Lead players...monologue or dialogue

Jazzaferri

IMO the melody and feel of the song dictate what style of rhythm I use. Some I use modern French style pompe, some Freddy Green swing style, some I try and emulate Django's style (emphasis on try LOL) some my own version of upstroke pompe or bass note chord style. Sometimes in the band we change style between the vocal and the solo choruses. Let the song lead the way kinda thing.

But the most important and hardest skill to develop is listening.

One thing I have learned, whether playing sax or guitar, if I can't hear what the band is playing (or the soloist in a jam) I am waaaay too loud.

As far as teaching goes, I beleive it most effective to show them the idea and then some steps they can take to achieve that.

If a group gets big enough charts are in order to avoid sounding like mush.....and even with charts unless well played can sound somewhat mushy and indistinct

BluesBop Harry

From my own experience I think Jon hit it right on the head.

It's easy to forget that Django didn't play rhythm for another guitar... He was never the 2nd guitar.
Comping for a violin is a whole different ball game, and I believe he was still thinking as lead, in a way.

In my own playing, I try to follow the example of the players behind Django, and they don't do rhythm effects. Just a good bouncing swing pompe that allows Django the freedom to sing as only he could.

Or check out the elite accompanist nowadays: Hono, Nousche, Mathieu Chatelain... No added shit. Just time... Good time

That's what I strive for when backing another guitarist's solo and how I like to be accompanied. No tremolos, no triplets and no weird stuff for me please. Most of the good players I've met are that way too.

I've seen a lot of magic jams completely destroyed by players who want to shine when it's not their turn to...

I think you can still have an active interplay but it has to be more subtle... Like dynamics and intensity, the style of swing. In some cases you can play around with chord voicings adding tensions and such, etc... But carefully and always following the soloist cue.

2 cents...

AmundLauritzen

BluesBop Harry wrote: »

Or check out the elite accompanist nowadays: Hono, Nousche, Mathieu Chatelain... No added shit. Just time... Good time

Agreed. That about sums it up if you ask me.

I like the tick-tock clock like rhythm that Nous'che is playing behind Stochelo here. Simple but steady as a rock. You don't notice it unless you actively listen for it, but if you remove it, the whole piece falls apart:



What I always notice about Nous'che is that the rhythm has forward motion without aggressively pushing the solo player. It has a forward moving energy without forcing the soloist forward more than he wants to, so Stochelo is always in control.

Perfect.

Hemert

Yeah, I've spent many a hour discussing rhythm with Noushe. He basically taught me to play rhythm. The way I explain it in the video is the way Noushe (and Stochelo when he's playing the role of rhythm player) plays. Of course he adds many more subtleties but many of those subtleties lie in passing chords and interesting chord voicings and substitutions rather than rhythmic embellishments.

His drive is amazing and when he comps you during solos - which I was lucky to experience hundreds of times - you have the feeling you're flying while still being able to do anything you want!

A lot of his drive is accomplished by chromatic shifts at just the right places, I explain a simple chromatic shift in the video above as well.

AmundLauritzen

I agree about the half-muting you're talking about in your video contributes to achieving the consistency we hear in Nous'ches playing in that example I posted.

Here are some examples where the rhythm is up front that I think, according to my tastes and standards, exemplifies ideal rhythm guitar:







From 1:30 in this video we can see a good angle of Nousches technique and hear some of the nuances as well.

Jazzaferri

In a jam, or playing with someone new, to put things into a conversational context the rhythm player is nodding his head actively listening with eyes and ears and ding the occasional.... yes I understand, ...or uh .huh.....or good thought. At the end of a conversational " paragraph". This seems to be the dominant desired role for rhythm players as far as those who have posted so far goes.

Quite different from the discussions between players in more mainstream jazz where if one played GJ style rhythm one would really shut the jam down very quickly. One of the most difficult things to do well with guitar in jazz is to comp along with a keyboard.

I do love Christiaan's words about the subtleties of Noushe's playing. Very insightful.

Jazzaferri

@BluesBop Harry, the role model for me for Django's rhythm is the All Star Sessions where he plays guitar with Rex Stewart, Barney Bigard and Billy Taylor. As you so correctly note Joseph et al played quite differently behind Django

bbwood_98

It's very situational. Different lead players want different things. Christaan, what if there is only one guitarist? do you like the max roach style rhythm bombs if they and you feel it, or just straight on 'til morning? coming from a 'more' free background, I like to add things, but in a jam or with people who don't want that, I play straight time. If you wanna be a 'pro' rhythm guy, you have to be adaptable. Your job is to make the soloist sound great; to that end- play the way they like.

bbwood_98

Also, Blues Bop Harry hit's it on the head, as always- be subtle, a little rhythmic hit goes a long, long way!

Jazzaferri

Two thoughts come to mind with reference to the "jazz" part of GJ

1. Less is more...the rest is the often the most underutilized part of music.

2. The job is to make the tune sound good. Not really possible to make a soloist sound good. Either they will play something that works or not. When comping, the job is to add to the overall. If a soloist can't stay in the groove and play well on his own, whatever the comping section is doing, the soloist is still in training mode.