When talking about lead guitar, what kind of guitarist are you? Are you a rhythm guitarist or a leading musician? Some people can’t tell you how to play a song unless they know if you are more of a supporting cast member or the main protagonist.

A rhythm guitarist does not necessarily take the spotlight but their contribution is just as important. They do not hold a solo, but when there is one, it commands everyone’s attention!

As lead guitarists, we want our audience to listen and connect with us. We want them to admire our playing and maybe even try to pick up some things for themselves. This may be developing an understanding of music theory, writing their own songs or reading music books.

Many musicians cannot play lead guitar because they don’t understand the difference between rhythm and lead guitar.

Compound chords

In music, a chord is said to be compound if it contains more than one note. The most common type of compound chord used in guitar songs is the major second chord.

A major second chord is made up of a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. The root is typically written as an open string with no finger pattern. The natural or major third is usually played using either your index or middle finger, while the sharped or perfect fifth is usually played using your pinky finger.

By adding these notes together, you get an example of a major second chord that looks like this:

Now, what makes this chord different from other ones with only two tones (or steps) is the number of notes in each step.

Interlocking chords

Another important concept to know is an “interlinking chord” or, as some call it, an “in-and-out structure.” This happens when one note in a chord breaks down and another takes over.

The example we used before was the first chord of the song. The part where you hear the root (the notes B and F) drop out and then the third (E) comes in. That is an interlacing chord!

This is how most songs begin – with an alternating bass line and lead guitar. The guitarist will add new notes while keeping the old ones alive until they are no longer needed.

It is very difficult to identify this style unless you have seen it done before. There are many ways to learn how to do this!

I hope you enjoyed reading about rhythm and lead guitars and what makes them work.

Chord progressions

Another element that lead guitarists use to great effect in songs is chord sequences or chord progressions. A chord progression is made of at least two chords, usually a major-chord chord and a minor-chord chord. The transition from one chord to the next is either by step (moving directly between each note) or smooth (melting into one another).

Most songwriters start their songs with an introductory sequence consisting of a tonic chord (the root of the scale used for the song), then a dominant chord (a chord whose third is raised by a half tone), and finally a secondary dominiant, or subdominant, chord (whose third is lowered by a whole tone). These are all relatively simple chords, but they form a powerful pattern that music writers use frequently.

Lead guitars often begin a song with this chord structure and add additional touches to create a seamless transition onto the main part of the song. They may bend, stretch, or strum some notes more than others to emphasize the change in harmonic direction.

Dead drops

A rhythm guitar part is usually considered to have a steady, consistent pulse that changes structure or pattern occasionally. This type of part can be played using either open chords (no notes) or closed chords (with at least one note).

A lead guitar part is typically not written in rhythm style patterns. Rather, it has short bursts of musical activity followed by silence or empty space. These breaks are usually very short but add up quickly, making the listener want to keep listening!

There are some songs with parts that contain both types of music — examples include The Beatles’s I Want To Hold Your Hand and Led Zeppelin’s Whole Stompy Foot Experience. But it is not common for lead to feature only one kind of guitar tone.

What makes these lead parts so interesting is their effect on the listener. By excluding a strong rhythmic element, the ear is free to focus on the melody and lyrics instead.