Rhythm Training For Guitar

A misconception that many guitarists developed is that the guitarist does not need to keep rhythm and that role is for the drummer and bassist. While laying down the rhythm is the role of the rhythm section in terms of the song itself, it isn’t the case in terms of actual performance. Everyone in the band, including the guitarist and singer and any other person playing melody rather than rhythm, needs to be able to keep time. The drummer and bassist can be playing perfectly in time, the melody will still sound out of time if you can’t play in rhythm. Taking the time to develop a good sense of rhythm is important.

The first, and probably most important thing is to get a metronome. Get an actual metronome, while there are plenty of computer and online ones out there, they have such a tendency to skip makes them really not a great option. While there are some really expensive ones out there, the simple ones with everything you actually will need are very cheap.

For the examples below, you need to be able to play them slow and fast. The important thing is that you should be able to play these perfectly in time at any tempo you are comfortable with, not whether or not you can plow through sixteenth notes at 240 BPM. For the slowest speed, 60 BPM is a pretty good one. It is rare for a song to actually go below that, and quite often when they do they often use fairly uncommon note intervals like 32nd or 64th notes. As counterintuitive as it maybe, very slow songs can end up being very difficult, so just try to make sure you can at least bottom out at 60 BPM for the moment.

This first example just goes through the most common note intervals. If any of them give you particular difficulty, you should focus on playing those over and over again until you can play them in time. Keep in mind that you need to transition between note lengths smoothly, as well as be able to play the notes themselves in rhythm. Remember the important part is not how fast you can play it, but that you can play it perfectly in time.

In addition, it is important to be able to add dynamics, such as accents to your playing in the correct rhythm. In the following exercise, the accent should always be on the downbeat. If it isn’t in line with the metronome then it isn’t properly in time, even if you are playing all of the actual notes in the correct time.

The next exercise follows the same idea, except instead of an accent on each note, you will be using a palm mute. Like the previous exercise, all of these need to be in time with the downbeat. The upbeat notes should be played normally, so you also need to be sure that your palm mute isn’t bleeding across the notes.

In addition, rests need to be played in time just like notes. Unlike many other instruments, notes on a guitar continue to ring for quite some time unless they are purposely stopped. Rests are quite often “played” by lightly pressing your picking hand into the strings. The next exercise is a very basic punch riff. Each punch needs to start at the downbeat, and the guitar needs to be silenced exactly on the following downbeat. You can’t let the notes ring past the rest, but you also can’t start the rest too early. Punch rhythms are good practice for rests since they are so distinct and common that you should be quite familiar if you are doing it properly.

Remember the point of these exercises isn’t how fast you can play them, it is that you can play them in time. With a little effort and practice with a metronome, you really should have no problem developing your own sense of timing. It can be difficult at first, but it is an extremely important skill for every musician to have.

Keep on rockin'!