Introduction
We’ve already discussed how to ‘comp in an earlier lesson, where I explained how to accompany an instrumental soloist. In this lesson we will briefly discuss how to comp for a vocalist. As we’ll soon see, a lot of the same rules apply, but there are also a couple of unique factors to take into consideration when comping for singers.
The most important factor to consider is the fact that the voice, unlike most instruments, is not tuned to a specific note or tuning system. It doesn’t have fixed notes, like keys on a piano or frets on a guitar. And unfortunately, because singing is a natural human impulse, singers (who don’t also know how to play an instrument) often don’t know very much music theory. You can easily learn to sing by ear and not bother learning to read notes, or play chords, or understand harmonic progressions. This is, of course, a broad generalisation, so apologies to singers (of which I am not one). This means your comping should generally be relatively simple.
Comp for a Vocalist
The first obvious thing to note is that the singer is in charge of the melody and the ‘comper (you) is in charger of the accompaniment. As a ‘comper your primary responsibilities are to keep the beat and rhythm going, and the play the harmony.
When comping you obviously need to learn the chords, using appropriate voicings, and appropriate left hand techniques, like stride or walking basslines or ostinatos basslines. That’s a given when comping for any instrument. But when comping for a singer specifically, there are essentially two other things you need to keep in mind:
- Keep it simple
- Don’t overpower the singer
Keep it Simple, Stupid
Because the voice has no fixed key or notes, it is relies on the harmony to find the notes required to sing the melody (unless the singer has perfect pitch, of course). So when you comp for a vocalist, keep it simple! Specifically, this means keeping your harmony and your rhythm simple, for example:
- Play simple 7th chords using regular tertian harmony – unless the singer is Ella Fitzgerald, using chromatically descending quartal chords will probably throw them off.
- Occasionally use voicings with the melody note on top – this gives the singer a reference point
- Use a solid walking bassline to outline the chords and keep the rhythm going – a steady rhythm allows the singer to delay and anticipate the melody and still have that clear rhythmic reference point. If the singer starts singing behind the beat and you start comping behind the beat, you’re both going to drag and get lost.
So the idea is to give the singer a rhythmic and harmonic reference point and an anchor to hold on to. By playing something quite simple and steady, you allow the singer to be a bit more expressive and experimental.
It’s Not About You
The other thing to do when you comp for a vocalist is to not overpower the singer. The singer is the star of the show, you’re just there to accompany the singer. So:
- Lower your volume – especially if you’re playing with a soft singer
- Stay out of the singers range – if you’re comping a soprano, play a walking bassline in the bottom register and chords in the middle. If you’re comping a tenor, play in a walking bassline in the bottom register and fills at the top.
- Counter the singer (i.e. do the opposite) – When the singer is singing busily, play sparely. When the singer is not singing, play a bit busier. It’s really hard to sing over a John Coltrane solo.
- Use breaks – this is where you stop playing and let the vocalist sing a few line on their own. Conversely, during breaks in the melody, feel free to insert a little fill.
And that’s really it. If you follow those few simple ideas when you comp for a vocalist, that should be enough. And obviously, you need to agree on a key, style and tempo with the singer before the performance, but that’s a given.
Apologies in Advance
Now, I’m not much of a singer, but to demonstrate the above I will demean myself for your benefit in the below video by singing and comping for myself. I will attempt to sing a great little Jazz-Blues song by Mose Allison called I Don’t Worry ‘Bout a Thing. As I’m doing so, pay attention to the walking bassline that’s keeping the rhythm going, the simple harmonies I am using (mostly just 7th chords with the occasional 9th added), the fills I insert in between the melody, the use of side-slipping, and the breaks I insert to emphasise the melody and create a bit of contrast. So enjoy and apologies in advance.
