Playing Behind The Beat - "The Art of Laying Back" | Guitar Lesson w/RJ Ronquillo | Tutorial 

Hey all! I hope you are enjoying this lesson video. I briefly listed a few musicians that employ this technique - I'd love to hear about other musicians and even links to song examples that do this as well. ~ rj

You are so busy, which makes you even more generous with your time and knowledge. Thank you!

laid back stank face makes this video! My new fave channel!

So casually mentioned he recored bass and guitar for Tupac track!!! Let alone for Thugs Mansion RJ you are a goddamn legend!

Great video on an important topic! 👍 🙂

I have been watching you for quite a while now. My mind is blown that you played on that track. I listened to that so much growing up in a rough area, and a rough home environment. I guess that means I have been a fan of you for more years than I thought lol!

Finally somebody explains that concept in an understandable way ! Excellent job R.J.!

Bravo! Well articulated. Jeff Beck groups "Rock my Plimsoul" (rock me baby) with Ronnie Wood on bass and Rod Stewart on vocals. This is an exquisite example, in and of itself the riff is pretty simple. Beck is playing the guitar riff behind the bear, Rod Stewart's vocal phrasing is in front of the beat. Now Ronnie Wood's bass playing is way behind the beat to Jeff Beck's riff to the point that it almost echoes Jeff Beck. I found this arrangement quite genius. Recorded in 1966!

In my case it is the only video on RU-vid that I understood, it helped me a lot, thank you very much!

From a drummers perspective it always sounds great and funky when your guitar or bass player has learned the art of Laying back!!! Great tips bro and this is coming from a Drummer!!! I'm a Jazz drummer trapped in a Metal drummers body!!!

Dexter Gordon was a master at playing off the beat! Great video RJ!!!

In a digital age this lesson is even more priceless. Feels good!

In drumming it is called a flam, one of the basic drum rudiments. The hard strike comes directly on the downbeat, with a grace note right behind it. For those that also play drums and read drum music, that is an easy way to get the basic idea across. The drumming as quite deliberate and exact. Playing behind the beat while improvising is more laid back, subtle and random like you said/demonstrated. When I first heard of this years ago it made me think of flam, but that didn't stop it from being uncomfortable. We are always expected to respect the beat and tempo and laying back is uncomfortable at first. But it also helps you relax when you have the right context, Great lesson. Thank you!

Thank goodness. It's about time someone talked about this. Singers especially can use this as long as they know how to use it. same with Guitar players or actually anything that is playing a melody position.

Not an easy task to switch back and forth feel-wise like that...respect!

Excellent video ! 👍👏👍

wow...cant belive I ran into this...:)...thanks man..

One of the best lessons in the internet about playing behind the beat. You don't see this subject being explored like this. Great !!

INTERESTING!!!! Now im gunna hear it everywhere.....

I feel like a better guitar player, musician, after watching this. Thanks for explaining this, I’ve heard this a lot in many music but never new exactly what it was until you explained it. Your awesome

YES miseducationof lauryn hill was the EPITOME of layingback

I've been playin a long time & this is the first time I ran across this topic taught. Very much appreciate the lesson. Thanks!

Amazing lesson! Thanks dude!

When I was in college I bought a book transcribing Stevie Ray's In Step and I think it was Little Wing where in the performance notes it said "performed loosely behind the beat". I had been struggling with the feel and just trying too hard in general. I remember getting goose bumps when I read that and taking a deep breath and changing my whole approach. My playing was forever different, and better.

You are one of my guitar heroes. Anything you put out there I will be thrilled to watch.

Awesome vid man! Great topic!

Really did your style man - and your approach to teaching...thanks!

That´s a very cool lesson. Thank you RJ!

Excellent video, excellent technique! I picked up on this style because of J Dilla's beatmaking, but it's prevalent in things like Bill Ward's drumming, or Parliament's bass synths. Developing a stanky groove isn't implemented in this age of quantization as much as it should be, so, thank you for highlighting it!

This is a great lesson. Found it really helpful.

Excellent explanation. Very clear and understandable.

Please do more lessons of this sort!

Thanks very much. Exactly what i was looking for. GREAT vid. Thank you R.J.

lots of tasty licks here. awesome!

I just watched this, a year late, but I have a comment anyway. Playing behind the beat, as you demonstrate, is really only learned by years of playing. I say this because I have played guitar since the mid sixties but never studied music in a formal way. Only through lots of practice and playing in lots of bands of varying styles did I learn the sort of stuff you are talking about in this video. It's pretty complex, and I don't think I could explain it as well as you, but it is still great to watch and play along with. Which is what I did. As usual, this is a good video. You explain things way better than most, and don't just show off, like a lotta guys do. Thanks

Well done...I will use this as a teaching aid

Excellent video!. First time I see this topic cover in a wonderful way!!!

Great lesson RJ, and some killer animation skills.

Thanks for this buddy. Great job! Will defo practice the examples.

Smart video. The backing tracks at the end are a cool bonus. Thanks ----

What a great lesson! Finally someone covering this super-important topic!!! There should definitely be much more vids about how to develop proper timing etc...

Great - GREAT lessons man!!! One of the best on RU-vid :) Thank You...

Being able to play behind the beat is important for bass players, too.

great video. ive never heard anyone cover this before and its one of my favourite areas. this is what I love about jeff 's playing. he does all this with a very effortless feel.

Probably the best video on this concept on youtube. Well done, RJ. You da man.

well covered ! you made something clear appear clearer !

This is exactly what I have been trying to figure out the past few weeks. Ill get it then loose what I got its a odd thing to get the hang of. But this lesson will help since you put it in a way that makes sense. Thanks my friend.

These kinds of lessons are very helpful.Im saving your videos for references.i watch them whenever I'm not doing anything in the office.thanks RJ! Cheers from the Philippines!

definitely something to work on - thanks for putting this together !

Thank you so much for this. Great framework to visualize the feel. A lot of people do this naturally but knowing how and why gives you that much more power to really grease up the grooves. Cheers!

The difference between good and great! Awesome vid, very well explained and demonstrated. Thank you!

Very cool! I really enjoyed it especially the backing tracks at the end so it gave me chance to actually practice what you taught!

Always very informative!

Really cool and useful concepts, RJ. Thanks!

Great lesson, I love this style of playing! Another benefit from laying back: It makes mixing/live sound easier. When the instruments don't stack up right on each drum hit, it allows the punch of the kick and snare to come out better. Thanks for the video! :)

thanks a lot for this lesson RJ.

Awesome lesson RJ! Thanks so much!

I got so lost in that 6-5-1 Am progression that you scared me when you came back. Lol I think I finally figured it out! Thanks again

Cool lesson, thank you!

John Bonham is a classic example of laying back behind the beat. It was one of the things that gave Zeppelin their heavy sound...it wasn't the guitars, it was the heavy drums (and bass) that laid just behind the beat.

Snare & Kick Drum. Thanks man.

Outstanding lesson, RJ! This greatly helped me pinpoint a technique that i've heard for a long time, but never gave much technical thought. In additional, this was a great reminder for me to not be so robotic trying to stay on the beat for my album recordings - that it's okay to "lay back" a bit. Thanks again!

I slammed that subscribe button when you did the laid back line right after the straight line, awesome nugget, awesome video

thanks so much for talkin about this! subscribed!

This is amazing dude! BRAVO!!

The clearest explanation I've found so far! And very nice playing as well :)

Great lesson!!!

I love this lesson, very useful. Thanks R.J.

I learned this from John Zeigler when i was his student. One of the most crazy feels. Really great when a drummer can do it...

You're the man, RJ. These are really well done. Super relevant, necessary subject matter framed in a way that makes it really click. Thanks!

Great video! Really helped me understand the nuances of playing with this kind of feel (and having backing tracks right afterward is great for trying it out).

Great concept!

Absolutely beautiful feel and playing from 5.30 . Envious! Great video 👌

great lesson!

Dude, as ALWAYS, your playing and your lessons are on POINT! 👊🏽💥

This was such an amazing lesson Bro! Thanks 🙏 for this!! 🎸🎶🔥🤘🏻

Awesome RJ !

killer video!

Your lessons are just tasty and usefull!! Thanks!

Thank you for this!!

Very helpful, thanks!

Awesome! Thanks!

Very very interesting ! Thanks.

Excellent!

You are awesome. Thank you.

What a great video. Your teaching skills are incredible. You make this stuff easy to understand! Thanks!

Just now discovering your channel. Great content for us musicians. Subbed and thanks!

Great! Thanks!

This is actually a great video and a great lesson...Just found your channel, some of your videos are really good. Keep up the good work!

fantastic player btw like your fender

Great stuff...very good cover...very interesting..

LOOOVE IT!

Nice. Really important thing to talk about. Groove is king! You GOT to bring the DEE LAY. The more "on top' of the beat you are, the thinner the beat gets...till you wind up with something spindly and weak...with no weight, no swing. Finish your lines, finish your figures. Just go ahead and listen to Muddy, Wolf, John Lee Hooker. Ziggy Modeliste. Any of the Delta Bluesmen. Big Joe Williams. Teeny Hodges. Don't run around confronting the beat, just let the beat come to you. Greet it with style and grace, kindness, and respect. The beat is in your care for a very short while, then it's gone, out into space. It is defenseless...don't mistreat it.

Wow, that's great thanks.

this is awesome!

Very cool man!

priceless Intro .. !! :)

ha! i recognize you! i saw you live in bucharest with judith hill. good good! i will try to take some time to learn from your videos!

Nice job: an easy to watch and understand video!

Awesome dude, sorry but i binged watched a few of your vids after subbing but i forgot to white list your channel. You deserve a million views man. your playing is awesome . The Zeplin track Hashmir Bonham IS doing this with his Kick drum double strokes. coming in a hair early its what gives the song it pulse