Strategies 6 through 10 are more focused on the fretting hand , which is also essential to rhythm guitar .
6 . DISCOVER COLOR CHORDS . Chords are a huge part of rhythm guitar , but some of us stop at the “ vanilla ” Major and minor chords . What about adding embellishments ? Although I like a generic F chord , I prefer the FM7add9 ( no3 ). And although I like a simple E minor chord , I much prefer an Em7add9 .
7 . ADD SOME ARTISTRY WITH HAMMER-ONS AND PULL-OFFS . Hammer-ons , as you may know , happen when the fretting hand strikes a note that ’ s already ringing . Pull-offs involve a side motion , moving from a higher note to a lower note . These notes can be initiated by the strumming or picking hand , but if they ’ re articulated with the fretting hand they can lead to economy of movement , and even more sonic interest . And you can do double notes as well .
8 . EMBRACE BAR CHORDS . These are inevitable , and although electric guitar can be a bit more accommodating because of easier action , I do leverage bar chords on my acoustic , so that if there ’ s a chord that literally cannot be played as an open chord ( like an Ab Major chord ), for example , I ’ m ready to tackle that .
9 . GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR FRETBOARD Knowing notes beyond the 3rd fret will allow for placement of moveable shapes , or even open chord shapes that move up and down the neck with pedal tones . For example , if you know the 4 notes on the 6th string at frets 0 , 5 , 7 and 12 , which are E , A , B and E , you ’ ll never have to travel more than 2 frets to get to any note in the chromatic scale . Try it out .
Lastly …
10 . MENTALLY OWN YOUR CAPO . By this , I mean know how the capo needs to be leveraged to transpose a progression to a new key , to access ideal shapes in the key you ’ re looking for , and to accommodate flat keys if a keyboard player needs you to . This is accomplished especially well through the CAGED System . If you haven ’ t discovered all five permutations of the CAGED System in all 12 keys , you could be letting some of the greatest guitar tools pass you by .
Try a few of these and watch your rhythm guitar artistry become enhanced on new levels !
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David Harsh David Harsh is a nationally touring worship leader , songwriter and performing artist . He is passionate about equipping guitarists to discover their potential . Learn more and join now at www . GuitarSuccess4U . com
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