This is a really cool short vid of Mulgrew Miller talking about the art of comping, how to practice it and how to do it well.
Of course, Mulgrew is a jazzman and the examples he’s playing are on the piano. But the basic comping principles he’s talking about here apply whether you’re playing piano, bass, guitar, whatever. It’s all about being comfortable. If you feel comfortable, then the singer or soloist you’re accompanying will feel comfortable, too, and you’ll get the best possible musical performance.
The secret of getting comfortable, like the man says, is to spend a lot of time on your instrument, playing around and experimenting. I go on about this constantly, but that’s the way to become a good improviser: other people’s exercises can be very useful, but there’s no substitute for sitting down at the piano (or with your guitar, sax, kit…) and just messing around, pursuing musical ideas as they come to you.
I found the video in the YouTube channel of JazzVideoGuy, which is worth checking out - he has a ton of interesting stuff in there. In case you’ve missed it, here’s my own introduction to comping vid, in which I make a couple of same points (though I wouldn’t claim to speak with the same authority as Mulgrew…!)
