Comping Ideas

[mahayana]

I thought I'd put something in here, since Shawn added this section a couple of weeks age, at my request.

One of the charms of this messageboard is that things are kind of hidden, you'll find "Comping Basics" over at Misc Lessons, "Comping Blue In Green" is at Theory, Heads are scattered everywhere, intros and chord ideas, too.

If you accompany a certain tune, play an intro or ending, do chord fill-ins, etc for it, this is the place to share them. Comping is as important as soloing to the total sound of an arrangement. May not get you applause, but the people you play music with will appreciate the way you do the things you do (something like that).

I'll probably put some chord-melody stuff here, that helps a lot to figure out those little "chord phrases" you can add to any song.

[mahayana]

Here's the start of a chord-melody I do. Can you hear the melody yet?

XX123X

XX534X

XX5353

6X576X

The first 4 notes of a song you know are in there, hah!

[kawe]

i don't know the song yet, but i just tried to analyze the chords you play:

f 13
cm7 or eb?
gm6 or c7?
b6

[mahayana]

Not bad guesses! The fourth is Bb6. Here's the next set.

6X578X

XX89 10 X

XX89 11 X

XX888X

XX 10 XXX

Did that give it away?

[pinsk94]

B6
C13
C7
Cmi7

I'm not sure I know it, and if I do I will probably kick myself in the head.

[mahayana]

Don't kick too hard! Try these words with the chord phrases:

I Left My Heart

In San Fran cis co

[kawe]

mahayana said:

Not bad guesses! The fourth is Bb6.

ooops. i forgot:
german: a b h (why simple when it also can be complicated ) ;D
international: a bb b

[mahayana]

Maybe I should put this over at "What The Weird Numbers Mean", but it is a bit confusing the different ways chords are notated. Like that Bb6.

The use of # and b for extensions is notated + and - by some, because the name of the chord can have a # or b after it, while extensions have the # or b in front of them.

Then again, + means augmented, and we don't have typewriter keys for diminished and half diminished, so these have to be written out.

It could be more complicated, the question is how? I would suggest capitalizing the names of chords, though, since we use the small b for the flat sign.

[kawe]

I agree, mahayana!
I've been getting too lazy to use the shift-key.
But as you said it can be irritating in this context.

[mahayana]

No irritation felt, kawe. I think the aim is clear communication, like the little chords I put here, exactly as I play them. Still, you can't be sure if anybody catches what you throw out there.

Probably tab is the best way to show a chord-melody, but it's the devil to post that when the program automatically adjusts what you type in.

Like the next little phrase in the example here, the Cm descending bit.

---"cis---co."

1-----X
2-----8------------8-------8----8
3-----8------------8-------8----8
4-----8---10---9-------8--------7
5-----X
6-----X

(that took 4 previews in the reply page, to get it almost right)

[mahayana]

As an aside, I think Paul McCartney must have been learning San Francisco, which was on the radio at the time, when he wrote Michelle. He used a version of that last phrase in his intro:

s
t
r
i
n
g

1-------X
2------------8-------8-------8-------8-------8----6----4---3
3------------8-------8-------8-------8-------8----7----5---4
4------10-------9---------8------7-------6--------6----4---3
5-------X
6-------X

[mahayana]

Hmmm.... the above is an example of how the program changes what you post. The last few notes "wrapped around." Here's another try at making it more legible.

1--X
2-------8-------8-------8-------8-------8----6----4---3
3-------8-------8-------8-------8-------8----7----5---4
4-10-------9---------8------7-------6--------6----4---3
5--X
6--X

[mahayana]

This thread was done before we had a chord-melody section. I'll probably move it over there, now that I know how.

Does anyone want to see the rest of this "I left My Heart In San Francisco" chord melody?