Patricia Monture Angus

Muted hard rock rhythm is all about using just the right amount of distortion and then muting the strings to create a tight sound with heavy low-end and less ringing overtones. Combined with bass and drums, muted rhythms are a great way to produce an amazingly heavy sound.

Learning the language of music and improvisation is like learning any new language. You start by articulating sounds (notes), which sounds you use to form words and sentences (licks and phrases), and which sentences you string together into stories (solos). The tricky part is connecting those licks and phrases into compelling and interesting solos.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again… killer rhythm chops gets you the gig every single time. Players with blazing lead chops are a dime a dozen today and most of them skipped all their rhythm classes to develop those chops. Their loss is your gain. Bandleaders, jammers, singer-songwriters, musical directors and the like will always pick the solid rhythm player over a skilled lead player.