LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Comping with both hands

bavern -- 09/14/2006, 11:20:34 -- #29821

Hey everybody! My problem is that I mostly play solo piano or without bass. Therefor I'm not used to comping with both hands. Now recently I started playing in a big band. The rest you can figure out. So my question is how to comp. How do you often voice for example II-V-I progressions with both hands?

Jazz+ -- 09/14/2006, 11:43:03 -- #29821

There are numerous ways. One way is play Left Hand 4 Note Rootless Voicings and add one or two notes above in the right hand, such as the Root and 5th, or Root and 9th, or an Octave. Another is to play Shell Voicings in the Left Hand and play 4 Note Rootless Voicings in the Right Hand. Other systems are Drop 2, Upper Structures, Fourth Voicings, So What Voicings,  etc.

7 -- 09/14/2006, 14:47:08 -- #29821

The other way is to Milli Vanelli it. Since the big band makes so much noise, nobody will ever know if you're playing or not. So just sit there with your hands in your lap and only pretend to play if you notice that somebody is watching you. If the band leader catches you doing nothing at all (but still getting paid), tell them that you subscribe to the Count Basie school of piano playing and explain that since "Less is More" you're taking that approach to the extreme in order to avoid cluttering the arrangement with ANY unnecessary notes whatsoever. JUST JOKING!!!

SolArt -- 09/14/2006, 16:39:53 -- #29821

Another fun way is to learn the fingering of the blowing instruments, then watch them as they play and add them together to form chords, until you can form them yourself across the board;)

bavern -- 09/15/2006, 09:09:40 -- #29821

Okey thanks! Now I often do four note rootless voicings in left and don't realy know what to do with right. I'll try you tips.

Jazz+ -- 09/15/2006, 10:54:54 -- #29821

"One way is play Left Hand 4 Note Rootless Voicings and add one or two notes above in the right hand, such as the Root and 5th, or the Root and 9th, or an Octave." Let me know how it works out for you.

bavern -- 09/15/2006, 11:26:00 -- #29821

But then I wonder how you do with the b5,+7(#9),b9 chords. can you do this more easy with two hands? I try to think chords as two chords(one in every hand). For exemple on a Cm7 I play Eb,Bb in left hand and a Gm in right. Is thiw way of thinking good?

7 -- 09/15/2006, 12:29:28 -- #29821

For 7b9 chords play the corresponding four note dim7 positions (rootless 7b9). 7#9 chord is typically open-voiced in either (or both) hands: 3 b7 #9. With +7 I like to play the 7 in the LH pinky: 7 1 3 #5. And 7b5 I just voice 'em like the are: 1 3 b5 b7 You can throw in a 9th if you want.

7 -- 09/15/2006, 12:30:34 -- #29821

Correction With +7 I like to play the b7 in the LH pinky: b7 1 3 #5.

bavern -- 09/16/2006, 02:42:35 -- #29821

Okey, that's how i do it now to. but should just play right hands octave or is there any tones that often are doubled in right?

jwv76 -- 09/16/2006, 03:22:28 -- #29821

I like to emphasize the 6ths and the 9ths of major and dominant chords with the right hand, they tend to give the chord more "color." Another thing you can do while playing rootless voicngs in the LH is find 4-stacks that fit in the key and don't clash with the right hand like say a C dominant 13 chord in the LH you got E-A-Bb-D in the right hand you could play E-A-D, A-D-G, or D-G-C. Obviously you  can use these exact same voicings for an F#7 altered chord (and also for G-6, and E half-diminished for that matter). You might want to leave the A out of the left hand, or invert the voicing so Bb is played with the pinky, the minor 2nd is kind of a dense, closed sound, 4-stacks are cool because they are so spacious.

bavern -- 09/16/2006, 07:51:02 -- #29821

Alright. So it seams like most people do 4 note rootless chords in left and different things with right like octaves and fourths and so on.

Jazz+ -- 09/16/2006, 11:00:20 -- #29821

It's one way. The Left Hand voicing has the chord harmonicly covered. So the right hand extension is safe playing the neutral Root and 5th combination or the, or the 9th and 5th. Don't over-color the chord.  The Dominant tone in the right hand is the one note that will work over the enitire i V I.

Jazz+ -- 09/16/2006, 11:01:16 -- #29821

Correction The Dominant tone in the right hand is the one note that will work over the enitire ii V I For D-7 G7 Cmaj7 Play D and G in the right hand and the LH Rootless voings

bavern -- 09/17/2006, 04:01:07 -- #29821

I see. I think i vill continue with left hand rootless voicings and try some different things with my right and see what I like. Thank you some much for all the advices /Oscar

Ben Blau -- 09/17/2006, 07:55:37 -- #29821

A great way to handle two-handed comping for ii-V7-I is to use what I call the "vi-iii-iii" device.  Try this: With your left hand, play the rootless A-form ii voicing for Dm (F-A-C-E).  With your right hand, play any literal inversion of an Am7 chord (which is "vi").  If you need to occupy the ii position for any extended period of time, try moving around from one inversion to another. Next, with your left hand play the rootless A-form V voicing for G7 (F-A-B-E), and with your right hand play an Em7 chord in any inversion (iii).  This too can be moved around in different inversions against the left hand's stable voicing. Finally, when you move to I, play the rootless left-hand I voicing for C (E-G-A-D), and with your right hand, play any different inversion for Em7 (different from the inversion you used in the voicing for G7). For altered dominants, try this: With the left hand, play the related diminished seventh chord substitution (i.e., play Gdim7 in place of A7b9).  This makes for part of a rootless two handed voicing for this chord.  Now, with your right hand, add the C-form voicing for the chord (in this case, A7alt, which is spelled G-B#-C#-E#, or G-C-C#-F enharmonically).  While playing this chord, you can interchange the C with the neighboring Bb in the right hand structure for interest and harmonic movement. Try all these structures in the context of a simple turnaround: C-A7-Dm-G7. C (C bass) LH: E G A D  RH: E G B D A7 (A bass) LH: G Bb Db E  RH: G C C# F Dm (D bass) LH: F A C E  RH: G A C E G7 (G bass) LH: F A B E  RH: B D E G C (C bass) LH: E G A D  RH: D E G B Experiment with different inversions and arpeggiations for the right hand chords.  These also work against left hand B-form structures.   Hope this helped, -Ben Blau

bavern -- 09/17/2006, 09:09:36 -- #29821

Yes thank you Ben Blau. That I think is what I ment with using both hands when comping.

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