{"id":15811,"date":"2018-07-05T22:23:29","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T22:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roadietuner.com\/?post_type=blog&p=15811"},"modified":"2020-07-08T07:46:10","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T07:46:10","slug":"get-into-the-groove-3-steps-to-playing-better-rhythm-guitar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roadiemusic.com\/blog\/get-into-the-groove-3-steps-to-playing-better-rhythm-guitar\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Into the Groove: 3 Steps to Playing Better Rhythm Guitar"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you learn to play guitar, it\u2019s easy to focus on the flashy stuff. Ripping leads and scorching solos definitely have their appeal \u2013 they\u2019re the yardstick by which the public generally defines \u201cgreat guitar playing<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Playing rhythm guitar doesn\u2019t seem to excite beginners<\/a> in the same way. Perhaps it\u2019s because it seems like \u201cguitar basics 101,\u201d or because standing at the back playing guitar chords doesn\u2019t have the same appeal as shredding upfront with your foot on the monitor.<\/p>\n

But, playing rhythm guitar is a fine art, and great rhythm guitar playing is essential<\/em> to making great music.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the foundation \u2013 the thing that holds the song together \u2013 and shredding solos won\u2019t mean jack if you don\u2019t have something to build them on.<\/p>\n

So how do you take your rhythm guitar playing to the next level? Like everything, it\u2019s a process, but these three tips are a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Just Pound on 8th<\/sup> Notes!<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rhythm guitar might seem basic, especially when compared to lead playing, but this is a misconception.<\/p>\n

Great rhythm guitar playing will add texture, subtlety and shade to a song. Bad rhythm guitar playing, on the other hand, will stick out like a sore thumb.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a time and a place for pounding out 8th<\/sup> notes \u2013 usually as a song reaches its climax \u2013 but if you go full pelt on every section of a song all the time, it\u2019s going to turn to mush pretty quickly.<\/p>\n

Next time you practice you rhythm playing, really listen to the groove that you\u2019re following and try to synch what you\u2019re doing to the momentum of the beat. Learn when to play hard and when to ease off, and experiment with different techniques like arpeggiating, palm muting and diamond chords (essentially letting a chord ring \u2013 great during solos or epic choruses) to add color to your playing.<\/p>\n

Play With a Drummer (Or At Least a Metronome) <\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a rhythm guitarist, you\u2019re not working in isolation. Whatever you play will be determined by what the drummer is doing. You\u2019ll want to emphasize the beats that they emphasize.<\/p>\n

Developing a feel for sitting in the pocket (musician speak for staying in the comfort zone of the main beat) is essential for great rhythm playing, and it\u2019s really difficult to master if you don\u2019t have a beat to work with.<\/p>\n

Of course, finding a drummer to jam with isn\u2019t always easy, but there are other ways to practice this. If you\u2019re using a DAW, then cuing up some drumbeats to play to when you\u2019re practicing is a good shout. And, while it\u2019s not the same as the real thing, playing to a metronome will still help you immensely with your rhythm playing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about the beat. There\u2019s no point practicing rhythm guitar without one. Joining a band<\/a> works wonders!<\/p>\n

Experiment with Alternate Tunings<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve spoken before about how alternate tunings<\/a> can enhance your in the Roadie blog, but it bears repeating in the context of rhythm guitar.<\/p>\n

Alternate tunings lead you to new patterns and explore different areas of the neck. Therefore, they\u2019re great for coming up with unusual rhythmic textures that buck the trend of tried and tested rhythm parts.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t believe us? Go and throw on some Rolling Stones<\/a> records. Keith Richards<\/a> is a rhythm guitar master, and it\u2019s his use of open tunings that has defined some of the Stones\u2019 classic tracks.<\/p>\n

Of course, if you want to experiment with alternative tunings to enhance your rhythm playing, you could do a lot worse than pick up a Roadie 2<\/a>. Its intuitive interface allows you to switch between tunings in minutes and is awesome for experimenting with new rhythmic ideas.<\/p>\n

Are you a rhythm guitar player? What advice would you give for better rhythm guitar playing? Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":15812,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[152],"tags":[1293,1294,1296,1314,1324],"class_list":["post-15811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-tutorials","tag-instrument_guitar","tag-level_beginner","tag-content_tips","tag-tips_practicing","tag-level_intermediate"],"yoast_head":"\nGet Into the Groove: 3 Steps to Playing Better Rhythm Guitar - Roadie Music Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.roadiemusic.com\/blog\/get-into-the-groove-3-steps-to-playing-better-rhythm-guitar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Get Into the Groove: 3 Steps to Playing Better Rhythm Guitar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.roadiemusic.com\/blog\/get-into-the-groove-3-steps-to-playing-better-rhythm-guitar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Roadie Music Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RoadieOfficial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-05T22:23:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-08T07:46:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.roadiemusic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/get-into-groove-visual-.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"833\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"553\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@roadieofficial\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@roadieofficial\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/get-into-the-groove-3-steps-to-playing-better-rhythm-guitar\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/get-into-the-groove-3-steps-to-playing-better-rhythm-guitar\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Get Into the Groove: 3 Steps to Playing Better Rhythm Guitar\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-05T22:23:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-08T07:46:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/get-into-the-groove-3-steps-to-playing-better-rhythm-guitar\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":671,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/get-into-the-groove-3-steps-to-playing-better-rhythm-guitar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/get-into-groove-visual-.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Instrument_Guitar\",\"Level_Beginner\",\"Content_Tips\",\"Tips_Practicing\",\"Level_Intermediate\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Learning Hub\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/get-into-the-groove-3-steps-to-playing-better-rhythm-guitar\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.roadiemusic.com\\\/blog\\\/get-into-the-groove-3-steps-to-playing-better-rhythm-guitar\\\/\",\"name\":\"Get Into the Groove: 3 Steps to Playing Better Rhythm Guitar - 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