Concepts for Comping: Lesson 25
- Jay EuDaly
- 29 minutes ago
- 6 min read
February 2026 Newsletter
Concepts for Comping: Lesson 25
Remember in Lessons 7 thru 9 we drilled 3-voice II-V-I's in 4 different Key Schemes? Now we are going to do the same thing with 4-voice chords.
To review: A “Key Scheme” is a pattern in which diatonic progressions are placed within a song. The progressions you've drilled in the previous lessons are “diatonic progressions.” Consider them to be building blocks that are put together in various ways, i.e. “schemes,” to create songs.
This lesson involves 2 schemes:
Whole Tone (descending)
Chromatic (descending)
To access Lesson 25 of Concepts for Comping click on the pic below:
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Video Lesson: Cowboy Chords - Lesson 5
In this video I put various fingerings for G, C and Em together in various progressions. It includes an extension of C, C(add 9), which is common in ‘80’s rock ballads.
The above video is part of a lesson series called,
Cowboy Chords:
A Deep Dive into 1st Position Fingerings & Application
“Cowboy chords” is not a disrespect; it's merely a synonym for “first-position chords.” I use those chords often, they are common across a broad range of genres.
You can find them being taught all over the internet and in method books everywhere. The very first method book I had – it came with my first guitar purchase at age 11 – was a Mel Bay book of first-position chords. That's where I learned them.
Why then, is a guy like me who has all this advanced teaching content interested in teaching beginner-level first-position chords that can be found with a simple search?
Because I don't see them being taught the way I teach them.
Furthermore, while some might say “cowboy chords” and the “deep dive” of my subtitle is oxymoronic, such an attitude indicates that person does not really understand music &/or the possibilities contained in the guitar.
My basic approach is to teach one chord at a time, including many possible fingerings and some extensions (7ths, 9ths etc), in a common or cliché order or chord progression. I talk about technique
issues which are commonly missing; positioning, optimum finger placement order, minimum force and so on. None of the technique issues were dealt with in the Mel Bay book I mentioned.
So, while this lesson series is aimed at beginner and lower-intermediate students, there are elements that will appeal to students beyond that categorization. Plus, if you think you are more advanced, it never hurts to revisit the basics! You never know; you just might come across something you missed the last time around.
That's happened to me plenty of times.
If you have any interest in this subject I suggest you check out the Cowboy Chords sales page. There is more free content there as well as links to the download:
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Blogs Published Since Last Newsletter
Ibanez JSM10: "I have a new Ibanez John Scofield model guitar and God told me to give it to you."
Concepts for Comping: Lesson 24: January Newsletter: Concepts for Comping, Video on the Tritone Sub, blog links, Tune of the Month & more…
Tune of the Month
Pride and Joy
How about an old GoPro video from a gig?
Myself, Terry Hancock on drums and vocals and & Rick Yord on Bass at Joe's Standard, Blue Springs, MO. 9/20/2014.
As I remember it, this was the 3rd gig of a 3-gig day for me. I had played that morning at Washburn University in Topeka KS from 10:00-noon, then hosting the Jam at BB's in Kansas City from 2:00-5:30, and then this gig in Blue Springs, MO from 9:00-1:00. 3 gigs, 3 completely different bands.
This was a throw-together situation, as are most of the gigs I've played over the last 20 years or so. No rehearsal; just show up and play. I like to say, “I don't commit to bands, I commit to gigs.” In a lot of ways, at least in the circles I move in, there is no such thing as “bands” - just gigs. Who happens to be onstage on any given gig is a fluid thing. The bandleaders and promoters know - get the gigs; the musicians will come.
One thing you might find interesting is how I incorporate keyboard-like parts on the guitar. This comes from my knowledge of harmony, i.e. the “vertical” concept taught in my book, “Vertical Truth: Chordal Mechanisms for the Guitar,” as well as the stuff available on MasterGuitarSchool.com.
Another thing, seeing as how this is a Stevie Ray Vaughan tune, is a blog I wrote a while back called, Texas Shuffle Applied to Jazz.
It's the story of how I merged two disparate styles of playing. The two styles are the Texas Shuffle feel as exemplified by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the solo Jazz guitar style of playing chords with walking bass lines a la Joe Pass or Martin Taylor.
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Almost every lesson I teach presupposes these 5 lessons.
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