“The skill is in choosing which notes to emphasize, or maybe skip entirely, while maintaining the alternate strokes”: Why rhythm is as important as the notes you play in a blues guitar solo

Eric Gales takes a solo on his signature Magneto electric guitar, with its gold pickguard matching his thick gold chain. He wears a ball-cap and tinted glasses.

Melody and rhythm are almost inextricably linked. I say ‘almost’ because you can have melody or harmony without a distinguishable rhythm, and rhythm itself can exist with no melodic content at all. The examples here contain elements of both, but I wanted to draw a clear distinction between the two before we start.

Many songs can be recognised by hearing the rhythm alone. Artists such as Bo Diddley can even make a rhythm their musical signature, while Steve Lukather has created memorable rhythmic parts that really push a song along using a single note!