Comping (an abbreviation of accompanying - or possibly from the verb, to

"complement") is a term used in jazz music to describe the chords, rhythms, and
countermelodies that keyboard players (piano or organ) or guitar players use to support
a jazz musician's improvised solo or melody lines. The term is also used for the action
of accompanying, and for left hand part of a solo pianist.[2]

Contents
[hide]

1 Types

2 Roles of a comping musician

3 See also

4 Further reading

5 References

Types[edit]
In a standard jazz combo, the pianist or guitarist typically comps during the horn and
double bass solos by improvising chords and countermelodies.
The chordal accompaniment used in jazz is different from the chordal accompaniment
style used in many types of popular music, such as rock and folk.

In a rock or folk band, a guitarist or piano player will accompany by playing

primarily root-position triads consisting of the notes of the chord known as the
root, 3rd, and 5th. In the key of C, the G chord would include the notes G, B,
and D (the root, 3rd, and 5th of the chord).

In a jazz band a guitarist or pianist will comp by playing a variety of chords that
include the notes of the chord known as the 3rd, 7th, 9th, and 13th (the bassist
usually plays the root). In the key of C, the G chord might be performed by
playing the notes B, E, F, and A (the 3rd, 13th, flat 7th, and 9th notes of the
chord). As well, jazz compers may use altered chords that contain flattened or
sharpened 5ths, 9ths, and 13ths for some songs or soloists. For example, an
altered G7 chord might be played with the notes A, A, C, and E (9, 9,
11, 13).

In combos with a guitar player, the guitar player usually comps for soloists. If there is
both a pianist and a guitarist, as sometimes occurs in organ trios or big bands, they may
either alternate comping or comp at the same time. Having two chordal instruments
comp at the same time is difficult to do well. The two compers may make different,

clashing interpretations of the same chord (e.g., the pianist may add a flat 13th, while
the guitarist plays a natural 13th), or the texture may become overly cluttered.
During swing-feel songs, drummers will usually comp with one hand on the snare drum
while playing time on the cymbals (see drum kit). More skilled drummers often comp
with even all three limbs excluding their right-hand ride pattern (snare drum, bass drum,
hi-hats). They will most likely develop the simple jazz drum pattern and add a few
"bomb" bass drum notes for extra effect. In small jazz ensembles ("combos") with more
unusual instrumentation, horn players (e.g., saxophone, trumpet, etc.) can comp by
playing the melody line in the background, or by playing a sequence of notes called
"guide tones" which outline the harmonic framework. Guide tones are usually the 3rd,
7th, or 9th notes of a given chord. Guide tone lines are constructed by descending
through the guide tones of the chart, normally by semitone. For instance, in a duo for
saxophone and bass, the saxophonist will usually comp during the bass solo by playing
guide tones.
During a drum solo the pianist sometimes comps, often using a predictable pattern of
rhythmically played chords called "hits". A well-known example is the second half of
"Take Five", with Dave Brubeck's piano vamp comping for Joe Morello's drum solo.
During piano solos, pianists often comp for themselves, playing melodic lines and solos
with the right hand while comping with the left hand.

Roles of a comping musician[edit]

While any jazz instrument can be used for comping, the chordal rhythm section
instruments (piano, organ, and guitar) have developed the largest collection of
pedagogical materials about comping. Since a jazz solo has such wide ranging
harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic possibilities, chordal instruments must have a
similarly wide range of tools at their disposal to support the soloist properly. Comping
musicians must know many different types of chord voicings so that they can match the
mood the soloist is trying to create. To support some soloists, a comper needs to use
very simple voicings (such as the 3rd and 7th of a chord). However, for other soloists
who play in a very dense, complicated style, compers may need to use chords with
many additional extensions, such as 9ths, 13ths, and altered voicings; they may also reharmonize chord progressions depending on the soloist, thus creating a feedback of idea
exchange between the soloist and the comper. Compers must have an understanding of
rhythm that allows them to respond to the rhythms the soloist plays, such as Latin or
Afro-Cuban rhythms. As well, they must have a melodic sense based on a knowledge of
a huge repertoire of different scales and scalar patterns, to be able to improvise
countermelodies to supplement the soloist's melodies and fill in empty spaces. By
comping, pianists, organists, and guitarists provide the "glue" that holds the rhythm
section together. They take the soloist's improvised solos and melodies and add
harmonies (as a bass player does) and rhythms (as a drummer does). By doing this, the
comper helps ensure that the band is always at the same energy level as the soloist.
Wynton Kelly and Herbie Hancock are examples of pianists who are responsive when
comping. Oscar Peterson usually comped busily, while Count Basie comped sparsely.
There is no single appropriate way to comp for a soloist.