Hal Crook

How To Comp

This book/audio set presents a clear, comprehensive, one-step-at-a-time method for learning how to accompany an improvised jazz solo. As a sequel to Hal Crook's text "How to Improvise", "How to Comp" offers precise explanations, practical exercises, recorded musical examples, four play-along tracks, and daily practice routines. "How to Comp" organizes a vast amount of information that helped to make the author's previous work "a major contribution to jazz pedagogy". "How to Comp" is primarily for intermediate through advanced level players of harmonic instruments, e.g. piano (keyboard), guitar and vibraphone. However, drummers, bassists and horn players can also benefit from its study. Subject covered include: Voicing construction, preferred stock voicings, voiceleading, constant structure, non-harmonic voicings, single-note lines, rhythmic vocabulary, altering the harmonic rhythm, motive development, dividing and shifting attention, supportive and interactive comping styles, the soloist's viewpoint, pacing, strolling, and much more. In "How to Comp", the author, an accomplished jazz trombonist, pianist, composer, arranger and educator, looks deeply into the nature and challenge of artistic jazz accompaniment and puts into focus a direct, sure path toward mastery.