reel comping

[andrewjohnsson40]

Reels are really interesting.
I found this video: 
The guy in the video said that in reels you only play the bass note when playing a new chord. Thus there is no 1-5 (or somethibg simmilar) in the bass. 
I found his way of playing intetesting but when going through reels on spotify I hear bass on beat 1 and 3. What is going on here? 
You obviously dont want a polka bass for a reel but his idea of bass note only for a new chord...I just dont get it. 
Please explain.

The tune (Engelska) sound kind of soft but when i played it with some accordionists it had more of a polka feel to it than it shouöd I guess. We used the same left hand pattern as for a polka. It didnt exactöy sound like a polka but it did not really aouns soft like in the video.

 

[Tom]

Hey Henri,

Yes, reels are super cool. I'm not that good at musical terminology, etc. But the reel, to me, has a more syncopated feel (lilting) generally than a polka. Notice that in his bass he is generally doing bass, chord on 1 and 3 but he omits the bass in some measures to emphasize the syncopation, thereby matching the melody in the treble.

I can understand just doing the bass in each (or most) measures, especially if it's a quickly played reel. Remember that the reel is made for dancing, and that strong, one bass per measure will propel the dancers.

Good luck! Have you tried St. Anne's?

 

[Tom]

By the way, I love that green 72 bass Ottavianelli. I've never seen one in that shade. Either it's old or made to look retro. Do you like it?

 

[jozz]

I think on Spotify some reels are mistaken for polka's and vice versa. After all sometimes it's hard to tell. Other tunes simply take traits from both forms and combine them into something new.

Usually if you play a polka with swing, it feels like a reel.