Q: You know the difference between the rhythm guitar and the lead guitar?
A: Where they stand on the stage… (cue laugh track)
I know, bad joke, but it makes a good point.
A lot of people think that there is some difference between being the “lead guitar” and being the “rhythm guitar.”
Now, granted, in a 2 guitar band, it’s likely that one person is going to have to play less than the other… if one takes a solo, they sort of become the “lead guitar” for a little while.
But we don’t call the bass player the “lead bass” if he takes a solo, right?
I think it’s limiting to think of yourself as “just” a rhythm player or “just” a lead player… there’s a lot of guitar out there to be played and some of it might be single note and some of it might be in a supportive role.
Either and both are good. And let’s face it, 90% of any song is comping… the solo, if any, is usually only 10-20% of the song.
So if you’re just the “rhythm guitar guy,” then take some time and learn a couple of easy solos that you can use when you need them.
And if you’re the “lead guitar guy” who never plays chords and rhythm, then you may be weak in those areas and it might be a good time to work on that.
Don’t focus all your time on just one or just the other… It’s all guitar playing and it all fills a certain role.
131 replies to "Rhythm Vs Lead"
In my opinion, 3 piece bands develop and complete a guitar player. You have to work harder but it’s rewarding work.
Grand funk pretty much blew the stones off the stage and yep a 3 piece band
Rhythm Guitar Rules! There’s nothing better than laying down a solid groove and being in the pocket real tight with the drummer and bass player. And, it’s a lot of fun!
By the way, which guitar gets peoples feet moving?
I agree with you. I was a rhythm/singer for years and then ended up having to be a lead player because I was the one who knew three Eric Clapton licks! I still love to work in the engine room with the drummer and bass player, but being an all rounder makes learning more of an adventure. Guitar is such an involving instrument.
I was playing in a band where we both took on lead guitar parts harmony (bad company thin lizzy ))but the other guitarist would always add more over it which to me never sounded as it should then I realised he was just trying to show off so I left the band lol 😎🎶
My first thought was of the Allman Brothers Band, not about Duane & Dickey, but was Butch Trucks the lead drummer and Jaimoe the rhythm drummer or the other way around
BB King “I don’t do chords”
I’ve been that “only rhythm guitar player” for years. I believe a lot of the mindset revolves around confidence and knowledge. I’d love to be the “all in one” package.
Thanks for the tip Griff.
8/30/18
my favorite guitarist popped in my head while reading your words alot of folk think of him has a lead without his feel of rhythm there wouldn’t have been a Hendrix and all he inspired to pick up the axe
In a single guitar outfit the guitarist gets the best of both worlds – He has to have a good command of chord work (chords, chord shapes and positions, and rhythm patterns) and soloing techniques.
I WAS LEAD SINGER AND RHYTHM GUITAR WHEN I WAS IN MY TEENS UNDER A RECORDING CONTRACT WITH A%M RECORDS. YES THAT GOES WAY BACK TO AM RADIO. I DID SOME STUDIO WORK FOR JUST SINGERS, OR A BAD THAT NEED A GUITAR PAYER ON THERE MUSCIC. THEN I STARTED TO PLAY HEAVY METAL LEAD.
ONCE YOU KNOW ALL YOUR CHORDS, I JUST PAY AROUND THEM. JUTS LIKE IN THE CAGE LESSONS. MANY OF MY RECORDED SONGS I WROTE AND DID ALL THE MUSIC AND ARAGMENTS AND RECORDING. I HAVE MY OWN CD DEMO . MY LEADS ALWAYS CO-INSIDE WITH THE TUNE OF THE SONG.
Bruce Welsh ,Shadows.
Well Chuck Berry pretty well started the move to being the “all-in-one” guitar player!
Around my area in the UK the are a number of really hot young lead guitar players. However there is one guy who can do all that but can also accompany a singer or other instrumentalist fantastically well. It’s a very underrated talent.
This is what I been trying to teach my lead guitarist, he need to learn cords and do some comping to be a complete guitarist. Thanks Griff.
I never really looked at it that way. Excellent point.You get more of a workout with rhythm than lead.
I found that a good bass player can kind of take the rhythm an rhythm can take the lead so bass an lead or rhythm can trade off if that makes any sense. What do you think
100% agree , keep up the good work
Good advice Griff!
News flash!
Rhythm guitarist goes arpeggio: WHAM! Instant lead guitarist!
Listen to all the great lead players and you’ll find they are great rhythm players as well and sometimes they can blur the lines between rhythm and lead.
A hundred years ago at a racecar intermission in Illinois I saw and heard a rock band with 3 pieces have the place jumping. Yep a drummer , base player and a guitar player. The guitar player didn’t seem to know there was such thing as a lead and rhythm player. He did it all and was he really good.
It was really in the 1960’s at raceway park south of Chicago.
when i first started out in usic i was learning flaminco guitar it sucked so after 6 months i felt i neeed to move on i gt ina band with my buddies and played rthym guitar we had a japainese guy who played like Hendrix his idel. We then went on tO become DAWN. Under contract with A&M Records. . well when i got out of that sceane I had a close friend that played left handed bass, violin bass Paul Mcartney freak. lol. we payed as a duet. i played both rthym and lead guitar. we where a hit
my point? Griff is so right! in between my recording and small concerts i met Eric Clapton the man, who showed me how to play lead while playIng rhtym guitar NOW THANKS TO GRIFF, I’ M LEARNING HOW TO BE A BETTER GUITAR PLAYER AMD A LEAD GUITARIST. THANKS BRO. !
Yes I completely agree! I was in a band and I played guitar and sang, and we always hired a better guitarist until we found ourselves in a house band situation with not enough $$ to hire the 4th member. So I jumped in as a 3 piece Band and playing all of the guitar parts! It was overwhelming and I sucked, but I didn’t have anywhere to go but up! I’m not anxious to do that again. After a while I found myself in a 5-6 piece band and then what I had to learn was I didn’t need to play all of the time, like after the first chorus I could drop out giving the song some dynamics?
I play “lead guitar” in my band but I do a lot o comping as well. And since the other guitarist is as good, if not better than me, I prefer to call him “co-guitar”. Calling him “second guitar” would be a bit of an insult as, like I said, he’s probably better, or at least more accomplished, than me. Like you said, Griff, we all have noise to make and it means team work. Good comping will make soloing sound better. Think of the Allman Brothers Band – They had two and sometimes three guitars, all of them rhythm and lead players. No first and second there – all masters.
I have seen the phrase “second guitar” used often referring to blues bands–never thought of it as an insult. Hubert Sumlin and Howlin Wolf. Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood.
I want to play both shut I herd Griff plays bass so I got to thinking that playing bass might help with my finger picking…although I am going to have surgery on my left hand soon to reset my ring finger to a straight position instead of the 20 degree tilt twards the middle finger which making playing chords and power cords especially hard to do sometimes…power cords are real difficult…but maybe they have a slide that will fit over the finger after surgery and I also have somekind of ligament damage or something…..I injured my hand in a fght in 2010 and did not know it was broke but it sure hurt like hell…lots of ice…cannot fight anymore now I am held toghter by titanium implants holding my spine together and left shoulder…don’t quite know what was used to rebuild my left elbow..but anyway I want to play any kind of music….LIKE THE BLUES….CLASSIC ROCK….
I tend to think of it……at least in my case…
There are singers that play guitar.
There are guitarists that sing.
Usually the former plays rhythm and the later plays lead.
You mean like Eric Clapton? 😉
I used to think of myself as a rhythm guitarist but now I know that if you want to play well, and if you want people to enjoy your playing and find it interesting, then you need to be able to both solo and play rhythm well.
Cheers Griff
For the advice when I first started playing I was in to bands like Thin Lizzy , Wishbone Ash ,Eagles
Where harmony guitars are played both guitarists had to be good at rhythm and lead
I practice with a loop pedal which as drum beats in there I lay the rhythm down then play around with other rhythm fills and lead 😎🎶
Stevie Ray played both lead and rhythm at the same time. Many guitar greats do that too, it is just a matter of prioritizing which goes where in a particular song. BUT, you’ve got to be really good to do that. I still have to do one and at a time. 🙂
You hit the nail on the head there. Keyword for me got to be really good. I keep working on it.
Recently saw a little ol band from Texas play. They had a drummer, a bass player, and a guitarist. Quite a full sound coming from these three musicians. You know what I’m talking about…
“We’re a little ole’ band from Texas” …(as he is rolling up the sleeve of his denim pearl snap LEvi workshirt) “and we ROCK”. ….First thing I remember B. G. saying …. around 1973 I think… but I recall thinking before the show started “how is this going to sound with just one guitar on stage…..”…… well it sounded just as fine as frog hair !!!!!!
I like to do both. Just wish I could learn how to play two guitars at one time 🙂
OK Griff!
Please give me your definition of “Comping”. I have heard at least four different explanations from “complementing” to “Accompanying” to a technical term for stitching and overlaying different sections of music together and on and on.
What’s your meaning?
Thanks,
Walt
Also, I remember hearing once that BB King once said he didn’t play chords. If true, doesn’t that mean he did no comping?
He has basically said that but the context was that he can’t play chords and sing at the same time.
if you can try playing Louisiana blues,it mixes both rhythm and lead all through it,in fact the rhythm compliments the lead and vice versa.
Yep, that Little Old Band From Texas HAS done pretty well with a single guitar player!
Spot on Griff, lots of bands play like this and I normally feel the “rytham” player is the backbone in this set up! If you look at bands such as ‘the strokes’ though, they play around and swap roles sometimes when crafting a song and both come out with great solo’s! . . . I saw an interview where they talked about this and how they could end up playing off each other for hours having a “space jam”! . . . I think this is true of most guitar players when they get together! In fact sometimes it’s harder to keep things simple to create a great melody and therefore song, rather than getting carried away! . . . Unless your in a prog. Band of course! Lol!
Get together with other players and you can do both, or play along with a recording!
“Rhythm is the earth” – Jimi Hendrix
Hey Griff,
You created some interesting stories here. I like the ones about Keith Richards and Ronnie Woods as they both share and swap and back even in some of their songs onstage. Great combination that works. Keith created most of their hit songs playing both Chords and Notes on trains planes and buses. As long as the members of the Band all like the music they want to play and like each other and create music together. That is the ultimate goal and enjoyment in music. Look where the Rolling Stones are today 50 + years and they Played for Free in Cuba recently..that is truly the spirit in music and the guitar makes it easier…. play anytime ,anywhere for anyone even just yourself…
Michael- Sydney- Australia – June 2016
Thanks for all the information. Enjoy trying to figure out different methods and techniques to get different sounds. Trying to play some lead off chords.
I think that whole rhythm guitar lead guitar thing started with the Beatles. I never heard it before then:
The Ventures used the terms lead guitar and rhythm guitar, circa ’58 and for sure by ’59. They had a Top Ten U.S. hit with Walk Don’t Run in Aug-Sep.1960, and I know my 8-year old eyes saw those words describing band members on the back of their album cover. That would have been four years before the Beatles came over. Maybe the Beatles got it from the Ventures? Just wondering.
Nah. Rhythm and lead guitar was around in the mid 1950s Rock n Roll bands. I sued to watch them… wistfully.
1st contribution to the site,,,been wanting to scream thanks at ya Griff for a while.
Love those whose input include Keefer…..ultimate to the max.
I too struggled with not being …(as I thought)..capable of riffing but always a very good rhythm player.
My life is good…no hangups…no ego requiring stroking..
I think as most have implied…it takes the entire band to make a song…whatever your part folks…YOUR MAKING MUSIC!
Be well all!
To quote Voltaire, a French philosopher from the mid 1700s in Candide……”Candide thought the music delicious..”This noise,” said Pococurante,”is amusing for half an hour,but if it lasts for any longer,it wearies everybody although nobody dares to say so..Music nowadays is merely the art of executing difficulties and in the end that which is only difficult ceases to please”…………………..so true 250 years later…..
Truth is: it’s the Lead Singer that makes the band not the musicians!
ONLY KIDDING!!
??????
Wow! Sounds like that guy was listening to shredders of the 17th century! 😂😂😂
I bought a few courses of different areas and I just got badly needed jam tracks. I am studying booth lead and rhythm and the jam tracks help me tremendously with practice in cord changing and rhythm, although I am not in key or in beat alot of the time it helps with speed also in my alternate picking style. The finger picking like BOOM BOOM is a new challenge that I am picking up. Anyway I want to be BOOTH…So I like all of it and his courses….
to get right to the point,any and every Real guitarist plays both rhythm and lead as they compliment each other.
back in the day our band may have called me a lead guitarist but to actually be a Real guitarist when we did tunes like Savoy Brown’s Louisiana Blues when playing lead it incorporates both rhythm and lead into the ” lead”
just another example of the many tunes that do this like all of the above mentioned.
Rawk On
Mark,
If anyone ever hit the nail on the head you just did!!!
Old School and Still Rockin’
Gary Hylton
lead guitarist plays notes; rhythm plays chords. that’s a standard. I play for fun. some rhythm; some bass. Washington state
Another great blog Griff. If the guitar is a rhythm instrument, what is the piano? It can be either, both or, as I play it, neither!! I love playing with a group and am a very good “comp” player – plenty of time counting when I was a horn player and just know where the beats are! Playing guitar as a rhythm player is both rewarding and fun. Taking a solo is also fun – and sometimes very intimidating. Just being “out there” basically alone and perhaps being afraid to “make a mistake” can stop some from even trying. Whether being “safe” in the background, or up front in the lead/solo category, it is all good.
Thanks again for another insight into playing, Griff.
John
Chorded solo anyone….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfYSjOpFqxk
Well . The cool tutor has raised a very cool question . I tried to read the replies many learned people have given . But for me all was ALBOL(over the head). I am learning guitar to enjoy the melody,rhythm and fun music for myself and family and friends . Secondly I am not a singer person as I have a harsh voice ,so I want to compensate by playing Blues for internal peace and calm .Really as Griff says Porch music .
So I am a HOBBY player , that”s all . If I do well I will be happiest person .
Thanks to Griff for the lessons and guidance .
So when playing Bach, Betoken, Brahms, Strauss, to mention a few, how much of that music is “comping”?
Playing classical music is like painting by numbers… a purely technical operation. No spirit and no soul. I call this Dead people’s music.
But whatever rocks your boat. If you love it… do it. Just don’t push me towards classical or opera. To my mind, if the music genre did not have its genesis in Africa, to me it ain’t music.
Am I a musical bigot? Don’t care.
BASS…
If not mentioned before
Eddie van Halen. Great coming throughout the solo magik stuff.
Hendrix. Fabulous sparse rhythm
In the Barry White song “Bayou” the bass guitar is the lead instrument. Love Unlimited Orchestra: Bayou – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqfeusy1xr4
Oct 9, 2011 … Love Unlimited Orchestra: Bayou/1981 80s Soul and Funk. .
I play rhythm and lead in our band we are a5 piece most of the time I love it when someone else wants to play lead it gives me a rest our harmonica player takes the heat of as well it’s just good to stand back have a look around and enjoy watching your mates enjoy themselves it’s a great buzz no ego bullshit with us I love sharing the load typically a gig for us is 4 hours so any rest I get is great
I know an Andrew Sutton he played trumpet though
Hail Keith an open G
Rock bands such as the Allman Bros & the lynyrd skynyrd band, (probably mispelled),and the Grateful Dead, Stones, and others showed that yes with two , or more guitarist both can play both rhythm ,and leads without crazy ego trips ,and all that stuff,and share both roles just fine .
For me I think rhythm is both more important and harder than playing lead. A solo can be much easier than chording all night, especially with the left (neck) hand.
I think your on to something Griff. I play on a very well lead Worship band and I play lead Guitar. Im going to rethink this whole Idea to try to incorporate it in our playing. Thanks.
I’m trying to get our worship team to understand that the guitar shouldn’t be playing all the time. Comping with what Griff calls “little chords” can do so much more for many songs than constant playing of the big, open chords.
big band i’m in i get a solo now and then, ‘cos all the other musicians will have a solo. if i was just lead what would i do for most of the evening? i want to an alround guitarist. surely we all want to be more complete musicians.
I’ve played in a trio, duo and solo. When you take music down to its essential elements while playing solo, it always comes down to being able to hold a good rhythm groove. Yes, you can add some single note embellishments for a little spice, but it’s pretty rare to play a full on lead when going solo. If you try doing the lead thing on a solo gig, you best have your chops down cold, because there is nothing or no one to cover any lost time or poorly chosen notes.
One thing to consider if you want to be a lead player is lead is a whole lot easier and tastier if you understand what is going on in the chord progression that supports the melody of the lyrics. Lead players should always be aware of what notes are in the cords being played and any other notes that can coexist with those chords before even considering trying to string together a lead line. Try listening to “Downtown Train” by Tom Waites. That great lead line that answers the lyrics is simply the notes out of a D chord plus a few more notes that would also be in the D chord if the guitar had more strings and/or you had more fingers (think piano). It’s also a cool coincidence that those notes are also part of the pentatonic scale.
It all fits together and the more you understand the better you will be able to play!
Thanks for all your help Griff!
Check out guitar george, he knows-all the chords
Mind he’s strictly rhythm he doesn’t want to make them cry or sing
(Sultans of Swing, Dire Straits, 1978
Griff, you gotta talk to this guy!
Listen to some of Jobim’s songs and you discover that the rhythm is the “lead” with those amazing chord progressions.
The singer in the band in which I am the “rhythm” guitarist – eg chord player – always says that he can sing because he surfs over the “waves of sound” from the chords that I play.
One of the best compliments that I have received was from an internationally known solo guitarist who said “its great to play with you, as I always know when the turnaround is coming and its always on time.”
NB: I also play solos – but often get lost because the rhythm guitarist (me) has stopped playing!
In my band, the Tracyannes, I play lead, rhythm and bass and drums (actually I program Hydrogen Drum machine software running on Ubuntu Studio, not actually that difficult if you understand how drummers create rhythms).
So I play either Rhythm or Lead (with the odd bit of small chords and double stops and the occasional chord thrown in, whatever makes the melody work), but I can’t, with my never healed properly right thumb switch from Lead to Rhythm and back again. Indeed I find playing Rhythm incredibly hard work, as my hand cramps and aches by the end of a tune.
As a consequence I tend to work alone, and hope that I can create some really memorable tunes.
I have nothing but admiration for for those who move around the neck playing all those wonderful fluid chord voicings, which alas I believe I may never be able to do.
I think the whole idea of a “lead” guitar player came to prominence in the ’60s and ’70s with the advent of bands and songs that were driven by long guitar solo improvisations. Let’s face it, there are players who can’t improvise a burning emotional solo like EC, or Jimi, or a Matt Schofield just as there are players who can’t lock in and keep time like Keef or Stevie Ray. As Dirty Harry said, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” Still, someone has to keep time during vocals and when the guitar solo isn’t being played. When you look at the Power Trio bands, the guitarist could always do both – and could do both well. In other bands, players might trade off. But in any given successful band, there has always been at least one guitarist who could play great “rythm” guitar. Essentially, the guitar is a rythm instrument. A good soloist is like a good vocalist. Quite honestly, I like to play with other musicians and have no impulsive desire to be the “star.” I have to work on ALL my chops. I was approached by a band that wanted a solid “rythm” guitarist, and quite honestly, I got the feeling that the “lead” guitarist’s ego was too big for a band with two guitarists (even though he really couldn’t play “rythm” or keep time. Not the ideal situation for me. I’m a guitarist, plain and simple – there are other guitarists who are better/not as good as me. But when you play with people who leave their egos at the door – that’s when you make beautiful music!
Michael,
Well said and true to the word. Back in the 60’s I was a Drummer in many bands which always had a Rhythm Guitarist and a Lead guitarist, Bass, Piano. The Lead Guitarist sang most of the songs so that is understandable. Now enjoying retirement and learning Blues Guitar as well as 50’s Rock n Roll just for me, family & friends and the occasional Jam.
Michael – Sydney-Australia June 2016
Charlie Watts was once asked what made the Stones so resilient. He said “we are all really good at what we do and Keith is possibly the best rhythm guitarist ever”. Thanks for everything Griff.
Keith is unique in that his rhythm is often a lead. The Stones are at their best when both guitarists are playing both and switching back and forth. Keith and the other (be it Mick, Brian or Ronnie ) mix incredibly well.
As for a lead-rhythm, think of “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”. Right now I’m working on “honky tonk women” and if that isn’t a combination of the two I don’t know what is.
I also think it’s amazing that Richards can play in open G (a major tuning) and get blues out of it.
Hey Griff; I to just consider myself a rythm player,that is mostly what I play, as I have always played with people who were quicker on lead, and better players than I, so I was glad to be just part of it, plus I sang a lot to ! Just self tought, and never had any lessons ! I learn mostly by ear, buy am trying to learn some lead playing now ! It just seemed to hard to play lead, and sing at the same time, and being ADD, that didn’t help eather ! I do know well over 700 song’s, and enjoy jam’s when I can find them ! Currently am strugling with an left hand, and arm issue, which limits my ablity to play ! As soon as that get’s resolved, I will be going back over all the song’s I know, and I find that going back over old songs, I always find new part’s in them to figure out ! I do appreciate your lessons, and am trying to play them any time I can get my hands to work for even just 15 minutes, before they cramp, or bend over each other ! Hope to get them fixed soon, and love playing guitar, bass , banjo’s both 5 and 6 string,12 string guitar, and a small bit of key’s to ! Bassicly, I LOVE playing music ! Thanks Griff ! Drake!
Glad to see Keith Richards is brought up in this mix.
I remember a quote from Leonard Bernstein when asked ‘what is the most difficult instrument to play?’ Bernstein replied,’Second Violin … because everybody wants to be First Violin!”
A band is a team as is an orchestra ..
OLD MAN HERE. BACK IN THE 60’S THE RHYTHM GUITAR PLAYER ONLY PLAYED THE CHORDS WITH A FEW 3 STRING LICKS, JUST IN A TURN AROUND. IN THE STUDIO AT A&M RECORDS, IT WAS A RULE. THE LEAD GUITAR PLAYER PLAYED LEAD, WITH SOME OF THE LIL CHORDS. I JUST KEPT THE CHORDS RINGING OUT. THEN WHEN WE GOT SCREWED, I WENT ON MY OWN AND HAD JUST A BASS PLAYER AND ME ON GUITAR THEN I DID SOME ON THE PORCH STYLE RHYTHM GUITAR / LEAD LICKS . PLAYED IN A LOT OF BANDS THEN I WAS IN A BAND FOR A MONTH AND QUIT THE LEAD GUITAR WOULD DROWN US ALL OUT. HE THOUGHT HE WAS HENDRIX.DID NOT KNOW VERY MANY CHORDS EITHER.TXS GRIFF.
I play in a band where I take most of the solos. But I prefer to call the “rhythm” player my “co-guitarist”. I love playing rhythm and I’m always looking for ways to complement the other instruments whether by using little licks or triads. I like to “punctuate”. I think you can have lots of guitars but the song is the thing and if we all really think out what we each can bring to the song and leave the egos behind, words like “lead” and “rhythm” don’t come into it.
Got a chance to see Robben Ford last night at a small venue in Napa Ca. The other guitar player in his band was David Grissom. Obviously Robben soloed more but David soloed quite a bit too and they both played a lot of rhythm (which Robben does anyway-I love how he switches back and forth so effortlessly). Matt Schofield was also there just hanging out (unfortunately he was a little under the weather dealing with a cold and didn’t join them).
Seeing Robben play rhythm and all his chord voicings and how quick he makes the changes makes me realize that I need to spend at least 25% of my practice time working on that. But that’s what makes it such a great hobby and journey.
Throw in the other guitar genres and now you got real problems…a “lead” classical guitarist?! Try to keep a Jazz guitarist from playing both comps and riffs…! I think the terms just leaked over to guitar from SINGERS. There’s definitely LEAD and BACK-UP singers…not so much guitarists. I think in the “good old days (60’s?), with the advent of the electric guitar – and most bands had more than one guitar – some guys figured out how to play “power chords” while the other guys figured out how to “shred.” It’s the 21st century – gotta play BOTH! (and in many styles!) Guitar playing is hard WORK!
Hey, this is Jungle.
What is my purpose in a band? … Jungle plays guitar, lead, rhythm, bass, percussion, keyboards, song lists, song arrangements, repair gear. set-up PA systems.
Sometimes, I get tired just to think about these activities … but when I play on stage with my buddies, … One song, … tells me why I am Here … and Thank you all; and keep on Rocking.
When I walk through a music store and look at all the guitars, I never see one section for lead guitars and another for rhythm.
Most of if not all great lead guitar players will tell you they spend 90% of the time playing rhythm they also will tell you if you can’t hold your rhythm no mater how great your chops are your not worth squat I like to think of myself as neither just a guitar player !!
Old saying: lead guitarist gets the girls, rhythm guy gets the gigs.
Dear Griff,
Interesting. This probably goes back to the 50/60s when bands tended to have one guitar playing chords and another playing
a melody or tune.
He who strummed and played chords was the rhythm and he who played a tune was the lead.
Cliff Richards backing band the Shadows are a good example. Hank Marvin played instrumentals or tunes and the rest of the musicians were “back up”
Probably using the word “lead” implied the more senior musician or the one more spotlighted on stage. The truth is that
a band is a team. You can have a band leader but he’s not necessary the “lead” guitarist.
A rhythm guitarist is not actually a lesser musician. In fact a solo singer/guitarist will play chords and rhythm and many great numbers have been produced where there is no “lead” but only rhythm guitar. There are few solo instrumental guitarists who have a career just playing lead on stage.
What is boils down to is the that guitar is a really flexible instrument. You can get percussive sounds, rhythmic sounds, instrumental sounds and it is this that gave it the popularity like back in the days of minstrels and their lutes.
Probably using the word “lead” was the error. Rhythm is actually a basic.
If each band members considered him or herself to be the “lead” drummer, the “lead” bass, the “lead” rhythm as well as “lead” guitar then this could help any inferiority complexes forming in the path of practice and becoming great musicians.
Dave
So agree,a band is a team of players who go out there and play music with their selected instruments,If a player with good feel for rhythm feels more comfortable in the engine room (rhythm section)does not make him or her less of a player, in fact I have known a few Bass players who can pick up a Guitar and do a blinding guitar solo.Music is a team effort, just playing a percussion instrument can make it all come together. Learned licks make you look pretty flash, but do they hold the band together and make it a better band for the audience to enjoy?
The video link is : Andy Powell, flying-vee, Martin Turner, bass, Laurie Westfield, strat, Steve Upton, drums
This is a very good post. I read this to say that we all need to become “well rounded” musicians. Typically, people invite you to play because you add flavor to the music and a good rhythm is essential. A lead guitar player is a nice to have but you have to have a rhythm player. There is no such thing a just a rhythm player.
Absolutely spot on. I pride myself on being very very strong on both assignments. I haven’t typecast myself as lead or Rhythm in many many years. I am a guitar player. Truth be known I have seen many focused on their cute little lead riffs that will never be heard because they can’t play with anybody, or the people they play with have to do what is within their limited range. This also creates a lot of political headache in many bands I have seen over the years. Truth be known the most rock solid musician is the one that has a strong and solid rhythm discipline. The leads are fleeting icing.
Ever since I first saw John playing his black Rick, I know that’s the guitarist I wanted to be. Over the years, I have battled with the fact that I wasn’t “lead guitar” material. Then I realized that every “guitar God” happened to be a fantastic rhythm man. Yes! Eric is one of the best rhythm guitarists in music. That’s when I created my mantra, “Leads can have the glory, I’ll take the guts!” And yes without a good rhythm man to keep the beat, there is none. LONG LIVE THE RHYTHM MAN!
Lennon didn’t play a lot of lead, but when he did he was no slouch (The End, Get Back, Ballad of J&Y, And Your Bird Can Sing, and on and on). Also worth pointing out that many of his rhythm parts were chock-full of moving melody lines – some that come to mind off the top of my head are Norwegian Wood, It’s Only Love, Dear Prudence, etc.
So as a matter of fact, I think John Lennon is the perfect epitome of what Griff is saying here. He was a GUITAR PLAYER man!
As an aside, most casual listeners of the Beatles don’t know that Paul McCartney played a LOT of the well known solos in the repertoire – Can’t Buy Me Love, Taxman, Helter Skelter, and on and on. George will always be my favorite Beatle, but I can’t argue with those that say that Paul might be the better player.
That’s what made them so powerful as a band.
How many people humm a ZZ Topp solo?
Got that right!
I confess. I hum the guitar solo in “Apologies to Pearly”. It’s one of my favorite guitar tunes. This tune does have a solid, tight rhythm guitar line. Without the rhythm to hang your hat on it would be much less – it sets the tone and continuity. I heard it in 1972 and was hooked on ZZ Top for the rest of my life. Not much of a fan after Eliminator though. They were a great Blues band. I hope they do more Blues in the future. I would spend my money on that.
Thanks Teach, the Blues Guitar Unleashed course totally supports that advise. Its been great to learn the rhythm section in the first 5 lesson, and then move into solo concepts in the later lessons. I am currently using the lessons to try to write my own songs. (trying) 🙂 Thanks again for the awesome course and all you provide as a teacher for all of us in the BGU family !!
If I had to weight Rhythm vs lead I would give it a 75% vs 25% of importance. There would be no lead without the rhythm guitar to set the beat and make the song come alive. However there would be a song without the lead. The lead is merely a break and filler while the vocal gets some rest. Don’t over sell the lead. The rhythm makes the song.
There seems to be a little miss understanding Here. People seem to be assuming the lead guitar does a solo then pops off for a beer until the next solo comes along. In our band I tend to take most of the solos so people tend to refer to me as the lead guitar. Our other guitarist is and amazing chordsmith but we both play pretty much all the time in most numbers. This means you need work together to make sure you’re not stepping on each other and producing the best overall sound for the number the singer and the band. Two guitars give you much more scope and both are equally important. Griff could be described as the lead guitarist in his band but he doesn’t just play solos.
I always thought of John Lennon as the quintessential rhythm guy until I saw some old clips of him taking the solo. The dude could WAIL!
The guitar that’s playing the solo will have a hard time if he dose not have a good rhythm section.
Some of the Beatles songs such as Hard Days Night . I think I heard on the radio that John Lennon played rhythm on that tune.
I had a buddy that said no you are a lead guitarist but i said i am only playing cords most of the time . He laughed and said about the same as you did even if you play only just a few notes as a solo you are playing the lead . Last time I played out at a friends place there were 5 guitars going at the same time acoustic nite we call it . We sometimes play solos with 3 guitars at a time . Switching randomly at times . I usually throw in alot of fills over what they are doing its alot of fun .
recap if you can play both rhythm and lead good great both can be equally challanging . 6616
When you ask most folks walking down the street “What’s your favorite song? and can you hum or tell me what is in your head when you think of it” almost all will remember some driving rhythm part. An earlier post mentioned the Rolling Stones which is an excellent example. But to sum up what I think is the main point here is they are both important parts and done in sync, few things are cooler.
I think great rhythm guitar is a very rich, major part of an arrangement. Think of Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Woman by the Rolling Stones, Hey Miss Bessy by Charlie Musslewhite, almost any Joe Walsh tune. Listen to Danny Gaton some time.
Good rhythm is the bomb and makes a tune great. It’s not only chords, it’s also notes very skillfully crafted with chords that move the tune along, define the genre and makes people move.
I can’t separate rhythm and solo in my mind when I think of good guitar playing. I’m coming back to guitar playing after being away for a long time and my first focus is becoming skillful at rhythm.
Rhythm can be (and should be) just as rich and interesting as a solo or even more so, but for a different reason. Rhythm drives beat and timing, but in a melodic way. It characterizes a tune. It’s not just an extension of a metronome.
Keith Richards, can he play rhythm guitar or not?
Played many intros for the Stones’songs, in an interview actually prided the fact that they turned the feel over (accedently) but still pulled it off. I think it was Brown Sugar.
Keith has also played many solos on their studio albums.
Guitar player or boring Rhythm Player. Get over it guys and girls, the music that comes out is the important thing, even if it just entertains the kids or your mum, do they care if you play lead or rhythm?
When I’m at a friends house for some Jamming we usually take turns playing the
lead guitar .
And Keith Richards is “just a rhythm guitarist” in the Rolling Stones, creating some of the most dominant signature rhythm patterns in Blues/R&R for the past 50 years.
Hi Griff-how about a “generic lead riff” that can be used when you don’t know the tune all that well,but you know the 145 of the tune???
A good example would be Lynyrd Skynyrd. They have three guitar players
and they all switch from lead to rhythm on different songs and sometimes
in the same song. Check their videos on youtube.
In the 70’s one of my favourite bands Wishbone Ash had two great lead guitarists, Andy Powell and Ted Turner who between them created awesone lead harmonies and arrangements. Listening to tracks like The King Will Come from their Argus album is a superb example https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s0k7YZLD2iI
Difficult to distinguish what constitutes lead and/or rhythm as it really takes both guitars to make the sound/melody complete – fantastic, and they are still going strong today with a UK tour this coming Autumn.
And Ted Turner really went downhill after marrying Jane Fonda no?? Arf! Arf! Arf! (Just a bad joke)
Frankly, after watching the video I’m surprised that “Wishbone-Ash” wasn’t a much bigger band. I’d heard of them but is been at least 40+ years. Thanks for the video, I’ll have to sample more of their music to see if it holds up and makes me want to buy some of their CDs.
Blue Horizon is the new album from Wishbone Ash. Well worth the listen!
I’ve been a long time fan. And why I own a flying vee.
This point is really driven home in Griff’s “Blues Gig in a Box”. I’m working on “I Believe” where the guitar has to jump back and forth between comping and soloing. Comping involves a different touch and feel than soloing does, but both require good execution or else the song suffers. One of the subtleties of comping is balancing the need to “stay out of the way” of the vocalist or the other instrumentalists while still contributing meaningful backup rhythm. In fact, in “I Believe” there are places while comping that a little “fill” is used during the space between the lyrics during a verse. The trick is to add the fill tastefully such that it adds to the effect but does not appear (or sound) as if the guitar is jumping on top of the vocalist!
I hope to be able to record it soon and post it on the forum and get some feedback.
There’s a great example of just what you’re talking about in “Thrill Is Gone” as performed together by The late BB King and Eric Clapton!
After all that….What is rhythm and what is lead? And then my next question is what is comping and soloing?
kinda puts the whole thing in perspective…a lot of bands have guitar players who aren’t known as “lead” players…
Absolutely spot on. There are over 4000 playable chords on the guitar. Somebody has to be able to play sequences of these for vocal or other instrument backing/comping purposes. Takes a fair amount of physical and mental effort to comp in time for the length of a popular song, typically 3 minutes or so. To be able to switch and play a solo over the chords during the song takes even more effort and really makes you a better all round player. Comping and soloing are all part and parcel of real world guitar playing in a band.
There are only 7 Major Chords but over 4000 possible ways to play them! My son was somewhat puzzled by your comment and asked me what are the other 3,993 besides A, B, C, D, E, F & G. 🙂
I think what he is saying is that there are 4000 playable chords which would include all kinds of inversions, and altered chords. Never counted though. There are 12 major triads one for each step of the chromatic scale. Don’t forget your sharps and flats. There are 12 key signatures.
Great point and also like to point out that switching back and forth on rhythm and lead with two players, can bring out some very different thythm styles to enhance a piece of music.