vid: dealing with piano players. Impossible I guess...

[@JensLarsen]

It depends on so many things and especially the two humans involved makes it difficult :D I did talk about it in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5rJqZysn8ipbq8 (list to the content in the description)

[@freekvreys792]

hi jens, the problem i have when comping in a duo occurs when there's a chord that's sustained for two meassures and how to keep it interesting. what do you do in those kind of situations? i want to thank you so much for your videos! i'm studying jazz guitar at the conservatory but get overloaded with material. you breaking down things and explaining it in an easy to understand manner really inspires and motivates me! i'm really looking forward to the book you're writing! wish you the best!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you Freek! I am glad you still find the videos useful 🙂 where do you study?

[@freekvreys792]

hi, i just edited my my post with a question in it that occured to me while this video was sinking in hehe! i study in antwerp, belgium! so we're like neighbours, country wise :)

[@JensLarsen]

You can check out how to play walking lines over two bars or easily use the other approaches to comp?

[@savvasanastasiou335]

Hello Jens! I have tried the "normal comping" approach in a duo situation with bass and it works nicely. I saw that you were using last 4 string drop 2 voicings and I am wondering if it would also work with an instrument of higher register like horn or guitar, or if you would need to switch to middle and low 4 strings so that you dont interfere with the soloist register-wise.

[@JensLarsen]

It should work for horns as well 🙂

[@milaortiz]

Undercurrent. Such a master piece! But I think one of the challenges it´s the interacting matter, must of the cons were that. So, can we consider a three layer comp? like "not-that-extreme-but-acceptable" chord melody comping? haha Because I think that you can fall very easily in the "backing track" comp mode so everything becomes like predictable and boring. As comp players we should participate in the impro as well. But I guess it doesn't belong to a traditional style. Have you talk about this within a contemporary context? interesting... As always, nice video Jens... Take care :)

[@JensLarsen]

I think it is pretty doable to interact if you are playing two layers and both layers are flexible. I can somewhat do that with chords and walking bass, but improvising a melody and playing bass and chords plus interacting? Not sure that is a good idea. I am not sure I follow. With Jim Hall and Bill Evans I find that Jim is playing harmonized basslines and then going to just playing chords whenever he wants to react to what Bill is playing?

[@pmikel63]

If you had to match each comping style in the video to an ideal bpm range/type of jazz, what would you think are the best matches? Thanks in advance!

[@JensLarsen]

I am not sure that really makes sense to be honest. Most of these are in all tempos and also in at least most styles.

[@pmikel63]

Jens Larsen thank you for the reply :) I thought at one point in the video you said one or a couple of these started to get extremely difficult at higher bpm's? And also, can you make a video on chords with odd extensions and alterations and what they mean/how to play over them? Thanks!

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, but even when they are difficult at higher tempos then this is very dependent on the guitarist :) I did make this video on extensions: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5u2q4Oco5uphdE is that mayb what you were looking for?

[@paulgibby6932]

Great lesson! I've been playing in some guitar duos and I like to have us switch around, trading back and forth with one doing the Freddie Green (or a Gypsy Jazz-like chunk) while the other solos, then one might do a walking-bass (faster tunes), and my personal favorite for medium/fast tunes is to have us both single-line solo and attempt fugue-ishness, e.g. on "All the things you are". Basically, one thing we keep in back of our minds is ("if he goes high, I go low"). e.g. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYjTl4FvhbVli9km9s (Jimmy Ranye and Cal Collins take a break) Thanks again for the lesson

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it Paul! Somebody else also mentioned soloing at the same time, but strictly I would not consider that comping. Of course that does not mean it isn't fun to do :)