• If you haven't done so already, please add a location to your profile. This helps when people are trying to assist you, suggest resources, etc. Thanks (Click the "X" to the top right of this message to disable it)

comping

Status
Not open for further replies.

andrewjohnsson40

Active member
Joined
May 21, 2017
Messages
170
Reaction score
1
I would say that piano comping and accordion is a bit different for me. On the accordion I simply play eg 1-chord-5-chord by depressing simple buttons. If you look at my photos you can see country comping with two hands (from a piano book). You also see simple comping for LH with melody in RH.
How can I play the accordion LH comping on the piano? What are the notes? Are there some other ways you would do it on the piano?
And how would you play those two-handed comping on the accordion?
I have teachers (in both piano and accordion) but would still be interested in your thoughts and experiences.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2L5xsb5GUvYnKGGV2
 
Not quite sure I will understand the question. Can you give a concrete example of what you mean.?
 
henrikhank post_id=48683 time=1500213826 user_id=2321 said:
1 - How can I play the accordion LH comping on the piano? What are the notes? Are there some other ways you would do it on the piano?
2 - And how would you play those two-handed comping on the accordion?
1 - The same way as on a piano. Bass note on the left hand, matching cords on the right.
2 - You cannot, due yo the limited range...not unless you have a Free Bass accordion, that is. With that, you literally play it just like on the piano, but are of course limited to 4 fingers on the left hand instead of 5.
 
Glenn post_id=48699 time=1500240357 user_id=61 said:
Not quite sure I will understand the question. Can you give a concrete example of what you mean.?
Well, I would like to know how to play the LH accordion comping on the piano.
Or are there better ways to transfer the accordion LH comping to the piano?
You saw my photos of the LH hand/right hand comping for the country piano. My teacher said that its ok to play this way.
Is this something you yourself use when comping music on the accordion?
 
henrikhank post_id=48683 time=1500213826 user_id=2321 said:
How can I play the accordion LH comping on the piano? What are the notes?

Generally, youll have to learn the individual notes that make up the chords. On accordion, these are programmed into each chord button, but on piano you have to know them all yourself. Start with basic major chords, root position, in common keys.

Then youll need to learn the inversions (different voicings... the order in which you play the notes of a chord) of those chords.

Finally, youll need to build the ability to quickly chose an inversion/voicing of any given chord so that it appropriately voice leads (minimizes jumping your hand around).

Alternatively, there are some accordion arrangements (German ones, in particular) where they actually write out all the notes of the chord that the left hand plays. You can play the accompaniment on a piano directly from the bass clef!

And how would you play those two-handed comping on the accordion?

Either with one hand, using the bass and chord buttons for your normal oom-pah accompaniment, or with two hands, playing just the bass notes in the LH and playing full chords in the RH.

There are some accordion pieces where the RH sometimes does actually assume the role of the chord buttons, freeing up the left hand to, for example, take over the melody. Sharpshooters March is a famous example of that.
 
Could somebody define what comping is, first on the accordion and then on the piano? :oops:
 
Glenn post_id=48728 time=1500307686 user_id=61 said:
Could somebody define what comping is, first on the accordion and then on the piano? :oops:

Short for accompanying (but still pronounced like it rhymes with pomp and not pump), it basically means playing an appropriate accompanying pattern, based on the chord of the moment.

How you comp varies based on style and instrument. In the jazz idiom, even drummers comp (thats what you call those random-seeming snare hits they toss in).

Some folks might also call it vamping--theres even a book on piano accompanying called Interview with a Vamper. But to me vamp more strongly implies comp on a repeating cycle of chords until the singer figures out how to turn the mic on and starts singing the tune proper. :D
 
according to the Oxford dictionary 'vamping' is simply ''to improvise a musical accompanyment''. That is precisely what good by earists do with the bass and indeed with 'handfuls' of treble notes, working simply on the basis of if it sounds right it is right.
Sometimes I think that trying to theorise a spontanious action can chuck the baby out with the bathwater ,so to speak1

george :evil: ;)
 
Glad to see I wasn't going senile and comping is "simply" accompanying.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
JeffJetton post_id=48727 time=1500307545 user_id=1774 said:
henrikhank post_id=48683 time=1500213826 user_id=2321 said:
How can I play the accordion LH comping on the piano? What are the notes?

Generally, youll have to learn the individual notes that make up the chords. On accordion, these are programmed into each chord button, but on piano you have to know them all yourself. Start with basic major chords, root position, in common keys.

Then youll need to learn the inversions (different voicings... the order in which you play the notes of a chord) of those chords.

Finally, youll need to build the ability to quickly chose an inversion/voicing of any given chord so that it appropriately voice leads (minimizes jumping your hand around).

Alternatively, there are some accordion arrangements (German ones, in particular) where they actually write out all the notes of the chord that the left hand plays. You can play the accompaniment on a piano directly from the bass clef!

And how would you play those two-handed comping on the accordion?

Either with one hand, using the bass and chord buttons for your normal oom-pah accompaniment, or with two hands, playing just the bass notes in the LH and playing full chords in the RH.

There are some accordion pieces where the RH sometimes does actually assume the role of the chord buttons, freeing up the left hand to, for example, take over the melody. Sharpshooters March is a famous example of that.
I was actually looking for the exact notes I play in the left hand. Wherw can I find these?
 
[/quote]
I was actually looking for the exact notes I play in the left hand. Wherw can I find these?
[/quote]

On the bass keyboard - where else! Seriously though, holding a treble note or chord and experimenting with bass notes chords until you find a combination that you like works well and with practice finding nice combinations should become fairly intuitive.

For those for whom 'pocking and prodding'' goes against the grain the only alternative is a highly detailed set of dots so you can play what somebody has previously sorted out.

george
 
Wikipedia has a very useful page on the Stradella bass, including a 120-bass chart that shows you which notes are in each chord. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradella_bass_system

I made a version that shows only the 78 basses on my Pigini, laminated it and keep it permanently on the music stand. Very useful.

<ATTACHMENT filename=78 bass layout.jpg index=0>
 

Attachments

  • 78 bass layout.jpg
    78 bass layout.jpg
    244.3 KB · Views: 2,112
henrikhank post_id=48780 time=1500479474 user_id=2321 said:
I was actually looking for the exact notes I play in the left hand. Wherw can I find these?

This is going to be another one of those times when I suggest shooting for understanding over just referring to a chart or cheat sheet. Sorry. 8-)

First, you gotta know your major scales.

Got em? Good. Moving on...

Major chords are built based on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the respective scale. Wanna know how to play a C major chord? Just play notes 1, 3, and 5 of the C major scale (C, E, G) and there you have it! The recipe for major chords is 1 3 5.

Minor chords are the same, except that the 3rd (that is, the second note in the chord, which is the third note of the scale) is lowered by a half-step. So a C minor chord is C, Eb, and G. The minor chord recipe is 1 b3 5.

Dominant 7th chords and Diminished chords also have their own recipes, but dont worry about that until you get a good running start with simple major and minor chords.

Added twist: You dont have to arrange the notes of the chord in scale order. You can put some in a different octave. In fact, the buttons in the left hand often will do this. Your C major chord button might actually play (from lowest to highest pitch): G-C-E or E-G-C. It can vary from accordion to accordion.
 
I am aware of how to find chords with my LH. The question is all about what exact notes the 1-chord-5-chord are made up of.
How it would look like if it was written for piano, ie with piano sheet music.
 
henrikhank post_id=48886 time=1500806737 user_id=2321 said:
I am aware of how to find chords with my LH. The question is all about what exact notes the 1-chord-5-chord are made up of.
How it would look like if it was written for piano, ie with piano sheet music.

...which is exactly what I just told you how to figure out in my previous post. :ch
 
I am now in a band with a singer - drums - electric bass - electric guitar
For jazz chords I use bass buttons plus keyboard extensions for basic chords I use buttons plus one or two notes to fatten the sound
Playing at tempos about 180 b p m really sorts you out comping means keeping out of the of the singer or the guitarist when doing a solo
 
Pianoman1 post_id=49205 time=1501801032 user_id=1391 said:
I am now in a band with a singer - drums - electric bass - electric guitar
For jazz chords I use bass buttons plus keyboard extensions for basic chords I use buttons plus one or two notes to fatten the sound

in other words a big handful!

george ;)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top