In this lesson, we are going to learn the best ways to improve your rhythm guitar playing. Playing rhythm is not as easy as it looks when you watch people do it. Creating that inner clock that every musician needs takes time. And many hours of practice.
Practice with a metronome
The best way to do this is with a metronome. If a metronome isn’t working for you, I’d recommend a drum machine or a backing track (you can find it all day long on YouTube) to improve your meter. I had a student who had this issue.
We’d work on his timing during our lessons & he’d get better. Then I’d tell him, “Great, now keep it up during the wee,k” and of course, he’d get busy with life and wouldn’t keep it up.
So naturally, we’d have to start over and get it going again. Then the process would start all over.
The point of the story is that if he had time to practice during the week (which he didn’t), he’d have gotten better sooner.
We eventually got him there, but it took some time & it will be with you also. I know working with a metronome can be boring and repetitive, but that’s what’s necessary to build your timing. It’s one of the reasons many guitarists struggle with this.
Set guitar goals
If you feel you’re not being motivated to do it, maybe you need to set guitar goals. These can give you direction and help you to stay focused and motivated to practice daily. This is why I created my Free action guide. How To Set Guitar Goals.
It can allow you to develop the right success mindset, accelerate your learning & get you where you want to go faster! If you need help in this area, be sure to grab my Free Action Guide to get you moving in the right direction.
And if you work with something (it doesn’t matter what, metronome, drum machine, backing track, etc) and you do it consistently, you WILL improve your rhythm playing and meter. Here’s a short video I made that might help you out as well. Ways To Improve Your Rhythm Playing Today
Guitar method books
To help assist you further, I have authored and self-published many books on playing guitar. For this particular topic, I recommend you check out the book.
Learn To Play Rhythm Guitar.
Learn To Play Rhythm Guitar is a comprehensive training course. A step-by-step method book that is designed for anyone with the desire to learn. Even if you have no previous musical knowledge.
You will learn to master concepts and principles that will lead to building a solid musical foundation on which all future learning can stand. Even if you already play guitar, you can still learn new musical concepts from this course.
When you learn to play rhythm guitar, you acquire a sense of timing. You develop the skills of patience, persistence, determination, and self-discipline. These are skills that can highly benefit you in other areas of your life. Not to mention such skills as hand-to-hand coordination, eye-to-hand coordination, sight reading, ear training, and the understanding of music theory.
Learn such things as:
- How to hold the guitar properly
- What chords to start with
- How to strum and arpeggiate those chords
- How to create rhythm and develop timing
- How to read guitar notation and diagrams
- How to understand the basics of music theory
- How to develop practice habits
- How to build self-confidence
- And much, much more.
So, if you are serious about wanting to play the guitar for a hobby or a career, this book will get you started down the right track. If you need more personal assistance, remember that I offer private one-on-one guitar instruction.
Private instruction is also available
With over 20 years of teaching experience. Both online and in-person. I specialize in crafting customized lessons that cater to your musical journey. Even if you have no formal training. With your interest and availability, I can tailor our lessons to suit your pace and schedule.
Whether you want to dive into the basics or explore different musical styles, I can guide you every step of the way. Just contact me at my website, and we can embark on this new and exciting adventure together.
Thanks for your time, and best of luck with your guitar learning.
Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins
