So when you group the triplets together, you move quickly from the upbeat of one triplet group to the downbeat of the next triplet group. The first and last note of each triplet is a downbeat, and the last note in each triplet is an upbeat. So you play the first note of the triplet, miss the second, play the third and then go on to play the first beat of the next triplet. It is just that now the ‘&’ represents a pause between the first and third note in each triplet grouping. Obviously the single notes played in the above clip don’t fully capture the proper feel of a shuffle, but they do get a lot closer.Īs you can see, here you still need to follow the ‘One & a, Two & a’ rhythm. When you break the triplet groups up in this way, the rhythm sounds much bluesier. Hopefully, you can hear how different this sounds to the previous examples. This is what a bar of 8th note triplets looks like: This is a very common blues rhythm, which is constructed by taking a beat and dividing it into three, creating triplets. It just doesn’t sound particularly bluesy.Īs a result it is very rarely used in the blues, and this is where shuffle time comes in. If you try and play a 12 bar blues progression in straight time, you will immediately notice that it doesn’t sound right. Whilst it is very useful to understand how straight time feels, there is little need to practice the 12 bar blues in straight time. I will cover this in more detail in my article on the blues shuffle. This can and does change though depending on the type of rhythm you are playing. In this example, the numbers represent the downbeats. So the numbers and ‘&s’ are used to distinguish between the two. Within each measure though there are downbeats, which are more heavily accented, as well as upbeats, which are less heavily accented. The notes are divided equally – so hypothetically you could just count in numbers from 1 to 8. These symbols indicate how you should count the subdivisions within the measure. You can see that above each note, there is either a number, or an ‘&’. In essence, rhythm consists of two basic parts: This general knowledge is critical to understanding rhythm, how you can play around with it, and how blues rhythms are constructed. Here are the basics of rhythm, common blues rhythms and an introduction to the blues shuffle: The basics of rhythm & time signaturesīefore we look at blues rhythms, it is important to first cover the basics of rhythm. I will touch on the blues shuffle in today’s article, but will cover it in much more detail in my next article. It will also provide you with the foundation for one of the most common rhythmic feels in the blues – the blues shuffle. In turn this will help you in all areas of your playing – from blues rhythm guitar, to soloing and improvisation. The theory outlined here will help you develop a killer sense of rhythm. It was never a dream of mine to learn the theory behind what makes them such great players, and I can imagine you feel the same.ĭespite this, please stick with it. I was inspired to learn the guitar because I wanted to play like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. There is some theory to go through, and I know as well as anyone that this can feel a little academic and dry. In the interest of full disclosure – this is unlikely to be the most stimulating material that you have ever read. So today I will be covering some of the basics of blues rhythm guitar. This is absolutely crucial in the blues – and of course in almost all forms of music. My previous articles have focused on the form and content of the 12 bar blues, but so far they have paid little attention to rhythm. Once you are comfortable with those ideas, it’s time to turn your attention to rhythm.
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