Good time means good rhythm and you will need it. I write about getting started in a previous post entitled, Learn To Play Guitar For Adults, and touch on this. One topic comes up most frequently and that is how to play rhythm well. We dedicate one entire courses at Just 2 Play Guitar to focus on just that skill alone: Becoming a Rhythm Ace.
Watch this video of a drummer who is just fantastic: Sonny Emory with his band Sonny Emory’s Cachet. If you are not a drum solo kind of person, bear with me for a minute. There is something important going on here you need to learn for yourself. This is critical to keeping good time for yourself. A video with Al DiMeola addresses this and he makes the same point.
Keep Time on your Body
Watch the left leg, the hi-hat leg, of Sonny. Pay special attention during sections where it seems like the rhythm is off the rails. That leg never stops keeping time for him.
Watch the greats closely and you will see the same sort of thing – the beat is maintained by some part of the body. I tend to tap my foot but will switch feet and bob my head. That beat is going on somewhere. Tap your foot, bob your head – whatever it takes. Get the beat going on you somewhere!
Good Time: There’s a Trick to It
Now you might be tempted to think you are already doing this and still having trouble so – useless advice, dude! There’s a trick to it. The temptation is to tap along with whatever the rhythm guitar or drummer is doing – i.e triplets, ghost beats, etc. The trick is to keep the 1-2-3-4 (or 1-2-3 or whatever the time is) count going no matter what the rest of the song is doing. The first time you do it, it will not be easy. For the new guitarist, it can really mess with your head.
Tap out 1-2-3-4 through an entire song without deviating. It will be difficult at first not to tap along with drum rolls and other fills but it will break you of the habit. This will help you identify the time signature of a song, as well.
As you progress, try some more difficult songs with odd ball timing such as The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Take Five. Pink Floyd’s Money is also a great one to count out as it changes time signatures for the solo section.
When you work with songs in 3/4 time, you can break out of the or waltz rut by doubling up the count to 6/8. This will break some songs out of that sameness in a set and keep things interesting for you and your listeners. It is good practice to change the time even when you don’t really need to. Keep things fresh and produce alternate versions of common patterns.
Liven up your playing and tighten up your rhythm by getting the count down solid. When you lead music, everyone will thank you! Let’s do a number on the old jag on guitarists and their lack of rhythm and timing!
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