Rhythm Guitar Playing Book 1

8/16/2019 Rhythm Guitar Playing Book 1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/rhythm-guitar-playing-book-1 1/30

RMfuffi

Geltar

FfuGmg

Book

1

Th E/",1^/

qrilu

An

invaluable

aid

in

preparing

for

the

Registry

of Cuitar

Tutors

electric

guitar

exams.

Prrl;"r^:",a,r^r

qr/^/"

l.o,

qril.

2

An

innovative

and

helpful

book

for

all

modern

guitar

players

who

want

to

improve

their rhythm

guitar

playing.

Rrury

egistry

of

Guitar Tutors



Rkm'runru

qurryAnPunYtw@

BOOKONif,

gV

gHfuZHART



A CIP

record

for

this

publication

is available from

the

British

Library

ISBN:

1-898466-{4-9

Published

in

Great Britain

by

Registry

Publications

Ltd.

Registry

House,

Churchill

Mews,

Dennett

Rd,

Croydon,

Surrey CRO3JH

Printed

and

bound

in

Great

Britain

by

Gemini

press.

WARNING

PHOTOCOPYING

OF

ANY

PART

OF

THIS

BOOK

IS

ILLEGAL

Breach

of

copyright,

by

photocopying

or any

other means,

rnay

esult in

botr

a

claim for

civil

damages

and

criminal

prosecution.

@opyright

2002

by Registry

Publications

Ltd.

ALL

WORLDWIDE

RIGHTS RESERVED



f,ORflWO8D

Ttre

negistry

Of

Guitar

Tutors,

in

association

with

the London

College

Of

Music,

first

began

to offer

grade

examinations

in

electric

guitar

playing

in

1993.

Since

that

time

the

examinations

have

proved

to

be

highly

popular

with

students

and

teachers

alike.

However,

the RGT has

repeatedly

had

requests

for

additional

course

materiat

to

accompany

the

Rhythm

Guitar Playing

section

of the

examinations.

This

series

of

three

books

by

Chaz

Hart,

one of the

RGT's

senior

electric

guitar

examiners,

has

been

especially

designed

to

fulfil that

need.

Each

book

provides

a

wide

range

of

musical

examples

that clearly

demonstrate

the

type

of

chord

progressions

that

will

appear

in

each

grade

of

the

examinations.

In

addition,

Chaz

has

thoughtfully

provided

Playing

Tips

with

each

piece.

These

give

advice

on the

most

common

problematic

areas

and

offer

suggestions

on

how

to

gain

those

extra

elusive

marks.

Because

of Chaz's

wide

experience

as a teacher

and examiner,

these

comments

are

always

insightful

and

poignant.

0\erall

the

series

provides

a

structured

and

progressive

way

of

approaching

the

study

of

rhythm

guitar

playing

and

will

undoubtedly

provide

a valuable

study

method

for

atl

students

of

guitar

-

whether intending

to

take

the

examination

or

not.

In

addition,

the

series

serves as an excellent

teaching

resource

which

guitar

teachers

can

use

to

compliment

their

teaching

progranrme.

4^\{t"*u

Tony

Skinner

Director

-

Registry

Of Guitar Tutors



RruYr'+Enru

@ulryA&

punYuwe

tsooK

n

flto*

my

experience

as

a

teacher

and

electric

guitar

examiner,

I've

found

that

one

of the

main

difticulties

that guitar

players

have

is not

having

enough

chord

charts to practise

in

a

full

range

of keys.

This

book

aims

to alleviate

that

difficulty.

All of

the chord

charts

have

been

officially

approved

by

The

Registry

of Guinr Tutors

for use

in

their

electric

guitar

examinations,

which

are organised

in

association

with the

London

College

of Music.

Wi,rr

each

piece

I

have

tried to

include

a

few tips

that may help

head

off

potential

difficulties.

Please

look

back over

these

as

you progress

further

through

the

grades,

because

the

tips

will

help with

more than

one piece.

You

can

never

have

too

much

material to

read,

so I

suggest

that to

further

supplement

this

book

you

obtain any

of the

'busker-style'

books

n.hich

have a

song

on

one

or two

pages

maximum.

This

enables

you

to

plal'"

the chords

without

having

to

flick

pages.

Don't worry

if

some

of

the

chords

are

outside

your

brief for

the

grade.

If you

don't know the

chord,

play

one

that

is

as near

as

you

can to

it: if

it reads

GmajT

-

play

G,

until

you

learn

the full

chord

and

carry

on.

The important

thing

is:

DON'T

STOP

@hK/,

e/*tVantLRAM



Introduction

Note

values

To

play

any

rhythm, it's useful

to know

the

different

musical

signs and

symbols that are

universally

used. This

will

help

you

to

play

through

any

time

signature, and more

importantly, to eventually

make up your

own

rhythms.

The following

notes and

their

rhythmic

equivalent are

shown together

with

the

direction

of

the

strum

that

you

need:

CROTCHET

(QUARTER

NOTE)

In

a

X

time bar

you

would

normally

find four

of these,

with

one beat

on

each.

All the

stums

would be

down.

These

are

shown:

D,

D, D,

D.

MINIM

(HALF

NOTE)

In

a

X

time

bar

you

would

play

two

of

these.

The

strums

would

both

be down,

but with

a

gap

of

one

beat

between

each

strum.

QUAVER

(EIGHTH

NOTE)

In a

X

bar

you

could

play

eight

of

these.

The strums

would be

down

and up

strokes, and

are usually

shown as:

Down/up,down/up

down/up

down/

up

or:D/U,

DN

,DN,DN

SEMTBREVE

(WHOLE

NOTE)

In

a

X

bar

you

would

only

find

one

of

these

lasting the

whole

bar.

Try

to

let

the

chord

ring on

for

the

whole

four

beats.

Crotchet

Count

1

)

I

Quaver

StrumDlU

D/U DIU

D/U

and



Strum

Patterns

The

following

strum patterns

are

probably the

most

commonly

used

rhythms.

Start by

practicing

chords

that

you

know

over

these

pattems.

Try to

keep

a

strong

beat,

and

accent

(play

louder)

the

first

beat

in

every bar.

Count

1" 2

3

(4)

sim.......

Strum

D,

D,

D,

(let

ring) sim....

Pattern

(b)

Count

1

2and

3

4

Strum

D,

D

lU

D,

D.

Pa,ttern

(c)

Pattern

(a)

't

i/

v

v

Count

L

Z

3and

4

Strum

D,

D,

D

lU

D.

Pattem (d)

Count

I

Zand

3and

4

Strum

D,Dru

DN

D.

Note:

In

the

Registry

of

Guitar

Tutors examinations

the rhythm pattern

that

you

play

will

not

be

notated.It

is

up to

you

to

have practised

a

repertoire

of

useful

rhythmic

pattems

from

whir

you

can select an

appropriate

one

for

the style

of

the piece.



Preliminary

Grade

As

outlined

in

the

Registry

of

Guitar

Tutors examination

handbook,

all

the pieces

for this

grade

are

in

X

time,

so to

begin with

play

four

beats

to

the

bar

(four

down

strums) whilst

you

pr*ti..

slowly

through

this

first

piece.

Try

to keep

going

at the

chord changes.

As

soon

as

you

can,

look

at

the tempo

and

style markings

at the

beginning of

each

piece.

1.

Tin

.

Note

that

the

double dots

at

the

end

of

the

6th

bar mean:

"Repeat

r' rl"

from

the

beginning", if

there

are

no

previous

double dots.

Moderate

tempo

a

a

***x***********x********'**{<**{.*t<{.*{.*******d<*******************'F{€{<***

2.

With

a

swing

Tip:

The

double

dot

signs

are shown

at

the

beginning

of

the

5th

bar

and,

the

end

of

the

6th

bar,

so

this

two

bar

section

is the

bit

that

you

repeat



3.

Tip:

If

you

find

that

you

just

cant

keep

the

four

strums

going

whilst

you

change the

chords

in

time,

practise

strumming

on

the

ftrst

three

beats

of

the

bar

and

then change the

chord

during

the 4th

beat.

Not

too

slow

I

*

*

* *

* * * *

*

*

* * * *

*

* * * * {. * t {. *

*

*

{<

* * * * * * * *

:*

t * * r(

d.

'F

,k

*

* * {< * * *

*

+

* *

*

*

* *

*

*

*

* *

*

{<

4.

n-t.

If

you

feel

more confident,

as

you

start

the

chords

for

the

second

time

on

f

lp:

the

repeat,

ftt

in

an

extra

strum so

that

the

rhythm

starts

to

build. Make

sure that

you

keep a

good

strong

accent

on

the

ftrst

beat

of

each

bar.

With

movement



5.

Moderate

Tenderly

Ti

,t.

Use

a

'medium'or

'light'gauge

pick initially,

as this will

lt'

travel

easier than

a

heavy'

gauge

pick

across

the

strings.

a

*****************x***********t<*******x********{<*{<r<*{<******************rc{<

6.

rFi,^

.

Try

moving

only

your

third

finger

when

changing

from

r ll|'

Am to

C chord. Watch

out

for

the repeat

signs

tll

I

a

t



7.

i*.

Think

of

your

favourite

rhythm

and

blues

piece

whilst

'Y'you

strum

this,

and try

to

reproduce

that

rhythm

here.

.

When

you

play,

keep

the

pick

tip

as

straight

as

you

can

lp'.(at

a right

angle

to

the

strings)

so

that

up strokes

are

as

easy

as

down

strokes.

In

a

blues

style

Not

too

fast

****d<******,k{<*********'k*'k'k**************<*'kd.*****{.*tc****************

8.

arTl

t

aa,

I

a

10



9.

Mournfully

Ti

,r.

When playing

the

Dm

chord, try

using

your

4th

finger,

p.

instead

of

your

3rd,

to

hold

the note

on

the second

string.

nr.

If

you

are tending

to

hit

too

many

bass

notes,

making the

I

lp'.

chords

sound

muddy,

try aiming

for

one

string

LESS than

you

need

to

play

the

chord.

********>k*********x************x*****************'k***********************

10.

In a

blues

style

/-lltl

rll

r

/l

-^-

HTIT

a atl

tt.,

a

a

t

1t



Grade

One

Timing

O.K.,

now we

are

starting

on

Grade

One

and the

time signature

(the

numbers

at the beginning

of

each

chord

chart)

is

still

X.

fnis

means

that

you

can count

four

beats

in

each

bar

of

music and that

each

beat

would

be

worth

a

%

(crotchet).

With

your

strumming,

you

could

play

four

down

beats

across

the

strings -

but this

doesnt stop

you

strumming

the

strings

on the

way back up

as well

So, some

basic

X

timings could

be:

D ow

n

-

Down-

Down-

Down

I

Up

D.D.

DIU

D

Practise

this

on

one

string

of

a chord, using

down

and up

strokes, then gradually

strum

more

strings.

D-DIU

D-

D

DIU

D-D

-D

'*******************************t<*****d.****d<d<*d<d<d<****************{<*r<********r.**

Dynamics

fhis

involves

a

simple, yet

effective,

technique,

and is one

of

the

most

OVERLOOKED

sections

of

the

examination

-

which

means

that

it

is

a

good

place

for

you

to

pick

up

extra

marks

There

are

3 main

symbols

that

you

need

to

know

for

this

grade,

and

these

are

shown

below

with

their

meanings.

Try and

play

along

following

the

dynamic

markings.

P

blay

softty)

(Gradually

play

louder)

(Gradually

softer)

l-

"f

eny

budty)



Ti

n.

Play

the

repeat,

with

a

variation

in

your

p

o

strumming,

but keep

the

same

tempo

of

course

1.

Uptempo

blues

style

ar

a

l?

I

*)k'l'**************x**{<**********:k***x*** k k*******{€********4<**d<****:k*****jtc

Ti

n.Tr

to play

the

dynamics.

Look

back

to the

introductory

page

P'on

Grade

One

if

you

need a refresher.

2.

Slowly

p

a

a

I

p

1,3



3.

Moderate

tempo

4.

Slow

blues

style

Tip:

:;::; f;':,::;",r"::;

righ'l

number

of

n:ro*^

Make

sure that

your

fingers

are

as close

to

the

frets

f lp

Z

as

possible,

as

ihis

oroia"

unwanted

fretbuzz.

p

********************************d({<'F****{<{<**{<****t<+********;k'&*'k***************

p

ara

II

a

ll--

T

'III

1.4



5.

Up tempo

6.

Slowly

Tip:

You

can

use either

a

pick (plectrum)

or

your

flngers

to

strum.

If you

use

a

pick,

don't hold

it

too

tightly,

as

this

will

lead to

muscular

tension

in

your

hand.

Tip:::ir,i:,T,,:,::::;:l::"1;:":#' ;i":i: 'lhegui'lar

X****{<*{<*{<t<******{<****,k********************{.**:k*******{<X't€*'F'F***************'k***

a

-,

p

)'

l5



ripz1,?lf

l:"xi'::f

:;;:,r#I#bandrorennger'

7.

With movement

B. Fast

*{<>F{<*cr.*********************+******************('k*********************,&{<*{.{<*d.*****

Tip:ff

n::;*,iX:',:;{: ;y,/::r":;,', :;i:;#,,needed

p

I

-

t.

l6



9.

Up

tempo

Ti

Strive to play

the FIRST

chord

of

each

bar in

time

-

p'.

even

if, at

first,

this

results

in

ctipping

the

previous

chord.

on

the

4th beat.

ALWAYS

look through

the

sequence

before playing.

Tip:

This

way

you'll

r", ihirh

chords are

ciming

up, oia

you

can

take

note

of any dynamics and repeat

marl<s.

*

* {<

,k

*

*

* * * x

*

*

* * t

* * *

*

,k

* * *

* * *

* * x

*

*

* *

* *

*

{< * * *

*

* * *

*

*

*

* * * *

*

*

*

* * * * *

* * *

*

* * * * *

* *

*

* *

*

*

*

*

:t

*

* *

10.

In

a

ballad

style

p

I l-- _-

t'

a

17





New

Chords,&

Tips

on practising

them

1

-

tn

this grade

we

have

many

new

chords

including

the

'small barre'shapes.

This is where

you

place

and

hold

your

first

finger

across

more

than

one string.

This

causes

the

problem

of holding the

finger

straight

and

bending

all

the

others,

because

the

brain

has

been

conditioned

to

use

itt

ttt"

fingers

in

the

same

way.

So...dont

use

too much

force

to

hold

down the

barre,

but

practise

changing

from

a non-barre

chord

many times

to

re-educate

the

brain messages.

Even

if the

sound

of

the

barre chord

has

fret-buzz

-keep

practising

-

Place

the

fretting

finger

across

two

strings

and

slide

from

the

1st

to the

9th

fret, holding

the

finger

down,

so that you

create

a

glissando

effect.

(Slide

quickly

at first)

When

you

can do

this

and

hear

all the

notes

on each

fret,

try this

exercise

holding

down

three

stringi.

-

If

you

experience

any

cramp

or

tightness

in

your

left

hand -

STOP

PLAYING

and relax your

hand

loosely

by your

side, and shake

lightly for thirty

seconds.

-

Now

we're

ready

to practise

chords

with a

small

barre

holding

two

strings.

Start with

the

Am7 chord

and practise

changing

to

Dm7,

repeat

up to ten

times:

5 -

No*

try

this

next

sequence

with

the

F

chord,

which

is an extension

of

the

Dm7

chord:

6

-

No*

practice

the

Dmaj7 chord

with

a

small

barre

across

three

strings

on

the

2nd

fret,instead

123

fingers

that

you

would

have

used

for

Grade One:

-

Now

try the

F#m

chord,

which

is

an

extension

of

the

new

version

Drnaj?

chord:

Repeat

all

of

these

sequences

up

to ten

times.

a

a

I

a

I

19



Two

chords

in

a

bar

In

this next

sequence

you

will

notice that some bars contain

two

chords.

These

are known

as

'split'

bars. Each

split

bar chord has

a

dot after it

which

indicates

another

beat. To begin

with,

just

use

downstrokes

in

the

bars

with

two

chords and

try varying

the strum

in

the single chord

bars.

Below

is

an

introductory

piece

to

get

you

into

the

two

in

a

bar'changing routine.

* * * *

d<

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

:k

*

d<

* * * * *

{.

{<

* * * * * * * *

d<

>t<

d<

* * * *

d<

*

'1.

* *

x

* *

:k

* *

:e

* * * *

:&

r.

* *

{.

t * * *

d<

* * * * * * * *

Variations

in

strumming

In

this

next

example

experiment

by

varying

the

strum that

you

use

during

your

playing

of

the

repeated

section.

For example,

the

first

time

you

could

play:1,2&3y',

(Down,

down/up

down, down),

for each

of

the

first

four bars,

and then:

1,2&3&4,(Down,

down/up down/up

down),

during

the repeat

of these

four

bars.

.r

t

H

20



Dynamics

The

dynamics

for

this

grade

are

shown

below, with

their

meanings

in

brackets.

The

sequence

has

been

written

with

straightforward

chord

changes to

allow

you

to

practise

one

technique,

without

getting

bogged

down

with any

other

The

letters p

and

f,

stand

for

piano

-

forte

respectively,

and

this is

how

the piano

got

its

name.

The

soft

-

loud instument

?

(play

softly)

tt

-^^

f---f

I

rI I I

t

H^^^,

f

@rav

loudly)

?

(softly)

(get

softer

gradually)

***************************'F****{<****************x*****X***************:1.{<*:k:t't:*:k*

More

strum

patterns

On

page

6

there are

some

strum patterns,

but

here are

some new ones. These

could

be

used

on the

repeat

bars, or

all the

way through,

for

a

completely

different

feel.

Again,

easy chords

have

been

selected

to

give

you

a

chance

to practise

this new technique.

I

have

written

the

count

undemeath

the

strikes. Note that

the beats

in

brackets

are

NOT

played,

but

just

counted.

T.y

to

keep

all

the

main

beats

as

DOWN strums, and

all the

'and'beats

as

UP strums.

Em7

(get louder

gradually)

2 and

(3)

and 4

3 and

(4)

and

21



nr._^

^

Don't

forget

that, any

chords

from

the

previous two

f lp'.

grodu

,i, olro

be i-ncluded

in these

,iqunrrur.

1.

Moderate

tempo

p

r I

8{<rrrF**d<X<{<rF{<{<16lF*******r,<*{<***t<t<t<{<{<{<rrrr{<*rr*********'.<*X<****{<tr******rr**X<*rF****rFrrrF*{<{<{<**

Tip

I

nizf:;:;'"YW

touder)

thefirst

2.

With a

bounce feel

n

p

/ a^ '

a

I

tlt

22



3.

Uptempo

Tip:

Try

to keep

the

wrist

loose and relaxed.

Ti

Note how

for

sll

of

these

chords the

first finger

stays

Di

on

the

ftrst fret. Always

lookout

for

relationships like

I

this to

make chord

changes easier.

p

;r F

,F

*

*

*

* * * * * *

* *

,F

* *

*

*

* * * *

*

{. *.

* * * *

{c

't

* * *

:F

* * * * * * *<

r<

*c * * *

'F

* *

>R

*

*

* *

* * * d< * * * * {. * * * * * * *

d.

*

*

* * * * *

4.

With

animation

I

rr---

-

-:

r

I a

23



*

i< d.

* * * * * {<

{. * * t * {€ * * * {. {< *

t< rc

*

t<

{< {< {. {. *

{c

* * *<

>1.

* * * * * * * * * {<

*

*

*

* * * * * * t * * * {< * * {. *

* * * * * * t *

* * {< * * *

* *

Tip:

Try to keep

the

first

finger

completely

flat

against

the

fingerboard

when

playing the

F#m chord.

Dont worry

if

all

the

notes

don't

come out

clearly at

first.

Tip:

Only

strike

the

strings

that

you

need

for

each

particular

chord, e.g.

with

C7,

omit

the 6th

string.

6. In a

blues

style

Slowly

I

p

a

r-,

l?t

I

24



7.

With

movement

Ti

Try not to

'overgrip'with

the

left

hand thumb

at

the

back

of

pr';:;X':

-

this

witt

ontv

take

strength

awav

from

the

fretting

Tip:

Never

'rush'your

practice; if

need

be,

play

the

split

bar

sequence at

a slower speed

than

a

sequence

with

one

chord in

a bar.

{<***********************,k********************{<****{.***€***'k***d<************;***{c**

B.

Moderate

tempo

n

25



9.

Not

too

fast

in.

AM

interest

to

your

rhythm playing

by

varying

rP'

the

slrum in

the repeat

section.

Ti

Don't

forget

to

practise the

dynamics; if

p'.

necessar ,

So

back to

page

20

for

a refresher

before

starting

this

sequence.

,F

* *

*

* *

'F

*

*

:*

* * * *

d.

*

'1.

* * * *

*

* * *

*

* * t * {. d<

t< *

*

* * * * *+k * *

r(

* * * *

{. 4.

'k

{.

'r

".

{<

* *

*

* * * * *

*

* *

||c

{. *

*

* *

* *

*

* {. * *

10.

With

a

beat

M^L^'

t

r_^_

_-:r

t

-

n

,

at-,

I

t tt t

p

26



Glossary

of

musical

terms

Accent

Crotchet

Dynamics

Frets

Fretbuzz

Minim

Plectrum/Pick

Quaver

Semibreve

Sim.

Split-bar

Syncopation

Tempo

Time

signature

beginning

of all

Play

louder

on

a

particular

beat.

A

note

that

lasts

for

one

beat

in

a bar

of

X

time.

AIso

known

as

a 'quarter

note'.

Changes

in volume.

Metal strips

which

divide

up

the

fingerboard.

The buzzing

sound

that occurs

if

you don't

press

the

strings

firmly

and close

to

the

frets

with

the

tips

of

your

fingers.

A

note

that

lasts

for two

beats

in

a bar

of

X

tim".

Also

known

as a

half

note.

A

triangular

object (usually)

made

of plastic,

that

is

used

to strike the

strings.

A

note

that

lasts

for

Vza

beat

in

a

bar

of

t

time.

Also

known

a

s

an

eighth

note.

A

note

that

lasts

for

four

beats

in a

bar

of time.

Keep

playing

in

a similar

fashion.

Where

two

or more

chords

occur

in a

single

bar.

Featuring

the

off

beat

as

a

main

accented

part.

Overall

speed.

The

numbers

which

occur at the

written

music

that

inform

you

of

the

number

of

beats

per

bar.

27



Chord

Summary

xx

o

ooo

xxo

oo

oo

xx o

A

CmajT

DmajT

o oooo

xx

o

xx

o

ooo

ooo

GmajT

majT

F#m



C/4HaA

is

an

experienced

and

versatile

guitarist.

He

has

enjoyed

a

20

year

career as

a

successful

session musician;

recording

many

popular

television

themes,

and

has

also

released

three

instrumental

guitar

albums

under

his

own name.

e

Chaz

has

worked

with

a

wide

variety

of rock

and pop

bands

and has

had

record

contracts

with

major

labels.

Since

gaining

his

teaching

diploma

from

the

Royal

Academy

of Music,

Chaz

has

developed

a

highly

successful

teaching

practice

in

Surrey.

-

Chaz

has

been

actively involved

with

the

London College

of

Music and

Registry

of

Cuitar

Tutors' guitar

examinations

for

many

years

and

is a

senior

examiner

in

electric

guitar playing.

46

ISBN

I-898,

Documents

Rhythm Guitar Playing Book 1