Feeling Rhythm Options

[Ben Higgins]

In order to feel rhythm I think you have to move your body (or part of it) to be able to 'feel' it. Everything has a rhythm. If you observe natural physics at work you'll see rotations, movements.. all sorts of things that have a rhythm and a balance.

I think you can only feel rhythm when you're able to let go of the technique and just allow yourself to move without fear of hitting wrong notes or making a mistake. In my opinion the best way to practise this and experience it as a beginner or intermediate guitarist, is by strumming. Big, confident movements that are not held back or shortened.

Just like a piston completes a whole movement, you should allow some natural momentum and gravity to give you a relaxed but direct down stroke. Don't worry about holding your pick at the same angle all the way through a strumming motion, this will only make you do unnatural, short strumming motions. Let your wrist be loose and, most important of all, don't be afraid of hitting all of the strings. In time, you will hone your aim but for now, just get the feeling of a nice downward strum.

For the upstroke, think of your wrist joint moving back up first and then the pick trailing behind it. So let your strumming be led by a loose and floppy wrist joint, as if you were shaking your hands dry of water.

When you're able to feel the rhythm in your body that way, you have a much greater connection to it and I believe there is nothing in guitar playing so fundamental as this. So, if anybody has troubles with timing and things like that, try strumming and let go of the self consciousness of hitting wrong notes. If you can get over that little hump that might be all you need !

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