Guitar 101 - Mastering Rhythm & Syncopation, Part 1: Whole, Half, Quarter and

Eighth Notes Jimmy Brown

Every musician should have a clear understanding of the fundamentals of rhythm. Even if
you consider yourself an "ear player," knowing how to count and play different rhythms
while keeping a steady beat is a valuable skill that will help you in a variety of real-life
musical situations. By learning the arithmetic of rhythm on paper (trust me, it is no more
difficult than learning arithmetic), you'll be able to accurately read and learn music from
transcriptions, and you will no longer have to rely entirely on the recording for the timing
and phrasing of the notes. Just as important, you'll be able to communicate with other
musicians and bandmates and make rehearsals and performances go more smoothly.

Entire Lesson Tab

Figure 2 MP3
Figure 3 MP3
Figure 4 MP3
Figure 5 MP3

Knowing how to count different rhythms can also help you feel and master the complexities
of today's popular, "cross-bred" musical styles and become a more inventive songwriter and
composer.

This article begins series of lessons on rhythm that will help you become a more competent
and confident musician. We'll start by reviewing the basic rudiments of rhythmic notation
and learning how to count and play standard rhythmic patterns. Armed with this knowledge,
you'll be able to hone your rhythmic skills in your spare time, with or without your guitar.

In music notation, a staff is divided into measures (also known as bars, via barlines, as
illustrated in FIGURE 1. Each measure typically contains four beats, as indicated by the 4/4
time signature. Counting "one two three four, one two three four," etc. enables us to keep
track of the individual beats and measures; it also provides us with a clear reference point
for organizing rhythm.

A measure of 4/4 time can contain one whole note, two half notes, four quarter notes, or
any combination of quarter notes and half notes that adds up to four beats (see FIGURE 2).

Music would be rather boring if all we had to work with were whole notes, half notes and
quarter notes. By subdividing each beat in half and counting "one-and two-and three-and
four-and, one-and two-and three-and four-and," etc., we can divide a measure of 4/4 time
into eight eighth notes, as shown in FIGURE 3. Notice that eighth notes are connected by a
single horizontal beam. Think of a measure of 4/4 as a pizza pie-you can cut it into two
halves, four quarters, eighth eighths, or any other combination of fractions that adds up to
one.

Eighth notes are often used in combination with other rhythmic values to create an
interesting, lively phrasing effect known as syncopation. Syncopation means emphasizing the
"weak" parts of the beat or measure-anything other than the downbeats ("one," "two,"
"three" or "four").

FIGURE 4 is an example of syncopation using ties to emphasize the eighth-note upbeats. A

tie is a curved line arcing between two notes of the same pitch. The first note is held for
the combined rhythmic values (durations) of both notes. The second note is not articulated.
In the Guitar World tab-only notation system, we use a broken arc for ties to make it easier
for you to distinguish them from slurs (hammer-ons, pull-offs and legato slides). Notice in
this example that a single eighth note is indicated by a "flag" attached to the note stem
(instead of a horizontal beam).

When playing FIGURES 3 and 4, be sure to tap your foot only on the downbeats ("one" "two"
"three" "four"), and not on the eighth-note upbeats (the "and" counts between the beats, as
indicated below the music). This is an important motor skill for reading and playing music
well and requires good hand-foot-brain coordination. Make this a habit until it becomes
second nature, and make sure your foot doesn't start following your mouth or hands. Train
your foot to be a living metronome.

I've included counting, foot tapping and picking strokes with these exercises to guide you.
Proceed slowly until you feel you've acquired the coordination necessary to count, tap your
foot and play the rhythms correctly at a steady tempo. Notice that the "and" counts are
omitted whenever the beat isn't subdivided.

Several of you have written in asking what a grace note is, so I'd like to offer a brief
explanation and example. A grace note is a quick, subtle embellishment or "decoration" of a
note, such as a hammer-on, pull-off, slide or bend. In fact, it's so quick that it is not
counted as being part of the rhythm of the measure. A grace note theoretically occurs "by
grace of" the preceding or following beat and is written as a small note (or tab number)
that's squeezed into the measure just to the left of the note it decorates, as illustrated in
FIGURE 5. In this example, the grace notes are placed directly over the beat, because
they're played on the beat, which is usually the case.