Understand Rhythm Guitar Basics

Rhythm guitarists are some of the unspoken heroes of the band. They provide bridge the gap between the bass and drums and the other melody instruments, holding down the song's chord progression that forms the backbone of your melody. Rhythm guitar can add a lot to a song as long as you don't treat it as a secondary or "bad-guitarist's" instrument.

Steps

Playing Power Chords

  1. Always use a metronome, or practice with a percussionist, to get perfect, unending rhythm. As the rhythm guitarist you must be on time at all times. You are relied upon to keep the band cohesive, bridging the percussion and melody instruments. Always practice strumming with a metronome to ensure you're rock-solid and reliable in the rhythm section.
  2. Use 2-3 string power chords to hammer out quick, simple rhythms. The power chord is the a beginner's bread and butter. They only require two fingers, and are easily slid around the entire neck, making it possible to play a basic version of many songs the minute you learn the form.
    • Power chords only use two or three strings, meaning they still sound fresh under distortion and effects.
    • Power chords are powerful, rocking chords that sound at home in rock, punk, pop, blues and many other distorted genres.
  3. Play power chords as "5ths," meaning they fit in either major or minor key songs. There's a perfectly good reason for this, but it is buried in music theory and not crucial to a basic understanding. The part that matters is that power chords aren't major or minor, they are "indifferent." This means they can fit under any type of music, in any genre.
    • For example, you could use a C power chord (or a C5, in music theory) to back up either a C major or a C minor song.
  4. Understand that there are several ways to play power chords. The most basic are called "dyads," where you play only two notes to imply the cord, like a C or A#m.If the word "dyad" bothers you, just think of these as the standard power chord.
  5. Put your first finger on the 6th string, and your ring finger on the 5th string two frets up to play a power chord. Your fingers will be a string apart, and two frets away. So, if you're on the 6th string, 4th fret with your index finger, your ring finger will be on the 5th string, 6th fret.
    • To make the chord louder and "thicker," hold your ring finger down so it covers the 4th string as well.
  6. Move the whole shape down one string if you want to start a power chord on the 5th string. If you want to play these starting on the fifth string instead, do the same thing but put the first finger on the 5th string and the ring finger on the fourth string two frets up.
    • Again, you can hold down your ring finger to make a harder, three-finger chord.
  7. Try a 'straight 5th' guitar chord for a hard, metal-style song. Despite the fancy name, know that it's just playing 2 strings on the same fret. This gives a more "deathly" sound that is useful from time to time, although some think the standard power chords with or without octave are a lot clearer and more effective in general. A less common but nonetheless useful power chord is something some like to call the "straight 5th."
    • Here's a two string G power chord shown in tab:
      • --X--
      • --X--
      • --X--
      • --(5)--
      • --5--
      • --3--
    • Here's a C:
      • --X--
      • --X--
      • --(5)--
      • --5--
      • --3--
      • --X--
  8. Add an easy third note for more melodic, bigger chord. An octave another version of the same note, in this case your root. The octave is two strings down, two frets down from the note on your index finger. Simply hold your ring finger down on the string just below it, so you're fretting two strings at once. You can also use your pinky. This is a fuller sounding cord, with a brighter, bigger tone. It is a little slower to play, however, if you're playing faster music.
    • Here's the G with the octave added:
      • --X--
      • --X--
      • --X--
      • --5--
      • --5--
      • --3--
    • And here's the C with the octave added:
      • --X--
      • --X--
      • --5--
      • --5--
      • --3--
      • --X--
  9. Move your power chord, keeping the same exact finger position, anywhere on the fretboard. Now that you have the form down, you can play power chords anywhere. You don't even need to change your form or finger positioning.
  10. Figure out a basic song with power chords to memorize the skill. Just for fun, play around with straight 5ths using the D and G strings open. Stay on the 3rd fret and 5th fret, moving them around until a song starts to form.
    • If Smoke on the Water doesn't happen within 30 seconds, add the 6th fret on the E string to finish the song.

Playing Traditional Barre Chords

  1. Use barre chords to play minors, majors, sevenths, and much more anywhere on the neck. Barre chords are adaptable, slide across the neck, and come in set forms that you can learn relatively quickly. They take some stretching to get used to, however.
    • Barre chords, like power chords, get their name based on your index finger's position. If it is on a G, the chord is a G.
    • Barre chords come in "forms," meaning that once you learn how to set one up, you can move it anywhere across the neck to go from Gm7 to Am7, or a B major to a C major.
  2. Bar across all 6 strings with your first finger, covering every string on that fret. Your index finger on the top string determines the chord, just like with power chords. When done, place the ring finger on the fifth string two frets down, where the green dot is.
  3. Set the rest of your fingers up as if you were playing an open E chord to play a major barre chord. Place the little (4th) finger just below it, on the fourth string (still two frets up from the bar). Put the middle finger on the 3rd string 1 fret up from the bar. This form can now be moved anywhere across the top string to form a major chord. A G major bar chord looks like this in tab:
    • --3--
    • --3--
    • --4--
    • --5--
    • --5--
    • --3--
    • To make the chord minor, simply remove your middle finger, here the 4th fret, and leave it barred.
  4. To make a minor chord, move the whole form down one string, ignoring the top string. All your fingers go one string below where they were for the major barre chord. Don't play the 6th string. The top note (root) is now on the 5th string. Now, wherever your index finger is on the 5th string becomes the chord -- if it is on a C, the chord is a C minor. The rest of the E-chord shape stays the same, so a C major might look like this:
    • --3--
    • --4--
    • --5--
    • --5--
    • --3--
    • --X--
  5. Play a seventh barre chord by simply removing your pinky finger from a major barre chord. Seventh chords, whether open or barred, are the blues chords. They are melodic, but still a little sad. Whenever you want this old-school, bluesy feel, you want major seventh chords.
    • --3--
    • --3--
    • --4--
    • --3--
    • --5--
    • --3--
  6. Drop the 7th down a string or remove you ring finger, to make a minor 7th. Just like moving from a major to a minor chord, you can move from a major 7th (A7) to a minor 7th (Am7) but either lifting your finger on the third string, or by dropping the whole form down a string. Remember that, if you drop the form, the new chord is based on your root note now, or index finger placement. So a Cm7 could look like:
    • --3--
    • --4--
    • --3--
    • --5--
    • --3--
    • --X--
      Or
    • --8--
    • --8--
    • --9--
    • --8--
    • --10--
    • --8--
  7. Drop the bottom strings if you're having trouble nailing barre chords at first. Purists will tell you to play these major chords on 5 strings, to get the high E string in there. This is great if you can be bothered with the more difficult fingering involved, but if not, you can 'cheat' and dump the high E, making the hand position a great deal easier to pull off. To do this, just bar the middle 4 strings (A, D, G, and B) with the first finger, and then bar the D, G, and B strings with the ring finger two frets up.
    • Here's how a C major chord looks in tab (X = don't play this string):
      • --X--
      • --5--
      • --5--
      • --5--
      • --3--
      • --X--
    • These chords strike a nice balance between the indifferent-sounding power chords and the big old 6 string bar monsters.
    • They won't turn into mud even under a good bit of gain, but they still sound like 'real chords.' They are nice for those rhythm parts where you roll back the guitar's volume knob a bit and provide backing for the vocalist or another guitarist.

Using Common Drop-Tunings

  1. Tune your top string down to D to get Drop-D tuning, allowing a deeper sound and easier power-chords. Some guitarists tune their E string down to D so that they can play power chords.This is seen by many as cheating, but the tuning has been used by Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, and many other bands known for their guitar work.
    • Since the D is now a full half-step lower, you can play simple 2-finger power chords with ease-- just hold the 6th and 5th string on the same fret.
    • This "drop D" tuning also allows for a deeper, darker sound, which many metal and alternative guitarists now prefer.
  2. Use a Drop-C tuning for a heavy, killer sound. For drop-C tuning, not only do you tune the lowest string way down to C, but all other strings down one note also. Metalcore bands such as Atreyu, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Fall of Troy, and others use this tuning as it is deep and heavy. The final outcome (from thickest to thinnest) is:
    • CGCFAD
    • A similar metal tuning, known as "Dethklok," is C F Bb Eb G C which is simply two whole steps (4 frets) down from standard tuning. The intervals are the same, so your playing never has to change, but everything is much, much deeper.
  3. Make sure the rest of the band knows you're using a drop tuning. Your whole band will be out of tune if you're not on the same page. The third fret on the top string, for example, is not a G if you're in Drop-D -- it is a half step lower -- a C#.

Using EADFAD Minor Tuning

  1. Use the minor tuning to play big, 6-string minor chords easily. The hand position to hold a six string minor chord is identical to the 'power chord' form, but all 6 strings are held down. This makes minor chords fast, simple, and easy to find.
  2. Tune the G (3rd) string down to F, the B (2nd) string down to A, and the E (1st) string down to D. Use an electronic tuner, or search online for a video or clip of someone playing the tuning, if you tune by ear.
  3. Bar across all 6 strings with the index finger, and bar the last five strings with the third finger, two frets up.
    • Here is how a G minor chord would look in tab:
      • --5--
      • --5--
      • --5--
      • --5--
      • --5--
      • --3--
  4. Simplify to 4-string chords to get even faster, chunkier chords. You can play some very nice 4-string major chords with a hand position that is simpler than the multi-finger bar chord used in standard tuning. Just bar across the first 4 strings with the index finger, then place the middle finger on the 3rd (F) string one fret up.
    • Here's how a G major chord would look in tab:
      • --5--
      • --5--
      • --6--
      • --5--
      • --X--
      • --X--
  5. Add the 5th string back in with your index finger for an extra bass note. You can also add a bass note to these major chords by playing the 5th string without altering the feel of the chord too much.
    • Another advantage of playing major chords this way is that the ring and 4th fingers are free to add some nice runs to your chord work.
    • Major chords with these sorts of easily available runs embellishing them aren't heard too often in rock music, so this is an opportunity to break new ground to some extent.
    • The beauty of this tuning is that the low E, A, and D strings remain unchanged, so you can still do power chord work on the bass strings.
    • The tuning is especially nice for those metal songs that begin with a lot of clean minor chords and then go into the distorted fifths.

Palm Muting

  1. Place your palm lightly on the strings to dampen them. That low, chunky, plodding chord sound in many songs is done by palm muting. To do so, you place the meaty part of the right hand on the strings somewhat close to the guitar's bridge, holding it just on the strings so you can still hear them, but they still sound slightly dead.
  2. Plunk the edge of your palm down close to the bridge, as far back down the strings as you can get. Keeping your palm lightly on the strings, pluck the low E string a few times. It should have a dull, chunky sort of sound. If you're right handed, your fingers go as far down the right of the guitar as possible.
  3. Use the bridge pickups for the best palm muted sound if playing electric guitar. It's a good idea to use the bridge pickup on your electric guitar with this technique, providing more chunk.
    • Choose the neck pickup for a grinding, long, deadly buzzy sound for palm muting.
    • When possible, use a guitar with humbucker pickups for palm muting. Make sure your gain and volume are up so you can fill the song with a thick, rhythmic chunk.
  4. Practice inserting this technique between some power chords. Getting your palm onto the guitar without missing a beat is a key skill for rhythm guitarists. You should be able to flip back and forth between the two -- going from strong, killer chords to a palm-muted bridge in an instant. The contrast between the two is a great rhythmic trick for any guitarist.
    • Learn to start palm muting, then slowly raising your palm off. Work on acting as a human volume knob, seamlessly transitioning.



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