What Is The Rhythm Guitar, And How Is It Used?
Although the two main types of guitar that you will hear about being described are either acoustic guitar or electric guitar, there can often be mentioned a third type, known as rhythm guitar, In actual fact, rhythm guitar is not so much a make or style of instrument, as clearly electric and acoustic are, but is a type of playing style. Rhythm guitar is a performance method which uses the guitar as not only an accompanying instrument to a vocal performance, but also as a way of keeping the rhythm of the music constant, in much the same way as drums are used to keep the rhythm or pace of a piece of music constant.
It is important to maintain a steady rhythm in music not only to keep the piece flowing smoothly, but also to assist those who are accompanying the performance either as musicians or singers. The guitar is ideally suited to such a role, since the natural strumming or the guitar strings creates a natural rhythm. Rhythm guitar is simply a playing style which accentuates this rhythmic strumming so that it is the chordal accompaniment of the guitar which is its most noted characteristic, rather than more subtle plucking or picking. However, a guitar can be played in such a way that it combines both of these methods, with the rhythmic strumming comprising the main voice whilst occasional plucks or picks of the strings helps to create subtle variations which keep the performance varied and interesting.
This requires slightly more skill and knowledge, but the basic rhythmic strumming is a straightforward and helpful way to use the guitar for any beginner, once the basic chords have become familiar enough to allow switching without breaking the pace of the performance.
In most popular music today the electric guitar has become the most dominant instrument as far as rhythm is concerned, excepting the drums of course. However, acoustic guitar has certainly not lost its popularity, and remains a firm favourite as far as rhythm is concerned within such music genres as country, western, folk music and bluegrass.
The rhythm guitar is most usually used to create a beat or pulse which helps the other instruments or singers to keep the timing of the piece accurate. In many modern pop bands or rock bands this same beat or pulse will be carried by both a bass guitar and the drum kit. An electric keyboard or piano may also be used to help maintain the beat, and it may be that the roles vary throughout the piece, with the drums taking the dominant position within the rhythm section, then passing it back to guitar before the keyboard has a turn. The guitar is often the instrument used to combine the rhythm of the music with any significant chord changes, with other instruments playing their melodies, and supported in chord changes by the rhythm guitar pulsing or beating through the chords.
The usual way of playing rhythm guitar, especially if using an electric guitar, is to play what is known as triads, which are chords consisting of three notes, these being the root, third and fifth notes of the chord. In some case four notes are used, with the introduction of either the sixth, seventh or ninth notes to the basic triad.
It is important to maintain a steady rhythm in music not only to keep the piece flowing smoothly, but also to assist those who are accompanying the performance either as musicians or singers. The guitar is ideally suited to such a role, since the natural strumming or the guitar strings creates a natural rhythm. Rhythm guitar is simply a playing style which accentuates this rhythmic strumming so that it is the chordal accompaniment of the guitar which is its most noted characteristic, rather than more subtle plucking or picking. However, a guitar can be played in such a way that it combines both of these methods, with the rhythmic strumming comprising the main voice whilst occasional plucks or picks of the strings helps to create subtle variations which keep the performance varied and interesting.
This requires slightly more skill and knowledge, but the basic rhythmic strumming is a straightforward and helpful way to use the guitar for any beginner, once the basic chords have become familiar enough to allow switching without breaking the pace of the performance.
In most popular music today the electric guitar has become the most dominant instrument as far as rhythm is concerned, excepting the drums of course. However, acoustic guitar has certainly not lost its popularity, and remains a firm favourite as far as rhythm is concerned within such music genres as country, western, folk music and bluegrass.
The rhythm guitar is most usually used to create a beat or pulse which helps the other instruments or singers to keep the timing of the piece accurate. In many modern pop bands or rock bands this same beat or pulse will be carried by both a bass guitar and the drum kit. An electric keyboard or piano may also be used to help maintain the beat, and it may be that the roles vary throughout the piece, with the drums taking the dominant position within the rhythm section, then passing it back to guitar before the keyboard has a turn. The guitar is often the instrument used to combine the rhythm of the music with any significant chord changes, with other instruments playing their melodies, and supported in chord changes by the rhythm guitar pulsing or beating through the chords.
The usual way of playing rhythm guitar, especially if using an electric guitar, is to play what is known as triads, which are chords consisting of three notes, these being the root, third and fifth notes of the chord. In some case four notes are used, with the introduction of either the sixth, seventh or ninth notes to the basic triad.
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"What Is The Rhythm Guitar, And How Is It Used?" - 12/24/2008 - Entertainment