Guitar Lesson 29: Playing rhythmically, being groovy & practising note durations

In Guitar Lesson 29, we decide to return to rhythm playing: this time looking at staying in time, feeling the pulse and playing rhythmically, with interest and in the groove. The lesson is divided up into three parts: Firstly, we look at playing funky grooves and using a metronome; secondly, we have a look at how to play Back in Black in time; finally we look at practicing different note groupings and note durations over a couple of backing tracks.

Guitar Lesson 29 – Audio link

1:25 Introduction – What is it about rhythm that gets missed?
5:12 Hot for teacher clip – Van Halen – to hear the rhythm playing in this song
6:00 Dan’s question: So what aspects of rhythm are tricky? My answer: Making it interesting and groovy.
7:45 We start with a classic funky groove demonstrated by Dan and destroyed by me – ha ha
9:00 What does it mean to make something groovy? Your audience should feel the need to move from your groove.
9:45 Where is the beat? The importance of tapping your foot
10:50 Get it nice and funky – sitting nicely in that groove
12:00 Keep it really simple on the left hand so you can concentrate on the beat and strumming
14:00 Using a metronome to assist your inner pulse and feel the beat.
18:00 Thoughts on locking in, feeling the pulse and playing naturally
24:50 Duran Duran – Notorious
28:20 What other rhythms can we take a look at today? I suggest ACDC, Back in Black
29:15 Guitar swap
29:53 ACDC – Back in Black
30:20 Step one: Get the chords in the right place
30:45 An initial look at the guitar lick fills
32:05 The importance of slowing stuff down to learn it. Compare to singers’ soul vocal fills, learning bends
39:15 Dan’s question: Any other rhythms causing pain. My answer was note groupings in soloing
40:25 Trying different groupings and note durations over a backing track
44:05 Some shapes lend themselves well to different note types
45:00 Second backing track in B Minor
49:30 Still over the backing track in B Minor but fitting the phrasing into the groove and thinking like a horn player
52:00 Still over the backing track in B Minor but fitting the phrasing into the groove and thinking like a horn player
54:00 use phrases that are a rhythmic thing in themselves