Talk:Rhythm guitar

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Don't think this should be categorized as a musical instrument; it's not an instrument per se, more a role played by an instrument. Bschoner 17:48, 18 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I would never have thought of Keith Richards as a rhythm guitarist - lead guitar, surely?

Keith Richards is both a rhythm guitarist and a lead guitarist.
Keith took lead occasionally, but he was the rhythm guitarist. The lead guitarist was Brian Jones/Mick Taylor/whoever else.
Keith Richards is most definently primarily a rhythm guitarist. One of the very best in fact. His occasional "lead" work fades into insignificance compared to his wonderful skills as a rhytmn guitar player and songwriter I'm getting no where by saying this so i think I'm going to be quiet now. (ED Jan 06)

Contents

[edit] Pronouns

Inappropriate use of a pronoun "it just depends on how he plays the guitar," as lead guitarists are not gender-specific. Should use "it just depends on how they play the guitar."

Otherwise a great definition.

[edit] How to play rhythm guitar

As far as I'm aware, the sound for a rhytm guitar is achieved by playing a chord, is this correct? It needs to be made clearer Jackpot Den 13:47, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Rhythm guitar is usually about playing a chord progression, but not always. If the accompaniment to a guitar solo is a riff (without chords), that part is often played by the rhythm guitarist. If I think of any examples, I'll post them. Boris B 02:27, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Physical Diferences

Are there diffences in phisical apperence between a lead guitar and a rhythm guitar?

does a rhythm guitar have somthing that a lead guitar dosnt or does it not have somthing a lead does?

As far as I know they are the same, although some guitars are stereotyped as one or the other (Rickenbackers are often thought of as rhythm guitars, in part because John Lennon played rhythm with a Rickenbacker when he was in the Beatles). Buddy Holly and John Lennon played rhythm on a Fender Stratocaster, whereas George Harrison and Hank Marvin used the same type of guitar for lead. Andy Summers of The Police used a Fender Telecaster to do rhythm and lead at the same time, and Eric Clapton played rhythm and lead on a Gibson ES335 for several years. It's in the playing and the settings and the attitude rather than the chassis. NB I do not play guitar, and I know very little about the topic. I do however know a lot about The Fall. -Ashley Pomeroy 19:50, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Not clear

It isn't very clearly defined what is rhythm and what is lead. I had always been under the impression that the lead guitarist provided the signiture riff while the rhythm guitarist usually played what the lead singer sung. Yet this article seems to suggest the opposite. For instance, in Back in Black was the signiture riff the work of Angus Young (lead guitar) or of Malcolm Young (rhythm)? Was Keith Richards (I can't get no) Satisfaction riff considered lead or rhythm? YankeeDoodle14 05:43, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

The difference between lead and rhythm guitar is by no means black and white as this article seemed to stress before I did some somewhat heavy editing.

The terms "lead guitarist" or "rhythm guitarist" applied as adjective to any person should be avoided. The term "lead" and "rhythm" describe "roles" a guitarist and his/her instrument might fill at any given time during a performance, and freqently those roles change, overlap or are even duplicated during the performance of a song.

Rico402 (talk) 16:14, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] trends section

I have removed this as it's mostly nonsense. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.153.40.110 (talk) 10:01, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Acoustic or electric doesn't define instrument's role

Whether an instrument is acoustic or electric doesn't define it's role. In this context, consider how absurd the opening sentence begins: "Rhythm guitar is the use of most commonly an electric guitar or sometimes an acoustic guitar..."

Even with no hard data at my disposal to rely upon, if I were to make a reasonably well-informed estimate on the numbers of acoustic and electric guitars being played around the world at any given time, by everyone from the most raw amateur to the consummate professional, I'd venture the number of acoustic guitars would heavily outweigh the number of electric guitars. And among the guitarists playing those instruments, most would being playing essentially a rhythm sequence.

Rico402 (talk) 09:03, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Solos not by definition "improvised"

It's inaccurate to refer to guitar solos as "improvised" or "improvisations". A solo passage on any instrument in any genre is often - and in most genres nearly always - rehearsed by the musician well ahead of a performance, and played in similar if not nearly identical fashion during subsequent performances, with alterations frequently accruing as the composition is repeated, although many musicians will often select from a catalogue of solos or phrases for solos during a performance. Even in jazz ensembles, musicians frequently include familiar phrases in the context of an improvised solo performance.

Rico402 (talk) 10:17, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Equipment section needs work

Jeez-Louise have any of the contributors to this article other than myself ever even seen a guitarist or band perform? It sure doesn't read like it.

I'll re-write this section later.

Rico402 (talk) 15:45, 18 April 2008 (UTC)