Comping (jazz)

This article is about musical accompaniment. For production technique, see Comping (post-production). For other uses, see Comp.
"Charleston" rhythm, simple rhythm commonly used in comping.[1] Play exampleⓘ

In jazz, comping (an abbreviation of accompaniment;[2] or possibly from the verb, to "complement") is the chords, rhythms, and countermelodies that keyboard players (piano or organ), guitar players, or drummers use to support a musician's improvised solo or melody lines. It is also the action of accompanying, and the left-hand part of a solo pianist.[3]

  1. ^ Hughes (2002), p.6.
  2. ^ [1] "Glossary of Jazz Swing" from Mezz Mezzrow's 1946 biography"
  3. ^ Hughes, Fred (2002). The Jazz Pianist: Left Hand Voicings and Chord Theory, p.5. ISBN 9780757993152.