This video is a little more of a project for you, if you’re a beginning guitar player.
In order to be able to play with other people (really, in order to be able to play at all) you need to be able to play a simple rhythm, keep some time, and maybe play a little lead over it…
I talk a lot about counting, and I hear from a lot of students that they have trouble counting when it comes to single note lines – so this line is really easy and should be straightforward for counting.
You NEED to be able to do this. If you cannot, work on your skills until you can, and you’ll be setup for much more progress down the line. If you can do this already, that’s GREAT!
The “Blues In A” and “A Minor Blues Scale” video I mentioned in that video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCOUMlHkuYw.
Also, if this is where you’re at, and you want to improve your skills, you might want to consider my Beginning Blues Guitar course.
27 replies to "A Beginning Blues “Project” For You"
Been playing solo acoustic for 50+ but never thought of playing a lead with a rhythm background. Thank you for doing this well taught inspirational video
Hey Griff, great refresher lesson, your are right about the Looper, you just have to play in time and the metronome works to the T. So I always use the metronome to set the Looper once down I can then play Box 1 & 2..Always counting..
Also as you said always solo on Beat 2,
Also very important great that you post your lessons on youtube so we can save the lessons and even slow down the video with the inbuilt feature..
All good
Many thanks
Michael- Sydney Aust – Learning Blues Guitar Unleashed since 2015
I get it now!!!!!!! I struggled with 1 and ah 2 and ah…..vs 1 ee and ah 2 ee and ah….
I was going to ask about the above counting problems. Now, I know that the “and ah” helps to “delay” the upstroke in a shuffle. I would normally do a “1…&2….&3….” with a slight pause before playing the upstroke strum after a downstroke.
Small but important victory for me today!!!! I understand what you mean about dividing beat into threes and how to be more consistent with my shuffle.
Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Griff
I had real problems getting the hang of counting. If you can’t do this then picking up the rhythm is a bit of an issue as well.
One trick I was given years ago was the old nugget Happy Birthday. What timing is it he asked.. Erm..4 to the bar said I. Does it fit into 4 to the bar he asked. I could kinda make it fit, but it didn’t really work out too well.
Try 3 he says. That seemed to fit a bit more like it. Ha..ppy…Birth Day..to..you
So he says when you go home sing it to yourself one beat per step. So I did that.
Did it work? He asked. I said yes. Because I was walking at my own pace I felt the rhythm while I’m walking the timing.. Good he says, and produces 2 pairs of drum sticks and we do some basic drumming rhythms…chair arm or something will do. Once we had that down we do it on the bass strings..one string per stick sort of thing. (Without the sticks of course). Then with finger and thumb instead of a pick…you feel it better that way. this time we used the 6th and 4th strings, the 6th being the Tom and the 4th the snare drum. Good way to start with finger picking as well if you think about it.
So back on the lump of wood with 6 strings now I’m using each note to count the beats…then the same with strumming.
Now instead of the foot tapping messing up the playing the foot tapping is automatic. Even without the foot tapping I can feel the timing and rhythm.
Music is something you feel not just something you hear. Learn to LISTEN to it, not just hear it.
Back to Happy Birthday. When people sing that everyone quickly sings it together..not like row row row your boat…Because it’s so familiar to you from childhood. The song actually starts on Birth..Ha…ppy leads into it, the emphasis is on Birth. One..two..THREE..one two three. Try it.
If you go to a rock gig everyone bangs their heads in time, they’re usually picking that up from the drums.
If you have a dance you feel the rhythm. It’s built in through years of hearing it, you just have to tap into it while sitting there with a guitar on your lap. If you play a violin you get it from the movement of the bow.
LISTEN to different songs and try working out the timing. Many are 4 time but not all.
I went off and got myself some basic drumming lessons because when you’re hitting things with sticks then you do feel the timing and rhythm. You can really get into hitting drums with sticks. We’ve been hitting drums of one sort or another for thousands of years.
Yeah Griff, greetings from Northern Ontario. Thank you for this video. I’ve been playing/learning for a while now and this video goes a long way in tying things all together. With this example I know that I can now keep a better count on where I am in the stuff I’m working on. Greatly appreciated.
Regards
Tony
Thank you Griff!
Despite me being an old school drummer (decades ago), I found this counting project helpful. I tend to skip counting, as my timing is good, but I really want to play guitar well. Getting stuck ,not advancing quickly is frustrating at times. I know you will say it’s about “counting”. Griff, my request is you blog more lessons like this moving into intermediate level with a simple concept.
If I don’t have a looper, could I just use a jam track in A, or does that defeat the purpose of counting the rhythm?
Griff you are the best online guitar teacher by far. From your free lessons and blogs I learn more practical “down to earth” skills than anywhere. I’m sorry but I dislike all those other guys who promise Guitar “Secrets”, “Tricks”, etc, etc and just don’t deliver the skills. I struggle with timming, rhythm, chords, and all thing guitar and music. I have quit trying many times over the last 50 years but you give me hope. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I can see you enjoy helping others and pour your heart and soul into it. And a big THANK YOU. 🙂
👍👍👍😎
Same boat Larry
Thanks Griff. Been struggling with soloing still and this helps. BTW nice McCarty, that top is gorgeous.
Great. I’ve been looking for a starting point…. even though I know all of this, I want to start at the beginning with discipline. And, the looper tutorial was great too! I know they are simple, but I learn best when even the obvious is pointed out to me.
Great lesson Griff, although this lesson is for beginners it’s always good to review and get the basics down.
Thank you Griff
PS hope to see you play your 69 Fenders soon in one of these lessons.
Hey Griff, Big Dan here from Michigan. I’d like to be your ad exec. for a moment and tell all you beginners out there that this the place to learn the Blues. His manual Blues Guitar Unleashed is my “Bible”. I’ve been with BGU for 10 years now, and went from a raw no nothing player, to a band player. (church & blues). Great teacher and his manuals are well illustrated. Thank you Griff!.
why 66 bpm? curious
He comments that you shouldn’t play this slower than 60. So 60 +10%= 66. It’s just a number…possibly a starting point. If you can do this easily go for it!
Griff
Great video! Can never can get enough about timing & rhythm. Good practice tool. Griff keep the video’s coming!
Can you do a coarse or a lesson where you play licks with different degrees of rhythmic complexity, the students then pause and try to figure out how to count it, and then you give the answer of how it would be properly counted? This would be helpful for things like learning SRV quarter note triplets and holding a note through different parts of a beat.
You could do that easily with any course that contains licks (which is most of them.) Usually, I demonstrate the lick first – pause the video (repeat that section if needed) and see if you can figure it out. After you’ve made your best estimation, continue the video and I’ll walk through the count so you can see if you are correct.
Hi Griff,
I’m a bit more advanced but some times I get a bit excited and get out of time, this lesson will help me greatly , thanks
Yup grew up in the time where there were no loopers and recording devices . There was reel to reel but well my Dad played guitar and piano Sister played Mom did too . My Great grand dad played a organ and other instruments . When as kids all five would fool around while playing music .I had a drum stick and beat it on something to keep the beat of the music. I was a natural . This video is a good one and I wish my first guitar teacher used this method . The teacher left the room for a phone call he said play whatever . He heard me playing the stairway thing and he asked to see how I was doing it . Because he had no idea how to. I did not go back for any more lessons . A student teaching the teacher HEY I should have charged him for that. I was just 16 I had started playing guitar at 12 . I am 60 and still learning I also teach a little . See ya next time.
Thank you griff any more
Good lesson griff I’m further down the road but as I play better I’ve realized it’s all about timing and counting and the ear hearing things I listen to music a whole lot different I’m picking it apart with pretty good success rate so much fun and sense of accomplishment ty
Hi Griff, I checked your web site and don’t see a lesson on how to use a looper. Have you done one I am missing?
I think Griff did one if He does not reply i guess it means he has but not just about the Looper . Other stuff too!
Push the pedal to start recording, push it again to stop… not much to teach with those as they all have a manual and work a little different 🙂
Loopers are pretty straight forward! Ever looper is a little different. You just have to buy one, comes w’ instructions on how to use it! You can even record songs from your phone & save them. Can be set as a loop or a phrase! A phrase plays it once while a loop goes around & around until you stop it. I know I don’t use mine enough! Great device to have!