RHYTHM GUITAR LESSONS AND STRUMMING
This video series breaks down the beat and teaches you how to count rhythms. That’s followed by a number of rhythm exercises which get progressively more challenging all while reinforcing the chords in the key of C.
Rhythm Guitar and Strumming
In this video, let’s break down the beat and learn all about rhythms including note types and how to count rhythms.
No more confusing down up down up descriptions for strumming rhythms. Learn what part of the beat to strum on and whether that should be a downstroke or upstroke.
Concepts
* Time Signature
* Note types – Whole, Half, Quarter, Eighth, Sixteenth, Triplets
* Dotted note types
* Counting
* Downstrokes and Upstrokes
Playing time: 8:32
Rhythm Guitar Strumming Exercises Overview
The following exercises reinforce the principles learned in the Guitar Rhythm and Strumming video as well as the chords you learned in the previous video series.
This video outlines the chord progression to be used in the following exercises and gives helpful reminders to becoming a better guitarist.
Get a handle on each of the different note types and then combine them to form common strumming patterns.
Playing time: 1:46
Quarter Notes
Let’s practice counting and strumming straight quarter notes while playing the chords in the key of C major.
Keep it slow and with the beat and work on making quick changes between the chords.
Concepts
* Quarter notes
* Downstrokes
* Chords in the key of C major
Playing time: 4:21
Eighth Notes – FREE LESSON
This lesson concentrates on the eighth note and works on two different ways to strum the same rhythm.
Concepts
* Eighth notes
* Downstrokes and Upstrokes
* Chords in the key of C major
Playing time: 4:35
Sixteenth Notes
This lesson is all about sixteenth notes but we got prepared for this in the previous exercise by playing an eighth note rhythm with all downstrokes. Now add the upstrokes and we get sixteenth notes.
Concepts
* Sixteenth notes
* Downstrokes and Upstrokes
* Chords in the key of C major
Playing time: 3:16
Quarter and Eighth Rhythm 1 2& 3 4&
This lessons mixes quarter notes and eighth notes to demonstrate a very common acoustic guitar rhythm.
Concepts
* Quarter and Eighth notes
* Downstrokes and Upstrokes
* Chords in the key of C major
Playing time: 2:40
Eighth and Sixteenth Rhythm 1 &a2 &a3 &a4 &a
This is the same rhythm as the quarter and eighth rhythm but written with eighth and sixteenth notes and so played twice as fast.
Concepts
* Eighth and Sixteenth notes
* Downstrokes and Upstrokes
* Chords in the key of C major
Playing time: 3:30
Quarter and Eighth Syncopation
Now we’re getting into syncopation and things are getting interesting.
Syncopation occurs when the beat of the rhythm does not happen when expected – maybe the beat is disrupted by a rest or the emphasis gets switched to the offbeat. This can be seen in this example. Here I have introduced a new symbol, the tie, which is the curved line that connects two adjacent similar pitched notes and ties them together, adding the duration of each note together so that only one note sounds for the duration of both notes. Two tied eighth notes last the length of a quarter note. Tying the first half of a beat to the last half of the previous beat creates syncopation by putting the accent on the offbeat.
The following rhythm is a very common rock acoustic guitar rhythm.
Concepts
* Quarter and Eighth notes
* Downstrokes and Upstrokes
* Tie
* Syncopation
Playing time: 3:21
Fast Quarter and Eighth Syncopation
These syncopated rhythms can be tricky but hopefully by having broken down the beat and with some practice you’ll be able to get this one.
Concepts
* Eighth and Sixteenth notes
* Downstrokes and Upstrokes
* Tie
* Syncopation
Playing time: 1:48
Travis Finger Picking Pattern 1 – C Major / A Minor
The next step to making your rhythm guitar playing sound great is to incorporate finger picking.
This lesson introduces Travis style finger picking and applies our first pattern to be used on C Major and A minor.
Concepts
* Travis Style Finger Picking
* Bass played by the thumb on the downbeats
* Treble played by the fingers on the offbeats
* Syncopation
Playing time: 11:39
Travis Finger Picking Pattern 1 – D Minor / F Major
This lessons continues on the Travis Finger Picking Pattern 1 established in the last lesson. The picking pattern is the exact same as with C and A minor but on the first four strings instead.
Concepts
* Travis Style Finger Picking
* Bass played by the thumb on the downbeats
* Treble played by the fingers on the offbeats
* Syncopation
Playing time: 6:14
Travis Finger Picking Pattern 1 – E Minor / G Major
This lessons continues on the Travis Finger Picking Pattern 1 established in the previous 2 lessons. We’re still sticking with four strings but for an added twist we will skip the fifths string and use strings 2, 3, 4, and 6.
Concepts
* Travis Style Finger Picking
* Bass played by the thumb on the downbeats
* Treble played by the fingers on the offbeats
* Syncopation
Playing time: 6:04
Travis Finger Picking Pattern 2 – C Major / A Minor
Continuing the finger picking theme. This lessons expands upon the earlier lesson for C and A minor by creating five and six string picking patterns.
Concepts
* Travis Style Finger Picking
* Bass played by the thumb on the downbeats
* Treble played by the fingers on the offbeats
* 5 and 6 string picking patterns
Playing time: 5:18
Travis Finger Picking Pattern 2 – D Minor / F Major
This lessons continues on the Travis Finger Picking Pattern 1 established in the last lesson. The picking pattern is the exact same as with C and A minor but on the first four strings instead.
Concepts
* Travis Style Finger Picking
* Bass played by the thumb on the downbeats
* Treble played by the fingers on the offbeats
* Syncopation
Playing time: 3:06
Travis Finger Picking Pattern 2 – E Minor / G Major
This lessons continues on the Travis Finger Picking Pattern 1 established in the previous 2 lessons. We’re still sticking with four strings but for an added twist we will skip the fifths string and use strings 2, 3, 4, and 6.
Concepts
* Travis Style Finger Picking
* Bass played by the thumb on the downbeats
* Treble played by the fingers on the offbeats
* Syncopation
Playing time: 3:03
C Major 7 Rhythm
Seventh chords are four note chords that are richer than their three note triad counterparts.
Here we will listen for the difference between C and C Major 7
Concepts
* I Major vs I Major 7
* Quarter notes
* Eighth notes
* Dotted eighth notes
* Sixteenths
Playing time: 10:58
D Minor 7 Rhythm
Let’s continue looking at and listening to 7th chords and the differences between the three note triad counterpart.
In this session, the ii minor and ii minor 7 chord are up. In particular, Dm and Dm7.
I will also introduce a new rhythm and time signature to work on.
Concepts
* ii minor vs ii minor 7
* 6/8 time signature
* Triplet feel
Playing time: 7:15
E Minor 7 Rhythm
In this session, the iii minor and iii minor 7 chord are up. Since we are in the key of C, we are looking at and listening to Em and Em7.
I will also introduce a new rhythm that incorporates what a bass guitar would play.
Concepts
* iii Minor vs iii Minor 7
* Roots and Fifths
Playing time: 7:35
F Major 7 Rhythm
The IV major chord in the key of C is F. This is a troublesome chord for a lot of people.
Thankfully, the Major 7 version is easier to play than the three note triad.
This session will work on alternating between F and FM7.
I am also introducing a new rhythm that should help get rid of stiffness in strumming.
Concepts
* IV Major vs IV Major 7
* Sixteenth notes
Playing time: 6:55
In this session, the V Major and V7 chord are up. Since we are in the key of C, we are looking at and listening to G and G7.
The rhythm that we’ll be looking at is swinging eighths
Concepts
* V Major vs V7
* Swung eighths
Playing time: 7:23
This session practices an eighth / sixteenth rhythm alternating between Am and Am7.
Concepts
* vi Minor vs vi Minor 7
* Eighth and Sixteenth notes
Playing time: 6:15
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