- This topic has 5 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 11 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
Comping can get complicated. How may variations and permutations of chord voicings can one cram into a 12 bar or 16 bar Blues? There is a mathematical answer to that question, I am sure. That said, I keep hearing the “Ink Spots” and thinking “I want to be able to do that someday?” Comping used to be what guitarists did in a band. It was their job. Now, not so much. There was a standard way of going about comping and it seems to have been lost in the mists of time (no pun intended). Time for a revival?
DM7 Em7 F#m7 Fm7 Em7
I don’t want to set the world on fire,
Gdim A7/6 A7 F#7 B7 E7(+5) A7
I just want to start a flame in your heart.
DM7 Em7 F#m7 Fm7 Em7
In my heart I have but one de – sire,
Gdim A7/6 A7 CM7 C#7 D6
And that one is you, no other will do.
Bridge: Am7 D9 Am7 D9
I’ve lost all ambition for worldly acclaim;
G G6 F#7 G6I just want to be the one you love,
Bm7 E9 Bm7 E9
And with your admission that you feel the same,
Em7 Cdim Em7 A7 A7+5 A7
I’ll have reached the goal I’m dreaming of, believe me.
DM7 Em7 F#m7 Fm7 Em7
I don’t want to set the world on fire,
Gdim A7/6 A7 CM7 C#7 D6 D6/9
I just want to start a flame in your heart.Start the flame!
-
@mikeanders, exactly whats caught my interest lately, Mike. The multiple small chord voicings and rhythm variations are fascinating. I love the kind of stuff Eric Clapton does in the background, while other guitarists are taking a solo. In the quest to understand lead playing, I think I’ve neglected this area.
John -
-
-
There may be a mathematical answer to your question, but the short answer is many, many more than you will ever hear – much less play. Your point about it being what guitarists did is partly true. It’s certainly what Freddie Green did for Count Basie, and he did it for 50 years. The role was mostly determined by volume limitations, and Charlie Christian changed all of that by plugging in.
In other traditions, guitar could take on a different role. Blues started out much quieter, and thus lead lines and solo playing developed earlier. And then there was stuff like Gypsy Jazz, which happened in a quintet as opposed to a big band, making it possible for someone like Django Reinhardt to step out in lead. (By the way, with only two fingers on his fretting hand, Django was a brilliant comper.)
Clapton is one rock guy to listen to for this sort of thing. Of course, there’s also Keith Richards, who is pretty brilliant at what he does. And my favorite of the rock players is Bob Weir, who has an amazing ear for filling in.
-
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
