ROCK RHYTHM LESSON

TG takes a look at the rhythm guitar styles of some of the greatest rock guitarists of the last half-century

The conventional idea of what makes a ‘great’ player is often centred around the expectation of blazing solos and guitar pyrotechnics. Of course, experienced guitarists know there’s more to it than that. Think of your favourite players. Whoever they are, even if they’re better known for blistering solos, we’d lay odds that they have razor-sharp rhythm skills to match.

When it comes to rock music, rhythm playing is a particularly broad church. It’s not enough to just be a competent strummer. You could be tackling single-note pentatonics, chords and arpeggios of all flavours, countless altered and drop tunings, and rhythms ranging from straight eighths to syncopated math-rock in whacky time signatures. Like we say, there’s a lot of ground for the well-rounded guitarist to cover.

Here, we’re taking a look at the styles of some of greatest guitarists of the last 50 or so years. There’s plenty to learn from each example – you’ll learn how individual players have approached rhythm guitar and you’ll also pick up some broader genrebased tips along the way. We’ll kick off with a look at a well-used altered tuning...