Rhythmic-Based Improvisation: Comping

Okay, so what I'd like to talk to you about now is rhythmic-based improvisation, or comping as it's known. This is probably something you'll do more often than even lead-based improvisation. It's an absolutely essential skill; being able to keep solid time and come up with interesting and stylistic rhythm parts to accompany a band, a song, or another soloist.

Starting with the Basics

So we're going to start at the very beginning, look at the basics, and just discuss some strum pattern ideas.

The G Major Chord

We're going to take a static chord here, a G major chord. Hopefully, you're all familiar with that great chord. We need to be aware of different rhythmic subdivisions.

Common Rhythmic Subdivisions

Let me demonstrate the most common ones for you:

• Crotchet (Quarter Note):
  "1, 2, 3, 4"
  Playing on every beat of the bar with a downstroke.

• Eighth Notes (Quavers):
  "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and."
  Doubling this would sound like: "1 and 2 and 3 and 4."

• Semiquavers (16th Notes):
  "1 E and A, 2 E and A, 3 E and A, 4 E and A."
  This is played twice as fast, resulting in: "1 E and A, 2 E and A, 3 E and A, 4 E and A."

Practice with a Metronome

These are the three really common subdivisions that you want to be very confident playing. I think it's a great exercise to just stick a metronome on and do exactly what I just demonstrated:

1. Start off with crochets.
2. Once you're in the zone, go into semiquavers (doubling the speed of crochets).
3. Switch back and forth between eighths, crochets, and semiquavers.

Tip: Doing this on a scratchy sound can help you really hear how you're nailing the rhythm, so definitely work on this with a metronome.

Combining Rhythms for Strum Patterns

Now let's take a look at combining some of those rhythms to develop strum patterns. We'll begin with a simple chord progression available in the PDF you can download from the website:

• C Major
• A Minor
• F Major
  • You can play F as a full barre chord or as a little half-bar:
    (third fret on D, second fret on G, barre across B and E strings on the first fret.)
• G Major

Eighth Note-Based Strum Ideas

Let's try some eighth note-based strum ideas to start with:
Count: "1, 2, 3, 4."

• A common eighth note strum pattern includes maintaining the right-hand movement.
• You'll notice that even if I'm not playing every eighth note (like "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and"), my right hand continues in a consistent motion.

Important: Avoid stop-starting with your right hand. Instead of:
"1 and 2 and 3 and 4,"
you want to keep it fluid.

Varying the Pattern

Let me show you the strumming pattern one more time:
If you were to mute the volume, it would look like I'm playing all the eighth notes in the bar, but I'm ghosting over the strings, missing some.

Variations

• There are lots of places within the bar where you could miss strums for variations.
• Experiment with different patterns, starting with a single chord until you become comfortable incorporating chord changes.

Dynamics in Strumming

It's important to think about dynamics with your right hand.

• When strumming, if I hit all the strings evenly, it sounds flat and uninteresting.
• Listen to the difference:
  Hitting all the strings at the same dynamic:
  "2, 3, 4."
  Sounds very dull.

Now, with a little dynamic variation:
Count: "3, 4."
This transforms the sound, as varying how hard I hit the strings adds musicality.

Right-Hand Movement

• Remember, you don't have to hit all the strings with every stroke.
  • On downstrokes, you may hit all the strings, but on upstrokes, you might just catch the higher strings.
• This approach creates dynamic flow in your strum pattern.

Ghosting with 16th Note Rhythms

Let's take it a step further and look at ghosting with 16th note rhythms.

Example on G Chord

On a G chord:
Count: "2, 3."
This is more of a 16th note-based pattern.

• In passages of eighth notes, they become played as downstrokes.
• For instance, I began the pattern with "one and two" as three downs instead of "down, up, down."

Maintaining Motion

It's crucial to keep your right hand moving at the 16th note pace.

• When creating strum patterns, imagine your shortest subdivision to maintain consistent motion.

Musical Application

You'll find that many songs you know will have similar rhythms and dynamics.

• These principles are vital for achieving a truly musical sound.
• Also, ensure that you're aware of dynamics; don't hit the strings evenly all the time.

Practice and Submission

Feel free to experiment with all the examples on the PDF. If you'd like to record yourself coming up with your own strum patterns, please send them in! It would be great to hear them, and we can provide feedback.