Rhythm playing can often be overlooked by guitarists who are starting out in favour of lead lines. What you need to remember is that for a large part of the time, it will be rhythmic accompaniment that will take up your time. This lesson majors on rhythmic playing.
In this lesson, Ross will be taking the song Heading Home that he introduced in the last lesson and using it to develop right hand rhythm patterns.
WHY RHYTHM PLAYING IS SO IMPORTANT
If you think about it, it’s realistic to expect that for a large part of the time you will not be playing lead lines. The guitar is so popular because it is easily portable, with amplification is usable in the biggest of spaces and can accompany other instruments. It’s a self contained mini orchestra! So, your rhythm playing and your development of your rhythmic ideas are very important.
HOW RHYTHM CAN DEFINE A SONG
By improving your rhythm playing, you will actually help to define clearly the songs you are playing. If you listen to a song you really like and consider the underlying rhythm, you will notice how it help support the melody. This not only matters with consideration to the melodic rhythm, but the melodic ideas inherent within the line. In this video, Ross deals with a number of foundational but important points. These include ghost strokes, syncopation and the development of a basic rhythmic pattern.
Once you have mastered the basic right hand rhythm patterns, Ross then develops these important building blocks and demonstrates how you can create rich and interesting new ideas. The fact is that if you are looking to create a career in music, being a strong and creative accompanist will make you a lot more employable than being the fastest lead player in town.
