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Setting Yourself Apart - Sight Reading: Rhythm

Jody Mac 22 lessons

This example is a rather tedious, but highly beneficial exercise to work into your practice routine. It uses a repeated note (open b string) and cycles through four single meters - 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 5/4. We will leave out compound (6/8, 9/8, 12/8) and mixed (5/8, 7/8) meters for now.  It is necessary to use a metronome with this exercise.  

As you go through the different meters, start slowly and make sure you are playing the note values exactly as they appear in the notation. The biggest part of sight reading, and of any music, is rhythm. You can play the wrong notes in rhythm and get away with it. The opposite isn't so easy. 

A strong internal sense of rhythm is a very noticeable trait in guitar players. The metronome is your best friend. Give this lesson your full attention, and it will pay dividends for years to come. In the next lesson we will put this concept to work with a jazz phrase. 

Good Luck!

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