6/8 Rhythms Every Guitar Player Needs To Know
This instructional video shows you how to master a diverse range of 6/8 rhythms and the most effective techniques so you can immediately integrate them into your guitar playing.
Given its prevalence in numerous songs, understanding and mastering compound meter is essential for any guitar player.
With this tutorial, you can confidently tackle this time signature and always have the perfect accompaniment at your fingertips.
(Video Transcription)
Rhythm #1
The rhythm is a fairly basic 6/8 rhythm. You need to know because it's used all the time.
6/8 is a compound meter, which means that the beat is divided into threes. As you count
1 2 3 4 5 6, you want to tap your foot on 1 and 4. For the strum, we will use all down strokes.
To practice this, start by muting your stings. Count while you strum, and accent beats 1 and 4 more than the rest.
Now, use the same motions to strum these chords.
This strum pattern is great, but it can sometimes be overpowering. You might want to add more dynamics to your strum. One easy way to do that is to play a full strum on beats 1 and 4 and just the root notes on the other beats. This not only adds dynamics but also helps to improve your strumming hand control.
The original strum is a combination of these two examples.
Rhythm #2
This 6/8 rhythm includes 16th notes. You'll need to use up and down strokes to play this rhythm. Start by using muted notes. Count 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 +. Downstrokes are on the numbers, and upstrokes are on the +’s. Play beats 1 and 4 louder than the rest.
Let’s add chords to this pattern.
This sounds good, but in most situations, it is too much. You want to start missing upstrokes. You will only play upstrokes on the + of 2 and 5 for this one.
For the strum at the beginning of this section, I added one more upstroke on the + of 6. When you do rhythms like this on your own, you can play any combination of downs and ups you want.
Rhythm #3
In this 6/8 rhythm, we are still using a 16th-note pulse. We will skip some upstrokes and downstrokes, creating a more sparse rhythm. As you progress, you can incorporate strums or rhythms like this, but it's easier to start with a simplified pattern. Your hand should make a continuous down-up motion (pendulum strum) throughout, only hitting the notes you want to play.
Here is the original strum with the down-up motions notated.
Rhythm #4
For this rhythm, the chords are arpeggiated. To play this rhythm, you want to play the first three notes with a continuous down motion and the last three with an upward motion.
It is easier to do this with a steady 8th-note pulse.
What I played in the video is a little more tricky. The 16th note makes you speed up the motion at that point in the rhythm.
Having the ability to create variations for any rhythm is a powerful tool every guitar player needs to have. It's essential to have multiple ways to kick-start this aspect of your creative process. \
If you struggle to create your own rhythm variations or are just looking for another tool to add to your toolbox, I highly recommend checking out “The Guide To Making Any Rhythm You Know Sound Even Better.”
This straightforward guide will not only assist you in fully utilizing the potential of any rhythm but will also help you unleash your creativity. Click the link to grab your copy today.