https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 04:03:00 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/paged/2/#post-365394 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:25:30 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Gotdablues https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/paged/2/#post-365394 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/paged/2/#post-365393 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:42:26 +0000 http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=551993&songID=10495595&showPlayer=true
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=551993&songID=8537661&showPlayer=true

you'll see two examples where i wrote the rhythms, and play them, but if i attempt to count while doing so, i'd almost definitely get tripped up, and surely wouldn't get anything from it, whereas just feeling and playing them works just fine.

there are times when i'm reading music, that counting out where everything falls can clarify the feel of a passage, but if you're rocking and rolling, or swinging a song, or learning to play a song by ear, you really need to feel the music, or you'll never progress past a sort of mechanical, stilted playing that can't possibly be any fun or of interest to you or the audience. i'm not saying don't count. you may have to, but that can't be the end of it.]]> Guitar Players Discussion Anonymous https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/paged/2/#post-365393 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365392 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:13:57 +0000 some rhythmic patterns - for example, septuplets - are much easier to 'feel' or imitate by ear than to count, lots of beginners and some intermediate players use that as an excuse for not counting at all, with a predictable result: they're not consistent. If can't be consistent, you can't have good rhythm. It's that simple.

I encourage my students to tap their foot (or feet), and to sway to the music. That's because it's easier to keep time if you have a steady motion to measure against. But that's not a substitute for counting either - not everything will neatly line up with the up-down of the foot. If you can't play "one-e-and-a-two" and always get the "e" in the same place, you can't play a syncopated sixteenth note rhythm. The more interesting the rhythm, the more important counting becomes.

The most basic element of having good rhythm is the ability to break a beat into divisions or subdivisions and play it correctly, whether that's in simple time (eighths/sixteenths) or compound time (triplet rhythms). The fastest way to do that is to count.

One of my teachers used to say "if you can't say it, you can't play it". While that's not literally true... it's darn close.]]> Guitar Players Discussion NoteBoat https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365392 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365391 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:46:29 +0000 nodding or swaying or dancing or tapping my foot all work better. you might be able to keep it mathematically "correct" by counting in your head, but that won't necessarily keep you in the groove. you really can't fake the feel of it, and that comes from your body, from dancing.]]> Guitar Players Discussion Anonymous https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365391 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365381 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:49:44 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion kayo1111 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365381 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365378 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 08:45:01 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Anonymous https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365378 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365368 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:52:27 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Alan Green https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365368 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365367 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:23:21 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Anonymous https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365367 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365361 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:44:14 +0000 http://sharemyguitar.com/blog/smg-guitar-lesson-tips-on-rhythm/ *** Moderator Edit: I tried to read this article and it wouldn't load. ***

I agree with most of it. Playing with other people and along to songs is my preferred way.]]> Guitar Players Discussion Johnny Lee https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365361 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365357 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:58:19 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion cnev https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/improving-rhythm-guitar-playing/#post-365357