THE IMPORTANCE OF RHYTHM

This lesson will cover the importance of rhythm. You don't need to read music to be able to play the guitar, but having an understanding of note values can be very helpful.

Being able to feel the beats and keep time is essential if you're going to play a song correctly. This is extremely important if you are interested in playing with other musicians. No one will be that excited about having you in their band if you can't keep time with the rhythm of the music!

There have been several occasions when I've acquired a new student who expressed trouble keeping a regular steady beat even after playing guitar for several years. In order to do this a person needs to understand how to count or feel the beats within a measured length of time. That is the essence of rhythm.

In this lesson you will learn about note values and how to count them while playing an A minor scale.

Notes and rests are common symbols used to describe a duration of time in music. The time is measured with beats. This is how the rhythm is established.

At some point in your life you have probably experienced tapping your foot to a song you were listening to. Without realizing it, you were feeling the pulse and keeping time with the rhythm by counting beats! One important thing to be aware of is the fact that
music is primarily an intuitive process and preceeds the WRITTEN form.

Someone creates a piece of music from within themselves and later puts it down on paper as a way of remembering or sharing it with others. You want to develop this ability to FEEL the rhythm of the music intuitively within yourself.

However, understanding some of the symbols within the written form can help you to achieve a good sense of ryhthm.

Each of the following note symbols has a name related to the number of beats it receives:

Whole Note - receives 4 beats.

Half Note - receives 2 beats.

Quarter Note - receives 1 beat.

Eighth Note - receives 1/2 a beat.

The notes are placed on five horizontal lines called a staff. Two vertical bar lines define the space in between known as a measure.

As you can see, the example above uses quarter notes. Count each one individually, just as if you were counting four coins: 1 2 3 4.

Because we are using four beats to a measure we can replace the quarter notes with either two half-notes or one whole note.

Continuing with our analogy of money, a half-note is similar to a half-dollar, and a whole note is similar to a one dollar bill. In other words.

4 quarters = 4 beats
2 halves = 4 beats
1 whole = 4 beats

Today, most guitar music is accompanied by tablature. This is a method which uses numbers and letters instead of notes to indicate how the music is played.

Tablature is an easy way for most students to learn how to play the guitar. I use it very often myself. Unfortunately, tablature doesn't always include the rhythm structure of the song. This means you won't be able to play the piece correctly unless you have heard it or someone shows you the rhythm.

The best way for learning a song in written form is by using a combination of the two. Tablature that includes standard notation will also enable you to learn the rhythm if you know how to interpret the note values and count the beats!

Below is an example of tablature and notation combined. The notes above are written on the five lines of a staff indicating the rhythm. There are four quarter notes in each measure, so be sure to count 1 2 3 4 in all four measures.

The six lines of the tablature represent the six strings of the guitar. The bottom line equals the low sixth string, the top line equals the first string.

The numbers on the lines represent the fret you will play. Use the 1st finger when playing the first fret, 2nd finger, second fret, 3rd finger, third fret, and 4th finger, fourth fret.

PLAY THE TABLATURE EXERCISE:

1. Start by playing the open A (5th string). The next note to play is B on the second fret, then C on the third fret. All three notes (A, B, C) are on the same string.

2. Continue up to the open D on the 4th string, playing each fret indicated, then go to the 3rd string.

3. Play the open G and then A on the second fret. Now go back down, reversing the order.
This is the Musical Alphabet A B C D E F G A, which is also an A minor scale. Notice as the notes go up on the staff you are also moving forward in the alphabet as well as higher in sound. Likewise, as the notes go down the staff you are moving backward in the alphabet and lower in sound.

From this scale we can make an A Minor Chord. A chord is simply a combination of 3 or more tones (or notes) played simultaneously. All chords are built from scales.

The numbers on the chord grid in between the staff and the tablature represent your fingers. This tells you what fingers to use to make an A minor chord.

The whole notes on the staff above tell you to strum the chord once, then count to four while sustaining the sound.

The tablature beneath shows the frets your fingers should be on. Any letter from the Musical Alphabet with a small m next to it represents a MINOR CHORD.
Play the A minor scale again, this time adding the A minor chord at the end. Count a rhythm of 4 beats per measure. Strum the A minor chord one time and let the sound continue as you count the 4 beats of a whole note.

Another chord that is easy to play and also works nicely with Am, is Em.

IMPORTANT:

Keeping your 2nd finger down while practicing this rhythm exercise will help you to remember the chord shapes. You will also be applying a principle known among guitarists as "economy of motion". In other words, less is more! You don't want to slow yourself down with unnecessary motion.

LESSON OBJECTIVE:

To understand how to count a common 4 beat rhythm using the tablature, chord grids and basic note values described in this lesson. To learn the A minor scale along with the Am and Em chords.

PRACTICE:

Play the A minor scale forward and back everyday, using whole notes, half-notes and quarter notes.
Play the chord exercise after the scale. In a short time you should begin to feel comfortable with the fingering. Memorize where each letter of the scale is as you play.