Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Need help with your timing? Strum patterns + rhythm ideas! Lesson – ML128

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play the rhythm guitar part over last week’s jam track (EP625). You’ll learn how to play ahead of the beat, and how to play on the beat as well as several simple rhythm embellishments!

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Comments

  6. francky k says

    Dear Brian,

    Thank you for this excellent lesson!

    I would like more of these lessons with an emphasis on rhythm guitar.

    Maybe an idea, rhythm lessons in the style of …. ( there are so many good players )

    This is so useful

    Also as a basis for a loop

    Greetings,

    Francky

  7. Lesley O says

    This is great Brian – a rhythm lesson was just what I needed and this sounds so great! I love the variety in your lessons. There is something for everyone whatever our level and style of playing . I have been subscribing for around 18 months now and have recently been returning to some of the earlier lessons. I am happily surprised to find that my understanding of the guitar neck and my ability to play these practice tracks more nicely has so much improved in that time. Many thanks

  13. Daniel H says

    Interesting to see a timing analysis of strumming. I have simply “felt” the rhythm of playing songs for so long this lesson kind of spooked me. This is definitely not something I would want to over-think at this stage of playing. But I do like that you recognize and teach to the wide range of us looking to improve our guitar skills on Active Melody! That must be a challenge for a teacher and you handle it admirably.

  15. Richard C says

    Great leasson. As a 100% left hander, I chose to learn the guitar right handed (this was the advice rather than re-stringing or doing a Jimmy Hendrix) and after several years am now comfortable with this. However, am conscious that my timing and rhythm is not as good as it should be with me strumming with my ‘wrong’ hand. This lesson has really helped think about time, coming in ahead of the beat and relaxing my strumming hand. Thanks.

    • Lesley O says

      I am totally with you here Richard! I am also a left hander playing right handed. I am actually more left handed and ‘right armed’ (racquet sports etc) so thought playing guitar right handed would be fine. It’s ok, but am very conscious , like you, that my rhythm hand needs more work and practice. So lessons like this really help, and make the practice more fun.

  18. Michael Krailo says

    My day was derailed by a series of broken strings that demanded a lot of work to repair for reasons I don’t want to get into. Suffice it to say, my guitar is playing much better after doing all the tweaks, fret polishing and new set of strings. This one really inspired me to just jam out on those three chords and come up with all sorts of variations that sound really good. There is beauty in simplicity. Thanks Brian.

    I just hope I can remember how I played all this stuff that seemed to come out of nowhere.

  19. Paul M says

    Rhythm guitar playing is so underrated-if it wasn’t for the foundation of the rhythm section there can be no lead.

    Thanks Brian, a wonderful spotlight shone on an undervalued area.

    Also the shorter lessons give me hope-that is, I may complete the lesson and feel good about it.

    I am a big fan of the micro lesson-small amounts of information that can be mastered.

    Thanks again Brian.

  22. Rick C says

    When I went to music-school jams, pre-COVID, “Franklin’s Tower” was always a wonderful jam. Now that I know more about the b7 scale, I’ll do better.
    The lyrics are transcendent, as are most Dead and Robert Hunter songs.
    You’ve taught us how to play what I couldn’t get right… the ‘before the count’ strum. Thank you.

    I’m retired and spend time practicing, watching TV.
    I follow your work… work on counting… practicing scales from each root note, Maj/min/b7.
    I might have a fret board voice someday… !!

    Thank you.

  27. norman c says

    Great lesson. Always struggled with my rhythm playing being a lefty playing right handed. Super helpful lesson feeling more natural and playing rhythm more intuitively.
    Thanks.
    Honoring the passing of Steve Cropper would love some soulful rhythm lessons in his style when he played with Booker T and the MG’s

  31. James M says

    Hi Brian! For the A chord (off beat), you keep changing your right hand pattern: sometimes it’s down, down, up, down-mute…..and other times it’s down, down, an up and down with no strum, and then an up and down-mute. What’s the best way since I have trouble with my timing. Thanks!

  33. Ray S says

    Brian thank you for this lesson! All of your lessons are very informative but sometimes beyond my knowledge and abilities. I would love to see more lessons like this one. Keep em coming please.

  34. Denis M says

    I have always had a hard time with counting 1 and 2 and 3… I have hard time keeping up with the ahead beat. I also tend to throw an extra strum where there should be none. I will need to work some more. I’ve been playing guitar for 40 years. Embarassing.

  37. math07 says

    Thanks Brian.

    I like that rhythm lesson. Could you please make one in the same style, but for a standard blues in A progression ? I want to make a backing track for my friend will improvise a blues in A with it.

    In this episode, I feel like it gets pretty interesting for the listener since we move from A, to G and D every two beats. But, how could we apply the same interesting principles interesting with a standard progression such as.
    A | A | A | A
    D|D| A | A
    E| D| A | A

    How to make the epeating of A (frets x77655) for 4 bars in a row exciting. And come up with a cool rhythm.

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