Timing and Tempo | Free Online Guitar Lesson

lesson summary

Lesson 15 of 19 in our Basic Guitar Series: Timing and Tempo

Steve Eulberg delves into the wonderful world of rhythm and time signatures.
Chapter 1: (00:18) Lesson Introduction Steve kicks things off with a classic progression in the key of G major.
Chapter 2: (11:19) Timing and Tempo This lesson focuses on timing, tempo, and rhythm. Many members have been requesting more information about these topics. As a result, Steve has decided to provide a full lesson on this topic. For more information regarding this subject, check out lesson 30 from Dave MacKenzie's Phase 1 series. Also, check out Matt Brown and Jim Deeming's Phase 2 lessons pertaining to reading music and rhythms.

Note: If you have any additional questions concerning the information presented in this lesson, write in to the JamPlay teaching staff for extra help.

Rhythm: The Most Important Aspect of Music

Rhythm is the single most important aspect of music. Rhythm is the musical component that makes people want to dance, bob their heads, or start a mosh pit. When practicing any piece of music, rhythm should always be your highest priority. An incorrect note usually slides by unnoticed. On the other hand, unsteady rhythm typically results in a musical train wreck.

Note: the following information regarding the importance of rhythm is taken from lesson 1 of Matt Brown's Reading and Rhythm series.

-Rhythm is the single most important aspect of music. If you can't play something perfectly in time, then you can't play it. As a result, you should spend the majority of your practice time perfecting rhythm. This task can be accomplished in a variety of different ways. The important rule to remember is to practice with a metronome as much as possible. Playing along with recordings is also great practice.

-Rhythmic skills are essential to playing with a group of other musicians. As a guitarist, you can't simply say: "I'll just play along with the drummer. After all, the drummer is responsible for the rhythm." This is a horrible mindset to have. YOU must be responsible for rhythmic perfection at all times. That way, if the drummer is playing incorrectly, you can address the issue as needed.

Universal Language

Musical notation defies almost all language barriers. The same system of notation is used throughout most of the world. This system allows people from completely different cultures to communicate with one another through the art of music.

Many people have the ability to imitate the music that they hear in their head without learning to read music. These people are rare and posses and exceptional gift. However, these people cannot convey what they hear in their heads very easily to other musicians.

Friends Don't Let Friends Use Tablature

Tablature may provide an accurate description of which notes are played in a piece of music. However, it leaves out the rest of the equation. Tablature provides no indication of how rhythm should be played. It also omits important musical features such as phrasing, melodic resolutions, and the style in which a piece should be played. Due to inadequacies of tablature, it is absolutely essential that you begin to read musical notation as early as possible. You will not regret this decision.

Note: the following information regarding the importance of learning how to read sheet music is taken from lesson 1 of Matt Brown's Reading and Rhythm series. This lesson set is part of JamPlay's Phase 2 area of lessons.

-First and foremost, learning to read music will make you a better player. Reading skills will enhance the overall musicality of your playing. Continuing with these lessons will make you sound better. Period. After all, isn't that the goal we're all after?

-If you can't read music, you cannot interpret written music or tablature properly. This is due to a lack of understanding of how notes function with one another from a theoretical standpoint.

-It is impossible to learn music theory and audiation without basic reading skills.

-Musicians that play other instruments don't use tablature. You cannot communicate with these musicians without reading skills.

Time Signatures

At the beginning of a piece, right after the clef symbol and key signature, the time signature is written. Steve teaches the key concepts behind time signatures by providing some very common examples.

4/4 Time

You may have seen this written at the beginning of a piece and not really understood what it meant. The top note indicates how many beats are in each measure. The bottom number indicates which note value will receive the beat. This is where things get confusing for many people. Simply memorize the note value that is indicated by each bottom number.

16: Sixteenth Note
8: Eighth Note
4: Quarter Note
2: Half Note
1: Whole Note

Sometimes 4/4 time is indicated with an upper case letter "C." Before Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in about 1439, it was much easier to write a "C" legibly than writing 4/4. "C" stands for "Common Time." This traditional indication of 4/4 time is still frequently used today.

2/4 Time

Remember that the top number indicates how many beats are in a measure. The bottom number 4 indicates that the quarter note receives the beat. Consequently, this time signature features 2 quarter notes in each measure. Or, the sum of the rhythmic values written within each measure must add up to a total of two quarter notes. Many songs that are written in 2/4 can also be written in 4/4. This is due to the fact that four is equally divisible by two. Usually, pieces in which the chords change every two beats at quick tempos are written in 2/4. Most marches are written in 2/4 time.

3/4

This signature indicates that there are three quarter notes in each measure. This signature can be a little bit tricky because there is an odd number of beats per measure. The waltz is an example of a common rhythm played in 3/4 time. Refer back to the intro music that Steve played. This music is played in 3/4 time. In a waltz rhythm, the first beat of each measure is accented. This gives the rhythm a steady "oom pah pah" sound.

2/2 and Cut Time

These time signatures are written differently, but played the same way. In cut time, each note receives half of its written value. For example, a quarter note receives the value of an eighth note. An eighth note receives the value of a sixteenth note and so on.

Duple Meters, Triple Meters, and Irregular Meters

A duple meter is a time signature in which the number of beats per measure is divisible by two. This includes simple meters such as 2/4 and 4/4 as well as compound meters such as 6/8 and 12/8.

Note: Compound meters are explained later in this lesson.

A triple meter is a time signature in which the number of beats per measure is divisible by three. Some common examples are 3/4 and 9/8 time.

Irregular meters are time signatures in which the number of beats per measure is a prime number. Some common examples are 5/4 and 7/4.

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