Mobile Rhythm Guitar
“I found this video to be very informative. He breaks down a couple of different approaches. He answered many questions I had about playing rhythm guitar.”
So called “four to the bar” rhythm guitar is a multi-faceted art. A lot of it has to do with good time-keeping but, besides that, how did players like Freddie Green, Jim Hall, and Bucky Pizzarelli managed to create that fantastic moving counterpoint behind soloists, whilst still swinging like the proverbial barn door?
Although there are certainly times when a simpler accompaniment is quite sufficient, one only need listen to Jim Hall’s rhythm work behind Bill Evans on “My Funny Valentine” (from their famous “Undercurrent” duo album) to realise the creative possibilities of the role. A great contemporary exponent of the style, James Chirillo, has said that the role of the rhythm guitar is to supply a tenor part to the line played by the bass player. It’s a description that certainly resonates with me, and so the focus here is more on the harmonic side of things i.e. how to actually generate these more mobile rhythm parts in the first place. Whilst some focused metronome work will probably sort out your timing, how to create and combine the shapes themselves can be a more elusive subject. Perhaps the most significant aspect of all this is knowing how to elaborate a basic progression, and convey the resulting chords on a limited number of strings. If we’re able to do this, then the shapes we use will be easier to grab, and the texture will be light enough to allow other players (including pianists) to work around what we’re doing.In this 50m session:
- We take two familiar progressions (“Minor Swing” and Autumn Leaves”) and create accompaniments for each using one, then two, and finally four shapes per chord.
- In the process, we learn how the more elaborate versions are derived from the basic ones. Every chord played in this session is fretted using only the 6th, 4th, and 3rd strings. You can even do without the 6th string in the presence of a bassist.
- We also discuss some general principles of rhythm guitar. It’s not all about chord shapes; time, sound, and ensemble awareness are just as important.
- As always, the class is linked via on-screen captions to an accompanying PDF booklet, in which everything heard is transcribed using a combination of notation, tab, and chord diagrams. No music reading is required and there shouldn’t be any need to try and work out where I’m putting my fingers from the screen; virtually everything I play is written out for you.
Course Content
Lessons
- Mobile Rhythm Guitar Full Class + Download3000
Reviews & Ratings
5.0
1 reviews
5
1
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
0
Matthew Adams
10/30/2023
"Mobile Rhythm "
I found this video to be very informative. He breaks down a couple of different approaches. He answered many questions I had about playing rhythm guitar.
Practice Etudes
Royalty-free practice pieces based on concepts from this course — included with membership.
View all etudes from this course →Related Courses
About the instructor
Jamie Taylor →
Jamie Taylor is one of Great Britain's finest jazz guitarists. His clear methodology is highly unique and highly innovative; truly one of jazz's finest minds. Jamie’s playing has drawn praise from top critics like The Guardian’s John Fordham and Jazzwise’s Robert Shore, and he has been heard with leading jazz musicians from both sides of the Atlantic such as Sheryl Bailey, John Stowell, Roni Ben-Hur, Sebastiaan DeKrom, Wayne Escoffery, Dave O’Higgins, Baptiste Herbin, Bart DeFoort, Steve Fishwick, Jeremy Brown, Steve Watts, Kate Williams, Pete Whittaker, Laura Jurd, Tori Freestone, Alan Barnes, and Jim Mullen. He appears regularly at top London venues such as Ronnie Scott’s and The Troubadour, and has also been featured on recordings for the jazz labels Candid and GLP. Jamie is currently a Principal Lecturer in Jazz Guitar at Leeds Conservatoire, whose full-time jazz degree course is one of the oldest in Europe (having started in 1967). He also held the post of Course Leader for this program between 2007-2009. For more information about Jamie, visit http://www.jamie-taylor.com/ PRESS: “An uncanny ability…always grooving.” Matt Warnock, Just Jazz Guitar“ “Taylor is a name to watch out for.” Stephen Graham, Marlbank “An alternative perspective on the blues legacy, taking in elements of swing, bop, and funk. It’s clever, engaging stuff.” Robert Shore, Jazzwise “(Jamil Sheriff) gives the soloists in a fine northern orchestra their cues; Jamie Taylor’s edgy guitar burns through.” John Fordham, The Guardian