You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - Burning Questions: What NOT to Do When Comping

Episode Date: May 18, 2020

Peter and Adam are going to be streaming and taking your questions live on Open Studio's Instagram every Saturday for the duration of the global health crisis. On today's edition, Adam answers what it was like to smoke with Barry Harris, someone asks what mistakes you should avoid when comping, and Peter and Adam list their favorite non-keyboardist albums with great piano playing.Links From This Episode:For the great practice tool and occasional YHI sponsor Anytune's Facebook tutorial, check out their Facebook page right hereOpen Studio now has an app! Getting your regular practice in has never been easier thanks to our Guided Practice App - featuring Adam's daily Guided Practice Sessions, lessons from our Piano Finger Independence course, and more practice adviceThere's a new course from Open Studio: Rhythm Section Workout is available now! Play along with Peter Martin on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Gregory Hutchinson on drums as they teach you the tips and tricks to playing with a bandIn light of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, we understand that money is tight for a lot of people right now. That's why we've decided that for the duration of this crisis, we'll be running a Choose What You Pay campaign at Open Studio. Choose whichever course you want and then let us know how much you're willing to pay - that's it. For more info, click this link.Interested in more music advice? Go here to browse our catalog of jazz lessons and courses available for purchase. And be sure to check out our All Access Pass - every course from Open Studio on every instrument.Let us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hey, Peter. Hey, Adam. What does IG stand for? IG. Um, igloos and gorillas. I don't know. It's very weird. I'm Matt Amanis. And I'm Peter Martin. And you're listening to the You'll Hear podcast. Daily Music Advice coming at you. Coming at you today. Sponsored by Anytune. Go to Anytune.us. We actually, Peter, did you know that we have our own page over on Anytune? Well, I do know. And I'm surprised because you're asking me because I just told you about it. I know. I know. I know. I like how you flip that around them. But no, I mean, I'm so excited about this. We just saw it. And what is the URL here?

Anytune.us slash you'll hear it. All spelled out. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go over there and check out. We have a link below, of course, as always. As always. But go over there and check out AnyTune.

It really is one of the most useful tools that any musician could have for learning music. We always preach around here. I mean, the name of our podcast is you'll hear it. Like, we obviously believe in listening to music. to get it. And so any tune is just, I think it's the best tool out there for doing exactly that. Absolutely. And they're, you know, their, their, their, their, their mantra is music practice perfected. And it's such a, it is so true. You still have to do the practice, but they give you the tools to make your practice perfected, efficient. You're going to get so much done. And, you know,

any tune, you know, in talking with them, they came up some, some great kind of ideas and bullet points based around specifically for jazz musicians, because this can help you in the, whole music world, this wonderful app, you know, but you know, the stretching with fantastic clarity when you're slowing things down. Like that's the game changer really for jazz musicians. But also breaking down the song into section and then you can mark, mark it with time annotations as you're working on a tune. This is one that I hadn't thought of they were talking about. Change the pitch of a song to transcribe it in a different key. I love that. That's a nice level. Because we're always talking about it's great that you can slow it down and keep it in

the same key. What about keeping it at the same temple, but actually changing the key? How about a little Charlie Parker down in Lee Solo in G? Hello. That's right. That's right. Well, thanks. Go to anytune.us slash you'll hear it and check all that out. Really, really good stuff. And then check out their schedule. They're doing pretty much weekly if you go to their Facebook page and follow them. It's at Anytune. At Facebook, you can see they have a, well, Facebook.com slash Indytoon. They've been doing some wonderful tutorials and their lives. So they're interactive, you can ask the good folks over there. Any questions you have? You can replay it. So watch to see that at their Facebook page. That's right. Today, we are live on Instagram,

another Q&A. These have been pretty popular, actually, even on our You'll Hear at Downloads, on our podcast. And it's because you all have such great questions. I also would suggest go to Open Studio Jazz slash live. You can see all of our live events because we are live like all the time. Yes. We're live seven days a week, at least once a day. We are like, a teenager on TikTok. We're constantly online. That's just how we roll. It's ridiculous.

How's your TikTok game, Adam? I don't even know what that is. Is that some kind of German-made clock? Tika-tok, don'tka-shed. Tika-tac-Tac-Tac-Tac. The hell is TikTok. No, I know what it is. I have it on my phone.

I've ventured in a couple times. It looked fun for five minutes, and I'm too old for it. Nice. Okay, should we get into the questions? What are we doing? Are we talking about TikTok or we doing a jazz podcast? What's up?

No, no, no, we're talking about jazz. I got a question here from Nas V-F-C, N-A-S-V-F-C says. Transcribing a B-flat blues, I noticed a solo that hit G-flat a lot, but not part of any of the relevant B-flat scales I can think of. Why is G-flat, quote-unquote, good there? Flat 13 for B-flat? Stronger dominant sound? So, yeah, possibly.

But it really depends on. on not having heard the solo or seeing the context that these G-flats are in, it could be a number of things. If it's like on the first bar, it could be some kind of melodic movement, you know, the fifth going up to the six with this chromatic thing and then up to the seventh. If it's on the ninth bar where like the C is,

maybe it's a C-7-11, or maybe it's an F-7-flat-9, or maybe it's a B-flat-7-13 going an E-flat. I don't know. But those are all options, by the good options for a G-flat over a B-flat. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, this type of, however you're looking at it, and the important thing is to listen as you're practicing or kind of, you know, checking to see how it sounds. Because, you know, our tendency always is to be like, does this work here?

And then abandoning if it doesn't. And yeah, you shouldn't play something that doesn't work for what you're trying to do or if it doesn't sound good. But in terms of practice, you should be making note of what it sounds like because that's the ear. training part of it. Ear training works whether you whether you're playing well or not. You know, training your ear is like what to do and what not to do also and what doesn't work in this situation might work somewhere else. So we're always paying attention. We're always listening. And that's part of the key too to have that kind of mindset where you're not approaching your ear training from a theoretical standpoint. You're you're approaching your ear training from more of

a holistic or organic standpoint, a non-GMO, if you will. And so, you know, you're, you're, you know, that's just something to think about as you go. And I think it can always be, you know, we always need to be pulled back to that because the theory is super interesting. Like, wow, that's the sharper level. But I mean, to make a hard and fast rule, there's so many exceptions that we got to use our ears. We got to train our ears. Yeah, it's awesome.

Christian asks, Adam, what was it like to smoke with Barry Harris? I know what you're talking about Christian. First of all, Christian. I had mentioned, I forget even where it was. We're live all the time, man. I forget where I tell these anecdotes. But it was on the internet. it was I was I mentioned that I had done a clinic I'd done a couple clinics with Barry Harris as like the guinea pig at the piano and and one and I was very young and I still smoked marble reds and one he said you have very good technique but let me show you something he goes he goes do you speak you smoke I can smell it I was like yes and he's like get out your pack of cigarettes I got out my pack of cigarettes and he's like I forget who told them maybe Hank Jones had told them someone had told them put your cigarettes in your hand like this and that's your technique and play the piano with it like holding

the box of cigarettes, like long ways, you know? Wow. So I didn't actually smoke with him at all. I don't think he smokes, if I recall correctly anymore. But, you don't get to be 97 or whatever with a, and I don't smoke anymore either, by the way, kids. But the idea was that you, it limits how you can move your fingers. So you just use your hand more as that weight. And you can see, like, strong bebop guys doing this technique a lot.

Yes. Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. I think I learned something. When I first learned violin, the bow hold is like that kind of reminded me a little bit of that. But it was like, you know, Suzuki method. It started with like a chopstick instead of a bow because the bows are kind of fragile and expensive or whatever.

Yeah. Yeah. Some similar kind of handholding. Cool. All right. How about one here from is this Mitchell. What are the things not to do when comping? What are some things you have seen in either a performance or students that generally don't work?

We only have an hour, Mitchell. I know. But I love, you know what? I love negative questions. By negative, I mean like, you know, questions that are, tell me what not to do. Because that's actually can be a very effective way to learn, you know, a process of elimination. And, you know, sometimes the things that we need to do are not as easily obtainable as removing the things that we, that we, shouldn't be doing. And, you know, just like the previous questions, this is always in the lens of, like,

what sounds good. Okay, I got to take these glasses off. I look like my great grandmother. Sorry, man. No, man, they look good. Okay, I'll put it back on. Yeah. Okay. So, uh, anyway, you look smarter somehow when it's the darker rims. I don't know why. Isn't that weird how we eat? Yeah. Um, so, you know, comping, the biggest thing, and, you know, the, the best way to start to sound good at comping really is removing stuff that you are overplaying or that you're not listening to and then being additive because you really you know it's such a supportive thing you are accompanying we can never forget that comping is short for accompanying so it has to start from a place of listening even if you're comping behind yourself even if you're comping behind a horrible busy player then

you just lay out that's easy you know you don't want to get involved with that don't get don't get don't get your hands dirty with that so you know we're stepping back and so we're identifying the things the things that you don't want to do are generally under the the category of not accompanying well like playing things that may sound good or that you've planned out but they have nothing to do with what the soloist or what your right hand if you're accompanying and your left hand is doing so you just got to put on that thing of like I'm going to totally listen and only add in things that are going to that are that are going to be good so when you when you don't do things we can't say for a blanket thing like this kind of yeah in precise a comping where the rhythm is kind of when the music calls for it to be more precise. Of course, you don't do that. But on the other hand, you don't want to play very rhythmically precise comping that's overplaying or pushing the solace to somewhere that their story isn't going yet either. Yeah, totally, totally.

Yeah. Yeah, that's perfect, actually. That's kind of number one. Is not listening, that's something that you just have to get away from. You know, you have to be there doing the appropriate thing. The other thing that I would stay away from, Mitchell, is like, just using the same voicings all the time, and not even the same voicings,

but really the top note. You know, I was just telling you, Peter, I was just up writing some stuff for the 442s, and I was writing a bunch of sort of accompaniment for like a lead line with the strings, right? And you would never write a string part where it's just like, you know, chords laid down,

like some pianists just lay down their hands, seemingly randomly on the only voicings they know. You know what I mean? Because it sounds terrible. there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a melody to the accompaniment. And a good accompanist, accompanist, you can hear the melody they're playing with the chords. And they sound like a string section would sound like where there's, there's actually a counter melody happening over the melody, or at the very least, it's not just the same chords over and over and over

again, just to, just to, you know, because that's all you know. So really take the time to see if you can learn voicings with every chord that have a different note on the top so that you have melodic choices when you comp. And that way you can create, you know, wonderful appropriate melodies. And that way, too, if the soloist is, say you're on a G major seven and the only G major seven chord you know has a G at the top, but the soloist is singing an F sharp, you know what I mean? You've got to be able to adjust and you've got to be able to not clash. So you want those options. Absolutely. Absolutely. Cool. Let's do one more. and then we'll just remind everybody we are here tomorrow again here at the podcast the you'll hear it podcast those are you listening there with some more Q&As live on Instagram and on the podcast okay from CPU jazz I really like when you guys mention non pianist albums with great piano playing can you guys list a few of your favorite non keyboardist albums with great piano playing okay how long do we have a week two weeks 24 seven you know yeah when I well I'll just I'll start out with every

single John Coltrane record with McCoy Tiner on it. You know, um, and everything, every single Joe Henderson record with McCoy. Exactly. And everybody who's ever made a record that had, you know, McCoy, like, so because I listened to McCoy and I know you did too so much in our formative years up until today, um, I never thought about him as, as being like a side man. I didn't even understand what that meant until later on and I started getting gigs and realized I wasn't getting paid as much as the leader.

Then the concept really, kind of came down. and you know down to the level but the thing was like you know mccoy on all all these great uh cold train records is so um such an equal partner you know so i can't say oh actually i do remember like when i think i first i think it was reaching forth that great impulse early trio record of mccory tini with henry grimes and roy haynes i think that was the first like lp or album that i um that i got or heard or maybe even knew about of mccor i remember i was so excited i was like, wow, he's got his own records too. And I didn't really look at it as any different outside.

It was Trio, you know what I mean? Then the Coltrane Quartet. And then I'd heard him on a lot of Blue Note records, too, you know, Wayne Shorter and Joe Henderson and stuff. So to me, it was always just like McCoy doing his thing. But that's kind of the first one that comes in mind. What about you? I like, you know, unsung hero is Tommy Flanagan on saxophone colossus.

I think that's a great. It's such a moody record. And I think Tommy has a lot to do with that. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Then I'd say Herbie Hancock on, what is it, Fee-5 Fumm, Wayne Shorter, you know, I mean, but Herbie on any, like, as a sideman on anything on Bluno, or for that matter, on anything, on anything, you know. Yeah, that's right.

Oh, but I got one more. Keith Jarrett on show. I knew you were going to go, Keith. I knew it. I knew it. Just because that's, is that the only record? Well, of course, with Miles, too. All the miles, but that's really the most you can hear.

or Keith being a quote unquote sideman. Right. Oh, no, I have one more, though. Keith's sideman, I think. If I can remember this record, do do, do, de, de, be itle, that's the trouble player in that. The name of the record is New High, G-N-U. Oh, yeah. Kenny Wheeler.

Kenny Wheeler. That's a great record. That's a great record. Yeah, yeah. We can't play any of it on social media because they'll take our houses away. Actually, the fact that we, I just sang that. You're saying, I sang it so bad. I'm not, ECM is a bad, they're haters.

They're blockers. I can't say they're haters. They're blockers for sure. Well, thanks everybody for joining us on our first edition of the Q&A. Join us for tomorrow for another Instagram Q&A. Keep your questions coming. We're there every Saturday on Instagram at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Don't forget to go to anytune.us.

You'll hear it to check out probably the greatest tool that you can use besides your instrument to play music. That's AnyTune. Amazing. audio tool to learn jazz. Yeah, and check out their tutorials on their Facebook page, but also just to give you, I'll just wet your appetite. I'm not even going to tell you how this works, but check out the loop trainer on the IndyTune app.

A way to start slow and build your speed. It kind of regulates the things that we're always preaching as far as practice, something slowly, really get it, but it kind of builds that in, so it's just kind of one less thing you've got to think about. So check that out. One more plug. out our new guided guide of practice app over on open studio jazz.com.

We'll put a link in for the guide of practice app. We just launched it. It's super cool. I'm really excited about it. It's all the daily guided practice sessions in app form. It's beautiful. Ian Martin did a fantastic job putting it all together. Platform agnostic available for the iPhone or the Android device, depending on your political bent.

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We accept five. That's weird. It's happening way before the pandemic. But okay. Sure. Such a great podcast for piano nerds or anyone who just wants to be a better jazz listener, this podcast is everything you're hoping for. Two pros generously sharing technical advice on how to make it to their level as the jazz pianists.

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