Guitar Tricks Online Guitar Lessons

Demonstrating Rhythm Feel

 

Before we get into the mechanics behind this concept, let me show what "rhythmic feel" sounds like in a rock context. I will do this by breaking down a simple riff and performing it it with different rhythmic feels.

It's very important that you put down your guitar for these demonstrations and just listen for the subtle differences in these examples that I'm going to show you.

Anders Mouridsen
Instructor Anders Mouridsen
Tutorial:
Developing a Solid Rhythmic Feel
Styles:
Rock
Difficulty:
print notation download lesson open guitar tuner
Demonstrating Rhythm Feel song notation
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Demonstrating Rhythm Feel By Anders Mouridsen

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Questions & Answers

4 months ago
I cannot understand the differences in the different feels that are played in this lesson. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 7 8 2nd example: Riff tight rhytms, being on the beat 1and2and3and4 3rd example: rush rhytmic feel, on top of the beat laid back: bahind the beat cannot hear the difference and dont know how to do it, cause I am counting and nothing looks like changing
Mike Olekshy 3 months ago

Hello and thanks so much for your question! The changes in feel are very subtle. I agree, it is very difficult to hear the differences in each example Anders is playing. The count does not change, because he is playing the same musical subdivisions. Try slowing down the video to 50% using the speed buttons on the left side of the video frame. See if you can tell when he is strumming the chord just a tiny bit before the drum hits in the backing track during the "rushing" example, or a tiny bit after the drum hits in the "dragging" example. Don't worry too much about it if you still can't hear the difference, as these subtle differences in feel are more easily recognized the more experience you have under your belt!