LESSON PLAN: Keyboard Comping Patterns
Objective
Students will be able to hear and play keyboard comping patterns while successfully learning to integrate both hands in their playing.
Resources
Handout “Keyboard Comping Patterns With Block Chords” and “Keyboard Comping Patterns With Broken Chords”. Hint: You can also create a handout easily by using Teacher Manual Keyboard Consumable “Keyboard Rhythms” and circling all the block chord comping patterns (the ones with three black dots aligned vertically).
Procedures
- Play students recordings of “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars or “Let it Be” by The Beatles to hear “block chord” comping patterns on
the piano. Then play them the beginning of “Someone Like You” by Adele and “Clocks” by Coldplay to hear “broken chord” comping patterns (note: in “Someone Like You” the chorus uses a “block chord” pattern to create contrast in the song—a great thing to point out before starting this lesson.
- Demonstrate the difference between block chord and broken chord comping patterns. Explain that “comping” is just the word “accompanying” in a shortened form for keyboard players, and stands for the way we play chords in a song with different patterns of rhythms and notes.
- Go through the keyboard comping patterns one at a time making sure that the students understand the rhythm in each one. After you can see that they can play them, repeat each one four times as a group.
- After students are able to play any of the patterns on this sheet (which may take more than one lesson depending on the age and ability of your students) lead them through playing all of the patterns from column A in a row.
- Repeat this process for the patterns in column B which contain more complicated rhythms but don’t involve the hands playing together. Go one pattern at a time until they’ve got each one, then play the entire column in a row.
- Try playing both columns without stopping.
- Use the handout “Comping Patterns With Broken Chords” to repeat the same process.
National Core Arts Standards (Music)
Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation. Example: General Music MU:Pr4.2.2 b. When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic and melodic patterns using iconic or standard notation. (applies 1-4) Anchor Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. Example: General Music MU:Pr6.1.2 a. Perform music for a specific purpose with expression and technical accuracy. (applies K-5) Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work. Example: Traditional and Emerging Ensembles MU:Re7.2.E.5a (Novice) Identify how knowledge of context and the use of repetition, similarities, and contrasts inform the response to music. Common Core Correlation: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.5 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style. (structure of comping patterns instead of text)