"I thought I knew how to play guitar!" said the lead guitarist in my band when we had the chance to record professionally. The producer quickly pointed out to him that his timing was off. That's when I realized that when he wasn't playing lead he was mostly just strumming whole note chords near the downbeat but not on it. I was the rhythm guitarist so I was kind of covering up his lack of ability to understand the beat. He came out of that 3 week studio process an excellent guitar player.
EXACTLY right. An audience might not notice mistakes here and there, but they KNOW when a band isn't tight. They may not know why, but they know. You don't have to be the greatest group of musicians around, but audiences will love you if you're all in the pocket.
Groove is everything. You can literally only know how to play one note but if you play it in the pocket with confidence youll sound a 1000x better than someone else who knows a lot with no time feel
@@isaachaynes6935 “the term pocket originated in the middle of the previous century, when a strong backbeat (the snare drum striking on beats 2 and 4) became predominant in popular music. When the backbeat is slightly delayed creating a laid-back, or relaxed, feel, the drummer is playing in the pocket.”
@@woofcity6307 Totally. Seems like people wanting to learn to solo always start with scales. Trying to do complex runs, a ton of random notes, tweedly-dee, etc. If I were guitar teacher (which I'm not) and wanted to teach somebody to solo, I'd have them solo for a long time on one tone, trying all sorts of patterns and rhythms, milking the most out of that one note for expression and feel, and then like two weeks in move on to two notes. It's like something out of Karate Kid, LOL, the young pupil having to endlessly "wax on wax off," complaining the whole time about how they want to unleash their fury...
I became so much better on guitar after I bought a drum kit and started learning to play it. A bit extreme I know but it's so much more enjoyable to play with time feel than without.
I bought a set of sticks and a practice pad to work on my timing. It also doesn't hurt that I primarily played bass in local bands through the 2000s, and was fortunate enough to play with some solid drummers and guitarists. Learned a lot that way
Love these videos, Rhett. Wanted to say thank you for introducing me to Cory Wong. I saw him for a few seconds in this video, had my interest piqued, went and checked him out … and consumed no other content of any kind except Cory Wong for three days straight. Exactly what I was missing in my life. Epic guitar heroism and that squeaky clean, completely in the pocket, elaborate funky stuff is so refreshing. Also amazing to see such a tight band in that Paisley Park session they did. Something for me to aspire to. Thank you!
This aspect in particular is what makes Keith Richards such a great player. He's not technically sophisticated by any means, but his sense of timing makes even simple riffs really great to listen to. And great time feel is what made Eddie van Halen, God rest his soul, such a popular player, loved by many who had no particular inclination toward highly technical playing.
Eddie Van Halen has great rhythm. I believe he started out as a drummer. Malcolm young has great rhythm timing too. Same with Cliff Williams. On ACDC live isolated bass, you can hear him keeping time on the bass between notes. His hand keeps moving and playing between the notes. Guitarists do the same quite often. They play silent/ghost notes keeping time between their actual strums.
AC DC is a great example of deceptively easy riffs to play but very few can play with their timing or feel. Ive very rarely heard anyone in a bar or club play "Black in Black" well.
@@uknowme1811 I play bass and rhythm guitar as a sub for acdc tributes. They definitely have great timing and the feel is so important! People often play the parts wrong, too, especially on bass. Bass doesn't always follow the guitars.
I'm a former professional guitarist Rhett, I'm subscribed and always enjoy your videos. Top professional guitarists from Jeff Baxter to Steve Lukather regularly comment how important it is to develop good rhythm. Lee Rittenhoure once commented that young guitar players today have incredible chops but spend too much time on lead work especially copying other players and not enough time on rhythm and developing their own style. Lukather mentioned that a large percentage of his studio sessions were focused on rhythm guitar. I'm a Baltimore native and Baltimore is a soul town. I got a job playing guitar for the Satisfactions based out of Washington DC touring nightclubs five years straight. We played R&B, soul music and some funk and disco. Rhythm was mostly what I played along with fills and embellishments. Loved it.
Interesting comment about guitar being like drums. Played drums as a teenager. Now learning to play guitar. After 12 months of learning to play solo, I’m going back to playing more rhythm and learning to improvise melodically with chord tones. Learning to transcribe is also on the list… and recording myself. Great episode. 👍
Amazing video Rhett! Very insightful. Love that you are a music youtube channel that highlights current musicians. The art form is not dead it's just as different as it's ever been. You have to dig to find good musicians but they are out there.
Some of the finest guitarists for time and pocket: Julian Lage, Sonny Landreth, Dickie Betts (not appreciated enough I think). His solos are rhythm masterpieces... Pat Metheny, Scofield, and we must never forget George Benson, one of the finest ever. Thanks for the great post.
Great video as always Rhett! One thing that I recommend for players looking to improve their rhythmic feel: put on an isolated drum track from a "busy" drummer like John Bonham or Stewart Copeland and try to match what they are doing on drums on your guitar. You don't need your left hand at all - use your right hand and hit the lowest two strings with the kick, the highest two strings with the hi hat, and the middle two strings with the snare. This exercise teaches you to lock in with the drummer and will ultimately turn your right hand into a working metronome. Learned it from Dave Grohl!
Nailed it, thanks Rhett - this is by far my biggest issue as a player. Nothing matters if you're never in the pocket! Great ideas for me to practice to, thanks!
Adding to the subject i also believe its just as important to know how and when to play off-time, or to rush/drag. I love how Hendrix and Page will sometimes play completely off tempo on purpouse and it just sounds great. Another thing that has always intriged me and not many ppl seem to talk about it, is how to play the silence. Or "when not to play". The stops are just as important as the notes
That's why those two are so wild to me, because after years of listening, it's clear JUST how aware they are of how much slop they're using. They're two guitarists I associate with hearing soloists in classical orchestras - there's not a perfect 3/4 or 4/4 metronomic time being played, there's a BREATHING associated with the tempos. Jazz soloists do it too. Ultimately, it only works if you're aware of the base tempo.
When they’re playing guitar solos timing is able to be more free form just like a vocalist who can play with or even neglect the timing and still sound really good. Switch to playing rhythm and Freeform, letting it breath and bleed into the next phrase is the opposite of what you want 99% of the time. It’s interesting.
@@severebash9153 precisely, thats exactly one of the main reasons why Pages playing on Tea For One is so special to me. The base tempo already on its own, feels like the breathing method, which kinda puts you off and back into the rythm back and forth without the listener noticing it. Johns drumming and Pauls attacks/release over their instruments are working magic here. And then Page starts improvising over it also in some "off tempo" kinda way. He plays the stops perfectly on this song. Plant kicks in with some very strong and also very weak vocals, creating this push-pull energie even more. Add the very inconsistent delays and reverb that are all over the place and you got yourself a huge mess. A huge mess that works absolutely perfectly amazingly beautiful. If i had to chose only one song to listen to for the rest of my life, Tea for One it is
Listening to the drummer is critical, my best friend in high school was a drummer and we spent hours jamming. Just he and I and we developed a real feel together, we learned to listen to one another and we had lots of fun jams. It's too bad I had to move away, I didn't have a choice in that, but playing with just a drummer really helped me.
Thing about timing is… is that its Boring if you stick to it without alterations. By shortening / extending bars and playing around with the original “motif tempo” can you truly be free. Satch also stated something along the lines of “32nds notes have a life breathing property”. ( I’m paraphrasing) So take the time signature, oh let’s say 8th notes, and subdivide it more (32nd notes) or less 4th notes. And glide over the beat “grid”.
Hey Rhett, I'm 67 and have been playing music ( bass) forever and even though I know exactly what you are talking about, I don't do it enough. So it is really good to hear it coming from another (reputable) source. Great lesson, thank you.
The idea to slow the metronome down to half time is brilliant. There are so many chances to lose the beat and fall out of the pocket but as your time and feel improve it’s less likely. Great way to work on that. And recording yourself can be very encouraging when you listen to an example of your playing from a year ago that you thought was good then and compare it to something you’re playing now. You can really see your own growth as well as your shortcomings.
To me this is what made Eddie Van Halen so great. Everyone knows he was a great lead player but his rhythm playing was sooo great. So much swing and feel in there. Coupled with catchy, poppy riffs in a rock context and it was the ultimate recipe for success.
Great advice, completely agree. One thing I find more fun to do instead of just use the metronome, is use my looper which has drum beats built in. You can get the feel of the drum rather than a click and you don't need to setup the camera every time. That said individual metronome practice and video recording definitely have their place.
I highly recommend an app called Wheelhouse Beats. Its a kind of metronome in that you can control the tempo but it is beats played by some of the most amazing drummers around. Developed by Charlie Hunter and Ben Singer. Drummers like George Sluppick, Carter McLean, Bobby Previtte, Corey Fonville and more.
spot on, biggest difference is playing in the pocket but not just that. I would also add, the tone. Pros have the ear to dial in pro tones. Best way to get close is to practice playing with the recordings. Be it an acoustic of 'Staring at the Sun' by U2 or trying to time a Satriani lick say from 'Super Colossal' are best ways to keep getting closer to timing the notes. Tone is not trying twenty things but getting two things an amp/a pedal and dialing it in.
Great video Rhett. All excellent tips. But you neglected to mention the single best way to improve your time - play as often as possible with a good drummer and bass player.
This is so good. I’m a session guitarist and sometimes, here and there, I have to play with some -not so good- drummers. It becomes an instant nightmare because even if you are on time and groove but the rythm section is not then it is game over for you.
I agree. Exactly what I said in my post here. The drummer and bass player should be a unit, that’s the core of the band that the other musicians work from. If they are off it doesn’t matter how good a guitarist you are, it will always sound off and be frustrating as hell.
I first learned Drums and I think it helped me a lot. When I play a new tune with a band for the first time and i don't know even know the notes I can "play" along when I simply palm mute in the ballpark of the bassnote and "emulating" a barré chord. Boy, if you know the bass notes after one round you can do so much. Additionally I love it when you write a song, the drummer comes up with a variation of the beat and the guitarist and bassplayer pick up on the that and tune in. I noticed that, when the rhythm section is tight and works well together people really hear the difference. Way more important than some crazy guitar solos or anything.
Go check Joe’s solo on the song outside by foo fighters. The video of him in studio recording it is on YT. Absolute legend how he can create space where everyone else would want to show off
@@pieterjansenvanrensburg7322 Wow, thanks for pointing that video out! Further proof that usually less is more. That's why I've never been able to get into some of the famous shredder solo artists (Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen, etc). I truly respect their talents, but I prefer music that has some breathing room.
Priceless recommendations! Thanks for bundling these different aspects of playing into a comprehensive group! They make such a huge difference in the quality of a person's playing. Rock on!
I'm one of those guys that never played with or could find people around me that had a pro attitude.. Most times just friends goofing around. Which is fine if it's all for shits and giggles.. But when want to take things more seriously and there's always one or two guys in the band that have timing issues it really does make it not fun. I tried so hard over the years to get some of these people to practice to a metronome.. But they never would. Finally in my older years I had enough.. And started to play with guys that took their instruments more seriously.. Every single one of them have awesome timing.. And my lord.. I almost had tears in my eyes first practice with these guys.. The impact of that groove and time-feel was just overwhelming. Fast or slow songs, it didn't matter. It just sounds amazing. Just wish I would have put my foot down a loooooong time ago.
Love this. IMO, practicing to a metronome is extremely underrated. Especially the type of practice that you demonstrated. It's easy to get caught up into thinking metronome practice is just scales.
And the BS about “playing with a metronome ruins your time” is just that - BS. “Feel” is a continuum within the beat. Where do you want to place the beat? Ahead, right on, behind? By how much? It needs to be extremely consistent. Put the ‘nome on 60 and play quarter notes on one note. Record that for a minute and listen back. Where are you placing time? Is it consistent? Yeah, it’s boring and will probably be painful to listen back on. The recording doesn’t lie. Figuring out how to control your time is tough because no one practices it.
If you ask people what made SRV a great guitarist they would talk about his speed or intensity. His theatrical moments or his tone. But one of his most important qualities was what you covered in this video. He had an amazing sense of time, even when he was manipulating it for effect.
Rhett, first off thank you for this video. I'm commenting as an old campaigner, a funk+ guitarist. That last is no typo, as I played mostly funk but dabbled occasionally in other genres such as jazz. Since I STARTED as a funk player, the first thing I learned was that the timing was beyond crucial. I didn't think about it very much because rhythm and its importance are part and parcel of Black culture overall (at least as I've experienced it). It was there, it was important and if it wasn't right, I was wrong! I learned how to play in time by playing along with records constantly. I liked and still like to keep time in situations where there are few or no clues to the timing and one has to FEEL the rhythm and tempo or drift. It is still a little bit of a challenge because I don't feel like a natural even after all this time. That said, it's only a challenge until I get into it a little. Then I can start playing well and try to play well enough to get the goosebumps. You know you're doing well when you can even give YOURSELF the goosebumps!🥸
I use to play a lot live and I always locked in with the drummer! Listening to that bass and snare drum!! I would also play guitar with thoughts of a mono bass synth if that makes any sense! I have some advice! Everyone needs a looper! I hear people complain that loops do t sound right! That’s a good sign! It’s telling you to try harder with timing :) like a free guitar teacher
My favourite guitarists vary from the beat. When you feel the beat you can speed up and slow down slightly to alter the mood at will. Otherwise you sound like a machine, which some people like.
Perfect information. A clock-like drummer with a solid bassist locking together as one is the ultimate rock upon which other elements in a band with maybe less than perfect time-keeping ability can stand firm (tee-hee) and shine. I've played for 45 years, and I'm still loose as... something loose.
Rhett. this is gold. your advice is always on. You were the first voice i heard when musing over a digital platform. So grateful for the real advice when it came to the Helix .Big shout out for others to take Rhetts real solid advice. Always a trusted source. Thank-you Rhett.
Great points! Another thing that helps is that if you learn to play bass or drums along with some of the songs you want to learn, the time becomes much clearer. At least that's how I do it. YMMV.
This is a critical point! When I'm teaching voice or guitar or bass players I also teach them how to play a basic beat on the drums and stress that they need to understand that they will always be playing within a beat set up by the drummer and they need to fully understand the basics of rhythm theory. As a singer and a lead guitarist you can't musically float around the beat if you don't know exactly where the beat is!
This is very true, but as a guitarist if your drummer and bass player aren’t locked in together and in the groove then the best guitarist in the world is not going to get in the pocket. This is one thing I have struggled with in some bands. Other times with a great drummer and bassist it’s so easy and relaxing I just sink into the groove instead of feeling like I’m keeping time for them.
Thanks Rhett, I’m sharing this with my rhythm guru. When we talk about creating music he stresses how important the rhythm section is to defining a song. I can’t get away with not being in the pocket. He’s like a human metronome.
My school is called James Brown! I remember hours and hours spent playing over his songs to learn to be on time, with chords or single notes. Best gym for me hands and brain !
Great advice but two basic points were missed. Tapping the toe and subdividing the beat. Al Dimiola said the biggest tip is to be able to tap all the way through the song. I was thinking all that knowledge and that's what you give me. He was right. While tapping you should be able to count 1+2+3+4 and feel the + with the toe up. Then you should be able to go back and forth from 1e+a2e+a to 1+2+. Now add the measure like 1+2+3+4+2+2+3+4+3+2+3+4+4+2+3+4. Timing is still my weakness and I would like to thank my church,Claremont Lutheran and their bell choir for all the help.
All so true! I was fortunate in the 70's to be in a band with a terrific drummer and bass player - I saw myself more as a rhythm guitarist with the occasional solo break. Since going into the studio in the 80's till now (and living in Asia) I have collected everything from Angklung & Rindik in Java to Temple Bells in Nepal with some Caxixi, lots of Shakers etc. along the way. I really enjoy layering percussion tracks when the track requires it (I leave drumming to real drummers!). I think I'm lucky in the sense I have a pretty good sense of time - at least I'd like to think so! 😃
That's pretty much how I found out a few years ago how awful my time feel was. My chops were fantastic (relatively speaking), but they were absolutely no use because my playing was not in the pocket whatsoever. I don't really like practicing with a metronome, I find it boring, but you can always practice with a very simple drum beat instead and it works just fine. Trying to record music to a backing track of drums will quickly expose and also fix a lot of your timing problems by the time you record the entire track correctly.
I would say my timing/feel is pretty solid. More so than my actual chops. I'm constantly amazed that when I come off stage at a gig and someone compliments me on something I played....I know a threw a lot of bullshit in the chops, but I played it with good timing/feel.
buddy, you missed john mayer here...... just see his live solo of different ain't no sunshine version even earlier version of that. it will give you chills, brutal timing just insane !
I have always done things with a drummers mentality.. I practiced with Drum Machines instead of a metronome because I love the pocket feel of playing much more with a solid groove... I started out studying percussion at an early age so that beginning into rudimentary drumming stuck with me... I love the rhythm section as much as I love lead instruments.. I'm probably one of the few people who loves the bass prominent in the mix because IMHO.. It lends body to the mix and moves the songs better...
You got it Rhett! I have had students audition for a very esteemed music college in the city I live called Humber College and I asked the head of the guitar dept what he looks for in accepting a prospective student and he responded, "no.1: time feel."
I had an AWESOME experience with Mark Knofler; I worked right off Times Square, so I would spend my lunch break wandering around, or becoming a nuisance at the guitar shops on 48th. One time I was jerking around trying some shredder type 'axes, when I heard a light "excuse me" in an English accent. I pay him no mind until he plugs in and starts playing. Man, I sorta recognize his sound/style, but just couldn't quite place it. I turn and look, and there is Mr. Knofler wailing away. I was very privileged to have had a brief conversation about playing/love of playing and watch him jam, with me as a private audience. AMAZING! I was so bummed my lunch break was ending.
Dude! You sound like my guitar teacher 😃He has been beating me up over my time/rhythmn. This is spot on and one of the main focuses of my practice. The metronome is a 'cruel mistress'...
Aside from time and feel one of my struggles is playing in intonation. Even on a nicely setup guitar and esp jamming with a keyboardist. That's one I am working on right now. Like how violin players "adjusts" there notes while playing to get the right tune.
I think that these kind of considerations like "the best player to do something in particular ..." is totally subjective. What you love in that playing is your own preferences, your own search for sounds or techniques and more widely an echo of your own emotions. I don't even know the players you are talking about but it does not matter really, as soon as my target is to get better in some fields like rhythm , harmony, regularity, and to find to express my own internal voice ;)
Reminds of a meme/video: It's not that you played the wrong note. You just didn't play it confidently. What I'm having difficulty with right now is story-telling. How do I move forward in the progression.
One of the best videos I've ever seen. Hands down agree 100%. Not to sound conceited but I think this is a strength of mine and offers many unique perspectives that I can play really well. I was always a rhythm guy first for 25 years and I got so good at that that when I started to evolve into playing lead for a PF tribute band and then deciding to work on my lead style after I had become an advanced player, I ended up with a unique skill set, but it's based around being good at what you speak of here first. More importantly than anything I play lead wise.
It's hard! It's hard enough to get down good technique on guitar and then comes the time you play in a band setting, even if it's just for fun, and it's a rude awakening!! Oh, I've got to stay in time! Damn! That's one thing I noticed about Eddie's playing from the first album on is his superb sense of rhythm,
When i first started learning guitar I couldn't play full chords or anything, i would just listen to songs i liked and try to play single notes. U2 was always my favourite and The Edge was and continues to be my biggest influence. My brother had a Strat and a delay pedal, so i would sit for hours playing along to U2 songs and get the delay in time with The Edges. So from the start i had to learn timing because delay pedals are unforgiving when you are out of time. I didn't realise how important that aspect of my early development was because its helped me stay locked in with the drums n bass. Learning with delay pedals from the start gave me a great foundation for timing :)
Yep. Rhett your Funk Guitar Survival Guide is currently kicking my ass.. but thank heavens for the real live musicians doing the backing tracks! If you can't be in the room with other humans when doing your practice, it's the next best thing. Especially since working with a metronome can be so tedious. However, if your time feel needs focus then one thing that can help is a tip I saw on Cory Wong's channel, where he suggests using drum loops instead of a metronome. If it works for Cory Wong, maybe it'll work for us too.
"You can get away with anything". Recently my band had a gig and, fortunately a song was recorded, where I totally spaced the part. But I just kept playing on in time and key. When I watch and listen to the video I think to myself, "you'd really have to know the part to realize that I'd fucked up". Staying in the groove, on time and in key is really important. On the video, after the fuck up, I just smile because I knew that what I played sounded great even though is wasn't right.
Extra suggestion: Work with some styles of music where guitar isn't the "big" or "main" instrument, but your role as a drummer that plays chords is essential. One of my first professional gigs involved playing Freddie Green style big band charts. Another was a zydeco band, where I was basically the musical washboard; another with a reggae keyboard player. I just picked up some work with a "biergarten band" where about 70 to 80 percent of the material is polkas, where my role is the upstrokes, similar to being in a ska band. You're not a soloist or a feature, but if you aren't locking and driving the groove, you'll hear about it from the other players.
Great video. I always use my metronome on 8th notes when I use it. It’s an easy app to change how it works. I’ve never thought of using it the way you show. I do record myself as well, the one thing I’ve been struggling with in that aspect is a way to archive some of it so I can go back and listen on a later date to see if I am improving over the long term. I haven’t come up with a way to do that. Thanks for the videos, I learn a lot.
No reason to worry about time feel. Just quantize that stuff, put it on a grid, autotune/melodyne it, and then quantize it again to make sure. Oh and autotune/melodyne it again make sure too. Actually should probably re-quantize after that. Will make you sound like modern music!
