Easy Melodic Rhythm Guitar

Do your rhythm guitar parts sound basic?

Do you think you need to learn something new (and complicated) to make your rhythm guitar sound more interesting?

If you think so....keep reading.

I will tell you how to make simple basic chords sound much more complex and exciting.

You can take simple first-position chords and spice them up by altering one note of the chord but keeping the other fingers in the exact location. You can instantly add melody to your rhythm using variations of the same chords. 

The first chords we will use to do this are the A minor, C major, and D minor. For the A minor chord and the C major chord, you will lift your first finger off the second string on the first fret, or you will add your pinky to the third fret on the second string. Same fingers, same frets, different chords. With the D minor chord, you will use the same fingers as before on the same frets, but this time you will do it on the high E string. 

This easy an easy way to add melody to any of those chords. If you use all three in a chord progression, you can get exciting melody lines on every chord played.

To see what it sounds like, you can check out the video below:

You can also apply the same concept to the G and D chords. With the D chord, you can add your pinkie to the third fret of the high E string or lift off your second finger on the second fret of the high e string. With the G chord, you will move the same notes on the high E string, but it will require a different fingering than you may be used to. Leaving out the second finger that typically gets played on the second fret of the fifth string frees up this finger to be used on the second fret of the high E string. The final variation has no fingers on the high e-string. If you find it challenging to keep your third finger down on the third fret of the second string, you can just take that finger off, and it will work just as well.

The same concept applies to barre chords as well. Take an A major barre chord on the 5th fret with our root note on the low E string, then lift off your middle finger and play it again. That makes the A minor barre chord. If you alternate between lifting off that finger and putting it down, it can make for an interesting-sounding embellishment of the A major. Now do the opposite, start with an A minor chord, and add the middle finger back if the dominant sound is supposed to be the A minor chord. This may not work in all situations but may work in some.

Let's take the same chord shape, the A major barre chord on the 5th fret with our root note on the low E string, and lift off your pinkie. That makes an A7 chord. Alternating between the pinkie off and pinkie down is easy, and you may like how it sounds.

 Like in the first example, we can lift off our middle finger and get a cool sound when using a D minor chord on the 5th fret with the root note on the A string. Try this in situations where you typically use that minor barre chord shape. It may sound good.

We can use the Am7 barre chord shape for this next example on the 5th fret. Your first finger will be across all strings on the 5th fret and your 3rd finger on the 7th fret on your A string. Try putting your pinkie on and off the 8th or 7th fret of the high E string. Try alternating between those two. Then Try putting your pinkie on and off the 8th fret of your B string or on and off the 6th fret with your middle finger. Try alternating between those two. Create combinations of the high E string variation in conjunction with the B string variations. The possibilities are endless.

Always have fun with your guitar, and I'll see you next time.

If you are looking to learn another excellent rhythm guitar skill, you can check out my FREE lesson on how to weave lead guitar melody lines to your rhythm guitar playing here: https://rhythmguitarlessons.net/Pro

Have you ever heard extra notes played between chords and wondered, "Why do THESE notes sound good?" or, "How can I do that?".

Most guitar players struggle to find the right notes to play between chords to make their songs sound better.

The fact is, it's easy to do once you learn how. And the result is your guitar playing sounds much more complex than it is...

This is good news for you:

I've created a brand new eGuide (yes, it's free), where I show you an easy way to connect chords with single-note melodies to sound like a pro.

The best part is it's 100% FREE (no strings attached)!

Download your copy instantly so you can instantly make your rhythm guitar playing sound better. https://rhythmguitarlessons.net/Pro

About Mark Turko: Mark Turko is a professional guitar player and instructor with over 30 years of experience and teaches guitar lessons online.

About Mark Turko: Mark Turko is a professional guitar player and instructor with over 30 years of experience and teaches guitar lessons online.