Guitar Quick Tip #8: It's ALL About Rhythm!! (Guitar Lesson QT-008)

Hi, how're you doing?

Justin here
with another quick tip for you,

and today it's all about rhythm.

Now, rhythm is one of those things
that I think guitar players often neglect,

spending far too much time on
scales and chords

and, you know,
worrying a lot about notes,

whereas rhythm is actually possibly

MORE important than the notes
that you're playing.

Well, possibly.

I think it is actually more important
than the notes you're playing.

Let's just think about it for a second.

Now, rhythm has been around with us
for thousands of years,

since we were making tools out of stones,
you know, putting sticks and stones,

clinking 'em together, dancing around,
having a rhythm.

Sure, some people might have sung
some melodies and stuff,

but it was the beat
that got people dancing.

That was the important part,

and that's been with us
for thousands of years.

If we think about harmony,
like our major and minor

and chords in a key,
and that sort of stuff;

two hundred years.

Hardly any time at all.
Maybe a little bit longer, but not much.

So, really, rhythm is
kind of in our species.

We've evolved this way,
with a feeling of rhythm.

We've got a heartbeat
that's with us all the time.

Rhythm is just part of us.

So, it doesn't make really much sense

when you're thinking about music
as being rhythm and melody,

which is what the two elements are
that make up music

to spend loads of time
thinking about your scales and your notes

and your chords and all that stuff and
not paying enough attention to rhythm.

And it's really amazing
how important rhythm can be.

If you've got somebody
who's playing great rhythm

and only knows a few chords,
they'll get the party started.

Absolutely, if somebody's got that rhythm
and it's just rockin' along,

Even if they're not...you know,
they might only know two or three chords

they'll get the whole party singing along,

whereas the other guy who's got all of
this fancy kind of rock stuff down

and can whittle away in the corner,
he's not going to have much of an audience.

You know, it's really a big deal.

Also important, and I can just
demonstrate this for you

because it's kind of fun.

If I play a few chords,
but I muff the chords up a little bit-

I'm just gonna play like
G, D, Am, G D C kind of vibe-

but if I get some of the chords
a little bit wrong

or don't get to them in time,

but I keep my rhythm okay,
it sounds fine.

So, if we have a
G D G Am G (mistake)

C (mistake) G (mistake) Am

That doesn't sound great, right?

I'd be disappointed if I had heard that
in a concert,

but you can feel that
the musicality of it is still there.

But listen to what happens
if I muck the RHYTHM up,

if I get the chords right
and make the rhythm go a bit wonky.

(Same chord pattern as before,
but broken and choppy.)

Just sounds not musical, right?
It just sounds like...wrong.

As soon as that rhythm gets tidied up,
for instance, here:

Wrong...(Rhythm improves.)

Ah, now we're going somewhere!
,

As soon as that rhythm started
it's okay; everything makes sense.

And if you stop,
as long as your keep your time,

it's okay.

If the chord goes really, horribly wrong
(sour chord)

doesn't really matter.
It's fine! We're okay.

You could go REALLY wrong-
(extra sour chord)

but if somebody's kind of moving along
and they're in time with you

and it goes a bit wrong,
as long as you keep your rhythm

it's gonna be okay.

It's REALLY important, rhythm.

You know, when you think about those guys,
like B.B. King,

that can do whole solos
with two or three notes:

they've only got two or three notes!

So what could it be that they're utilizing
to make their solos great?

The RHYTHM! It's all they've got
if there's only two or three notes.

They're not just playing
the same three notes over and over again,

that would bore anyone.

Again, it's the way that they're playing;
it's their rhythm.

And not just like mathematically
what the rhythm is they're playing,

it's their FEELING of the rhythm.

And rhythm's like that
it's not just mathematical.

You have to learn that,

but then you've gotta try and find
the way that the rhythm feels nice.

It's not just about the tech- you know,
the technical divisions of a bar.

It goes a little bit beyond that.

Sure, you have to get
the technical part right first,

but the really big deal
is to remember

that it's ALL ABOUT RHYTHM.

See you for lots more very soon.

Take care. Bye-bye.