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In this lesson, you’ll learn to play the most common rhythmic values that make up 99% of the music we play: quarter notes, eighth notes, eighth note triplets, and sixteenth notes.
By doing the suggested exercises, you’ll learn to keep a steady pulse while playing all the subdivisions.
Along the way, you’ll learn 4 short compositions that all sound great each on their own.
It comes as a 4-day rhythm challenge, but feel free to tackle it all at once. If you’re rather short on practice time, I suggest following the 4 days.
You can download the tabs by clicking here (search for HG3 – 4-Day Rhythm Challenge).
Print it. Use it. Make notes.
When practicing, it’s handy to jump straight to each day by clicking on these timestamps:
And here is everything else you need to know. Enjoy!
💪 Action Steps
- Memorize the chord shape Gadd9 (3x020x).
- Move it around the fretboard. It sounds awesome in these positions (3x020x, 5x040x, 7x060x, 8x070x, 10x090x, 12x0110x).
- Choose your preferred right-hand technique (guitar pick/fingers).
- Get familiar with the exact right-hand fingering (p=thumb, i=index, m=middle, a=ring) or picking directions (arch=down, V=up).
- Play both lines without a metronome. Repeat 3 times.
- Set the metronome to 60 bpm (beats per minute).
- Move your body, tap your foot, or nod your head along with the click. It helps staying in the groove.
- Play the entire piece. Stay in the groove throughout and be as accurate as possible.
📈 Difficulty
Day 1 (eighth notes): 1/10
Day 2 (triplets): 2/10
Day 3 (sixteenth notes): 2/10
Day 4 (all): 3/10
(This gives you a rough idea of how difficult these are to play. If you feel they’re actually easier, great. If not, don’t feel bad.)
⏰ Time Estimation
Day 1 (eighth notes): 30 minutes
Day 2 (triplets): 1 hour
Day 3 (sixteenth notes): 1 hour
Day 4 (all): 1 hour
(These are rough estimations that can vary widely. If you’re faster, great. If not, don’t feel bad.)
✏️ Extra Tips
- Place your left-hand fingers close to the fretwires to get the best sound.
- Aim for a consistent sound.
- Experiment with the metronome count. Go lower. Go higher. Go extreme.
- Record yourself with your phone. Listen back. It’ll be eye-opening.
🎯 Encouragement
Changing between quarter notes, eighth notes, triplets, and sixteenth notes is a skill you’ll need for the rest of your life (given you plan on making music for the rest of your life). Repeat these exercises very focused daily. It’ll pay off! You can do it!
Talk soon,
Florian from Hi Guitar
