Hey there, I'm Tomas Michaud from Real Guitar Success. When I was growing up, I
like most people thought that either had rhythm or you didn't unfortunately I was
on the more didn't side. Well I've learned different. Over the years I've
come to realized that good rhythm really can be learned. I played with some great
musicians who have awesome timing and rhythm and they pretty much all told me
in some form or fashion that that wasn't how it was when they were growing up. Now
yes, some people have more natural ability than others but that difference
is much smaller than I and most people think. Really a lot of it has to do with
practice, timing whether it's conscious or not. A lot of people I played
with we're just brought up where they were naturally you know tapping to a
rhythm or listening to rhythm and having to distinguish things that had to do
with rhythm. So with that said, I'm gonna give you my five step system that will
help you develop outstanding rhythm not just average. If you do this, you'll have
outstanding rhythm especially when you're strumming the guitar. For this,
we're going to use a metronome and I'm gonna use this electronic metronome any
metronome will work. I'm gonna sit at a fairly slow speed 58 beats per minute.
It's actually a little harder slower because there's more space in between
the beats and that's where you get off but that's how you work it so as you get
faster you're more accurate. Now first off before we even go to the metronome
the first step is to have you starting right now today listening to music and
every time you do I want you to find the beat and clap with it at least for some
period of time probably several times a day and any time that you happen
to listen to music even for fun. This simple paying attention will help
improve your rhythm without really having to work hard at it. You'll find it
easier with songs that have a very distinct boom-boom-boom and maybe a
little harder where the rhythm is a little more complex but that's part of
the fun of it. Don't get discouraged just keep looking for the beat and try to tap
along your foot, your hand, whatever works for you. You can even just bob your head.
Don't do this and people think you don't like the
music like that I was told that when I was growing up. Now the second step will
involve the metronome. We're going to clap with the beat of the metronome .This
is the basic starting exercise you want to find the beat so I'll turn it on and
we're just going to clap on the downbeat. Try to get it to where your clap almost
drowns out the beat. Now if I'm off you can hear both very clearly. When I'm on
you can almost only hear my clap. So the second part of this exercise is to add
the upbeat. What I'm doing is - this is a downbeat. Now upbeat is one and two
and three. There's no kick on the upbeat so that alone is a great exercise and I
would encourage you to do it a little bit every day. Of course there's more
complex rhythms but start with the basics and get a solid feel for where
that metronome is. Once you get a good hang of it at a slower speed , try changing
the speed and see how it works. Now for the next exercise, we're going to use the
guitar. It's the same idea but we're gonna use a muted strum on the guitar.
I'll show you what I mean. You put your left hand over the strings and just make
it so they deaden out. You're not actually making a chord.
Turn on your metronome, my slow speed and strum down on the beat. Now you're having to
incorporate things like keeping track of a pick. Make sure it doesn't fall out of your
hand. So that's the first part of the exercise. The second part is to do the up
strum too - down, up, down up, down up, down up.
At this point, I would start also adding some vocalizations. Do the counting
system. This is not something you do all the time or it's not mandatory but they
will help you later on. I'll show you what I mean. Counting 1 and 2 and 3 and. Up is & and
down is the number - 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Now we're ready for this third
step. The third step we're going to do four strums per beat. We need another way
to count that so I'm gonna add the E to it. It sounds like this
1 E and A. The E and the A are that added beats so here's what that
sounds like. One E and a two E and the 3 E and the 4 E and the... For this next step
number four we're gonna up the and a little bit.
Now we're gonna move the left hand to keep track. This is getting closer to
what you have to do when you're changing chords. And we're gonna do a varying
strumming pattern as you move your hand. It's going to look like this - 1 E and a
2 E and a 3 and 4 and 1 E and a 2 E and a 3 and 4 and. So you'll notice I'm moving my hand all the way close to the
headstock and then all the way up here closer to the sound hole. I start off
with that 1 E and a 2 E in the pattern. 1 E and a 2 E and a .. and
then I just do the 1 and or eight note. These are eighth notes and these would
be 16 notes and two and one E and a 2 E. Let's hear what it sounds like with the
metronome. Here we go - 1 E and the 2 E and 3 and 4 and 1 E and 2 E and 3 and 4 and 1 E and the 2 E and 3 and 4 and 1 E and the 2 E and 3 and 4.
Okay this could be challenging.
Start slow. As a matter of fact, if you're really having a hard time with the one E and
a two E first of all go to the previous step and practice that much but
then you can start one E and two and three and four and then integrate that
one E and 2 E and. And now for step number 5, what I say is somewhat
optional because if you do up to steps number four and you practice it
regularly, your rhythm is going to get better and better. But I'm gonna have you
apply it in step number five to a chord. Well start with a D chord and we're
gonna move to A7. Any two chords will work. I just picked two easy chords.
We're gonna go 1 E and the 2 E and 3 and 4 and 1 E and 2 E and 3 and 4
So you'll notice what I'm doing is instead of just moving my hand I'm going
to a different chord so we're doing 1 E and the 2 E and 3
and 4 and. Now
I am on the D chord. - 1 E and the 2 E and and then I go to
the A7 for the next part. Let's try it with a metronome, here we go.
Now just a couple of tips, as you do these exercises go in order and work at
one for a while before you move on to the next. I've seen people trying to get
to the exercise #5 right away and they get frustrated cause it doesn't
work. Well they didn't do the steps leading up to that. Also practice
sometimes without a metronome. You don't want to get so attached to the metronome
that you can't play in rhythm if you don't hear that click click so vary it
up a bit but use the metronome both to test your rhythm and how well are you
doing as well as to measure your speed. You can pick up the tempo of the
metronome little by little and see how you're improving with speed. Again, I
encourage you to use that vocalization one and two and that'll help you when
you start working out rhythm patterns but don't do it all the time
also. Sometimes just feel the rhythm. Try to get it inside your body. Also use your
body. Try moving a little bit with the beat or tapping your foot. And finally
try to relax into it. You're trying to get the rhythm into your body and not
just in your head not calculating it. It takes time, patience and practice but it
pays off tremendously. There'll be a time where you be strumming a rhythm and
it'll be right on that you're not even having to think about it. Thanks for joining me
today. It's been a pleasure being here with you. Please wherever you're seeing
this leave me a comment Facebook, YouTube, on my blog and let me know how you liked
it if there's something else you'd like to see anything I'd love to hear from
you. And if you'd like to step things up a little bit and work with me, check out
my realguitarsuccess.com website. Bye for now.