Lesson Goal: To quickly internalize some bread and butter Major 1 4 1 Comping Styles… by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle…
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
Basic music reading skills… basic scale, chord, and chord progression theory… basic technique… the LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
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Study & Practice Reminders
- Never play these mindlessly and mechanically. Always aspire to play musically.
- Your goal is not to merely memorize these, but to study and practice them until you internalize them using all four musical intelligences: ears, intellect, eyes, and muscles.
- Every time you practice something, you are programming your brain. So always play accurately.
- Practice with a click track or rhythm track. Doing so will give you immediate feedback on any rhythmic misconceptions or places where your timing gets sloppy.
- Record yourself. Always. Listen to the playback immediately. And ask yourself: Is that what you intended to play?”
- If anything feels tense or awkward, stop immediately and experiment with alternative fingerings or choreography.
- Play this in other keys you expect to play in. By the way, once you see the patterns (which is guaranteed if you know your scales and chords) finding the notes in other keys will be a piece of cake!
- If you feel stuck or overwhelmed, realize that anything can and will be mastered if you slow things down or break things down to small enough pieces.
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Major 1 4 1 Comping Style #1
The Major 1 4 1 Chord Progression played in the simplest interpretation in the key of C major: 8 bar form, 4/4 time, chord roots in left hand and block chords connected by voice-leading in the right…
Listen to Frank play at 84 beats per minute…
Technique Tips: (1) Don’t be afraid to use the sustain pedal, (2) Your sense of time should never be rigid and mechanical; Anticipate each chord change and allow the entire form to breathe naturally by having some momentum going into each chord and bass note.
Major 1 4 1 Comping Style #2
Straight time voice-led triads in the right hand and chord roots connected by passing tones and pickups in the left…
Listen to Frank illustrate one way to play this at 84 beats per minute…
Interpretation & Technique Tips: (1) Shape the phrases so that the dynamics ebb and flow, (2) Consider making the chords played on the weak beats an echo of the chords played on the strong beats, (3) Don’t try to hold each chord. Use the the sustain pedal, but be sure to “un-pedal” with each chord change so that you do not smear and muddy up the sound, (4) Have some momentum going into each chord and bass note.
Major 1 4 1 Comping Style #3
A slow, alternating C (I) and F (IV) chords over a C pedal point in dotted rhythm, great for rock ballads (a la “Wild Horses” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water”)…
Listen to Frank illustrate one way to play this…
Performance Tips: (1) The feel should be laid back and unrushed with lots of subtle dynamics. Also, notice how the thumb of the left hand is “ghosted”… felt more than heard, (2) Don’t forget: How you move your body is how the music is going to sound and feel!.
Major 1 4 1 Comping Style #4
Playing C-F (I-IV) over a pedal point in rocking octaves at medium tempo is a great way to build energy before jumping into a tune or jam…
Listen to Frank illustrate one way to play this with drums at 120 beats per minute…
Performance Tips: Don’t be afraid to bring out (accent) the off beats, (2) Play each chord distinctly and with a separate emphasis without trying to connect them with each other, (3) No flams between your left and right hands when they play together.
Major 1 4 1 Comping Style #5
Playing C-F (I-IV) over a pedal point in rocking octaves at medium tempo is a great way to build energy before jumping into a tune or jam…
Listen to Frank illustrate one way to play this with drums at 120 beats per minute…
Performance Tips: (1) Don’t be afraid to bring out (accent) the off beats, (2) Play each chord distinctly and with a separate emphasis without trying to connect them with each other, (3) No flams between your left and right hands when they play together.
Major 1 4 1 Comping Style #6
Playing the sus4 and their resolutions for each chord in straight 1/4 notes with a bread and butter dotted 1/4 note – 1/8th note bass pattern…
Listen to Frank illustrate one way to play this with drums at 110 beats per minute…
Performance Tips: (1) Sing the suspended notes and resolutions (Fa>Mi & Te>La) out loud as you play, (2) No flams between your left and right hands when they play together, (3) You must release each repeated note in the left hand in preparation for playing the next, (4) Try “ghosting” the 1/8th notes in the left hand.
learn more… Pop/Rock Piano Lessons
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