“You can grin and bear your rhythmic role, biding your time until you get to the solo, or you can put some thought, effort, and research into this area of your playing”: 5 blues guitar rhythms every guitarist needs to know

Close up of a musician playing the electric guitar during a concert.

It’s fair to say that we guitarists like to take solos, but while this is undoubtedly a hugely enjoyable and fulfilling pursuit, in actuality this aspect of our playing is really the icing on a much bigger musical cake.

Unless your chosen musical genre is completely lead-centric (such as certain styles of fusion or instrumental rock) then you’ll find yourself in the rhythm guitar chair more often than not. As session great Steve Lukather says, “I’ve been paid to play rhythm guitar 90 percent of the time. It’s harder than it looks.”