If you have tried to play guitar before, and had trouble with playing rhythms, the reason probably was that you weren't shown how to play strumming patterns. There is an upcoming lesson on how to strum rhythm patterns.
Most people can snap their fingers, or drum with their hands in time with almost any rhythm from any popular music form. This means you don't need to 'count' or have any knowledge of music theory to hear a rhythm and reproduce it intuitively. You probably don't know how you do it. You probably can't describe a rhythm you're playing exept as 'fast' or 'slow.'
First, decide whether the basic pulse is in '3' or '4.' How you count is a matter of individual choice. There isn't necessarily a 'right' or 'wrong' way to count rhythms. There are all sorts of ways to assign numbers to repeating rhythm patterns in music.
Listen to the Drummer The drummer is the main time-keeper in a rock band. It's a good idea to learn to recognize three basic drum sounds: the bass drum, the snare drum and the high-hat. If you're not sure what these sound like, play a drum kit or a drum machine the next time you're in a music store, or go to a live concert and watch the drummer.
Develop Concentration As you are listening to the radio, try to 'lock into' the main pulse, and keep it going through an entire song. Just count to yourself '1 - 2 - 3 - 4' over and over until the end of the song. The hardest part is concentrating on the count 5 minutes straight.
'Eighths' in 6/8 & 12/8 This is an example of confusing music terminology: the six individual beats are called 'eighth' notes, even though they divide the measure into sixths. We will call these 'eighth' notes, but bear in mind that in 6/8 time, it takes six beats to complete a measure. (A 'beat' is just an interval of time.)
'Popular music' here includes rock, pop, blues, country, bluegrass, reggae - anything you're likely to hear on a commercial radio station in the U.S. 'Popular music' means other than things like orchestral or avante garde music, or non-western forms such as Indian or Asian music.
Imitating Rhythms That You Hear The average man or woman on the street has a very well-developed sense of rhythm. Even non-musicians can hear complex, synchopated rhythms and reproduce them after hearing them only a few times.
As long as you can imitate the rhythms you hear, you don't have to know anything about meter or counting rhythms. Most people who try the guitar don't have any particular problem imitating the rhythms they hear. So the information that follows is optional.
Why Learn To Count If you want to really understand music, you will want to get comfortable with counting rhythms. If you want to communicate musical ideas, especially with players from more 'traditional' backgrounds, then you will want to understand rhythm and meter. Counting is also important if you want to get good at reading music. Counting isn't difficult if you take it slowly, a piece at a time.
With practice, you can learn to completely disect the rhythm of a song by ear. You don't need any written notes, you can do it completely in your head. But, it takes most people a while to get good at counting.
Dividing Rhythms Into '3' or '4' Most rhythms you hear in popular music can be counted as either '1 - 2 - 3' or as '1 - 2 - 3 - 4.' Four-counts are much more common than three-counts, and make up about 90% of meters used in popular music.
The 4/4 Rock Beat Most rock and country music is based on the '4/4 rock beat.' Almost everyone has heard a song that starts off with someone counting out 'one, two, three, four,' at the start of the song.
There are several minor variations on this beat, but they are based on a very simple formula.
Click here to hear an example of a 4/4 Rock Beat.
You will hear a 4-count (quarter notes) before the drums start.
The standard 4/4 rock beat looks like this:
The Bass drum plays on beats one and three. The snare drum plays on beats two and four.
Usually, there is a higher-pitched percussion voice like a high-hat, ride cymbal or shaker that subdivides each of the four beats. The simplest subdivision is by two.
In the diagram below, 'CH' represents the closed high-hat. The closed high-hat produces a short, stacatto sound similar to a shaker or an 'egg.'
The four main beats, covered by the bass and snare, are called 'quarter beats.' The eight shorter beats covered by the high-hat are called 'eighth-beats.'
Learning to count means dividing rhythms into quarter, eighth, and smaller beats.
Triple Meters A song with a strong '1 - 2 - 3' pulse is called a 'waltz,' and is becoming rare, except in country, folk and bluegrass styles. The most common triple meters you see in rock, jazz and blues are 'six-eight' (6/8) and 'twelve-eight' (12/8). The second set of tracks on the Drum Tracks Page are in 6/8 time.
The Standard 6/8 Beat looks like this:
A fast 6/8 is usually counted as 12/8. The difference between 6/8 and 12/8 can be arbitrary. Many pieces can be counted comfortably in either 6 or 12.
