Songs to improve rhythm playing

[Ratrod]

Not thát different. Most AC/DC songs aren't fast. If you listen to the rhythm guitar, you'll notice Malcolm never overplays anything and he knows when not to play. He also uses very little overdive and no reverb. Very little to hide behind. The only 'problem' is that AC/DC is mostly a straight rock n' roll rhythm. IMO Malcolm is the best rhythm guitarist out there.

Another great way to improve your rhythm playing is learning to play 'Where The Streets Have No Name'. If U2 doesn't appeal to you, this might not be a fun excersize. You'll also need a delay pedal for this. The trick with this song is that the tempo is determined by the delay and not the drummer or anyone else. Once you get the hang of it you can train drummers with this song too.

[Dr. Vic]

IMO Malcolm is the best rhythm guitarist out there.

 :lol:
I understand what you say but imho Malcom is more like a slow-metronome-machine than everything else.. (I am joking, he is a great guitarist  :))

You speak about the U2 song, but there are so many around, like sultans of swing if you want.. (very hard to nail this exact rythm feeling too)

Anyway I guess we have to stay close to the question of this topic to make everyone agree :D

Just been filming myself playing a bit and watching back I'm not too happy with my rhythm playing.
It's not that it's not in time - I have no problem being in time, it's just a lot looser than I'd like it to be.

What's a good song to learn/excercise to do to really tighten up my rhythm?

I think the purpose here is more to concentrate on rythm mechanics rather than the being-on-time-feeling, which seems not to be the problem, if I understand well..

And rythm mechanics = exercices to be tight, fast if necessary BUT with a HIGHLY PRECISE motion, I think...


Take no prisoners from Megadeth is still one of the best rythm mechanics, to me

 PDT_003

[MDV]

And something you dont seem to realise is that most metal is played with a lot less gain than you'd expect, expecially live doubly so recorded, and very few effects. Maybe thats not how you did it, in which case I'd contend "yer doin it wrong!"

And even if it were, many things are harder with a lot of gain. String skipping and sweep picking for example. Muting becomes a nightmare.

Youre ever so politely and reasonably-lookingly backtracking mate.

This

Guys, seriously. Those lightning speed metal songs won't make you a tight rhythm player.

Those songs make you play fast. There's plenty of guys who can play fast songs tight simply because they play as fast as they can.

It's the slower songs with basic drums and a couple of stops here and there that make you play tight.

Para 1 - No. If you want to get them right, they will.
Para 2 - Yes they make you play fast, because they are fast. But all the fast players get to be fast because they are tight. A sloppy fast player is nothing but an offense to the ears.
Para 3 - yes, slow songs can help you play tightly. Of course they can. But that phrases it as 'just' slow songs, which is wrong.

[MDV]

And you want to talk about hiding behind things and bring up the Edge and delay!?!? Oh dear.

[AndyR]

Hmmm... I saw this thread and some of the first replies earlier this morning, and I thought "interesting..." ... and it seems to have developed from there :lol:

I don't really know what sort of music you play Indy - so I feel uncomfortable suggesting anything for you... However, recently I've been using the Spotify website to play along with stuff that I feel like playing along with and would like to get better at.

Right at the moment this has been a lot of 60s pop music - it's what I grew up with and what formed my musical tastes, and it's very well covered on Spotify.

And I'm finding 60s pop songs extremely challenging! :lol: Although I grew up with it, it's not what I was listening to when I started playing in earnest - that was early NWOBHM and then quickly moved into blues, R&B, southern rock, etc.

What I want to say is this: different genres of music require very different types and feels of playing. And they don't all help each other :lol:

Eg. You are not going to be able to play the rhythm guitar parts on Marvin Gaye's "I Heard Through The Grapevine" with much authority if you've just spent several hours playing fast metal riffery, and vice versa.

It all depends what you're after.

If you want to become a good "session" guitarist that can cover any genre that the gig asks for, or if you want to "break the mould", as it were, then you need to try and master everything - and all of the various suggestions above are helpful. But if you want to play "swinging" rhythms, you'll need to be able to play "loose but tight" - so try to bear that in mind when you're practising more "mechanical" sounding genres, otherwise you'll lose your swing while you're mastering them, and it takes a while to get it back.

It really does depend on what you're after - I'd recommend doing what I do, play along (not note for note, I just try to "join in") with your favourite songs until it sounds like you're "in the band" :D

[38thBeatle]

Hmm I have been reading this thread and thought that it has got quite heated-all totally unnecessary . All I'd say is that there is probably little point in putting forward one type of music over another.I think that for me, learning something is all the more meaningful and enjoyable if the music turns you on in the first place. For me, I learned a lot from bands like Little Feat-both in terms of timing and dynamics but if you dislike Little Feat it isn't going to be very inspiring. Finding your version of Little Feat is the thing I would suggest-whatever that is for you.

[Ratrod]

And you want to talk about hiding behind things and bring up the Edge and delay!?!? Oh dear.

Now you're nitpicking.

[MDV]

Hmm I have been reading this thread and thought that it has got quite heated-all totally unnecessary . All I'd say is that there is probably little point in putting forward one type of music over another.I think that for me, learning something is all the more meaningful and enjoyable if the music turns you on in the first place. For me, I learned a lot from bands like Little Feat-both in terms of timing and dynamics but if you dislike Little Feat it isn't going to be very inspiring. Finding your version of Little Feat is the thing I would suggest-whatever that is for you.

I'm not promoting one music over another as being apriori superior. No one is. Thats been said explicitly. Listen and play whatever you enjoy. I'm simply contesting the erroneous statement that learning to play fast metal rhythms doesnt require one to be a tight player, and make you one in the process of learning them.

Further, its my experience that they are the hardest things to play tightly. The margin of error alowed in  tempo and timing is merciless, and they require exremely consistent technique and control.

That doesnt mean to say that other musics dont, that would be mental, but they're up there, and the metal songs that have been suggested in here require an order of magnitude of tightness above the ACDC etc thats been forwarded over them.  

It seems to me that a very few (2 by my count) of these folks are the ones being snobby and dismissive of different music, and I maintain that if this is purely a matter of the mechanics of playing thrash and death metal rhythm (unfortunately named genres but what can you do?) are among the best for it.

Others that are 'up there' include but are not limited to

Flamenco
Jazz
Prog rock
Classical

And frankly I'd put defacto 'rock' way down the bottom of the list with indie.

Again, just to stress, since this conflict was percieved by observers where none exists - this is not what music is better than another in an absolute sense, but what is better for developing tight rhythm technique. Its purely a mechanics thing, leaving subjective enjoyment of the songs out of it

Love them or hate them these are some of the most tightness-needing songs out there today.

Bleed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc98u-eGzlc

The persecuted wont forget
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-rySnvAvmo

The papyrus...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-rySnvAvmo

Finite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIMW0aHN0ks

Timberlake road
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkmwaPxksvs
:P

Okay, I've said all I'm going to say on the matter. So ner!

[MDV]

And you want to talk about hiding behind things and bring up the Edge and delay!?!? Oh dear.

Now you're nitpicking.

No, just being sarky.

Its true though. The Edges rack is practically a member of U2 - it does half his playing for him.

[MDV]

And you want to talk about hiding behind things and bring up the Edge and delay!?!? Oh dear.

Now you're nitpicking.

No, just being sarky.

Its true though. The Edges rack is practically a member of U2 - it does half his playing for him.

DAMNIT! I suppose I hadnt said all I was going to

And now I've fracking done it again! 

[MDV]

What I want to say is this: different genres of music require very different types and feels of playing. And they don't all help each other :lol:

Truth.

[Lazy_McDoesnothing]

My advice is this:  Record yourself as often as possible making sure to DOUBLE TRACK THE RHYTHM PARTS.  Play the music that you like and want to play, but play along with a metronome or a CD or backing track if your metronome isn't handy.

[MDV]

My advice is this:  Record yourself as often as possible making sure to DOUBLE TRACK THE RHYTHM PARTS.  Play the music that you like and want to play, but play along with a metronome or a CD or backing track if your metronome isn't handy.

And the winner of the thread is......LAZY McDOUBLETRACK!!

C'mon down to see what you've won!

[dave_mc]

What I want to say is this: different genres of music require very different types and feels of playing. And they don't all help each other :lol:

Truth.

also +1 :)

i stayed out of this thread because i thought it'd turn into a fight :lol:

[Roobubba]

My advice is this:  Record yourself as often as possible making sure to DOUBLE TRACK THE RHYTHM PARTS.  Play the music that you like and want to play, but play along with a metronome or a CD or backing track if your metronome isn't handy.

An exceedingly good point which hadn't yet been raised! Picking any riff you like and doing 4 takes of it, getting it spot on each time, that should be a goal of any rhythm guitarist!

Roo