To me, rhythm and what you do with it is everything…. Right after rhythm is melody.
Think about this quote for a while.
One often over-looked yet most important aspect of playing is rhythm and time. Being able to get into that pocket. Feeling the groove of the music. In order to become a master of the guitar, your timing must be excellent. It is was separates the good from the great. Being able to produce a steady tempo while playing indicates confidence and competence. If you are dragging and rushing, it sounds unprofessional.
Sure there are some forms of music that are experimental and free-form, but can you imagine listenting to a flamenco player who couldn’t keep a steady pulse. Many forms of music are driven and based around rhythm: funk, reggae, flamenco, hell pretty much everything is in some way. It is an extremely crucial element of sound, as it can affect the mood and entire feel of a piece of music.
So please take players’ advice when they say practice with a metronome. You will thank them and yourself by the results you get. If you don’t have one, check out this awesome link and use this free online metronome while you practice: http://www.metronomeonline.com/
Popularity: 1% [?]
Guitar Lesson # 2: Thoughts on Technique Making The Most Of Your Guitar Workouts Guitar Player Zen: So How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? Guitar Lesson #1: If You Don’t Know Where You are Going, Any Road Will Take You There. Guitar Player Zen: Jimi Hendrix
1 response so far ↓
1 Minimum Effective Dose- The Occam’s Razor of Guitar Practicing | GuitarPlayerZen.com // Jan 21, 2011 at 6:31 pm
[...] that will allow me to know whether I am playing in time and in the groove. It is imperative to develop good timing and rhythm if you wish to take your playing from the good to the great [...]
Leave a Comment