8/9/2019 Comping Patterns Jazz Drumming http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/comping-patterns-jazz-drumming 1/4 PERCUSSIVE NOTES 18 APRIL 2001 J azz drummers often play figures on the snare drum, bass drum, and hi-hat that help accompany a soloist. In his book H ow to Comp—A Stud y in J azz Accompani ment (Advance Music), Hal Crook gives an excellent definition of comping and its role within an ensemble: The word “comp” is derived from the word accompany (or accom- paniment). It wa s popularized years ago by jazz musicians who ex- pressed the uniqueness of their new musical idiom even through the language they used. To com p means to improvise a background for a solo using melody, harmony and/or rhythm. Comping is a kind of second- ary soloing that supports, complements and interacts with a primary solo. The goal in comping is to be as musically accurate and creative as the soloist. The emphasis, however, is on team- work—on enhancing the musical efforts of the soloist in all pos- sible ways and areas. The soloist functions much like the capta in of a team. He calls and leads the plays but depends on help from the accom- panying players to execute them. So a relationship of mutual dependency exists that requires the awareness, acceptance, and allegiance of everyone involved. In order to become a good accompanist, one must develop a wide variety of comping methods. Too often, drumset players take a one-dimensional approach to comping and tend to play only the figures that they have practiced from an instructional book. In doing so, they are not getting the most from their prac- tice experience or the book being studied. This approach often leads to mechanical playing and a much longer learning curve for the material being studied. By using the following comping practice ideas as a launching point, one can a chieve a more well-rounded approach to comping and master a wider variety of techniques. In conjunc- tion with the ideas presented below, one should always let the music dictate what is being played, and use drumset methods as a resource in addition to the crucial element of listening to the music. COMPING EXERCISES All of the ideas shown below will use the same rhythmic phrase: Comping Exercises and Beyond BY MICHAEL GOULD Ride Sm. Tom Snare Floor Tom Bass Drum Hi-Hat œ œ œ œ 4 œ œ 3 œ j œ . j œ ‰ j œ ‰ j œ œ œœ ‰ j œ Œ = Many drummers comp primarily with the snare drum. Be- sides writing out your own comping ideas, you can use material from snare drum method books. To achieve a sense of the pulse, softly play quarter notes on the bass drum with hi-hat on beats two and four. (The example has been written in triplets to clarify where the figure lies within the standard jazz ride pat- tern.) Now play the phrase on bass drum, incorporating the snare drum and hi-hat on beats two and four. When playing the figure on hi-hat, better articulation can be achieved by lifting the heel off the hi-hat pedal and using more leg weight. Use the ball of the foot instead of the toes, and don’t lift your foot entirely off the pedal. The bass drum should play qua rter notes to help keep the pulse. ORCHESTRATING THE PHRASE Alternating between snare drum and bass drum in a linear fashion creates more melodic interest. Play the hi-hat on beats two and four, or on all four quarter notes. This example combines snare drum, bass drum, and hi-hat for three-voiced linear playing. This is typical of the comping style of such drummers as Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette. 4 3 ‰ 3 ‰ œ 3 ‰ œ œ œ œ 3 ‰ 3 ‰ œ 3 ‰ œ œ œ œ 4 œ 3 ‰ œ 3 ‰ œ 3 ‰ œ œ 3 œ ‰ œ 3 ‰ œ 3 ‰ 4 3 ‰ 3 ‰ œ 3 œ ‰ 3 œ ‰ 3 œ ‰ œ œ 3 ‰ 3 ‰ 3 œ ‰ 3 œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ 4 3 ‰ œ 3 ‰ œ 3 ‰ œ 3 œ ‰ 3 ‰ œ 3 ‰