It seems that guitarist in particular and some keyboardists too, play good solos and improvised lines but when it comes to playing accompaniment chords or being part of the rhythm section they look at that as a chore or just some boring task between solos. I'm not saying these musicians are lazy or self-centered, they probably have just not yet discovered the joy of chordal lyricism or dynamic rhythmic structure with respect to the soloist.
An uninspired approach to chords and accompaniment usually results in disconnected chordal voicing and unrelated rhythmic punctuations or worse yet, a steady stream of mindless rote fingerings, while possibly harmonically correct, are completely oblivious to the soloist expressions. The uninspired or disruptive accompanist can completely undermine a soloist's best efforts meanwhile the average listener assumes that the soloist is not all that good. In this case, no accompaniment is preferable.
Musicians who honestly enjoy the art of accompaniment know the rewards of being part of a great ensemble. A really good group has synergy: the interaction of two or more agents or forces [musicians] so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. Listen for it.
Posted by dancoy at April 9, 2007 12:46 PMProfessor Dan,
How about putting that in plain English. Ihe bass player I have told you about is very good in accompiment. He never puts himself above the others. So, the synergy does work.
Brother Dale right now is getting ready for a day of work in Shanghai. It is approx 8:30 AM Thursday for him. He lost 12 hours flying yesterday.
Dad