30 Rhythm Guitar Grooves You Must Know

Skill Building Guitar Course from David Isaacs

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The guitar is predominantly a rhythm instrument. Just like lead guitar, there's a certain vocabulary that a rhythm guitarist should have under their fingers. David Isaacs breaks down 30 common rhythm grooves and delivers them to you in this groove pack!

31 Lessons

Complete course with step-by-step lessons and practice examples.

Multi-Camera

Course filmed with 6 cameras for the perfect angles.

93% Appoval

56 of 58 of our members have given this their approval.

Tabs & Info

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Included

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Full Course Breakdown

David Isaacs provides 30 individual rhythm guitar grooves that you can cut your teeth on. If you've got a good rhythmic feel, but need some ideas on individual groove, this course is for you!

Begin the Course
1

30 Rhythm Guitar Grooves You Must Know Introduction

To get started, David introduces us to this rhythm grooves pack and discusses how you'll move forward.

7:35 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

2

Straight Backbeat

To get us started off, David delivers a straight-up rock groove.

5:44 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

3

Backbeat Shuffle

This one, like the last you'll be emphasizing that backbeat. You'll add a shuffle to make things interesting.

5:22 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

4

Pulse

Against a pulsing kick drum, you'll be playing a running eighth note pattern, in what is one of the most common rhythmic grooves in Pop and Rock.

6:06 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

View this Lesson
5

Eighth Note Shuffle

For this groove, you'll be taking ideas from the last lesson and adding a shuffle to it.

6:57 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

6

Pushed Three

This groove has a push on the three which is shifted an eighth note early.

5:50 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

7

Pushed Backbeat Shuffle

Like the previous groove, you'll use a pushed three, but add a shuffle feel.

7:07 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

8

Classic Stomp

This riff surrounds a classic stomping rhythm and makes use of some satisfying crunch on the tone.

6:52 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

9

Stomp Shuffle

This riff like the last will surround a stomping rhythm while adding a shuffle feel.

6:54 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

10

Syncopated Kick

We're now getting into more complex grooves and riffs that will be incorporating syncopated elements.

6:15 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

11

Syncopated Shuffle

Just like the last riff, this one introduces the shuffle feel.

5:42 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

12

Accented Offbeats

This riff is an R&B-influenced rock riff with an accented backbeat.

6:03 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

13

Offbeat Shuffle

This riff adds a shuffle feel to the offbeat rhythm in a Blues/Rock genre.

6:17 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

14

Boom Chick

This groove harkens back to Country and Americana with the classic Boom Chick rhythm.

6:09 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

15

Offbeat Snare Shuffle

This groove is not only a shuffle, but it's designed to really accentuate the offbeat snare in the track.

4:55 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

16

Train

This riff is designed around the classic country train beat.

5:48 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

17

Swamp Pop Shuffle

This riff has a very familiar down south "swamp" vibe in a shuffle rhythm.

6:00 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

18

Sixteenth Note Hi-Hat

This groove has a repeating pattern on the hi-hat that you'll be grooving around.

6:08 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

19

Half Time Shuffle

This riff makes use of the "half-time" groove.

7:37 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

20

Bo Diddley Beat

This riff should be familiar. It takes advantage of the classic "Bo Diddley" beat.

6:17 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

21

Swinging Street Beat

This groove is designed around a street beat you might here in New Orleans.

6:58 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

22

Four on the Floor

This groove moves around a straight quarter note kick drum known in musical circles as the "Four on the Floor" beat.

6:05 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

23

Surf

This riff is all about that crazy surf rhythm from days gone by!

5:47 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

24

Funky Break

This one gets funky with syncopated chords that flow with the strong beats of the drum section.

7:25 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

25

Smooth Pushed

We're once again working with pushed rhythms, like we did previously. This one has a smooth riff built around it.

6:36 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

26

Half Time Stomp

This groove goes back to the stomp rhythm you tackled previously, this time with a half time feel.

6:47 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

27

Blues Rumba

This riff is a blend of classic blues with a Caribbean Rumba flavor.

8:02 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

28

Funky Rock

This riff gets funk with some rock influence that harkens back to the jam band era.

6:18 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

29

Triplet Soul

This soul-influenced riff takes advantage of a triplet feel.

7:27 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

30

Syncopated Stomp

You'll once again be working with that rock stomp feel, but this time you'll be syncopating the riff.

7:36 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

31

Ringing Six

This groove is a classic rock staple in the time signature of 6/8.

6:42 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

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David Isaacs

56

Dave Isaacs Group

  • Nashville, Tennessee
  • Playing since 1980
  • 478 lessons at JamPlay
Begin Course
Nashville-based Dave Isaacs has made a name for himself as one of Music City's top guitar instructors, working with both professional and aspiring songwriters and artists at his Music Row teaching studio. He is also an instructor in the music department at Tennessee State University and is the coordinator and artistic director of the annual TSU Guitar Summit.

A seasoned performer as well, Dave has released eight independent CDs and gigs steadily as a solo artist, bandleader, and sideman. He continues to write, record, and perform as well as arranging and producing projects for other artists.

Reviews & Feedback 93/100 with 58 ratings
fiuzzoli

All of the above!

Arturiux

Most guitarist I know want to learn lead guitar as the name leading guitar puts you at the top of the chain. However not too many understand that rhythm is the foundation of a good lead guitar. This is by far one of the best topics I have found

JustinKurz68

Wish he played a little longer at the end of the video with the backing track. Maybe like 30 second longer