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PHOTOGRAPH
NISMS!
COMPING ON GUITAR / BY ANDY ELLIS
H S B Y:
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ORGANISMS!
BOSS TWO-FINGER VOICINGS
Guitarists routinely play huge voicings. Consider the E-grip barre chord: It occupies only
three frets, but spans two octaves. Because organists typically comp with one hand while playing a fill or line with the other, they favor chords
with much smaller ranges. Although some keyboard players can comfortably reach a tenth (an
interval of an octave plus a third) with one hand,
well restrict our voicings to a less super-human
range of one octave.
In most cases, this forces us to comp on three
adjacent strings. Check it out: Ex. 1 shows a IIV-I progression thats built from tight, organapproved grips on the fifth, fourth, and third
strings. For convenience, were in the key of
Anot a beloved key of jazz organists, who typically gravitate to C, F, and G, as well as such
horn keys as Bb, Eb, and Ab.
Notice how these chords are all rootless. Organists can easily finger four notes within a oneoctave spread, but when we play jazzy extended
and altered chords on only three strings, as in
this example, we have to sacrifice the root in order to include the important color tones. In band
settings, the bass establishes the root, so you
dont miss it. When youre practicing on your
own, however, stripped-down jazzy voicings can
sometimes sound ambiguouseven strange. If
youre having trouble hearing a voicing in its musical context, preview its root before fretting the
chord.
Lets zoom in on Ex. 1s chord tones to get
Ex. 1
A9
(I)
Freely
A7 5
A13
D 9
A9
(I)
4
()
4
()
1
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
2
1
D9
(IV)
O R G A N I C S E C R E T S
AND TIMBRAL TIPS
T
A
B
9
9
10
11
11
10
Freely
9
10
9
8
9
8
9
9
10
E9
D11
(IV)
(V)
D9
A9
(I)
4
4
2
1
2
1
2
1
sible.
Approach slides carefully. Sometimes
organists gliss from point to point, but when
they do, you can hear each key they cross as
E7 9
Ex. 2
10
11
10
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
T
A
B
12
12
11
11
12
11
11
10
10
9
10
9
9
9
10
board.
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AE
95
bar 1, notice how the same grip yields two different chordsG9 and G6. The first voicing is
rootless: F, A, D or b7, 9, 5. The second is G, B,
E, or 1, 3, 6. Composed of perfect fourths, bar
2s G11 has an open, restless sound.
Find the top note in each of these four
chords, and then play the tones as a line (D, E,
F, E). This is the same figure (5, 6, b7) Chuck
Berry uses to underpin his classic rock-and-roll
guitar grooves, but in this case, it rides on top
of the harmony. The parenthetical low notes indicate a bass run played on organ pedals. To em-
ORGANISMS!
the effort to memorize all six of these two-fingered voicings and learn where they lie in all
your favorite keys.
GETTING PUNCHY
Inspired by Big John Pattons Let Em Roll,
Ex. 3 illustrates the kind of harmonic stabs that
form the backbone of many organ grooves. In
Ex. 3
= 128-144
3
G9
G6
G11
G6
4
4
)
)
(
(
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
T
A
B
(0
7
7
8
3)
9
9
10
10
10
10
9
9
10
(0
3)
Ex. 4
= 84-100
3
C9
=
44
1
2
3
3
3
8
10
8 9 10
10 8
10
T
A
B
1
2
8
8 9
8
10
8
8 9
10 8
7
7 8
8 7
10
10
10
Ex. 5
= 96-126
3
G9
4
4
=
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
T
A
B
6
7
5
5 6 5
5
5
7
7
8
Ex. 6
= 80-116
3
G7
=
4
4
1
2
2
3
3
3
3
1
1
1
trem.
T
A
B
3
3 4
3
5
5
5
6
7
5
5
5
3
3 4
3
I can play guitar so funky, until it brings teardrops to your eyes. John Lee Hooker, Aug. 92, GP
3
3 4
3
5
5
5
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ORGANISMS!
string, well finger these two notes as a harmonic
interval and quickly strum them. Sustaining a
smooth tremolo for three beats takes practice,
so start at a relaxed tempo and slowly work up
to speed.
Next time youre comping a slow 12-bar
shuffle, substitute this lick for each chord in the
progression. For instance, here, were outlining
G7. Move to the eighth position for C7 and the
tenth position for D7.
In Ex. 7, a lovely I-IV riff distilled from Blues
All Day Long by Richard Groove Holmes, we
start sketching Bb7 above the Bb blues box, drop
down into it, and finally emerge below it to catch
Eb9, the IV chord. Whats particularly significant
is how bar 1s double-stops all stem from a 1stfinger partial barre. No doubt youve played these
Ex. 8 ) comes
This groovy turnaround (E
courtesy of McDuff by way of Grant Greens
Blues in Maude's Flat. Pop this two-bar
B 7
(I)
= 104-116
3
=
P L AY I N G C H A N G E S
A STEPWISE TURNAROUND
Ex. 7
E 9
(IV)
44
1
2
9
9 10
T
A
B
1
1
1
2
8
9 8
6
6 7
2
1
6
6
5
Ex. 8
= 104-116
3
G7
4
4
=
1
2
3
3
3
T
A
B
3
3 4
5 3
5
5
5
3
3 4
3
Ex. 9
C9
F9
(I)
(IV)
= 100-126
3
=
44
3
4
2
1
1
1
2
( )
T
A
B
13
11 12
13
11 10
13
13
10
13 10
12
10
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12
12
12 13
1312 13
13
12 11
13
13
11
13 10
12
10
12
12 13
12
ORGANISMS!
B O O G A L O O B A C K B E AT S
Ex. 10
C9
= 132-160
44
1
1
3
2
1
3 1
3
3
T
A
B
13
12
11 12
11
10
10
10
8
8
8
10
10
12
10 10
12
13
12
10
Ex. 11
C9
(I)
= 92-108
3
=
F9
(IV)
C9
(I)
F9
(IV)
44
3
1
1
2
1
2
3
1
1
1
2
2
1
T
A
B
10
8 9 8 9
8
8
10
10
8 10
10
7 8 7 8
7
7
10
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7 10
10
8 9 8 9
8
8
10
10
8 10
10
11
12
10
10
10
8
8 9
10 8
10 8
10
7 8
7
O N WA R D
ORGANISMS!
You canand shouldsnap apart and recombine all the moves and phrases weve covered in these dozen examples. To comp well, you
neednt know 100 different patterns, but rather
how to transpose and reconfigure five cool maneuvers in 20 ways. Think of it as musical recycling. If youre crafty, you can create the illusion of having an endless supply of grooves.
To see how the masters play this game,
search out Blue Bash! by Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Smith, Smiths Back at the Chicken Shack
(which also includes Burrell), The Honeydripper
by Jack McDuff (featuring Grant Green), and the
excellent two-CD collection The Blue Note Years,
Organ and Soul.
g
E9
(V)
= 88-120
3
D9
(IV)
A9
(I)
4
4
3
3
=
4
2
4
2
1
1
2
T
A
B
12
11 12
12
11 10
12
10
12 9
10
9 10
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9 8
10
10 7
10
8 9
10
8 7
10
10 7
10
9
9
10