Rhythm vs Lead ( guitar )

And then you've got singing thrown into the mix.

I sing and play at the same time, so mostly it's rhythm for me. Actually, barre chords and chugging away at rhythms and riffs was the first stuff I really knew on guitar.

I am just recently getting into practicing lead techniques, all of the scales and arpeggios that involves. I have also begun experimenting with more fingerpicking. I can play Blackbird now....hehe. Not too great yet, but I'm having a pretty good time with lead in practice so far, but I'm not too interested in groupies anyway... :lol:

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. ...

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.

^^ This for me as well.

"You check out Guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesnt want to make it cry or sing"

That's me... "Guitar George"... I don't have any desire make it "cry or sing" either.

I've always thought lead guitar was a lot harder than rhythm guitar - how hard can it be, just strumming a few chords while the super-shredder guitar hero throws back his head, contorts his face and throws his fingers up and down the fretboard at the speed of light?

How many times have you heard, "jeez, look at that rhythm guitarist's fingers...." - not many, I'll bet. But think of a band as being like a house - just as the drummer and the bass player might be looked at as the solid foundations the band is built on, think of the rhythm guitarist as the walls that hold everything together and the lead guitarist as the double glazed windows, the roof, the conservatory and the finishing touches. Those finishing touches don't mean a thing without the solid foundations and the walls....there's nothing to hold it all together.

I'm one of nature's rhythm guitarists - maybe (bad joke coming up) it's something to do with my Catholic upbringing? Seriously, I found I could keep time pretty well and play chords pretty well....I've ventured into the murky waters of playing lead, but I don't think I'll ever have the speed required to be a good lead guitarist....whereas when I'm playing rhythm, it's almost second nature. OK, I've spent years and years playing along to CD's - and when you do that, it's almost automatic to play along with the rhythm guitarist, rather than the lead.

Yes, I'd LOVE to be able to play lead, and rip out some blistering solos - but I'll settle for being a good rhythm guitarist. Keef, Lennon, Ray Davies, Rick Parfitt, Noel Gallagher.....over the years I've learned (or tried to learn) a lot of their songs....and had a lot of fun doing it.

I wouldn't say playing rhythm's easier than playing lead, either - there's always a new voicing of a chord to master...just lately, I've been experimenting with open strings, some chords you can use will sound almost as if you're using an open tuning.....there's always something new!

:D :D :D

Vic

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. ...

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.

^^ This for me as well.

"You check out Guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesnt want to make it cry or sing"

That's me... "Guitar George"... I don't have any desire make it "cry or sing" either.

HAH thats Sultans of Swing from Dire straits, xD awesome!

And, yeah the lead player has to play rhythm of course, and complement the main guitar, its all just part of the music, all the band ( or group or whatever) members work toward the goal of making and playing music, but groupies is a definite plus :P.

And lead doesn't even have to be blistering solos at the speed of light, lead sometimes is something fairly easy to play, but sounds awesome ( of course there always are blistering solos ). And I agree lead is the finishing touches the sprinkles, or the cherry on top, but in the end it is as important as the rhythm, bass and drums, but I think the lead is more flexible, because it kinda always depends on who is playing lead, his style of play, and how mature his hands are. Because I can play something, and a more experienced guitarist plays the same thing and it will prolly sound way better.

"You check out Guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesnt want to make it cry or sing"

That's me... "Guitar George"... I don't have any desire make it "cry or sing" either.

HAH thats Sultans of Swing from Dire straits, xD awesome!

It is indeed! :D I use that line quite frequently to describe my playing. :wink:
And lead doesn't even have to be blistering solos at the speed of light, lead sometimes is something fairly easy to play, but sounds awesome ( of course there always are blistering solos ). And I agree lead is the finishing touches the sprinkles, or the cherry on top, but in the end it is as important as the rhythm, bass and drums...

Yes indeed, again. If I were to get into lead/solo, and I know I should so as not to limit myself, I am not into the blistering Slash/Steve Vai type of lead. As a devotee of classic rock, to me lead/solo is the solo in Sundown, Proud Mary, Brown Eyed Girl, Let It Be, Venus, Werewolves of London and all the other songs I've mentioned ad nauseum on the boards as being my favorites.

Well I am one that believes playing the lead guitar IS definitely more difficult (maybe difficult is not the correct word) than playing rhythm at least it is for me.

Do you know of any great lead guitarists that can't hold down a rhythm? Not many eh? I'm sure it's possible but unlikely yet how many great rhythm guitarists do you know that can play great lead?

And I can't belive the numbers can be attributed to the factt that all these rhythm guitarists don't have the desire to play lead it's more along the lines of they don't have th skill to play leads.

I don't necessairly think that it's more difficult but you need to put more time into learning lead techniques than you do when learning just the rhythym.

My ultimate goal is to be able to play the lead for any of the songs I play, but I''m no where near that yet and probably can only play maybe 20 % of the solo's now if that and I never play them much anyway because we have a much more experienced guitar player so for the most part I'm stuck playing rhythm. Gotta a put your time in somewhere.

...... I'm stuck playing rhythm. Gotta a put your time in somewhere.

Do you not like playing rhythm?

Your comments were spot on in my case. I started doing single note stuff, but jumped into chords. At that time, they were much more difficult for me. Then someone here pointed out that I didn't know any songs from start to end. That started my learn whole songs in single guitar arrangement quest. Hence, rhythm is where I am.

I've been working on single note intro combinations a little bit, like the intro to Neil Young's "Unknown Legend". Trying to get that flow between single note and chord strum going. Also been working on minor pent scales with some vibrato and bends. Fiddling around doing some "lead" to a Stormy Monday backing track. Trying to expand my horizons, so to speak. Somewhere in this house is my copy of Blues You Can Use. Must find. It was helping before a really bad month hit me.

Other than that, I kick back, keep the amp low and bash out chords to my heart's delight. 8)

Roy,

Umm not really. There are songs where the rhythm has got the main hook going on and it's OK but for many songs it's just playing the same chords over and over...gets a bit boring to me. But I know it's an important part of the song and also necessary to get down just not my cup of tea.

My goals with guitar change allthe time. When I started I pretty much thought if I could even play some songs that would be good enough, but as I have progressed I keep stretching my goals a bit. Never really thought to seriously about playing out til I started to play with a bunch of guys regularly and now that we have close to 25 or so songs down I'd like to get out there and play a bit.

But I have a competitive streak in me that has carried over from playing sports and I HATE to lose at anything and not being able to solo to the level I aspire really makes me want to do it even more but it will take time and with wok and everything I can't put in 4-5 hours a day to practice.

I always draw parallels between golf and guitar playing. Unless in a tourny or some little side bet, golf is you against the course and elements. Guitar playing has always been about me verses the guitar. That's the beauty of both. You can always get better, and you can do so at your own speed or desire.

I lost competitive desire on the baseball field. I walked out onto the field one day, smelled the dirt and that was it. That smell only ballplayers know. I became a flower-sniffer playing for the love of the game. Funnest two years I ever had playing ball. I'd limp until Thursday from playing on Sunday. Age sucks in some ways. In some ways it doesn't. I brought that sense with me to the golf course and then to guitar. I could be happy all day long playing rhythm to support your leads.

Someone once commented to me after a round I could hit a 78 or a 98 and you couldn't tell by my mood which it was.

I am not a true-to-the-original player, if we are talking note-by-note. I'm far more interested in creating a feel or mood with a song -- whether as the original did or my take. this frees me to think of guitars and arranging in terms of resources and goals. sounds pretty boring, but the whole idea of lead and rhythm takes a backseat to "what does the song need for me to do what I want." assuming I know what I want, I consider how many guitars and whatever other instruments are available and orchestrate them with various parts to get the job done. and I can experiment. in the extreme case (except for nothing!), having only one guitar would mean I have to pick the critical elements of the tune to include: driving rhythm? so-called "rhythm guitar" hook? so-called "lead guitar" hook?, single line sole? chord melody? add in my own runs or fills to tie parts together? go acappella for a bit? in the end, and even with several guitars, it usually ends up being a difficult call as to who is lead or rhythm. I can tell who is driving the the rhythm in various parts. but because few of the people with whom I play do only A or B, even the rhythmic driver is going to be putting in runs or hooks or fills. so the arrangement discussion goes more along the lines of: what are you going to play where? who's got the hook? chord parts? are we going to double or split voicings, which runs? which fills? want a solo?

Roy,

I understand what your saying at it makes sense, but i'm just not wired exactly the same way. You'd know the difference if I shot a 78 or a 98 on the golf course that's for sure, heck I've cussed myself out when If hit chips to the green that land 20 ft from the pin that I thought should have landed 5 feet from the pin and I don't beleive in the saying "A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at work" A bad day on the golf course usually ruins the whole day and beleive me I've had plenty of those.

I've always had this duality in my mind going on when it comes to sports and even the guitar playing. On one hand I always feel inadequate and never feel I will be any good and then on the other hand I have this idea that I should/could be doing those things as good or better than most people(of course that's far from reality)

Anyway it all comes down to whatever floats your boat. If you like rhytym and that's all you want to do that's cool if want to play lead go for it.

greg I think you are decribing a situation where a bunch of people are getting together to jam, with multiple guitars etc., as a one off situation but that's different from having a set lineup where there is a rhythm player and a lead guitarist there isn't alot of who's doing what at a particular moment you pretty much know how's playing what and it's the same all the time. Now again I'm more of a note-for note guy and in most songs there is a rhytm and lead guitar even if the rhythym might have been laid done by the same guitarist.

I'll still go on record that playing lead in my limited experience takes more skill(s) that playing rhytym, I know there are exceptions but in general I think lead is harder.

When I fist started I thought the opposite. It seemed hard to get those chord shapes and chnages in time and it seemed so much easier to just put one finger at a time on one string and play it. But unless you are playing very slow Mary Had a Little Lamb type solos the difficulty increases logorhymically (OK butchered that spelling) in difficulty especially as the tempo increase and you bring in bends and hammer on's etc.

cnev, I was not always like this. I used to be total opposite. Where I failed was finding a middle ground. I've made many a helicopter in my day. :oops: :oops: :oops: The "whatever floats your boat" comment is entirely too true. I hope your "lead" player "lets" you have a few leads from time to time at least. Unfair if you don't get a crack or two at what you like, IMHO.

gnease, that's probably why I'm learning some single string at a time playing. If I was put into that situation where someone asked me to do a basic run, I'd be lost and of no value to the group. Well, that, and I'd like to play "Brothers In Arms" decently.

Let me comment on my personal situation, if I might.

I have tried different things in guitar over my five years, because in the beginning I was not sure where I wanted to go with the guitar. So I just tried out both lead and rhythm to see where they might lead (no pun intended). Finally, over the past year it seems what I am settling into is the solo singer/songwriter, using guitar for accompaniment. Now, this naturally leads me more in the direction of rhythm- strumming chords and keeping a beat going, and keeping it simple because I'm singing at the same time and my pea brain can't concentrate on too much going on at the same time.

That being said, there are aspects of lead guitar that I still want to incorporate into my playing. First and foremost are many of the techniques that David covers in his most excellent podcasts. A lot of that is actiually asprcts of lead playing incorporated into strumming. Also, I really like to be able to improvise in accompaniment of other players in song circles and such. I like to be able to add little fills or take a solo now and then. Right now all I do is work within a position of the major or minor pentatonic scale and just play what sounds good- nothing too elaborate. Funny thing is, although I'm really doing what to me is pretty simple stuff, I get a lot of compliments from the other players about what I do, because it just seems to fit right. Some have said they like how I accompany even more that they do more accomplished lead players, because I listen to what's being played and the simple stuff I do is appropriate. Funny thing. Still, I'd really like to be able to improvise better- be able to work in some more positions, incorporate more techniques, and be able to play with more speed at times.

All of that just requires work. And for adults who don't have 4 hours every day to practice, we need to be selective, and my current goals are more geared to aspects of performance and such- singing, showmanship, developing my repertiore. So developing in the lead area, with the exception of working through the podcasts, has to go on the back burner for the time being.

roy I don't do the helicopter thing with my clubs anymore after I threw one once and it hit a tree and broke in half...didn't take me long to figure out the only one I hurt was myself(had to buy a new shaft)

But I also realized I was only as good as the time I put into the game and for a couple years I was getting decent (at least for me) i was shooting in the low - mid 80's consistently and a few in the 70's, but I stopped playing for a couple years and in the two or three years since I haven't played more than 3-4 times/year and my game is around 90ish, which kills me but I don't stress much about it anymore because I know if I don't put time in hitting balls I can't expect much from my game.

but I still curse and expect every shot to be like Tiger Woods (well except for that tree shot)