On "Road Song," as well as in his DVD "Contemporary Dobro Artistry," Rob Ickes uses some very interesting "comping" techniques on the highbass G-tuned reso that I'm trying to learn. Here's what I've been able to pull thus far from my informal studies.
1. The most basic comping chord Rob uses is the straight barred chord (usually just root, fifth, root, played on strings 643). As it has niether a major nor a minor 3rd, it can function as either a major or a minor chord, depending on what harmonies or melodies the other musician is playing. If you're going for the minor, be sure to mute those B strings as they can otherwise vibrate sympathetically, especially if you slide into the chord!
2. Another straight barred "chord" (like the former, it really only has two notes, so is not "technically" a chord) Rob uses to get an implied minor sound involves playing the root on the low B string and then adding the minor 3rd on the low or high D string. He uses this move, for instance, on "Ireland, Love of My Heart."
3. To get dominant 7th chords, Rob tends to use slants (except when open strings provide for other options). Either reverse slanting on strings 1 and 3 or 6 and 4, or forward slanting on 3 and 4 allows him to get the major 3rd and dominant 7th.
4. Another comping technique Rob uses involves playing the root with an octave and doing a walking bass-line kind of thing. See "I Am a Pilgrim."
5. Rob also seems to be able to get something that sounds like chord inversions by just playing two notes of a given chord in a different register. To do this effectively, I think one really would have to know the fretboard backwards and fowards, something I'm still working on. How to get diminished minor 7 chords, or 9th, 11th, and 13th chords on the 6 string, G-tuned reso is beyond me.
6. Once in a while, Rob will also play single note lines that seem to follow part of a chordal progression. My music theory isn't as good as it should be, but I think Rob does this on "Take the 'A' Train," at the turnaround of the "A" section. If anyone can explain how this works, it'd be much appreciated.
Can anyone think of any other comping techniques that are useful on the reso? Does anyone know how someone like Stacy Phillips (whose music I am still largely unfamiliar with) or Mike Auldridge approaches comping?
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David,
Thanks for your analysis of Rob Ickes’ comping techniques! I’ve been into this stuff for a couple of years. If you sometimes join a local gypsy swing jam sessions like I do, you have to be well prepared!
I recognize the things you describe from the Dobro Artistry dvd. I have similar solutions, but I use more slants than Rob does. Over the years I’ve written down all the chords I discovered . My list includes all the chords you mentioned: the 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th , but also min7b5
and -7b9 and 13b9’s… you name it. Minor chords and major7 type chords are the most difficult ones to play. Many of them are three string slants, often with one string pulled up a bit for reasons of intonation.
But being able to play those chords is not the whole story. The tempo is often to fast to get all those chords down (often two or more chords in every measure!).
I also try to find simple two note ‘chord’ solutions for common progressions, that I can apply everywhere on the neck. It’s often a couple of reverse or forward slants after another, followed by maybe a straight bar for a minor or major chord like Rob does. Two notes aren’t a chord, but they can do the job (and John Scofield uses this method too!). Needless to say that jazz theory comes in handy, as you already wrote. You can wake me up at night for substitution theory and stuff like parallel chords (not sure if it’s the right term).
An example: S4/f4, S3/f5, S2/f5 is a D9, but it’s also a Amin6, a F#m7b5 and a G#aug7! The chord shape that Rob uses for dom7 chords has similar posibilities. Make theory work for you….
The other thing is how to play rhythm. I asked Stacy Phillips about this when he was in Amsterdam a couple of years ago: “Like a jazz piano player”, he said!
I hope this answers your question.
I (think) I hear Rob using this for a Dom 7th straight bar voicing: S5/f5, S3/f5 (this is a G on the bottom and an E on the top - the 7th and 5th of A chord - for an A7 voicing)
I think he plays S4/f5, S2/f5 for an A7;-)
that's what I meant - i knew it waas wrong when I typed it....
Would someone tell me what the comping thing is. I'm wondering if I do it and don't know it. Maybe cause I don't know what it is.
aka PLTreso
Comping is kinda like what bluegrass guys might call "rythm playing" or "chop" - or maybe "playing backup" - its what the rhythm section does while the soloist is soloing - playing the changes - the problem that folks are discussing is that when you are comping swing or jazz changes on the guitar, piano, etc. you try to play interesting patterns and movement in the chords (not just repeating the same chord voicings, played the same way) - and on dobro it is challenging to play more complex chords in more than one way.
By the way, for an interesting read on this idea in general in jazz, see "Saying Something" - a book that looks at jazz from the standpoint not of the soloist or composer, but from the view of the rhythm section.
Move the bar up 3 frets from any position and you'll find a 5th and a 7th of that chord on strings 5,4, and 2,1 for a dominant(v chord) 7th partial, a minor 3rd and a 5th on strings 6,5 and 3,2 for a minor chord partial, or played all together for a minor 7th that's missing the root. Drop your 6th string 3 half steps and you have the full min 7th chord.... what blackcombe calls "salmon tuning"!
Also, methinks "comping" is just short for accompanying?
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I'm not a big twitter, ditter, pitter, or texter, so I don't know all these short words. Or should I say pieces of words. Oh, I ain't cool either.
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