About Compin´
Manuel Martínez
Nowadays I'm using three jazz books to study:
- M. Goodrick's Advance Guitarist
- M. Levine's Jazz Piano Book
- J. Goldstein's Joe's Guitar Method
These books provide me several devices to comp (this is not a complete list,
only the types that I understand better and I can play):
-Drop2
-Drop3
-Shell Voices
-No root Voices (Levine's left hand voices for the piano)
-Quartal Voices
-So What Voices
-Triads?
My questions are:
how is your approach to comp in a combo situation (i.e. drum, bass, guitar
and sax) playing a standard tune? Is there some patterns to follow? or only
using your ears? How to choose between these (or other) types of voices? Do
you prefer some voices to another?
Any advise would be appreciate!
Thanks
Manuel
Gerry Scott-Moore
<mmre...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> These books provide me several devices to comp (this is not a complete list,
> only the types that I understand better and I can play):
> -Drop2
> -Drop3
> -Shell Voices
> -No root Voices (Levine's left hand voices for the piano)
> -Quartal Voices
> -So What Voices
> -Triads?
Is Triads a question? Are are you saying it's a device that nobody
covers except as a vague reference?
> My questions are:
> how is your approach to comp in a combo situation (i.e. drum, bass, guitar
> and sax) playing a standard tune?
Different for all tunes and all settings. I certainly use all the
types of voicings you mention above, with a large dose of voice
leading, double stops, octaves, etc.
> Is there some patterns to follow? or only
> using your ears? How to choose between these (or other) types of voices? Do
> you prefer some voices to another?
It's not so much about voicings as how you use them relative to rhythm
and the other players. The best advice is to listen to pianoless
guitar units, duos, trios or trios with a single horn or voice, so you
can clearly hear how others have handled these circumstances.
--
///--- Nazodesu no more.
Manuel Martínez
> Is Triads a question? Are are you saying it's a device that nobody
> covers except as a vague reference?
That's the problem with beginners, you are never sure of nothing :)
> It's not so much about voicings as how you use them relative to rhythm
> and the other players. The best advice is to listen to pianoless
> guitar units, duos, trios or trios with a single horn or voice, so you
> can clearly hear how others have handled these circumstances.
Any strong recommendation to listen at?
Thanks
Manuel
Gerry Scott-Moore
<mmre...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Is Triads a question? Are are you saying it's a device that nobody
> > covers except as a vague reference?
>
> That's the problem with beginners, you are never sure of nothing :)
In fairness, I think that triads are the most underrated and
underexplained mechanisms in a guitarists arsenal.
> > It's not so much about voicings as how you use them relative to rhythm
> > and the other players. The best advice is to listen to pianoless
> > guitar units, duos, trios or trios with a single horn or voice, so you
> > can clearly hear how others have handled these circumstances.
>
> Any strong recommendation to listen at?
The ones you love and can hear best. For me that would be Barney
Kessel, at the "Pollwinners" sides. Kenny Burrell's Live at the
Vanguard sides. Many sides by Jim Hall, so very many delicious ones. A
favorite now is Live in Tokyo.
As I think about it one of the key aspects is accompanying another
player. That would include most anything Jimmy Raney has his name on.
was listening to Kessel and Julie London in "Her Name is Julie", which
is voice and guitar trio.
For something more modern I love Larry Koonse's work with a guitar trio
with sax, and so on and on.
Here's a few other guitar trio things to consider. Many I've heard and
like, others are recommended by your comrades hereabouts:
Andrew Cheshire - Magic
Andrew Cheshire - Relax, Keep The Tension, Please
Barney Kessel - Exploring the Scene
Barney Kessel - He plays Bacharach (The look of love)
Barney Kessel - Live At Sometime
Barney Kessel - Pollwinners
Barney Kessel - Pollwinners Ride Again
Barney Kessel - Pollwinners Three!
Ben Monder - Dust
Ben Monder - Flux
Bill Conners - Of Mist and Feeling
Bill Frisell - With Holland and Jones
Bobby Broom - Waitin' and Waitin'
Bola Sete - At the Monterey Jazz Festival
Chuck Wayne - Morning Mist
Chuck Wayne - Tapestry
Earl Klugh - Trio Volume 1
Ed Bickert - Ed Bickert
Grant Green - Green Street
Grant Green - Standards
Howard Alden - Good Likeness
Howard Alden - Misterioso
Jim Hall - Circles
Jim Hall - In Berlin
Jim Hall - Jazz Guitar
Jim Hall - Jazz Impressions Of Tokyo
Jim Hall - Live
Jim Hall - Live in Tokyo
Jim Hall - Telephony
Jimmy Bruno - Live at Birdland
JImmy Raney - Live in Tokyo
Jimmy Raney - But Beautiful
Jimmy Raney - The Influence
Joe Beck - Relaxin
Joe Diorio - I Remember Wes
Joe Diorio - Live
Joe Diorio - More Than Friends
Joe Diorio - Stateside
Joe Pass - Intercontinental
Joe Pass - Live at Donte's
Joe Pass - Portrait of Duke
John Abercrombie - Current Events
John Abercrombie - Gateway
John Abercrombie - Straight Flight
John Hart - Trust
John McLaughlin - Live at Albert Hall
John McLaughlin - Que Alegria
John Scofield - Bar Talk
John Scofield - Out Like a Light
John Scofield - Shinola
Joshua Breakstone's - 3 on 9
Kenny Burrell - All Night Long
Kenny Burrell - Listen to the Dawn
Kenny Burrell - Live At The Vanguard ('59)
Kenny Burrell - Live at the Vanguard ('78)
Kenny Burrell - When Lights Are Low
Kurt Rosenwinkel - East Coast Love Affair
Lenny Breau - Guitar Sounds
Lenny Breau - Trio
Lenny Breau - Vevet Touch Live
Lorne Lofsky - Bill Please
Lorne Lofsky - It Could Happen to You
Mark Elf - New York Cats
Mark Kleinhaut - Amphora
Mick Goodrick - Biorhythms
Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life
Pat Metheny - Question and Answer
Pat Metheny - Rejoicing
Paul Bollenback - Dreams
Paul Bollenback - Original Visions
Peter Leitch - Trio/Quartet 91
Ron Affif - 52nd Street
Ron Affif - Ringside
Steve Khan - Let's Call This
Vic Juris - Songbook
Wayne Krantz - Long to be Loose
Joey Goldstein
Those things you listed above are just techniques to create certain
types of voicings. You have to listen to music, real music that you
like, and try to imitate the sounds you are hearing. Then you may notice
things like Jim Hall uses some shell voicings and Ed Bickert likes drop
2 every once in a while, etc. BTW You'll never hear Ed say that he uses
drop 2 or any of the techniques you listed above. He insists that he is
just playing what he hears. Yet when you study his voicings you'll find
that many of them can very well be described as being drop 2 voicings.
Try lifting some of his stuff and then maybe you'll be able to hear some
of what he hears too.
Also you are right in thinking that different ensembles and
instrumentations require different approaches. I comp much differently
in a guitar duo than I do in a trio with a bass player for instance.
--
Joey Goldstein
http://www.joeygoldstein.com
<joegold AT sympatico DOT ca>
Joey Goldstein
jazz guitar players use lots of 3 note voicings. But quite often we use
3 notes to imply a much bigger chord.
--