When learning how to play rock rhythm guitar, one of the first things you will need is your main instrument! This can be anything from bass to violin or cello to guitars. Your main instrument will help set up the rest of the instruments in your band as well as what styles of music you want to write.

For example, if you are wanting to learn how to play blues songs then your main instrument should be either bass or violin. The bass would hold down the low notes while the violin would handle the higher ones!

To play more complex rhythms, like those found in most types of rock music, an easy way to start is by playing triplets. A triplet is when there is a short break between each note of a chord. For instance, if you played a tonal riff with the chords Dm-G-Dm then it would go DDMMGGDDM.

This article will teach you how to play triplets on any position of the guitar. It is best done on the second fretboard position because this gives you easier access to some very common licks such as the offbeats.

Learn the most important chords

Become a 'Drummer 4/4 Life' with our exclusive JA t-shirt!

Show your dedication to rhythm with our unique 'Drummer 4/4 Life' t-shirt. Proudly display a music staff with the 4/4 time signature, the heart of most popular music beats. This piece of Jam Addict attire not only makes a bold statement about your passion for drumming, but it also lets you be a part of the JA community, a team dedicated to fostering musicians for years.

The first thing you will need to learn how to do is identify the main chord in any song! This article’tutorial will go into great detail about what all of those chords are, but for now just know that every song contains at least one major chord.

The term “major chord” actually refers to a set of three notes (or frequencies) that make up the whole chord. These notes are usually called the root, the second note, and the third note. The order doesn’t matter as long as they’re same place. In music theory, the root is considered to be the lowest frequency part of the chord.

To play your first major chord, take your index finger (the smallest digit on your guitar hand), put it in position directly next to the root, then strum the string normally. Your thumb should be able to reach all the way down to the neck of the instrument without moving away from the middle joint of the index finger.

After this initial hit, lift your index finger off of the bass string while keeping your other fingers pressed onto the strings, then quickly drop it back down onto the third fret.

Learn to read chord charts

Chords are one of the most important things to learn as a guitarist. Once you have learned how to play some chords, you can start learning how to play rhythm guitar!

Rhythm is defined as the timing pattern that notes make up a song. The timing for each note in a rhythm depends on what note it follows and how long it takes to get from one note to the next.

For example, if your rhythm was very fast then the music would be something like “dum da-da DA DA” or maybe even just “da dada dada”. That is called a triplet!

A triplet means that there is a short break between two notes. In this case, the first note stays the same length but the second note only has a half tone difference (or no gap at all). This creates a faster feel because there is less time to react to the next note.

Using doublets and quadruplets will also create different rhythms depending on whether they are spread out or stacked together.

Practice making beats on your guitar

A lot of people start playing rhythm guitar by simply copying what someone else does, which is great for beginning players! This can sometimes be difficult to do well though, as most musicians have their own style that they develop as artists.

What if I told you that there’s a way to play music like a pro without being trained in art? You know those songs that sound just like another song you hear repeated over and over again? Music writers create such songs all the time!

It’s not very hard to learn how to write songs that are almost identical to others, so why don’t we take a look at some techniques used to write these songs? Then, once you’ve mastered this, you can use it to write your own new songs!

I will assume here that you are already able to read simple music notes and numbers.

Learn how to properly use your pick

The first thing you will need is a pick, this device is used to press down on the string as it goes up. A good quality pick has a smooth surface that is comfortable to drag across the strings.

Some people only ever put gel or liquid picks in their mouth and then hold them under their nose. This is not a great way to prepare your pick because both ends are touched by skin which could cause dirt or bacteria to contact the pick. Make sure to always have a clean one prepared!

If using a metal pick, make sure to wash it well before use so there are no bits of food stuck onto it. For plastic ones, don’t pull too hard on the end as you may break off pieces that will remain in the guitar string.

Learn how to use your fingers

The first thing you should do is learn how to use your hands and your feet effectively as players. Your hand position, leg position, finger positions, and how fast you play all make a big difference in what type of music you want to be able to play.

Your hand position can vary depending on the style of playing you choose. For example, some guitarists place their left hand just under the pick handle so that they have more space to move it up and down. This is called picking with a drop-handle technique. Other musicians put their right hand next to the lower part of the fretboard, which is referred to as indexing.

There are many ways to pick up the rhythm guitar! What’s best for you depends on what kind of songs you desire to master and how much time you are willing to invest in your craft.

Learn how to use your ears

A lot of guitarists these days seem to be tone deaf, can’t tell when a note is out of tune, and have no idea what key a song is in. They also may not know what a rhythm part or chord pattern is!

I get really annoyed by this because I feel that people should at least understand basic music theory and concepts like modes and chords.

It would help them learn how to play songs properly and identify the notes in a song! And it would help them read music more efficiently too.

But beyond all of that, learning how to use your ear is one of the most important things you can do as a guitarist. You will always need this skill.

Using your ears means hearing something (like a sound) and knowing what it is. It could be a voice, a clap, a piano ballad, or anything else.

After you learned how to recognize different sounds, you can produce other sounds yourself.

Record and listen to yourself

The next step is to learn how to play rhythm guitar by listening to your own songs and recording yourself while you play! There are many ways to do this, with most people using their phone or computer as a device for the microphone.

You can use our free music lesson tools to help you get started here: http://www.itsguitarlesson.com/free-music-study-tools/. We have lots of tips and tricks in our beginner’s guide here: https://www.itsguitarlilb.com/beginner-guide/. Both of these contain helpful links to resources and medium and large format digital audio recorders (or DAWS) that you can use to do this.

Many musicians also upload their song recordings onto YouTube so that anyone can hear what they played and how it was done. By doing this, you will be able to see the notes being hit and how the timing works to determine the rhythm.

Keep practicing!

There are many ways to learn how to play rock rhythm guitar. You do not need to know how to play every note in every song by heart, nor does it mean you will never be able to take your time and focus on learning one part of music theory or another, but knowing some basic concepts about rhythm can help you get into the groove.

Many people start playing bass with chords as their main source of notes. This is great if you want to learn how to play bass, but most musicians quickly move onto lead guitar or vocals because they perceive these instruments as having more potential for expression than being limited to only using chords.

By adding rhythm to your instrument choice, you open up opportunities to express yourself even more. It is very important to understand the basics of rhythm before moving forward. Many beginner guitarists struggle with this.

There are three major components that make up what we refer to as rhythm. They are beat, pulse, and meter. Let’s look at each one separately.