Improving Rhythm playing

The 'Bo Diddley' beat. 8)

Man, we need Jeff B. from Riverside Jam fame to chime in on this one.

He plays rhythm like you don't need lead.

Man, we need Jeff B. from Riverside Jam fame to chime in on this one.

He plays rhythm like you don't need lead.

+1 on that.

i would just practice songs you like

work on your triplet "gallops" and on both your downstroking AND upstroking

study theory.

i would just practice songs you like

work on your triplet "gallops" and on both your downstroking AND upstroking

study theory. What does that "gallop" look like in tab?

try to emulate funky strumming patterns. try to come up with original strumming patterns, and try to play layered rhythms and polyrhythms, where you play a different rhythm on the bass and treble strings. also, learn more chord progressions and song structures.

i would just practice songs you like

work on your triplet "gallops" and on both your downstroking AND upstroking

study theory. What does that "gallop" look like in tab?

Like everything else, that's the fun with tab. For more information on them, check wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuplet

In short, a 'quarter triplet' means that you play three notes (all lasting equally long) in the time you'd usually only play two. Now when you remove the 2nd one you get a blues shuffle: 1---3-1---3-1---3-1---3-1---3-1---3- etc

Now if you play all those notes as straight eight-notes instead of triplets you'll be playing rock 'n roll instead of blues. Same chords, different rhythm.

Hi,

I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but my way of practising is to take whatever I'm working on, play it through 'straight' a few times and then start improvising. So with scales, I play them up and down in order a couple of times to loosen up and refresh my memory of the pattern - then go off into improving and experimenting - because that's how I learn how the sounds really work together. And ultimately that's my goal - not just to be able to copy music, but to be able to generate it.

Same with chords. I jot down a list of a few chords in the same key, play them through a few times - just to check my fingers know where to go - and then on to the fun part, mixing them all up, trying different orders, different rhythms, different picking patterns or whatever.

I might start with a small group of the most common chords in a key (say 3 of them) and then work up from there, adding or changing chords along the way to see what can be done with them.

So I might start with C, G and F, fiddle with them for a while and then add another chord. It might be a 'new' one - say Dm - or a variation such as C7 or G7.

But it's all about fun and experimentation. I might take C, G7, C7 and F and play a version of with "When the Saints go Marching in" and then start mucking about and turn it into "Froggy went a courting" with the C, G7 and F, or whatever.

Or I might find a change that sounds interesting in some way and just go backwards and forwards between two chords trying out all sorts of different rhythms and speeds with the right hand, and see what comes out of it.

It all sounds very undisciplined, but it suits me and keeps me playing, which is all that really matters. Along the way I'm practising chords, learning about keys, intervals, rhythms, touch, and all sorts of handy stuff, but in a fun way. Not everybody's style though... :wink:

Cheers,

Chris

I'm also one of nature's rhythm guitarists....for practising rhythm guitar, I like to put a CD on and play along....even better if you've got an amp with two inputs, play the CD thru the amp....

:D :D :D

Vic

yeah as stated a "gallop" is just a triplet so where as one eighth note would normally equal two sixteenths, if you play it as triplets you would squeeze in 3 16ths.

listen to a lot of metal is what I would say. If you like metallica listen to maiden and megadeth to get started they have some awesome rhythms that are relatively easy and really tight

oh and megadeth pretty much just rocks haha

mustaine > hetfield

hehe my opinion!!!!

UFO's Doctor Doctor is a great guitar-rock classic with a gallop (after the lighter-waving intro), and the rhythm has a little run-down over each chord change which really helps illustrate what's going in to making the gallop work. Definately one to try when you're starting out with galloping.

Snowman: Not just yours :wink:

I would say practice strumming and doing it with a metronome...

remember rhythm is up and downs on your strum, that is it, just up and down and up and down, nothing else, if your right hand is in time, then your rhythm will be perfect...

try this

1. pick a chord
2. strum up down up down
3. do this over and over with a metronome...

repeat with step 2 in different rhythmic variations such as:

down=V
up=U

1. VVU
2. UUV
3. VUVUVV
4. UVUVUU - this one is funky

make up your own and you will increase your rhythm and strumming overnight!

Cheers folks, I shall take it all onboard and see how I get on :)

Ironically, on deciding I want to play more rhythm, I work up this morning and could do 3 string sweeps rather well, how odd...