A famous guitarist who did not play rhythm guitar very well is probably best known for his work as a singer. His songs like “Give Peace a Chance”, “Imagine” and “Happy Birthday” have left an indelible mark in music history.

He was once asked why he didn’t focus more on playing the bass or drums while singing. He responded by saying that it’s hard to be passionate about something you don’t feel first-hand experience with.

By learning how to effectively play the instrument of lead guitar, your passion will naturally spread over the other instruments in a band. You’ll learn how to bring out the inner musician within yourself, which can then be applied to anything else you want to master!

In this article, we’re going to look at some easy ways to improve your rhythm guitar skills. We’ll also take a look at some chords that are perfect for beginner players, along with some basic rythym patterns and steps.

Practice often

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.

A lot of people begin playing rhythm guitar by picking up a string set or chord book and going through it quickly without practicing, or maybe even studying how to play some chords or bass lines properly!

This is like learning how to drive a car in such a way that you never practice driving skills, only speed. You have to learn how to control your vehicle, but once you do, you can go very fast.

The same goes for music! By passing over the nuances of the instrument, you will not get good results. It is important to spend time developing your skill level, but don’t worry about being slow at first because this will ease as you progress.

Listen to music you like

This is one of the most important things you can do as a guitarist. If you are not listening to enough music, then you will be limiting your guitar skills by not hearing any patterns or styles that people have incorporated into their songs.

Music has rhythm, so it’s easy to pick up some basics by just listening to different types of music and practicing along with what you hear.

You should also try to understand how the instruments in the song contribute to the overall sound. For example, if there is a bass line, why does the musician use a higher pitch? It could be because they want it to feel heavier.

Watch YouTube videos of musicians you admire

This is one of the most important things for anyone wanting to learn how to play rhythm guitar. There are so many video tutorials online, with well-known artists teaching their styles of playing music.

Many of these artists use their own techniques to improve their rhythm playing. Some focus more on your hand position while strumming, timing patterns or picking strings correctly. Others may teach you about chords and bass lines and how they relate to the song being played.

By watching these songs and exercises several times, you will be able to apply what you have learned to new songs. You also get a chance to see how the artist uses different tools in his or her toolbox to create beautiful sounds and rhythms.

There’s no need to buy expensive software or gadgets to experiment.

Learn to read music

The first thing you need to do as a guitarist is learn how to read music! This will help you in so many ways. You can use it to play songs, create your own music, or just for fun.

Reading music gives you an understanding of music that goes beyond just learning what notes are being played and when. It also teaches you about timing, rhythm, and structure.

You’ll also quickly realize that some people may not speak the same language as you when it comes to music. That is totally okay! There are plenty of resources out there that can help you.

There are several types of books that teach reading music. Some focus more on theory (the science of music) while others give you practice exercises to test yourself with.

Challenge yourself

If you want to play rhythm guitar like legendary musician, songwriter and producer John Lennon, then challenge yourself to learn at least one of his songs every week!

That’s what I did when I first started playing bass. I would spend an hour or two each day learning a new bass line from one of my favorite Lennon tracks.

My goal was to be able to reproduce the bass part exactly as written while also adding my own flavor to it. And I really do mean exact – no shortcuts such as using a basic pattern or copying and pasting a few notes over and over again.

I wanted my bass lines to sound natural so that people could recognize them even if they had never heard the original piece before.

Read music blogs and news

Many guitarists begin learning how to play by listening to songs that use simple bass-chord riffs and figure out what chords they are and what notes go into those chords.

That’s great for beginners who want to learn how to play by ear, but it is not the best way to teach yourself rhythm guitar.

You should instead read music blogs and listen to the latest songs online to find out what rhythms each part of the song uses so you can apply them to your own licks or patterns.

Talk to your friends about musicians you like

As we discussed earlier, one of the most important things when it comes to guitar is how well you learn music theory. But learning some basic chords and notes can be tricky at first!

That’s why it’s so important to know who inspired other great guitarists. By listening to their songs and studying what makes them special, you will pick up some tips that help you improve your own playing.

One famous guitarist who had a huge influence in many people’s musical lives was John Lennon.

Connect with a guitar teacher

It is impossible to learn how to play rhythm guitar without having an actual instructor that you can connect with and study under regularly. This could be at a local music store, online lesson sites, or through a private tutor or professor you meet up with once a week.

Any of these options are great ways to hone your skills as well as develop strong fundamentals. Music theory is important to know so there’s usually some sort of certification for being able to teach it!

If you’re already familiar with chords and bass lines, then starting from here! will give you lots more optionality in terms of songs you can pick out and add interesting rhythms and licks to.