What do we mean by sixteenth note rhythm?
We have done quite a bit of down up strumming using 8th notes, or a 1+2+3+4+ count. Using this type of strumming, there is a maximum of 8 possible places in the bar where you can strum – there are eight arm movements, four downstrokes and four upstrokes. With this type of strumming, the beat is divided into two.
However, it is also possible to divide each beat into four. If you have four beats in a bar, each divided into four, you now have sixteen possible places in the bar where a note or chord can be played. This is why these rhythms are described as sixteenth note rhythms.
In order to be able to count each subdivision, the counting is ‘1 e and a, 2 e and a’ etc. This may feel like a mouthful at first, but if you can train yourself to count out loud it will help your rhythmic consistency hugely.
There are many cool strumming patterns or phrases that you can create based on when you hit the strings and when you don’t out of the sixteen subdivisions of the bar, and it will make your range of rhythm options much greater. Certain styles of music are basically reliant on this rhythmic feel for their character, like funk, disco, fast country, metal – in fact you’ll find examples in all genres.
Learning to recognise common rhythm figures will make it MUCH easier to play things by ear.
Your first mission is to start training your arm to move in this new rhythm. Take the rhythm tracks in the side bar and you’ll hear a louder drum on the beat, and hi-hats playing the sixteenth notes. Start slow, make sure you tap your foot on the beat and start building your speed and coordination with your right hand. Mute the strings to begin with, and aim to accent the first sixteenth in each beat by strumming a bit heavier, at least for slower speeds.
Pro tip: When you start to feel fatigue building, or you can feel that tension is building up in your right arm near your top speed, strum for one beat out of the bar and relax your right arm completely for the rest of the bar. This will work more efficiently to raise your top speed.
Make a note of the top comfortable speed at the start of the month and compare it with the top speed at the end of the month.
