Rhythm vs Lead ( guitar )

first of all, so-called rhythm guitar often ain't simple or easy, and it's usually far more important than the so-called lead part for a song.

secondly, good lead guitar playing is far more than "just playing any scale."

many of us don't really care for the terms lead and rhythm because of the uninformed (okay, pretty much ignorant!) connotations each has gotten. I like to think of them as the first and second and third ... guitar parts.

Welcome to GN, Coolnama!

I'm the opposite. Someone around here pointed out that I can't play any entire songs, so I jumped into Rhythm with both feet and never looked back. I'm working on lead a tiny bit now, but still mostly rhythm.

eventually as your horizons expand, you discover that there are a nearly infinite variety of ways to play the guitar, and that you can find easy or hard rhythm or lead parts.

The important thing to recognize and then remember is that any guitar part is still about rhythm. All music is.

A lot of beginners have an easier time with single note leads mostly because they play them in strict rhtyhm - usually quarter notes (one per beat), eighth note (two per beat) or sixteenth notes (four per beat) and then work at making those faster. They rarely mix up the length of the note values and that's part of why most beginners' leads (and quite a few intermediates as well) sound pretty much like someone practicing scales.

Being able to play around with different rhythms is a big step for any guitarist, whether his or her focus is on rhythm or lead. Your goal should be to handle chords, partial chords or single notes in any type of rhythm.

You're right in that lead guitar does tend to get more attention, but both of these aspects of playing require time and practice. Neither of them is easier or harder as much as they are different stylistic approaches that often mix and mingle with each other. Good rhythm players use lead lines to create rhythm riffs and good lead players add full and partial chords to their leads to punch up the dynamics in spots.

I think that Keith Richards is often quoted as saying "You can't go into a music store and ask for a lead guitar or a rhythm guitar." At the end of the day, they're all guitars and good players mix and match techniques according to what's needed for a particular song or arrangement.

Peace

Hi Guys, I'm a newbie to GN, but not to music.
Just wanted to put my 2 cents in.
To me, music is 3 elements... Rhythm, Melody and Harmony. All 3 are equally important.
As guitar players, we have the daunting task of supplying all of them. Focusing on one over the others is shortchanging both ourselves and more importantly, our audience.
Thinking in terms of lead or rhythm implies that both are not present at the same time. I don't subscribe to this.
A good "rhythm" player is supplying melody through his/her voice leading. A good "lead" player is outlining the harmony with his note selection. Rhythm is present in both.
Sorry, that's a little more than 2 cents! LOL
Cheers,

Hi Guys, I'm a newbie to GN, but not to music.
Just wanted to put my 2 cents in.
To me, music is 3 elements... Rhythm, Melody and Harmony. All 3 are equally important.
As guitar players, we have the daunting task of supplying all of them. Focusing on one over the others is shortchanging both ourselves and more importantly, our audience.
Thinking in terms of lead or rhythm implies that both are not present at the same time. I don't subscribe to this.
A good "rhythm" player is supplying melody through his/her voice leading. A good "lead" player is outlining the harmony with his note selection. Rhythm is present in both.
Sorry, that's a little more than 2 cents! LOL
Cheers,

Hi Ron, welcome to GN! I thought that your first few posts here contain some really good insights. Hope you hang around here on the boards and share some more pearls of wisdom.

Gnease said something about the so called rhythm guitar often not being simple or easy O_O dude that is what I am saying, and from your words I'm feeling a little hostility coming o.o. Forgive me for being a newb xD. That is how I classify them because well thats what I know, but you guys know what I mean right ? Of course it will always vary because of the different styles, genres etc, etc.

I was just making an observation about how underrated ( to everyone that doesn't know about music) the second guitar ( or rhythm :P ) is. I mean you always see these great lead guitars ( U people know more than me about lead guitarrists so just fill in the blank) like _____ and ______ and everyone wants to be them, but nobody ever thinks about the rhythm guy unless you are a musician and can actually appreciate the music.

no hostility intended.

as it's on a polyphonic instrument, guitar playing often blurs the lines between lead and rhythm playing. it would probably be less arbitrary to say the lead guitarist is the one who gets his/her choice of the groupies before anyone else save the (lead :wink: ) vocalist.

As good a definition as any, Grease. (not that most of us get groupies, regardless how we're playing.)

I think that the 80s and shred have given those who either don't play the guitar, or are just getting started like me, the idea that lead is somehow cooler, and that you play rhythm because you can't play lead. (cooler, harder, sexier, whatever)

Nothing further from the truth. As a new(ish) player, maintaining rhythm is the hardest thing for me. (Whether playing "rhythm" or "lead." )

Best,
Ande

Well, regardless of what it's called, I'm enjoying playing. 8)

many of us don't really care for the terms lead and rhythm because of the uninformed (okay, pretty much ignorant!) connotations each has gotten. I like to think of them as the first and second and third ... guitar parts.

Right on, Gnease!!!

I thought that I'd be the only one to "raise some hackles" by saying that there really ain't a difference. You play...or you don't, come what may! :oops:

Cat

Well, regardless of what it's called, I'm enjoying playing. 8)
^
!
THIS !

A lot of players get caught up in lead playing .Wether it's imitating guitar heroes or impressing friends or playing in garage bands,we're all guilty,myself included.Playing lead is only one aspect in playing guitar.Most lead guitarists are also excellent rhythm players as well.Listen to Eddie Van Halen,Eric Clapton as examples.Two great lead players and they're no slouches in the rhythm department.In most cases rhythm takes up 90% of the song. I just enjoying playing,wether lead,rhythm,or plucking away on a bass.A complete player plays it all equally.Personally,I prefer playing rhythm if I have a choice.

Forgive me for being a newb xD.
No need to apologise, we treat newbs like we treat the older hands - with respect.

I started out as a rhythm guitar player, ventured into lead (first guitar) playing and discovered that I'm much more comfortable in the role of rhythm (or second) guitar. I'm pretty sure that, for me at least, it's because I have little desire to make the guitar "scream and cry", I prefer laying down a steady rhythm with a few frills and trills and to leave the "screaming and crying" stuff to someone who actually wants to do that. So, IMHO, it just depends on what part you want to play. Both are equally important in a band setting, they both have their place and both are there to complement the other. But, if you choose to be a lead player, you also need a good foundation in rhythm playing. You will not be playing lead parts throughout the entire song, so you will have to find something to complement the second guitar while you are waiting for your lead breaks. And, I may be wrong, but, perhaps you find lead easier than rhythm because of the strum patterns associated with rhythm. These eventually become second nature after you practice and practice and practice some more.

I guess what I'm saying is to keep an open mind and venture into both, learning from each how to apply what you've learned in one to the other. This will make you a well rounded guitarist, able to fill in anywhere that you might be needed, whether it's rhythm or lead.