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"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
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 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.