Recommend some intermediate level rhythm guitar songs

[cantstoplt021]

I'm looking to get my rhythm guitar better since I've been neglecting it lately and I'm wondering if the lovely people of TGP have any suggestions for some songs. No genre specifically, I listen to a bunch of different styles so anything that is relatively challenging would be great. Post some funk, post some bluegrass, post some rock, some metal, etc. Also if it incorporates single lines along with strumming that would be excellent too.

I would really prefer the songs to be harmonically simple. I prefer to learn everything by ear and I'm fine with hearing single note lines and riffs, but I don't want to spend an hour trying to figure out that the guitarist is playing a Ab7b9sus4/Gb chord. Or what random voicing he is playing that I've never seen. Plus things that are easy to hear, nothing that's absolutely buried in the mix. It could be all open position chord, bar chords, and power chords. Some open string bluegrassy type stuff would be cool also since I can't do any of that now. Post your suggestions! I want to go ahead and learn the majority of what you guys post.

 

[guitarjazz]

 

[BobK]

 

[Aaron Mayo]

Done. Play the hell out of it. There's no levels to good rhythm section playing. You're either on the train or run over on the tracks.

 

[gennation]

I'm not sure what level you're playing at but when I was starting out these are two I loved playing over and over for various reason.

Purple Haze

Black Diamond

 

[cantstoplt021]

That Aretha song grooves like a mofo... wow. I swear I played along to it for about an hour and a half last night. I'm mainly just trying to get my right hand better. I also play drums so I have a good sense of time, groove and feel I just can't play rhythm guitar as well as I want. Mostly a right hand thing. I'm not a bad rhythm player, but I want to be great, more so than at soloing. Speed is definitely an issue as is consistency with my strumming. Sultans of swing would be great to learn also. I'm also gonna work on some incubus songs. Keep the recommendations coming

 

[IGuitUpIGuitDown]

You wanna get better at rhythm? Get a Dunlop Tortex .50 mm red pick, and learn Pinball Wizard. There are 14 different strums between EACH of those chords of the famous verse riffs, which cannot be played cleanly without a thin pick, or breaking your strings. You can actually hear Townshend's thin pick being manipulated by the 12-string's strings. That's the idea.

My main pick is a Dunlop Jazz III Black Stiffo - but for intense rhythm/strumming work, I use the Tortex .50 mm.

Learn some ska: Fishbone, The Specials, etc.
Learn some Nile Rodgers tunes - Chic/Daft Punk. "Get Lucky"

 

[Brutus]

Go with the Ramones. I don't know if it's still that way due to remixes, but the guitar used to come solely from the right speaker. Turn that off and you're the guitar player now. Once you can play that first album down picking and strumming all the way through you'll have as strong a base as you can get for rhythm playing.

 

[Phletch]

Try this one (or any other tune with Teenie Hodges playing on it). The changes are well-voiced enough to stand on their own.


And check out Tony Mowat's tutorial for comping ideas. The dude knows his R&B stuff and speaks the proper language.

 

[kinmike]

Learn how to make the changes in tempo and cleanly on "All My Loving" by the Beatles.

Mike

 

[stevel]

AC/DC is a compendium on "basic" rhythm with "basic" chords, but playing tightly and in sync, and also seeing how multiple guitar parts fit together to make a bigger sound. Beauty of this stuff is the chords are so basic it allows you to concentrate on the actual playing aspect of it. The two parts are separated in the stereo mix as well.

In the same way, the Stones takes that a step further - the chord shapes are more often subsets (and more varied), the rhythm is more intricate, the two parts are more different, but again work together as a unit. Much "looser" in a way.

 

[BobK]

Here's a nice basic one:

 

[Lephty]

I'd recommend checking out the rhythm guitar work in any and all James Brown songs.

 

[T Dizz]

Crazy Train!!!!
Intro : do do de do de do da do de da do da de da do da

Verse : dun dada de dada dun de dada dun de dada dun deeee!!!

PM me for the solo

 

[cantstoplt021]

It seems as if the stars have aligned... I wanted to start working on rhythm more and sure enough a couple days ago my friend asks me to sub for a band member in a bluegrassy acoustic band. Having never played bluegrass stuff before it's a little tough. Even the basic boom chick rhythm is a good workout as it needs to be tight and precise. I have two months till the show, but I think shedding this stuff for a little while will do wonders. I'm also having a lot of fun playing it

 

[guitarjazz]

It seems as if the stars have aligned... I wanted to start working on rhythm more and sure enough a couple days ago my friend asks me to sub for a band member in a bluegrassy acoustic band. Having never played bluegrass stuff before it's a little tough. Even the basic boom chick rhythm is a good workout as it needs to be tight and precise. I have two months till the show, but I think shedding this stuff for a little while will do wonders. I'm also having a lot of fun playing it

Excellent! Get this:
http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Bluegrass-Rhythm-Guitar-Kaufman/dp/B000297NM2

and big hat.

 

[Motterpaul]

I'm looking to get my rhythm guitar better since I've been neglecting it lately and I'm wondering if the lovely people of TGP have any suggestions for some songs. No genre specifically, I listen to a bunch of different styles so anything that is relatively challenging would be great. Post some funk, post some bluegrass, post some rock, some metal, etc. Also if it incorporates single lines along with strumming that would be excellent too.

I would really prefer the songs to be harmonically simple. I prefer to learn everything by ear and I'm fine with hearing single note lines and riffs, but I don't want to spend an hour trying to figure out that the guitarist is playing a Ab7b9sus4/Gb chord. Or what random voicing he is playing that I've never seen. Plus things that are easy to hear, nothing that's absolutely buried in the mix. It could be all open position chord, bar chords, and power chords. Some open string bluegrassy type stuff would be cool also since I can't do any of that now. Post your suggestions! I want to go ahead and learn the majority of what you guys post.

 

[satisphied]

mt