INCLUDED UW LAD yourself, in a band, or as a back-up musician. Basic Rock Country Pirie BLY 4 Heavy Metal PPT D1 i) 4 PeePower Rhythm Guitar 31 lessons for rhythm guitar by yourself, in a band, or as a back-up musician. By Ron Middlebrook with Dave Celentano The CD was recorded by Dave Celentano ‘and engineered by Devin Thomas at Southwest Sound in Sierra Madre, California SAN 683-8022 ISBN 0-931759-96-X ‘Typesetting - Dave Celentano Cover Art « Courtesy of Sony Corp. (Special thanks to John Roberts) Paste-up - Cindy Middlebrook Production e Layout - Ron Middlebrook Copyright © 1995 CENTERSTREAM Publishing P.O. Box 5450 - Fullerton CA 52935 Al rights for publication and distribution are reserved. No pat ofthis book may be reproduced in any form or by ‘any electronic oF mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systema without permission in ‘writing from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief passages in review,Contents Foreword. . 3 Basic Chords using open E Positions. . 4 How To Play Bar Chords. . 5 Bar Chords using E forms. ..6 Basic Chords using open A Positions. . .8 Bar Chords using A forms. ..9 Locating Chords using both E and.A Chord forms. ..11 Introductory Fundamentals. . 12 Introduction to the Rhythmic Notation, . .13 Counting Rhythms Exercises. . .14 Key to the Symbols used. ..16 Rhythm Lesson 1...17 Rhythm Lesson 2...17 Rhythm Lesson 3...18 Rhythm Lesson 4. ..19 Rhythm Lesson 5. ..20 Rhythm Lesson 6 (Basic Rock). . .21 Rhythm Lesson 7. ..22 Locating Rhythm Patterns on Sheet Music. . 23 Rhythm Lesson 8 (Country). . .24 Rhythm Lesson 9. ..25 Rhythm Lesson 10 (Light Rock Ballad). . .26 Power Chords. . 27 Rhythm Lesson 11 (Hard Rock with Power Chords). . .28 Rhythm Lesson 12...29 Rhythm Lesson 13 (Heavy Metal with Power Chords). . 30 Rhythm Lesson 14...31 Rhythm Lesson 15. ..32 Rhythm Lesson 16. ..33 Muting. ..34 Rhythm Lesson 17 (Muting with Bar Chords). . 35 Rhythm Lesson 18 (Raggae). . .36 Rhythm Lesson 19 (Raggae and Muting). . .37 Rhythm Lesson 20. . 38 Rhythm Lesson 21 (Pete Townshend Style Rock). . 39 ‘Rhythm Lesson 22. ..40 ‘Rhythm Lesson 23 (Light Rock). . 41 Rhythmn Lesson 24. . 42 Rhythm Lesson 25. ..43 Rhythm Lesson 26 (Funk). ..44 Rhythm Lesson 27....45 Rhythm Lesson 28 (Chuck Berry Style). . .46 Rhythm Lesson 29. ..48 Rhythm Lesson 30 (Blues). . 49 Rhythm Lesson 31 (lazing Up The Blues). . .50 Final Note on Playing Rhythm Guitar. . .51 Dave Celentano Bio. . 52FOREWORD This book will cover various methods and techniques to play rhythm guitar by yourself, in a band or as a back-up musician, Let's start from the beginning. First the strum should suit the song. Think about it. You wouldn't want to play a country rhythm to a hard rock song, would you? Consider the song style first, and the rhythm will follow. ‘The rock rhythm guitar player must back his singing or the other band members with drive, push, force, strength, and character. If you are just starting out, avoid the rhythm patterns that are too complex, just keep it simple, but keep it steady and on time. Keeping time means the rhythm is constant, playing steadily, straight ahead rhythm giving the music solid foundation. THE PICK-STRUMMING HAND Your strumming hand is where it's at! It's the initiator of the sounds from your guitar. The attack of the strumming hand generates the energy, drive and percussiveness of the guitar.BASIC CHORDS USING OPEN E POSITIONS E7 7 second inversion The ROOT of a chord is the fundamental note upon which the remainder of the chord is built. The ROOT is the letter name given to a chord, ie. the ROOT of G7 is G, the ROOT of Cm7 is C, EbMaj7 is Eb, etc.HOW TO PLAY BAR CHORDS Your first attempt at the bar chords might make you want to put the guitar down and never pick it up again, It goes something like this; your pressing down as hard as you can and the strings either buzz or they sound like rubber bands. Your thumb feels like it's going to fall off. Your forearm is starting to ache. Remember we all started out the same way. Just keep practicing them, pretty soon you'll be playing them clean and fast. HERE'S SOME GOOD RULES TO FOLLOW FOR ALL CHORDS, BUT BAR CHORDS ESPECIALLY: 1. Keep your barring finger off the fret you're on. 2. Put your thumb in the middle of the neck, keeping it straight. 3. Arch your other fingers, so they don't touch the strings undemeath them. 4. Keep the fingertips close to the frets as close as possible, without touching, otherwise the proper pressure and leverage are lost, and strings will buzz. One other thing, the higher the strings are off the fretboard, the harder it's going to be to press them down on the frets. If you feel the strings are too high, take your guitar to a guitar repair man to have the strings lowered.BAR CHORDS USING E FORMS The root name of the chord will be found on the sixth (6) string. F7_ second inversion Ste For an in-depth chord study, look for Ron Middlebrook’s book,’The Ilustrated Guitar", published by CENTERSTREAM. JLOCATE THESE CHORDS (Using E Forms) Use the 6th string to find the root. Fro /\\ ha T 5 Ls Stings [ 5 S oS oS CE GOK H 08 DE Fretnumbers- 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 18 14 15 16 17 18 Use this guide to locate the other bar chords. Example: If you want to play a G chord, simply move the F bar chord up the neck, stop on the 3rd fret, which is G and there you have it. Bb (B flat)? Simple! Move up to the 6th fret, ete, A7 G Ab7sus4 Bb9BASIC CHORDS USING OPEN A POSITIONS Amaj.7,BAR CHORDS USING A FORMS The root name of the chord will be found on the fifth (Sth) string. Bbmaj.7 Bb7 Bb7sus4 BbmLOCATE THESE CHORDS (Using A Forms) Use the Sth string to find the root. Frots YIN cee \\ S S GaABy( A AHEEY E>) Fretnumbers- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 18 14 15 16 17 18 Use this guide to locate the other bar chords. Example: If you want to play a C chord, simply move the Bb bar chord up the neck, stop on the 3rd fret, which is C, and there you have it. How about Dmaj7? Simple! Move up to the Sth fret and bar the maj.7 form. F#maj.7 Fm7 Ab7 Ebm G6 F#m7 Gm D7sus4 A7sus4 | Dm7 Bb | C6 C#6 Bm7 A#m7 Db7 10LOCATE THESE CHORDS USING BOTH E AND A FORMS Use all bar chords. Cmaj.7 F#m7 Ebmaj.7 (A) © (A) | Abmaj.7 Bbsus4 C#7 Ccé | ® (A) @) 3) | Fm7 G6 Bbsus4 C#sus4 | (A) © (A) © C7 Fsus4 Absus4 D (A) © «© (A) Dbmaj.7 Dbm7 Bb6 D7 «© © ® (E) Ab Cm7 Em Emaj.7 ©) (A) (A) (A) F7 A7 G7 A6 (A) ©) (a) ©) B7 G 11INTRODUCTORY FUNDAMENTALS 1. STAFF The staff is a set of FIVE horizontal lines (with four spaces between) each of which are used to designate a specific pitch. 2, TIME SIGNATURE or METER SIGNATURE qf ¢ — The TIME SIGNATURE or METER SIGNATURE is the set of numbers at the beginning of each musical composition. The BOTTOM number tells WHAT KIND of fundamental notes will make up cach measure, while the TOP number tells HOW MANY of these there will be in each measure. The 4/4 time signature is often called COMMON TIME and indicated in the music with a"C”, 3. MEASURE or BAR The MEASURE or BAR is the grouping of musical notation between two vertical lines on the staff with their placement derived according to the time signature. 4, REPEAT SIGN ~ ‘The REPEAT SIGN means to retum to the beginning and play the same music once again or repeat from the last repeat sign inverted in the opposite direction and play again. 5. TEMPO TEMPO is the rate of speed at which a musical composition is to be played. For general playing, it should ALWAYS be kept very steady. 6. METRONOME A METRONOME is a timing device that can be regulated to work at a variety of INDIVIDUAL speeds. By listening to its “clicking” pulse, the ability to play at a STEADY tempo can be developed. USING THE METRONOME Only allow the metronome to pace your progress by practicing at a tempo setting at which you make no mistakes. Then gradually increase the tempo as your ability to perform the strums develope. Tve notated the down and up strums that work for me. Feel free to adjust them as you see fit. Keep in mind downstrokes seem to have more force and are always stronger than upstrokes.INTRODUCTION TO THE RHYTHMIC NOTATION SYSTEM The rhythmic notation system is a MATHEMATICAL "sign language” that tells WHEN to play and WHEN NOT to play. It is based on the division of ONE whole note or rest into its elementary fractional parts which include: TWO halfs, FOUR quarters, EIGHT cighths and SIXTEEN sixteenths. Each of these notes and rests is allowed a specific number of counts or a fractional part of one count which corresponds with its value. Memorize each of the notes and rests shown below with their appropriate time values. Notes Ist 2nd. 3rd. th, BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT WHOLE NOTE HALE NOTE QUARTER NOTE, EIGHTH NOTE DOTTED QUARTER NOTE AND EIGHTH NOTE SIXTEENTH NOTE Toe & a2eka 3 © Kate Wa Hearing rhythms involves more than just hearing notes. Hearing where notes aren't, the spaces, and rests, are equally important. Below are the rest signs. Rests Ist 2nd 3rd 4th BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT WHOLE HALF QUARTER EIGHTH SIXTEENTH 13COUNTING RHYTHMS RHYTHM, EVERYBODY HAS IT ‘A tight sense of rhythm can and does make the difference. It's not just a matter of talent- it's a product of our efforts, Below are a set of exercises to give you practice in counting out the various rhythmic patterns. Use any note on the guitar or even an open string. Count aloud and try tapping your foot, Start out slow. Accuracy, not speed is important. uReading music notation is not the aim of this book, we'te just reading time values. However, I strongly urge you to learn music notation if you don’t know it, as it's a valuable tool to communicate with other musicians. 18283848 1&2&3R4& le@a2 34 1 & 2 & 3e&ad 15KEY TO THE SYMBOLS USED a Down strum wy a Up strum qT - Accent: emphasize the accented strum by strumming them ® slightly harder or louder. This is notated by a circle around the accented beat. A curved line that connects two strums together is called a ———— tie. The first strum is struck and held for the value of both strums- the second strum is not played. Rhythm slash mark for a quarter note strum, The full chord is strummed as one beat. These slashes will also be | used for eighth note and sixteenth note rhythms. ‘ Whole note rhythm mark. Strum the chord once and let cS ring for four beats. Mute or deaden the chord fingering hand (see muting on lesson 18.) nA Measure repeat sign (bar repeat). Means repeat previous measure one time. TABLATURE Horizontal lines = strings (6= low E, 5= A, 4= D, 3= G, 2= B, I= high) Numbers on the lines = frets to place fingers on G Major bar chord (all strings strummed at same time) NY Frets (play one note at a time) SYNCOPATION Syncopation is a well known rhythmic device involving the shifting of a musical accent or stress point, so that it temporarily displaces the normal accent pattern. One of the most direct is either to play a strong beat where a weak beat should fall or to play a weak beat where a strong one would normally fall. 16RHYTHM LESSON 1 $ 4 4 4 Beat: () 2 @ 4 Strum all strings down. Each strum recieves one beat. The accent is on the Ist and 3rd beat. G 07 c D7 | Repeat tothe begining RHYTHM LESSON 2 % $ + $ @ 2 @ 4 Same pattern as lesson 1, but this time the rhythm is more active with two chords per bar. G G7 c GS b7 c Cmaj7__G 17RHYTHM LESSON 3 + +t + Ve @ 2 &€ © 4 & On this lesson we take the 2nd and 4th beats and divide them in half. We're still playing four beats, but on the 2nd beat we play two strums twice as fast and same on beat 4. Use all down strums. G c 18RHYTHM LESSON 4 + +f + di @®@ 2 & @®@ 4 & ‘Same pattern as Lesson 3, but notice the UP strums on the last half of beats 2 and 4. Also the chords are more active with two per bar. Use all bar chords A Am A Am 19RHYTHM LESSON 5 3/4 TIME + + 7 + Ff ®@ 2 & 3 & This one is in 3/4 time. Notice the accent only on the first beat, and there are only three beats per bar. c Em F G7 20RHYTHM LESSON 6 BASIC ROCK +f +fvt vit @ & 2 &€ @ & 4 & This is a basic eight note strum with the accents on the Ist and 3rd beats. Notice that this strum has alternate down and up strokes. Am G Am c Am G Am c Start out slow. As you become more comfortable with the various patterns and as you begin to speed up, the counting will fall away and the rhythm will carry you along. 21RHYTHM LESSON 7 + tes ft vf COR aoe ee Same basic eight note pattern with a few exceptions. Notice the accent on the Ist beat and on the last half of the 2nd beat, which is strummed down. Also the tie over the first half of beat 3. Cc D7 F cLOCATING THE RHYTHM PATTERN ON SHEET MUSIC Most sheet music will have no specific rhythmic pattern for guitar. We're left to our own devices to create an interesting rhythm pattern, All we're given is a word or two that suggests the tempo. See example 1 Moderate Am7 | Example 1 Occasionally, there will also be a metronome setting for the tempo. See example 2. Example 2 d =120 Moderate Here are some of the more common words you'll see: Moderately Fast Blues | Moderately Slow | Moderately Fast Rock Beat | Moderately Slow Rock Beat Slow Blues Moderate Rock Beat Brightly Slowly Fast Moderately Slow, with a beat |RHYTHM LESSON 8 COUNTRY /ALTERNATING BASS NOTES + + Fg + ft [" Country rhythms often use alternating bass notes. Hit the bass notes with a short down strum on. beats 1 and 3. Give the chord a full down and up strum on the 2nd and 4th beats. G D7RHYTHM LESSON 9 COUNTRY /ALTERNATING BASS NOTES AND PASSING NOTES esses er tsive @2&O64&@ 2&@ @- : ‘Same as the last exercise, except this uses passing notes to ease the transition between chords. ‘Sometimes these passing notes are referred to as_walking bass lines. A little tricky, but cool sounding. Cc AmRHYTHM LESSON 10 LIGHT ROCK BALLAD +F#e se sf bed @2&@ 4 @&2 64 A two bar pattern, The dotted quarter on the Ist beat and eighth note on the last half of beat 2 is a little tricky. Notice almost all down strums except on the & of beat 2 (Ist bar) and the & of beat 1 (2nd bar). Em A Fim7 Bm Em A Fim7 : Bm 26POWER CHORDS You don’t have to play all six strings to play good rock rhythm guitar. Sometimes it's not even desirable. One of the important functions of the rhythm guitarist is accenting the music in various ways. Using "power chords” is one way. Sometimes in music they will be written this way: "G5". Study the photos below to play power chords and then play the pattern on the next page. C5 (no 3rd)- 3rd fret D5 (no 3rd)- Sth fret G5 (no 3rd)- 3rd fret ] Mute or deaden the strings not being played with the front of the index finger. This may take some practice. Just let the finger lightly touch the strings, so they don't ring if accidentally struck. AS (no 3rd)- 5th fret E5 (no 3rd)- 7th fret F5 (no 3rd)- 1st fret -7th fret -Sth fret 27RHYTHM LESSON 11 HARD ROCK WITH POWER CHORDS $ye eve td @eé&2&@O& 4 & ‘This rhythm has a hard driving sound using all 8th notes, all down strums and accents on the Ist and 3rd beats, Ds G5 AS DSRHYTHM LESSON 12 HARD ROCK WITH POWER CHORDS +-+r t+ eb tv 1 &€ @ & 3 @ 4 @ Same as previous lesson, except the accents are on beat 2, the & of beat 3 and the & of beat 4, Keep the all the down strokes steady and just play the accents a little harder. This type of accenting pushes the rhythm more.The hard rock/ punk band GREEN DAY uses this type of rhythm often. DS AS B5 G5 29RHYTHM LESSON 13 HEAVY METAL WITH POWER CHORDS ee ee 2 ®M &a®@ &€a@M &€aA®M Ba Introducing 16th note rhythms. 16th notes are connected by two horizontal beams and are played twice as fast as 8th notes. This rhythm sounds like a horse gallop if you can play it fast enough. It's got to be IRON MAIDEN 's favorite rhythm. More of their songs use this than I can shake my pick at! AS FS cs G5RHYTHM LESSON 14 HEAVY METAL WITH POWER CHORDS + tsst vost o 1 2&3@4@1 2&3@4@ Two new ideas in this lesson. First, play the power chords with just the first and third fingers, omitting the fourth finger. You might find it easier to move the chords around this way. Second, the open low E string as a pedal tone. Try palm mutting the low E string by placing the palm (heel) of the picking hand on the strings between the bridge and the first pickup. This gives the rhythm a chunky sound used a lot in heavy metal. E5 FS E5 Ds DS C5 BS C5 BS AS G5 F5 ES 31RHYTHM LESSON 15 EFetetetetrtetet le&a@eK&axseK&a@Me Ka Here's a rhythm using all sixteenth notes. It's just eighth notes played twice as fast. Notice it’s all down and up strumming. Accents on the 2nd and 4th beats. ccmammnn: ee " c et : D [Rhythm players with a good sense of time are in demand. Keep your playing steady and even, Working with a metronome is a big help. 32RHYTHM LESSON 16 + ¢ t t QO 2 & 3 @ 4 & One of the most popular rock patterns. Look for the rest on the last half of the 2nd beat and the first half of the 3rd beat. Cc DmMUTING ‘When a chord or note is muted, it doesn't sustain or ring out. Instead all you get is a dull, deadened sound. There are two ways of muting: 1,) Using the fleshy part of your palm (heel) on the strumming hand. Check out lesson 14 for this type of muting. 2.) Using the fretting hand (the hand that plays the chords). Slightly release the pressure from your hand, but don't take your fingers completely off the strings. Now strum the chord and you Should hear the muted sound Study the pictures below and use the second method of muting for lessons 17, 19 and 20. FINGERS PRESSED DOWN FINGERS RAISED FINGERS PRESSED DOWN FINGERS RAISED SIDE VIEW SIDE VIEWRHYTHM LESSON 17 MUTING WITH BAR CHORDS + + tet vf 1 Q« 3 &€@e& Here we have the muting effect on the accented down strums of beats 2 and 4. Use the second ‘muting technique. Remember to release the finger pressure of the chording hand to get the muted sound. Gm Dm7 Gm Dm7RHYTHM LESSON 138 RAGGAE + # $ Af Ft Lo y 1 @ & 3 @ & Raggae guitar is played sparsely. The accents are on beats 2 and 4. With the exception of the up strum on the & of beat 2 nothing else is played. Bob Marley help make this style popular and the rock band The Police even use Raggae rhythms in their songs. Dm Am 36RHYTHM LESSON 19 RAGGAE AND MUTING +*# + Ft + fF oH PH 7 1 &€ @ &€ 3 &€ @ ‘Same rhythm as the previous, but here we'll explore muting instead of rests. This fills out the thythm a little more. Dm AmRHYTHM LESSON 20 5 ee i @M@ &€ 2e&a@D@eck&ad4e&ka Grunge rock band Stone Temple Pilots use muted rhythms like this one below. Practice this syncopated rhythm slowly at first, then gradually speed it up. c G D 38RHYTHM LESSON 21 PETE TOWNSHEND STYLE ROCK PLP LTP SFLF SL GC Me &@2e@a3zO&as4 & Here's a Pete Townshend style rhythm. Much of Pete's rhythm work was based off the accents. On this example play steady down and up strums while accenting the circled ones. Cc G Dsus4 D 39RHYTHM LESSON 22 PETE TOWNSHEND STYLE ROCK + +f ®@ & 2 @ & 4 Here's a Pete Townshend style rhythm using the powerful rhythmic tool less is more. The guitar cuts through and lets the music breathe by playing less. It's played almost exclusively on the accents. Be sure to stop the chords from ringing during the rests. E D A E A B iRHYTHM LESSON 23 LIGHT ROCK byPyte? FLF TLF © 2&3&4@1k&2@O3e&4e ‘Notice the accented strums on the last half of beat 4 in the first bar and the last half of beat 3 in the second bar. A DRHYTHM LESSON 24 LIGHT ROCK / HARD ROCK + tty std std st 1 &a@ &a3 &a®@M &a This rhythm is very common, Played slowly it works as a nice acoustic strum, but speed it up and you've got a classic heavy metal rhythm. Iron Maiden uses this horse gallop thythm often, c CMaj7 ceRHYTHM LESSON 25 LTT TL TT LT YF le&a@e&axseK&aMeka Straight ahead sixteenth notes, accents on the 2nd and 4th beats. Just lightly release the pressure from the chords for the muted parts. J EMaj7 ae ARHYTHM LESSON 26 FUNK + ¢ TtTLTTS LF 1 @ 3 4 1@a2@a@ 4& Here's a two bar rhythm figure. The two beat rest in the first bar leaves a musical gap to be filled in by other instruments or a vocal line. Watch the upstrokes on the accented parts of beat 1 and 2 in the second bar. Am Am7 Dm7 Rehearse these strums to that level of performance which does not require your conscious thinking about the techniques involved. You reach this level first by gaining a total awareness of the moves involved and second, by ingraining the moves into a habit. Only at this level of habit can these strums be automatically recalled and implemented without effortRHYTHM LESSON 27 FUNK SETA ITI SAF SIF SSF 1@aDe&a3@©aMe&a 1©a 2©@aO4 & Look out for the muting in the first bar. Notice if you divide the first bar in half, the first and second half are the same. Also, the second bar is the same as the second bar of Rhythm Lesson 26. Gm7 cm7 D7RHYTHM LESSON 28 CHUCK BERRY STYLE +e vr vu vey ®é& @QO«eGOe®e The most important part of the Chuck Berry style is consistency in picking. Each strum is a strong power strum, so use ALL DOWN STRUMS. Only two strings are to be played for each step. STEP 1 Form the E chord, pick only the E and A strings (6 & 5) together two times. STEP 2 Place little finger left hand at the fourth fret of the fifth string. And again strike the E and A strings (6 & 5) together two times. STEP 3 Repeat steps 1 and 2. If the reach of your little finger is too difficult, check your thumb placement, It should be centered on the back of the neck. And try lowering your thumb a little more to the High E (first) string. STEP 4 Form the A chord and pick only the A and D strings (5 & 4) together two times.STEP 5 Place your fourth finger at the fourth fret and again pick the A and D strings twice. STEP 6 Repeat steps 4 and 5. STEP 7 Go back to E chord and repeat steps 1 and 2 four times. STEP 8 Form the B power chord as shown in the photo at left. Pick the A and D strings twice. STEP 9 Place your fourth finger on the fourth string at the sixth fret and again pick the A and D strings twice. STEP 10 Repeat steps 8 and 9. STEP 11 Repeat steps 4 and 5 (A chord) twice. STEP 12 Repeat steps 1 and 2. STEP 13 Strum the B7 chord down twice (from the fifth string down). Emphasize the bass strings. We want to sound like a rhythm guitarist and bass player playing together. It would be Berry has recorded, paying careful good idea to listen to some of the tention to the accents of the beats 47RHYTHM LESSON 29 CHUCK BERRY STYLE ptt | Me Oe Ok @E Here's a variation on the Chuck Berry style from lesson 28. Use power chords with the first and third fingers and reserve the fourth finger for the added note on beats 2 and 4. Use all down strums and only hit the two strings that your fingers are on.RHYTHM LESSON 30 BLUES , Lh 4 Sa ® 2@3 & 4 This is a twelve bar blues progression, a favorite of Stevie Ray Vaughn. It's the same as the last two lessons, but use all 7th chord bar chords. The strum accents are on beat 1 and the & of beat 2. AT D7 AT = Sa —| 49RHYTHM LESSON 31 JAZZING UP THE BLUES sae te ee oO @ @ @ A standard 12 bar blues progression just like lesson 30. By adding the different chord substitutions the pattern has a more jazzy feel. If we play a quick, sharp down strum on each beat, this will give us a 1930's swing feel. The Allman Brothers also helped make this rhythm popular. AT D9 AT A13 AT#S bg Dé#dim7 AT Bm7 Cm7 Ccm7Even if you're a lead guitarist, you'll be playing rhythm guitar more often in the song. Think about it. A typical song is about ninety percent rhythm and ten percent lead. The ability to read chord charts is imperative. No doubt you'll encounter an altered chord once in a while, Here's what a few altered chords might look like: E7#9, A7b9 or D7#5. This is easier to read and play than it looks. First you must master the three basic chord types discussed earlier in this book: major 7, minor 7 and dominant 7. You should know how to play all three types with the root on the 6th string and root on the Sth string. Next, understand that the alterations (#5, b9, #9, etc.) refer to flatting or sharping that particular scale degree in the chord. Take D7#5 for example: play a D7 chord, find the fifth scale degree (count up the D major scale to the fifth note, which is A) and sharp it (raise it one fret). Do E7b9: play E7, find the ninth scale degree (count up the E major scale to the ninth note, which is F#) and flat it (lower one fret). Here's how to play these two chords: D7#5_ E79 10th fret - 7th fret - Practice figuring out other chords. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Good luck! CONCLUSION These are not the only rhythms in the world. For different rhythms, try combining other patterns. Make up some of your own. Keep a log of your new thythms by writing them down on paper or recording them. Good rhythms make the difference between an amateur and professional guitarist. You make the choice. 51BIO Dave Celentano is a graduate of Musicians Institute (G.LT.) in Hollywood, California. He's the author of numerous guitar method books, cassettes, CDs and videos. Currently, Dave's teaching guitar in the Los Angeles area at Dr. Music, Grayson’s Tunetown, Gard's Music and Pasadena City College. For a free catalog of all Dave's books, cassettes and CDs write to: Flying Fingers Music clo Dave Celentano P.O. Box 1994 Arcadia, CA 91077-1994 Photo by Lawrense Photography 52Power Rhythm Guitar eae ae ee “So Oana en Sa ie ras