10 Principles of Jazz Accompaniment

The art of comping for a vocalist requires a significantly different approach than comping with a soloist. Supporting a soloist requires more complex play and adapting to improvisations with varied chords and rhythms. Comping for a vocalist calls for a more elegant approach that underscores the melody without overshadowing the vocal performance.

Fingerstyle jazz legend Martin Taylor has collaborated with hundreds of world-class musicians in virtually every setting, from duos and trios to ensembles and big bands. Drawing on years of experience, Martin and special guest Alison Burns guide you through a highly enlightening, interactive masterclass, 10 Principles of Jazz Accompaniment.

”Joining me on this course is the highly acclaimed jazz vocalist Alison Burns. Together, we'll share and demonstrate what we consider to be the ten most important considerations for guitarists when accompanying a singer.

We'll cover approaches for determining the optimal key, mood, and tempo for a song. We’ll also demonstrate how guitarists can complement the performance with dynamics, space, and fills. You’ll also learn key considerations for integrating the voice and guitar into a seamless conversation."

Martin and Alison use five songs, in various feels and tempos, as the framework for the masterclass. Each individual song features a series of lessons explaining and demonstrating the ‘principles’ that they will embrace when performing the song in a duo setting. After the performance, you’ll apply what learned in a musical context by practicing with a playalong track featuring just Alison’s vocal performance.

You’ll have TrueFire’s interactive learning tools to personalize your workspace and learn at your own pace.

The demonstrations and performances are tabbed, notated, and synced to videos with controls for looping, slow motion, fretboard animation, and many other tools designed to accelerate learning.

Grab your guitar, and let’s dig in with Martin Taylor and Alison Burns!