I have tried several times to learn the guitar in my life and each time have struggled learning rhythms and keeping tempo. I seem to get a strum pattern going for a several bars say 16 or so and then something just goes wrong and I have either deviate form the pattern, shifted the beat or completely lost timing.
Also even simple riffs like Nirvana - ‘Come As You Are’ seem a big challenge, one moment I get it and then I loose it and am all over the place.
I am really struggling with this generally and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Adrian, I also had a hard time with timing and Rhythms. What helps me to progress is practicing with the metronome and play along the original recordings, or the JG Songs App in the early stages. I had to learn to tap my foot on the beat, it wasn’t easy. I also practice on the JG Rhythm Book 15minutes twice a week. The Sos Strumming Course is also very helping. Sometimes timimg is still challenging but I improved really a lot.
You are not alone. I still struggle with that, especially when trying to sing and play. Some songs seem to have a flow of the lyrics that fits a strumming pattern well, other times it is like trying to tap the head with one hand and rub a circle on the tummy with the other at the same time. I can say over the years, I have got better, but took 3-4 before I really started to become relaxed. Still a long way to go, I have,
Don’t worry though, repetitive riffs like that are definitely a challenge for everyone They look simple on paper, but it’s so easy to loose it. Playing with the original recording does help to absorb the groove, but it’s normal to take a lot of work.
For me it is mental fatigue. I need to grow stamina to keep with the song to its end.
I was working on a song that I felt was pretty consistent and went looking for a different recording to play with. I found a session recording where they extended the solos and added one making the song last 2-3x longer than I was used to. I started to get very sloppy near the end.
Keep in mind that you should maintain concentration and see if that helps a bit. I hear that eventually our playing should become mentally a background activity in many ways, but that seems very far in the future for me.
Hello. I am a beginner closing in on 1100 practice hours since 2022. For various reasons, in the winter of 2023-4 I focused on song parts and songs only–unmitigated disaster.
What helped tremendously was eschewing songs for a few months altogether and playing almost exclusively exercises all to metronome:
1/ 30 min of open and barre cords (few of the latter as I hate the grip and don’t need them really)
2/ 30 min of single-note rhythms in various rhythmic patterns.
3/ 30 min of cord progressions in rhythms in the genre you want, for me, metal.
4/ 30 min of alternate picking, econ picking, legato and/or bends. When it is alternate picking, it is again strictly to metronome but only indicating the 1 in my case.
The progress I made from mid-May to mid-Sep was astonishing.
I am still not “natural” at grasping new rhythms and reading tabbed rhythms but there is no comparison with my own self of 5 months ago.
When it comes to the songs where I was struggling, I don’t struggle anymore though execution issues can throw the rhythm off as the beginner songs I play are not at all beginner songs.
With the songs, again, metronome. I hate it above 100bpm so I usually use it half speed to indicate the 1 and the 3. I also find having the 1 accented is very helpful. I use Justin’s app.
It was a big mistake for me to try backing tracks prematurely. That set me back big time. Just isolated guitar to metronome, which also allows any execution mistakes to ring very clearly.
When playing to a backing track/with band, all but the show-stopping mistakes tend to get lost in the noise:) How convenient, huh
Same for me, but I’ve gotten much better in recent years.
I think the game changer for me was stepping away from the instrument, and really focusing on clapping, finger tapping, and foot tapping along to recorded music that grabbed me rhythmically. I did this for several weeks…mostly when I was just doing other things while listening to music. If I started feeling the rhythm of the song, I would try to manifest it in one or more of my limbs.
I also tried to exercise all 4 limbs…I thought this would train both sides of my brain and improve coordination between my hands.
When I started with Justin, learning to keep my strumming hand moving, and the “feel good strumming” exercises were very helpful.
Foot tapping generally made things worse, not better…there are a few of us here who had that experience. Though I am also now much better at foot tapping than I used to be as well.
Hi Adrian, if it helps, my right foot is always going to the beat and it just seems to keep me in time. After a while it becomes second nature and you don’t realize your doing it. Don’t give up, you’ll get it!
great tips already…
Did you try to play a song that you really know well, very well and like a lot - erm - and is not too complicated, rhythmically? At leasst for me, it makes a big difference when I’ve known a song for ages and sung with the music quite often.
PS - And I also am not great at riffs, pretty much avoided them, but now after 4 years, I feel like I have to finally get more comfortable with it…
Yes, sometimes learning to play a song you know well can help. However I have found in the past that can also cause issues where you try to get it to sound exactly like the original, and can be nearly impossible to achieve.
Some years ago I learnt to play “A Design For Life” by Manic Street Preachers, it is in 12/8 time and the chords are played by picking the notes throughout the verses, which gives the distinct fell, some of the changes and chords as played are also tricky. It was a bit beyond me then and is certainly at present, it caused me lots of stress as it was for a performance and music exam certainly. I managed it on the end but did stumble on a chord change during the performance, but recovered. The music teacher said I should have simplified it and would have got a better evaluation.
If you don’t know it is a great song, and quite a challenge play accurately.
Now I’m sorry - in addition to your text above, I should have read your introduction post - what a story!
And of course, if you’ve always been struggling with rhythm and timing, my idea to practice songs that you know really well isn’t the heart of the problem.
I’ll look at the song you stated right after posting1
I can’t add much to what others said before, like to practice simpler things, basic stuff where it’s possible to only concentrate on your weak points, like timing, and possibly slowing the metronome down.
What I like to do when I want to improve is collecting practice items, a bit like lego bricks, and then sort out (in the process of trying them out) which ones I like , or which work, and let the others fall. Or also, when I get fed up with one, try out the next in the list.
Regarding the guitar, for example you can search youtube for lessons (also here on the JG site is a search field which will find related lessons) or practice items regarding your specific problem, try them out and just keep the ones you like and which make sense to you.
I think there’s some bigger probability that (at least) one of the lessons/practice items brings you forward than just having a single one and it’s less boring…
Also, practicing rhythm without your guitar, with a drum, with your fingers, etc. can help and be another Lego brick…
Don’t forget the fun parts of course, and maybe you can also experiment with rhythms that come naturally to you, possibly modify them slightly after some time and go where you feel like.
I often do that and it’s fun.
Playing to a metronome can be rather bland, and playing to music comes with its own challenges. I wanted to find a good middle ground, so I started using a drum machine to do strumming practice. I have it play kick on the down strums, with the first beat of the bar accented, and snare on the up strums. I also add high hats on every 16th note which, in addition to adding to the rhythm learning, adds a little flavor. This way I’m basically programming in the strumming pattern. Using fills and other beat/instrument changes can signal a chord change or strumming pattern change.
I suppose a step up from that is to use a DAW on the computer to program in drum patterns as well as add a simple baseline or arpeggio to match the chord I should be playing.
Yes, I did something similar 10 years ago with Band in the Box creating simple backing tracks with just drums, bass and keyboards. It allowed me to learn each song and the feel for it and could alter the tempo, it also allowed me to try and improvise over it. 12 years ago It was very challenging learning and performing 3 new songs a week for the BTEC course, in fact I found it very stressful and looking back was not that enjoyable really. We all improved, some more than others, 2 or3 left the course, the younger ones found the written course work and musical theory hard as well. I did a home study music theory course as 1 hour a week at college was useless, I passed 1st time.
What I did learn from it all was that playing an instrument and being a musician is not an easy thing to do, some seem more gifted than others but generally it requires patience, lots of practice, and learning from others.
They look simple on paper, but it’s so easy to loose it. Playing with the original recording does help to absorb the groove, but it’s normal to take a lot of work.