John Pisano's Jazz Guitar Comping Masterclass

Book excerpt: Are you bored of playing the same old jazz guitar chords? Playing rhythm guitar is one thing, but going beyond that to connect the chords with beautiful melodic phrasing is called comping. John Pisano is one of the all-time greats of jazz rhythm guitar and has worked with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Burt Bacharach, Natalie Cole, Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall and many more. Plus, for over 35 years, he was also Joe Pass' guitar duo partner, racking up dozens of iconic jazz guitar recordings. Learn Authentic Jazz Comping Skills with a Master In Jazz Guitar Comping Masterclass, John Pisano shares his creative guitar chord movements over a selection of the most famous jazz standards. Naturally, you'll learn some immaculately crafted comping arrangements, but there's so much more! You'll go way beyond the typical jazz rhythm guitar parts most guitarists use, and learn to play beautifully voiced movements that decorate the chords and become an integral part of the tune itself... ... If you took away the rest of the band, your guitar part would stand alone and still entertain the crowd. What You'll Learn First, you'll take a deep dive into John's unique strategies for creating comping movements. Here, you'll discover the tools you can use to develop your own stunning arrangements. In a clearly illustrated, step-by-step guide, you'll learn how to: - Artistically embellish any chord sequence with inside and outside movements - Add related chords to create moving chord phrases - Connect multiple voicings of chords across the range of the neck to expand your palette - Arrange any voicing to triple your creative options - Harmonize chords using 6th voicings for a fresh new approach to rhythm - Use diminished shapes to connect chords and add harmonic tension to any sequence