The previous guitar lesson Part 1 – 8 Great Rhythm Guitar Jam Ideas focused on 16th notes to match the drum hi-hat groove and power chords. Here the examples start with power chords then move onto other ideas using a cleaner guitar tone to get the creative juices flowing.
Example #5 simply uses power chords to create accents similar to what you would hear in a typical AC DC or The Who song. Try moving the timing of the A power chords to create different rhythms.
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Listen to the audio of Jam Rhythm #5. |
This example base on an A minor arpeggio sounds clearer with a clean guitar tone. The slower 8th notes of the arpeggio create a nice rhythmic contrast to the faster 16th note rhythms of the drums. Tone wise you could try effects such as chorus, phaser or tremolo to make the arpeggio shift around sonically.
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Jam Rhythm #6 | Download Listen to the audio of Jam Rhythm #6. |
In idea #7 we get a bit funky with muted 16th notes and the 1 finger A minor 7 chord. The chords played here only use the first 4 strings for a lighter sound. The C D and G chords use the E chord shape from the CAGED Chord System.
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Jam Rhythm #7 | Download Listen to the audio of Jam Rhythm #7. |
The final example is another arpeggio idea but this time using faster 16th notes. The A minor chord is played using the D minor chord shape (again from the CAGED Chord System). The 4 notes at the end of each bar are from the C D G and A minor chords. John Frusciante in the Red Hot Chili Peppers uses these fast 16th note arpeggios a lot.
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Jam Rhythm #8 | Download Listen to the audio of Jam Rhythm #8. |
Once you’re OK with playing these 8 great rhythm guitar jam ideas with the backing track try and see what other rhythm guitar ideas you can come up with. The next step is to then try these ideas over different chords and grooves whether using other backing tracks our next time you jam with other musicians.
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Jam Rhythm Backing | Download Listen to the audio of Jam Rhythm Backing. |