Red Garland comping rhythms

[pamosmusic]

Not too much to talk about here, but when I'm working on comping with students, I try to start with set pieces –– set rhythms, predetermined approach chords. Over time they figure out how those things work and start to get a comfortable with improvising within those limitations. In the past, I've used rhythms from big bands and other characteristic rhythms, but there was some talk here several months ago about using Red Garland's style as a framework after a person is feeling comfortable with the Freddie Green, four on the floor vibe.

In general, his style is awesome for combining some of these elements –– rhythm, space, and chord movement –– but trying to explain anticipation and delay is kind of abstract, so I found myself writing rhythms down a lot, and eventually decided it was time to make a worksheet for it. Anyhoo ... feedback welcome.

red garland comping rhythms.pdf - Google Drive

[AllanAllen]

Simple to explain, hard to master.

[pamosmusic]

Simple to explain, hard to master.

He speaks the truth.

(and for what it’s worth, the worksheet is because it’s even a bit harder to explain when you get into the particulars haha)

[henryrobinett]

Great. My old teacher Warren Nunes told us to listen to Red Garland for comping. Simple. Elegant. Perfect. Never gets in the way.


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[pamosmusic]

I’ve always liked the 50s Miles for comping stuff and jacked a lot of rhythms from those groups, with red garland and wynton kelly, but I should credit djg here with pointing out the half note pattern in red garland. Didnt notice until then how many of his rhythms are just half notes or half notes displaced in very simple ways (most frequently, it seems, anticipating beat one)

[pamosmusic]

(We have this tendency — or maybe it’s just me — to steal the “interesting” rhythms, and ignore how frequently guys are playing the “boring” ones)

[PMB]

Garland's comping style could be reduced to rhythmic variations of the 'Charleston' pattern (usually represented by a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note).

I teach this concept via a 12-bar jazz blues where the figure shifts an eighth note from the 'and of 1' to the '3' and back again on odd bars alternating with the basic pattern on even bars.

[mr. beaumont]

(We have this tendency — or maybe it’s just me — to steal the “interesting” rhythms, and ignore how frequently guys are playing the “boring” ones)

Truth!

Time for my favorite Emily Remler quote (regarding the Charleston)

"Nothing is corny if it SWINGS."

[AllanAllen]

Garland's comping style could be reduced to rhythmic variations of the 'Charleston' pattern (usually represented by a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note).

I teach this concept via a 12-bar jazz blues where the figure shifts an eighth note from the 'and of 1' to the '3' and back again on odd bars alternating with the basic pattern on even bars.

It’d be great if you could post a clip of this. I struggle reading rhythms.

[pamosmusic]

Garland's comping style could be reduced to rhythmic variations of the 'Charleston' pattern (usually represented by a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note).

I teach this concept via a 12-bar jazz blues where the figure shifts an eighth note from the 'and of 1' to the '3' and back again on odd bars alternating with the basic pattern on even bars.

Yessss. I have (mostly just loose leaf photo-copies) the Mick Goodrick factorial rhythm book. I never got through much because I never made it passed the charleston rhythm.

I once transcribed all the hits in The Quintessence (the song, not the album) and almost all of them were transpositions of the charleston.

Anyway ... I like thinking about the anticipations and delays because a lot of the rhythms it produces are transpositions of the charleston (generally the rhythms people find awkward are the ones that are not), but it reduces them down to the most common ones, and also gives people a little logic behind why they were so well. Pushing and pulling the chords against the harmonic rhythm of the tune, etc.

It also tends to make the placement of chords a little more straightforward. Gives a useful means of sorting out where to put approach chords if someone is working on that. And I always had trouble getting people to understand why that chord on the and of four really belongs to the next measure. When you think of it literally as beat one but scooted back a half beat, then it’s easier to understand: just play what you would’ve played on the downbeat.

Cool. Thanks for posting this.

[PMB]

Thanks Peter for the response and your own excellent examples.

Yes, that anticipation 'and of four' is a hard one for many people to both conceive and play. I think it's because for the sake of convenience, we tend to grow up learning songs and seeing written musical examples that begin on the 1st beat whereas that same beat is commonly a point of arrival and resolution in a jazz phrase.

[PMB]

Here you go, Allan:

[AllanAllen]

Thanks a lot!