Jim Kelly's Guitar Workshop - "R&B Rhythm"

As the title imiplies, this is a rhythm guitar study. It is a good groove to work on and relies a lot on the use of string muting. The single note lines are strummed - that is, they are treated like chords. This is accomplished by muting strings with your fretting hand (left hand). Blocking the sound of the surrounding strings allows you to get more aggressive with the strumming and helps in creating the groove. This is common in funk stuff as well as with players like Jimi Hendrix.

Work on the muting and the feel, it will probably be stiff at first, but after you play it a while it will loosen up.

A good exercise for this style of muting is to hold down one note, say D on the 5th fret of the A string with your first finger. Now strum with the pick, but get only the one note. Use the side of this finger, slightly arched to block the other strings. Be sure to experiment with the angle to get the right results. Next try holding notes on other strings, for instance A on the 7th fret of the D string, and figure a way to mute the surrounding strings while strumming.

Learn more about Blues Guitar Workshop online course at Berkleemusic

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