Rhythmic Syncopation for Your Comping - Peter Martin | 2 Minute Jazz

Peter Martin demonstrates rhythmic syncopation that will be
helpful for comping. 


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What's going on everybody? Peter Martin here for Two-Minute
Jazz. 


I want to talk to you today about rhythmic syncopation for your
comping. I want you thinking very basic. Let's build up. Let's
get our swing going. Let's really think about some ways that we
can enhance the swing with some basic syncopation.


So we've got: 


So pretend like we're comping for a singer or horn player. No
bass player, so we're playing two feel on the left hand and this
is basic voicings. So what I'm doing here is nothing
revolutionary but if you really get your time going and remember
the syncopation is all about resolution. Okay so, so a lot of
times we're thinking syncopation is just playing on the upbeat
but it's got to resolve rhythmically at some point so it can't
just be three, four (offbeat piano playing) 


It's gotta hit the down at some point so we set up that pattern
of (good syncopated rhythmic piano playing) 


Some down, some up and there's not really a formula for it but
the great thing is we've got a bunch of great examples. I mean,
you check out Oscar Peterson and he's just like, everything he
does when he's comping is just a beautiful like, pattern of
syncopation and resolution so it's more about kind of getting the
sound in your ears and then just sitting and building up from
something very basic and I would recommend that you really get
your left hand going first. And one thing you can do is like talk
to


someone to see if you can do this and just keep these half notes
going because you want them to be independent from the right-hand
comping syncopation right so:


I'm never playing the left hand on the upbeat but the right hand
is total independence. And what you can do is like really kind


of think it through at the beginning in terms of like I'm gonna
play on the upbeat, I'm gonna play on the downbeat. I'm
gonna do all eighth note kind of comping and start to let your
ears acclimate to what that sounds like and just use comping,
this is not the time to try to get fancy with your voicings and
all that just basic stuff shell plus one. 


Or just shell. Third and seventh. Cause we're going for that
rhythmic feel because if you get the feel, you don't


have to get that fancy with your voicings. 


So there you go like:


 


That's a basic - I mean there are guys in New Orleans playing
that probably in 1917 right? But if you play it with the right
feel - Now, I may be cheating a little bit cause I'm kind of
playing it 


like a minor 11. It's a little bit of a modern sound, but even if
I just did : 


Phrasing, syncopation, feel. You can go basic then with your
voicings and have a lot of fun with it. Okay? Happy Practicing.


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