• home
    • about Carlos Thrale
  • lessons
    • guitar and bass lessons online
    • online guitar lessons
    • Guitar Holiday Breaks
    • mock exams
    • grades and diplomas
      • acoustic guitar grades
      • electric guitar grades
      • bass guitar grades
      • rock guitar grades
      • music theory grades
      • Guitar Teaching Diploma (DipLCM) – Online course
      • bass guitar teaching diplomas
      • electric guitar performance diplomas
  • students
  • resources
    • music theory
      • notation
      • rhythm
      • pitch
      • major scale
        • intervals
        • major scale runs
        • sonic shapes
      • minor scales
        • Pentatonic Minor Scale Runs
      • cycle of 5ths
      • chord construction
        • harmonising scales
        • embellishing chords
      • chord / scale relationship
      • modes
    • exercises / songs
      • one
        • ‘g-tune’
        • ‘soloing’
        • ’12 bar blues in A’
        • ‘fade away’
        • ‘q & a blues’
        • ‘off the peg’
      • two
        • ‘Em piece’
        • ‘country licks’
        • ‘hey joe’
        • ‘reel e’
        • ‘C Major Seventh Idea’
      • three
        • ‘bend dee’
        • ‘funk Fm’
        • ‘boogie pickin’
        • ‘leaving’
        • progression No2
        • ‘Cm groove’
        • ‘G7 groove’
        • ‘bega’
        • ‘need your love so bad’
      • four
        • ‘de-composition’
        • ‘sea minor’
        • ‘be mine or’
        • ‘jazz thang’
        • ‘arpeggios & pivots’
        • ‘E9 groove’
    • backing tracks
      • Preliminary Grade
      • G1
      • G2
      • G3
      • G4
      • G5
      • G6
      • G7
      • G8
    • you tube
    • templates
    • tutorials
      • Chord Tricks & Funky Grooves – No.1
      • Chord Tricks & Funky Grooves – No2
      • Chord Tricks & Funky Grooves – No3
      • Lead Guitar Tutorial – 1
      • Lead Guitar Tutorial – 2
      • Lead Guitar Tutorial – 3
    • chords
      • open chords
      • barre chords
      • ukulele chords
    • arpeggios
      • major arpeggios
        • Major arpeggio
        • Maj7 arpeggio
        • Maj9 arpeggio
        • 6 (Maj6) arpeggio
      • minor arpeggios
        • minor arpeggio
        • m7 arpeggio
        • m9 arpeggio
        • m6 arpeggio
      • dominant arpeggios
        • 7 (dominant) arpeggio
        • 9 arpeggio
        • 11 arpeggio
        • 13 arpeggio
      • sus4 arpeggio
      • + (augmented) arpeggio
      • o7 (diminished 7) arpeggio
    • scales / modes
      • modes
        • major scale (ionian)
        • dorian
        • phrygian
        • lydian
        • mixolydian
        • natural minor (aeolian)
        • locrian
      • pentatonic major
      • harmonic minor
      • jazz melodic minor
      • pentatonic minor
      • blues
      • whole-tone
      • chromatic
      • more scales
  • shop
    • Guitar Lesson – gifts
    • gift vouchers
    • lesson payments
    • online guitar lessons
    • Guitar Teaching Diploma (DipLCM) – Online course
    • guitar workout DVD
  • contact
    • email
    • directions
    • sitemap

guitar and bass lessons

guitar, bass & music theory lessons, session musician training, online music lessons, southwell, newark-on-trent, nottingham, mansfield, Lincoln, Notts

rhythm

rhythm

The steady pulse of the beat runs through most pieces of music and can most easily be heard by listening to the drums.

The speed or tempo of the pulse usually remains constant. This is the beat we clap.

These even beats are divided into sections or bars (measures). In Common Time (4/4) each bar has four even beats. A strong accent on the first beat of each bar can help to identify the start of each group of four beats.

When playing either lead or rhythm guitar we are working with the beat to create rhythms in melodies or with chords. Rhythm combines sound and silence that dances across the pulse, it doesn’t necessarily sit on each beat.

When playing a chord we can sit on the beat by playing four even strums per bar, or more interestingly we can create rhythms by using sound and silence.

For example, we can combine single beats to create sounds of longer duration. For example, you could allow a chord to sound for the duration of two, three or four beats.

Each beat can also be divided into smaller parts, such as halves or quarters.

All of these time durations have their equivalent value as rests. This is where you decide not to strum. For example, you could rest on beats one and two and strum on beats three and four.

However you decide to extend or divide the beats, these must combine to be a total of four beats per bar. So the total duration of strums and rests combine to four beats. For example, the first strum may last for two beats, you might then divide the third beat into two halves and rest on the fourth beat. This adds up to a total of for beats.

 

Various symbols are used to show note and rest duration. Here are just a few;

 

NOTE VALUES

 

 

 

 

The examples below all show one bar of four beats.

The arrows indicate the direction when strumming.

semibreve

 

 

 

 

This diagram shows a semibreve (whole-note). The duration of this note is for the entire four beats of the bar.

Here the bar is split into two. Each minim (half-note) lasts for two beats.

minim

 

 

 

 

 

Next, the bar is split into four crotchets (quarter-notes).

crotchets

 

 

 

 

 

Now the crotchets are split into half and there are eight quavers (eight-notes).

quavers

 

 

 

 

Each beat is now split into quarters with semiquavers (sixteenth-notes).

semiquavers

 

 

 

 

 

For both rhythm and lead guitar playing it’s essential to play in time. Use a metronome or drum loop to maintain an even beat. Set the tempo (speed) of the beat to a comfortable rate. Even before you pick up your guitar make sure you  listen to the beat, tap your foot, clap your hands and move to the groove.

NEXT

© Carlos Thrale 2015

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Online guitar / bass lessons

1-2-1 tuition online Lessons are live and individually designed to meet your needs. You can learn for fun or study towards your grades and career as … Read more...

Gift vouchers for online guitar, bass and uke lessons

Give the gift of music … Read more...

Guitar & Bass Lessons by Carlos Thrale
5.0
Write a review
Sean Montgomery
Sean Montgomery
21:56 05 Sep 20
I decided to use the lockdown period to learn to play the electric guitar - something that I have always wanted to do and certainly a skill that I felt would benefit me in my role as leader of the Product Management team at Roland Europe. Having had a traditional music education, I was unsure how effective online lessons would be. I needn't have worried. Carlos has a great set up which enables him to clearly see and hear everything that I am doing 150 miles away! Carlos is a truly great player with the ability to inspire - I always look forward to putting into practice what I have learnt in our lessons together.
Adam Larke
Adam Larke
11:21 13 Jun 20
Carlos is an amazing guitar teacher and player - I’ve learnt more over the past 6 months with Carlos than I have for years & years of learning songs and teaching things to myself. Also switched to skype lessons during corona virus lockdown and they are brilliant!Thanks Carlos ✌️🎸
David Weston
David Weston
17:09 11 Jun 20
Carlos is very good at sharing his vast wealth of knowledge and skills on the guitar. After years of self study I finally decided to get some one to one lessons. I feel I have learnt more in the last 2 months than I did in the previous 10 years trying to teach myself guitar. Always patient and encouraging during the lessons. I would recommend Carlos equally to a beginner as to someone who has been playing for years if you really want to start or greatly improve your guitar playing.
Henri Allen
Henri Allen
08:26 13 Feb 20
I have been with Carlos for many years and he has taken me through many grades, whilst always providing interesting and fun lessons. He is patient and will help you through, no matter how hard you find it! A great tutor for anyone!
Floribus Luxury Flowers
Floribus Luxury Flowers
12:38 04 Feb 20
Our Son has been having electric guitar lessons with Carlos for a couple of years now. He started off playing and learning for fun but has more recently being going through his grades achieving distinctions in his exams with Carlos’s expert tuition. My Son absolutely loves his lessons and his face often lights up in awe of Carlos’s musical talents during their ‘playing for fun’ sessions. Carlos is extraordinarily patient and will go over the same thing as many times as necessary when my son hits a stumbling block. My son finds his lessons both fun and informative and always leaves full of excitement and a bit more confident each time. As a parent I have found Carlos an absolute pleasure to deal with, his musical talent and knowledge is second to none and I would not hesitate in recommending him to anyone. In fact I have recommended to a couple of friends already whose children are now also enjoying their lessons.
Simon Brenchley
Simon Brenchley
22:34 26 Jan 20
excellent tuition with endless patience and charmlook forward to each lesson every weekthe guidance and support is fabulous with noticeable progress from a complete novice
shaun monk
shaun monk
11:27 26 Jan 20
Patient and encouraging. Each lesson is well structured and supports student development week-by-week. Enables Grades to be achieved alongside fun sessions. Lucky to have him in the locality.
Andrew Denison
Andrew Denison
17:48 13 Jan 20
Carlos kept me on my toes but in a kind and helpful way. He also made superb cheese and tomato sandwiches...
Rose Smith
Rose Smith
11:40 31 Dec 19
Carlos has taught me to play electric and acoustic guitar. He is very is very patient and his passion for guitar has inspired me to keep improving. I always really enjoy my lessons.
Kate Frith
Kate Frith
12:08 28 Nov 19
Amazing Electric guitar teacher.My daughter has always loved her lessons with Carlos. His relaxed approach has resulted in fantastic exam grades together with imparting an all round musical education and understanding that has extended beyond the guitar in to her GCSE music and improv Jazz piano playing.
Nicola Meller
Nicola Meller
20:56 20 Nov 19
Structured lessons, great tuition and guidance. A very knowledgable teacher to learn from. Thank you Carlos

Copyright © 2021 · Carlos Thrale · All Rights Reserved