The guitar is one of the most versatile instruments in all of music. With right training, you can pick up the instrument quickly and start playing songs! While there are many ways to play the guitar, one way to learn how to play the instrument effectively is by learning how to play along with a specific rhythm pattern.

This article will go into detail about this easy to understand listening exercise called “Play Along With The Music-The Pattern”. You will also learn some basic chords for the song that goes with this pattern. To make it more interesting, we will be using two different versions of this pattern, which have been given new names.

There is no wrong way to practice these patterns, so feel free to try out as many times as you want.

Find the beat in music

The first step towards playing listen-to-the-rhythm guitar is being able to identify the main pulse or rhythm of a song. This can be tricky at times for beginners, as there are many different types of beats in music!

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A common mistake beginner guitarists make when trying to find the main rhythm of a piece is thinking that it must have an accentual/discontinuous pattern. A simple example of this is looking for the main rhythm of the song “Happy Birthday” by Pharrell Williams.

The main rhythm of the song does not contain any stressed or accented syllables, but rather a constant flow of notes – just like water falling down. That is why it is referred to as the ‘listen-to-the-rain’ rhythm!

Music has various meters (types of rhythms) that use time signatures to denote how many beats there are per measure. These include very regular ones such as 4/4, which means there are four beats in each measure, or 3/8, which has three beats in every eight measures. More complex timing patterns are beyond the scope of this article, however!

Many songs will feature several parts all working together to create the main rhythm of the song.

Find the rhythm in your life

Finding the rhythm of the falling rain is about finding what you feel in this moment, and letting that feeling take over. It’s about being present and not trying too hard.

The song “Listen To The Music (Raaga)” by Bombay Bicycle Club contains an example of how to play this technique. Start from position one, then strum once, and as you pull off the pick up the tempo, add more fingers onto the fretboard.

Then, when the bass drops, hit it harder with two hands! And as it rises again, let go and enjoy the music.

This will take some practice but can be done at any level. Try practicing each part separately and see how it flows together.

Pay attention to your body

A lot of people start playing guitar by trying to play some chord or scale that they have heard somewhere before. What most beginners fail to realize is that this kind of music has a rhythm!

Most songs are made up of notes that come in sets, like a pattern. These patterns are called chords, melodies, or lyrics if you will.

By learning the rhythms of different chords, songs can be re-arranged or even rewritten. This way, you could take any song and learn its chords and rhythm off of the book and then design your own from there!

Another important part of playing acoustic guitar is paying close attention to your body. By doing so, you can determine how fast you should hit certain strings and where you should position yourself while playing.

As with anything new, it may feel awkward at first but stick with it and you will figure out what works for you. Keep practicing and you’ll find your groove!

Hopefully you’ve now learned some basics about playing the acoustic guitar! If you want more tips, check out our article: Best Acoustic Guitars under $300.

Practice playing the guitar

Even if you are not very experienced, there is something that most people have when they start practicing music- their instinct for rhythm. You know it when you hear it!

Many musicians learn how to play using notes and theory, but what about learning how to play by ear? This article will go into more detail on some strategies that can help you get your ears up here where everyone else has them.

It’s natural to be familiar with songs that contain strong rhythms. These types of songs use either short note or long note rhythms (also known as meter).

A short note rhythm is one that feels light and quick, while a longer note rhythm is heavier and slower. A lot of songs contain both type of rhythms in different parts of the song, which makes it easier to recognize.

Let us begin our lesson by looking at a simple bass line pattern. The bass plays an eight-eight time signature pattern every other measure.

Create a recording of you playing

Now that you have your song written, it’s time to record yourself singing or playing along with the music! This can be done easily using YouTube. Pick an easy location to do this like a bedroom or kitchen area. No need to make this sound professional unless you want to!

Once recorded, you will then need to edit down the parts into something more manageable. Your pitch, tone, speed, and rhythm all must match what we discussed before!

Removing background noise is also important since most people use headphones when listening to music so having some sort of fan running may interfere. If there are no fans, check the temperature; if it’s too hot, consider wearing a sweatshirt.

Review your recording

If you are having trouble figuring out how to play this song, then review your recording! Check it again to see if you can find any mistakes or things that you may have missed.
As we learned before, the bass line is an alternating rhythm pattern made up of eight notes. The first two notes in each measure are one note long, while the second two notes are two notes long. These notes will go away as soonas the meter moves onto the next beat.

The rest of the notes in the bar are three notes long, making for a total length of five notes per bar. This makes a total of four bars in the music here.

Practice is the best way to learn anything so practicing this song several times is necessary.

Identify your weaknesses as a guitarist

As we have discussed before, playing guitar is an incredible way to enjoy music! It can also be a very lucrative career if you are willing to put in some work to hone your skills. However, just like any other skill, there is always something new you can learn about it.

In this article, I will talk about one of the most fundamental things you need to know when playing the instrument. This element comes naturally to many people, but not everyone does. We refer to it as being able to play the rhythm of the song correctly.

Fortunately, it is possible to improve upon this area of your musical self-confidence.

Work on your weaknesses

Even if you are a seasoned musician, there are always new things you can learn about music. You could be that person who has mastered the guitar already, but still have no idea how to play an arpeggio or how to use tritone substitution in a song!

There is so much you can do with music that it can feel overwhelming at times. It’s great to know more than what seems like half the population, but trying to figure out what those extra few tricks mean can become confusing.

That is why it is important to work on your strengths while also developing your skills in areas that may even make you feel uncomfortable.

You will find that as you grow as a guitarist, others will praise you for your skill set and help you hone these talents.

This article will talk about one such tool that can aid you in this process – listening to music.