Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Rock Rhythm Guitar Lesson – Blues Fill Licks – Improve your Timing – EP347

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a rock blues rhythm along with all of the details for the strum pattern. This is really designed to help those of you that struggle with timing – knowing when to come in, and how to stay on the beat.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

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Slow Walk-Through

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  5. Bill B says

    This tune sounds so good and looks like a lot of fun to play! I can’t wait to dive into it.
    I’ll give you my 2 cents only bc you asked for it in the first video.. I like the incorporation of counting time, but would like to suggest a couple of things…and I humbly say this w/ a degree in drumming from the Atlanta Institute of Music ,
    1. It was my experience was that most guitarist don’t count rhythm even at that level. Therefore, I think jumping right into 16th notes may be a little overwhelming for most viewers .
    2. Counting 1E&A is more visually pleasing to read than 1EAU
    If you could just deduct .02 from my annual membership, that would be great! 🤣🤣
    Thanks so much for all that you do!!!

  9. Michael J says

    G/day Brian,
    Great lesson as always. I haven’t commented for a while, but for me personally, I like what you did with the graphics, and, you’re right, it probably works for some players. But for me, I rely mostly on the feel of a tune, getting into and feeling the groove. I reckon that sets me up first and foremost before putting the jigsaw together. Wishing you continued success with AM, look forward to it each and every week.
    M.J., Kilmore, Australia.

  10. Ray B says

    The counting is always hard for me, so I greatly appreciate the graphics and detailed explanation. I’d like to see it more often. It beats my usual method of studying the tablature to figure out where I’m at.

  11. Martin W says

    Great stuff with the visual counting , when seen like that it puts it into perspective, not everyone counts out the rhythm or beats , and in my opinion that’s why they struggle , for me timing is the foundation and you have to nail it , I’d like to see more of this in your lessons . Thanks

    Martin

  12. Phil B says

    It’s the hard things that you do in life that count and counting is the hardest thing. I don’t know if I just made that up but it’s kind of profound but relevant to this week’s lesson ( and for most of them actually). Keep up the good work Brian, it’s a great way to start the day here in the U.K.

  13. Biker13 says

    If there was EVER lesson that needed to continually be played over the jam track this is the one. Early on I was like “this isn’t fun”. Way too much math, not enough ROI for the tedium required. But I’d keep going back to the first 60 secs of the video to try to remind myself that this is a cool song. This may be the first time you lost my interest. Lately you play a lot of of these lessons to the jam track while you do your intermittent playback as we progress tough the song. Why you didn’t do that with this lesson escapes me. That would have helped this lesson more than the onscreen visuals (although I did find those were helpful). And that would’ve provided more art to balance out the science, while being a much more useful way of “feeling” the timing. And making this fun.

  15. Jay Guitarman says

    Hi Brian, great comparison to the dancer. This must be the key to rhythm and music: closing the eyes and just feel the rhythm like an internal clock… I think you can save more time if you don’t spell out the position of every note on the fretboard when you explain a lick, because it is easy to follow on the screen. What would be more interesting to me is if you could say the notes you play within a certain caged chord position, so instead of saying”come down to the forth fret, fives string”, you could just say “come down to the minor third, before playing the major chord of the chord”. The positions of the ones, the thirds, the fives and the seventh within a caged chord position are for me the more important…

  16. Ian C says

    I agree with Bill on his points:
    ‘ 1E&A ‘ is what I have always visualised when you spoke the rhythm, and so looks better to me, I dont think ‘ 1EAU ‘ reads rhythmic.
    I thought this lesson sounded great in the intro, but after 10 minutes of ‘1E&A ering’ I thought that if that what it needs it’s not for me and almost wrote it off.

    Of course precise rhythm and timing can be very important but so is joy, and I have the feeling this overkill on timing takes the joy out of the learning experience.
    I like to get the timing by listening over and trying to copy, with your usual words of wisdom to help.
    So my suggestion is that you introduce a forth video for this type of lesson which goes through that critical timing but leave it out of the other videos.I

    just a personal opinion, and thanks for all your great lessons Brian.

    • Robert Burlin says

      Put the critical timing stuff at the end of the lesson and teach it only once, tell us that it is there at the beginning of the video and we can go to the end of the video and watch it if we like, over and over and over.

  17. Anton D says

    You asked for some input. Quite a good lesson., Brian.

    I like the idea of putting visuals on the screen to elaborate upon what you are doing. Most instructive. I would like to see the same thing with a funk rhythm and muting with the right hand fingers to emphasise part chords and even single notes.

  18. Anton D says

    Just checking out all your tunes in “A”, Brian, and discovered EP255 – Driving Blues Rhythm. That is a good example of the funkish rhythm with right-hand muting I was referring to.
    Very good. I like to use your lessons as a kind of reference book. If I am working on a song in A (which I am at the moment) I have a look in your A section and see if I can find something to spice up my song.

    The Driving Blues Rhythmlesson is quite easy for me (after having been a member here for a few years now ) but I would never have thought it up all by myself. Thanks Brian for bringing me up to scratch since I joined Active Melody.

    And when you get the time, a more sophisticated “funk rhythm and muting with the right hand fingers to emphasise part chords and even single notes” would be most welcome.

    No criticism intended but I have the impression you used to alternate more fairly complicated with reasonably uncomplicated lessons in the past.

  19. Anton D says

    I apologise, I do realise you are muting with your right hand, Brian, and it is a great lesson, I meant to say, I would like to see another lesson “muting with part chords and even single notes” and a more funky tune to boot.

  21. Ian M says

    I wouldn’t worry about what overwhelms some viewers. What I would do is simply display the count, as needed, without explanation, in your main (free) and premium member video going forward and provide a deeper instruction/sound settings in a separate video (incorporated in the lesson page, not a micro lesson) for premium members when you feel its necessity. Your main video works best without extraneous clutter – i.e. play the lesson and then focus on the first part.

    I love your approach. It works because it generally cuts to the chase and turns people into better guitar players regardless of their preferred style.

  26. Mike R says

    I liked the details of rhythm you are explaining but also agree that the other method of counting and displaying the count is easier to read. Also what I have learned in the past. What I am really taken away with is your on-going commitment with trying to please everyone. I have never, in 40 years, found a guitarist that really takes the time to try to break everything down for the student. Every Saturday I sit and listen to the new lesson, even if it does not appeal to me at first. Then I find I really love the piece you wrote and can’t resist learning it. So I am constantly being pulled to the next lesson even if I have not totally learned the previous ones. I worried about this at first but then I found it was really helping me to push forward or play up all the time. As far as I’m concerned you should just keep doing what your doing. I am learning an amazing amount of music and technique. You should start a contest, just for the fun of it, and ask for others to write some lyrics to go along with some of these great tunes your knocking out. Thanks for everything Brian.

  27. Phil G says

    Brian, all of your lessons are top notch!! For this lesson, since it’s focus is on timing, I liked it. I liked your displaying the 1EAU (although I agree with others 1E&A was the way I learned it). I liked how you showed, and stated, on which part of a beat chords/notes were played. I also like it when you “playback” over a backing track like you have done in other lessons. It does help to “feel” the rhythm and the chord progressions.

  29. rob y says

    I have always found it easier to just listen to the song and play along with it until I get the feel and the timing. Only rarely have I had to count things out. Having it displayed on the screen is a nice touch for those who like the reference as you play through it. You already invest so much time and effort in your weekly lessons that their value far exceeds the cost. It’s okay with me if you don’t include the 1EAU, etc and use the extra time to take Arlo for a walk or do something enjoyable for yourself.

  30. Tim S says

    Just got done watching lesson which is typically what I do first…is just to watch and absorb. Then second time through I play along and that seems to help at least for me! Also, love going back through the archives and finding some serious gems! Anyways, great lessons Brian!

  31. Will M says

    Brian, great lesson on an aspect of playing that a lot of guitarists overlook. My guitar teacher stresses this skill as absolutely necessary for advancement, especially if you are interested in song writing and improvisation. Being able to come up with rhythmic phrasing on the spot is a difficult skill to master, and this lesson goes a long way towards addressing that. Keep up the great work!

  32. Greg R says

    Brian,

    I have been wanting a lesson that goes into keeping time with a little more “guidance”, and this lesson goes a long way to that end.
    Maybe some micro lessons organized with this visual feature, or even a more ambitious “Rhythm” Course some day that incorporates some of the visuals??

    I wish I was a little more “artistic” and could just “feel” the musical / strums with my rhythm playing…I keep working toward that goal, but this approach gave me a nice visual aid to try and get in sync with while learning. I would echo the other comments about how to present the 16th notes..1E&A etc, but this was minor in scope for me.

    Thanks for making the effort to try a new method for presenting your material.
    Please continue to do this when appropriate – at least occasionally. I find “keeping time“ one of the biggest hurdles for me in getting comfortable playing with others – especially if I’m trying to employ various chord voicings (caged) with some lead licks mixed in.

    Hats off to you sir…much appreciated.

    Greg R

  33. KevinE says

    Top notch lesson! I agree with others that showing the 1E&A on the screen was a good idea. I would like to see you take even further.

    a) If you say “this is all out of pattern 4 of the major (or minor) pentatonic scale”, it would be nice if you displayed the pentatonic pattern with the root notes on the screen
    b) If you use a “partial” caged chord, display at the same time the chord diagram on the screen.

    More work for you, but I think those two things would be very helpful to the students. I know pattern 1 of the pentatonic scale, sort of have #’s 2 & 5 down, and I need to really memorize all of them!

    Thanks for all you do.

    Kevin

  34. jeanlouis70 says

    Hi Brian replying bc you asked.
    I personally do not care for the graphics on screen ,too tedious ,too hard.
    Thankfully for me I have a good sense of rhythm ( I can dance ) AHAha.
    So I wing it close enough (story of my life )
    Do love the feel of the tune, great material for me ,sometimes I get stuck in Blues mode so
    this is great thx keep them coming.

  35. East Coast Bill says

    Brian,
    Love the rhythm lessons. My absolute favorites are the finger style lessons (hybrid picking too)along with the call and response. I always look forward to the lessons you send regardless of the style or type of music.

    As an aside, are you related to Billy Sheerill? I have read several articles about Tammy Wynette(sp) and I have seen the documentary called Country and he was part of it. Just Curious. Let me know.
    Thanks for all you do.

  36. Malcolm M says

    Great lesson and instruction. I do believe most of us neglect this aspect of rhythm playing because we find it challenging (I know I do) having said this we have to apply ourselves and dig into it even if we take the first bar and practice that over and over.(we have to start somewhere). Kudos to Brian for coming up with a great instructional site I find that I’m enjoying guitar like never before. Malcolm

  37. Greg B says

    Hi Brian,

    Since you asked, I have some thoughts I hope you can find useful. I’m a new member here, after having viewed a fairly wide array of lessons from others, from Marty to Corey Congelio to Tim Pierce. All are great players and all have their own teaching styles. Tim is a truly nice guy and I promised him I’d always be in his Master Class.

    So why become a member here? It’s because of your teaching style. Each of the above communicate well. Tim, in particular, must certainly channel his own teacher, Steve Maase. Watching your lessons, I see the tell tale signs of someone who understands not only communication, but teaching. You have an empathy towards we students. It doesn’t stop there. I have to believe you’ve studied teaching and perhaps a bit of neurology. And from an astute consideration of members’ comments, you clearly know there are some who seem to desire more detail in terms of count, for example. Griff Hamlin spends a good deal of time on count and it’s clear a good percentage of students are more comfortable with that. For others, it can seem tedious and leave them champing at the bit.

    In a past professional life, I had to study human nature, how we learn and incorporate, a fair amount of neurology and psychology. To cut it super short, there are some excellent recent texts on evolutionary biology (e.g. Behave, by Prof. Robert Sapolsky) and one focused on the sub-topic of sleep (Why We Sleep, by Prof. Matthew Walker) which come to mind when watching your lessons. I don’t know if you’ve studied such subjects in the context of teaching or if your style just comes naturally.

    Here’s the rough rhythm. If we good old humans started with largely clean slates and developed with an eye to surviving in our environment, a good chunk of our energy and attention goes to sort of uploading information and incorporating it. Once incorporated, it takes less energy and conscious attention to execute it again. Think of riding a bike. Or learning chords. Roughly speaking, we upload information about our surroundings all day and process that information all night. Hopefully, when we wake up, we are better adapted to survive in our environment. Rinse and repeat… We’ve all experienced being clumsy at learning new chords, for example, or new licks. We sleep on it and in the morning, things flow a bit easier. Speaking of clumsy, some clumsily refer to this as “muscle memory”. It’s more brain mapping. (A few decades of functional MRI studies have helped us understand this.)

    This is extremely thumbnail. (Behave is 800 pages long; mercifully, this comment won’t be…) But for guitar, it will always be helpful to approach learning in low speed and increase speed after. Remember, we are uploading at first and want to upload correctly. The phrase, “Practice doesn’t make perfect; it makes permanent.” starts to make much more sense now, right? For those who feel more anchored with a count, calling the count is a good aid. For others, such as myself, it seems tedious and interferes with feel. Slowing to a digestible speed, however, is a God-send.

    In this lesson, you speak to all of us, of all styles of thinking. The entire setup of Active Melody is a fantastic learning environment. The ability to slow down in the on-screen tab viewer is one of the best music learning features I’ve ever seen. It fits beautifully with human neurology. (By the way, TAB makes me impatient, too. Except when I need it to clarify a note or transition. But that’s just me.)

    So I think you are casting a broad net and are the best I’ve seen at catching all types of learners. It’s always going to be up to you to use your empathy skills to determine what your students need for each lesson. To sharpen your teaching skills, I do recommend the slippery slope which leads to the rabbit hole of evolutionary biology and neurology. Go just as deep as you think is helpful/supports your interest. I do think you are a natural but understanding some of those outside the music box fundamentals could help further inform your already superb teaching.

    Bottom line: the count is useful for some but need to be cautious about getting too into the micro-weeds. Slowing in order to get it right and building up speed later is consistent with how we are wired. And as learners, patience from understanding the learning process is a natural part of it all. As a teacher, Brian, you are a natural.

    Thank you for your patience reading this. See what happens when you ask for comments?

    Sincerely,

    Greg

  38. dkt says

    ya poor bugga. we all have the advantage as we can pause, rewind, slow down, stop, go back, repeat until the cows come home until we actually do get it. dont sweat the small stuff. just go back and look at your very first lessons…you have come a long way. all we (well me) want is a guitar teacher sitting in front of me showing me what to do! xxx

  39. dherzog says

    I know I’ll never be a great guitar player. But I try. And timing always — always, always, always — has been my biggest problem (except for maybe an extremely bad broken left wrist that I’m recovering from, but that’s another story) . But think I learned more from this lesson about when to play and when not to play than just about anything I can think of. Love this and please do more like it.

  40. Jeff Davis says

    Hey Brian, I’ve been working on this one all weekend and I wanted to give you some feedback. I really like the lesson and I think that the detail was invaluable. As you suggested, I spent quite a bit of time just working on the rhythm and trying to keep the right hand moving. I started out slowly and eventually got to where I felt quite comfortable with it. I liked the graphics on the screen. For me it really helped me see what was going on. I found myself wishing that there was some way to transcribe the “1EAU” onto the soundslice music notation. I sometimes find it difficult to follow the timing just by looking at the music notation. Anyway, thanks for a great lesson.

  41. Jonesy Wales says

    Great lesson, as per usual.
    My problem is that when I’m counting I lose all sense of it being music and it just becomes a numbers game. I’m end up concentrating so hard on the counting and coming in on the correct beat that there nothing left over for the ‘feel’ of the music. I could never count the whole way thru a song, it’s exhausting! I’ve been trying for a while but counting always seems to screw me up!? It’s pretty depressing.

  42. Keith D says

    Hello Brian, great lesson so far. Im about half way through the first video as I type this (and get another beer)

    If anyone struggles like me playing the parts slow like Brain does it 1EAU 2EAU ect.. I suggest simply clicking the track and keep it at the part that he’s teaching so you can hear it in full time. It helps me hearing the timing. When I’m watching each part slowed down I get all squirrly. On the 3rd or 4th part, you’re like “here’s the lick” then you play it. that’s my jam right there.

    Brian, you should do a lesson on learning the fret board, tips on locating notes on the neck easier. Or maybe a lesson on Keys and relative minors, what licks you can do. I know you touch on that a lot in your lessons but maybe do a lesson dedicated to that Thanks.

  44. Randy H says

    Brian:
    Your lessons are very helpful and I really appreciate the “VISUAL” images that are provided by illustrations and ties to “BOXES” and “EXTENSIONS” . You have opened up the fretboard and made music much more enjoyable for me. Keep up the GREAT Lessons.

    Ciao,

    Randy

  45. jimvince says

    Hi Brian,
    You asked for comments: The lesson and instruction are great. The only problem I see would be for newer less experienced players regarding the counting of the 16th notes and rhythm. The on screen video of the counting
    1 e a u is good ( even for long-time players like me🤣). Also, I know you do it occasionally in your lessons, but the explanation of how you get Overdrive without a Kempler could be instructive.
    Jim, Western PA

  48. Nicky B says

    Hi!

    I don’t know about people in the states but here in the UK we say… red and green should never be seen.

    I have no idea why? May be some one could tell me.

    Just thought I would put that out there?

    Love the lesson. Always do great vids Brian I’ve recommended your sit to lots for people.

    Cheers nick.

  51. André H says

    Hi, Brian

    Please, Brian more lesson on strumming AND timing, I think it is like that that we make the biggest progress. And I think to see the rhythm you incrust on the screen lesson is very very important (at least for me).
    Thank you for this nice lesson.

    André.

  52. drlknstein says

    awesome lesson

    i really like the keith richards and chuck berry stuff..

    hard to teach kieth without teaching chuck- b

    you know what they say

    a good artist copies

    a great artist steals..ha!

    and keith is a great artist

  54. William W says

    Brian-Love your lessons. I recommend them frequently. I usually print the tab then watch the lesson making notes on the tab. Then I work the song using the slow walk through and finally work on playing with the video track. I don’t know that the added graphics benefit that process. I imagine if you are just watching the part I u-tube video it would help. I wouldn’t mind an occasional scale put up in the corner as you discuss the different patterns. It might help visualize things easier. That would also be helpful when thinking in terms of CAGED. Knowing which scale patterns overlap the different forms would be useful to see in real time. If you don’t want to change anything that’s fine too.

  57. David E says

    Brian – you are an absolutely brilliant teacher. I have learned more with your teaching because you cleverly link it to Caged chords and scales.

    The onscreen graphics with timing was a brilliant idea. Please do more if you can.

    I also love the variety you bring to each and every lesson. I have learned more with you than I ever learned in over 30 years of trying to play!!!

    Thank you so much for the tremendous effort you put into every lesson. You are the best internet guitar teacher I have come across and I have watched so many and got nowhere.

  58. Philip H says

    Brian, the rhythm counting is fantastically helpful. I’m a long time bluegrass banjo picker and the rhythm notation is right up my alley. Only problem is, now I can’t get 1 e & a 2 e & a … out of my head.

  61. sunburst says

    I think this is an excellent lesson,, studing your intro video,, there isn’t much else you need to add to the tutorial..like you mentioned the tools are all here.. I think i’ll have this down sooner than I thought, the videos make it so much easier,..still 1/16 chops just take time to practice.. the right hand is as you say constant,, for the most part.. think most will just have to practice awhile3 but it’s terrific lesson

  62. sunburst says

    Second video too,, both videos made this lesson easy enough.. I just now need to practice.. this is a lesson worth an annual premium subscription fee imho lol looking forward to showcasing this when complete

  63. Vincent K says

    Great lesson, I have kicked off learning a book called ” guitar funk mastery ” that helped me a lot to figure out how to understand the 16th notes.
    Anyway, your lesson helps a lot too, and it’s lots of fun, especially when you try to do the exact same thing as what your tab.
    It would be great to make some more funk rhythm using the 16th notes by the way!!
    Cheers! Pardon my English, I am French 🙂

  64. Craig F says

    Well, going to get right on this after I finish the 50 other lessons from Brian I have lined up but haven’t gotten to. (Half-Kidding) Just wanted to say that I really appreciate these rhythm type lessons. I just don’t have a good natural sense of timing and combining rhythm with fills has always been difficult. I can go full on lead (to some extent at least) or full on Rhythm but combining the two in “real life” has been a white whale for me. So, I get very excited seeing these lessons.

  65. Laura M says

    Great lesson, not worried about timing, I’m just trying to make it sound somewhat melodic…….I’m hoping by the time I get done with all of Brian’s lessons, I should be somewhat good….This is by far the best online guitar course ever. So many online courses that just teach you licks, rhythms with no theory behind it…..Brian at least tries to make you understand why you are hitting the notes and strumming patterns. Best money that I have ever spent. Lifetime member, i’ll join every year.

  66. Tyler J says

    Hey Brian, great lesson. Personally trying to count the timing just throws me off. I do a much better job just kind of getting into the feel of it and listening to the rhythm.

  67. Guido says

    I like this 1EAU thing. I found it very useful. The rythm part is always been a problem for me (I’m not one of these talented people who catch immediately right rythm part by ear) and so I need just this kind of lessons.

  68. Robert K says

    I’m a new student here and one of the main reasons I came here from another online pay site was to get away from all the counting. Up until this lesson I thought that I’d found a place where the feel of the song spoke for itself and you just taught how to play it, not count it. I’ve gone through your site looking for rhythm lessons and many of them could have gotten lost in the counting but they didn’t. For some reason, this one did and lost it’s mojo in the weeds. I’m not sure if you wrote the composition to require that or what, but I can tell you that you can find that approach all over, from all these trained guys. Your strength, since you didn’t go to music school, is with the feel of it and I’d strongly urge you to stay with that because, frankly, the music school types are better at that than you are. They’re just not as good at teaching people to play the guitar as you are. Your natural was is more fun.
    Best to you and yours, Robbie

  69. Robert K says

    HOLY COW!! As if to prove the point in the last comment, I just checked out Part 2, which I almost punted, and found that the counting had been left in the dust and your old style had recommenced. And, as if by magic, there you were. Easy to follow again. Brian, my brother, stick to your strengths. Nothing could so clearly illustrate this better than the difference between Parts 1 & 2 of this very lesson.
    I dunno. Maybe it’s because I’m an old guy who’s been listening and dancing to this music since before some of your parents were born, but I just know that I’ve never counted a series of sixteenth notes while I’m dancing and that’s never stopped me from it. Maybe it’s important to let folks who are having trouble re “when to come in” that it’s not nearly so important that they copy what you play exactly as it is to find the feel and grab the licks and throw they in they way they would a move on the dance floor, i.e. they way it FEELs best to them. They aren’t going to use your tunes jamming or anywhere outside the lesson. They’re just a vehicle for the licks.

  70. RNArizona says

    Here I am revisiting this lesson after almost a year. How about another one in this genre?

    I do enjoy the variety of many of your lessons, and I know “It’s only rock n roll, but I like it.”

  71. Joseph M says

    One day into Active Melody and I love the fact that in learning stuff, I am recapturing some of that surprise/joy of when I first picked up a guitar, and would string together a couple of chords and say “I know this!” ( it was some song I knew… ) In practicing this lesson today, I realized that if you pick it just a little different, and add in a different note or two, you very much can find Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good”. Big smiles 🙂

  72. Paul N says

    Brian, trying to do 2 lessons a week. Came in less than a year ago. Your current week’s lesson, then working backwards for specific topics. Maybe a little late for comments on this lesson, but the onscreen 16th counts are really helpful. Thanks a lot for taking the time to go into that detail.

  74. patrick c says

    Hi Brian, I can only speak for myself. I had to learn this by “doing.” I needed to play along in real time and I could just feel the timing. First I started in the weeds with you but it was way too much so I pivoted to just feeling it. I am glad I did because I had the lesson sown in two one hour sessions. That’s just me. I know everyone learns differently so your detailed approach probably really helped some people out. Great lesson btw. Thanks.

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