How to organise chords for comps and chord melodies

#jazz #jazzguitar #musictheory #chords #chordmelody #chordmelody #chordvoicings #jazzchords #comping #chordsolos #howto #joepass #peterbernstein #barneykessel #mikemoreno #jazztheory #jazzharmony
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[@agindertube]

very useful, learned new chords, I didn't know that e.g. F7b5 and B7b5 are identical (very useful!) My experience suggests that - if you play with others! - you have to be ready for all sorts of demands. Bass players playing simple lines, mainly roots, thirds etc, or bassists playing "freely" - this can become very hard. With a piano player it is similar, but can be even more complex. You need very good "collaboration". I hardly ever play alone, like you in this video. This has to be taken into account when applying this material to comping. Be (well) prepared, know the tune (chords and melody) is always a good advice. Thanks!

[@MC-mi4ck]

Great ideas. Keep them coming. Reminds of Bernstein comping.

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

Big influence! Add in a bit of sideslipping and you are getting there

[@HoratioLindez]

Brilliant👊🏻

[@Meliorative]

Great lesson.

[@fouroutoffour]

Nice one! Love the topic and the handful of specific examples you walk through

[@jsb1181]

I think you must be telepathic, as you always cover topics I am working on! Here's a question - for a long time I tried to approach comping by using rootless voicings and inversions because I thought I was being clever (haha). Then, I heard P Bernstein and a few other giant players telling people off during clinics for not playing roots and I then worked on always playing roots. But recently I have gone back to focussing on the soprano voice and using that to lead my comping. So, does it just depend on the context which approach to use? Like if you are comping in a duo, you play the roots, if you have a bass player you can go wild (like throwing sus 4 triads on top of extensions of dominant chords)?

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

I briefly allude to this in the vid I think? Whether you use rootless or shell voicings etc with a bass player is a matter of style, preference etc. When you are playing solo or in a duo with a sax or a vocal you are responsible for the bass. Understanding what makes a good bassline is key. That’s not always root position, but there’s certain points where you need to make a clear cadence. An example is the Gm ii V I in Autumn Leaves. Pete was very clear with me he expected a clear root position cadence here, but was looser with the other changes. A great bass player will know which chords to invert and which to leave in root position. So - perhaps study bass players?

[@jsb1181]

That's a great bit of direction, thanks! I had not really considered it from this angle before and probably do need to check out what bass players are doing. I've actually just finished working through Ted Green's Modern Chord Progressions book (which only took 3 years haha) and I feel like I should revisit the content now but looking at how he organised basslines, I mainly thought about the soprano voice when working through all the examples.@@JazzGuitarScrapbook

[@jsb1181]

Also, was having a lession with Peter intimidating?! I would probably not be able to remember the major scale if I had a lesson with some giant cat like him.@@JazzGuitarScrapbook

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

@@jsb1181 Pete is super approachable, warm and enthusiastic but of course I was a bit scared playing in front of him.

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

@@jsb1181 yeah makes sense as Ted was also a counterpoint nut.

[@Shawn_Jazz]

Why would Peter Bernstein not like the Gm7 voicing with the F in the melody? I'm guessing because it sounds unresolved (like C7sus4) or maybe it sounds more like Bb6 than Gm?

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

He makes a distinction between real minor chords and more modal minor chords like m7/11 etc. If you listen to the Cannonball/Miles recording they clearly play Gm6. But yes, maybe the Bb thing as well. It sounds like a major chord in disguise. I think I did a video on the subject yonks ago.

[@Shawn_Jazz]

@@JazzGuitarScrapbook Thanks for the response! I will search your channel for the video on the subject.

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

@@Shawn_Jazz might be a while back - maybe time for a remake!

[@frankvaleron]

Because Jazz is a t-shirt in the making

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

:-)

[@Djordj69]

The reason beginners find ''chord '' melody difficult is their poor concept of melody which is pefectly normal as it is all they have. Most beginners can't really hear a melody. Music has a meaning; melody is its essential meaning . In the end the harmony concept is the melody. The first rule of any so called jazz music or probably any music is ,it has to be new in some sense , even if only to you.