Riff accenting the strong note
With
Tommy WebbA beginner rock riff that lands a firm accent on beat one - the G note - repeated across a four-bar phrase to lock in a punchy groove.
What's in the course
47 lessons (1h 40m) · 1 free
01. Welcome to the Course
1:41
02. Meet Your Teacher
0:40
03. Guide to the Guitar
6:52
04. Sitting with Your Guitar (Acoustic)
3:29
05. Sitting with Your Guitar (Electric)
0:49
06. How to Tune Your Guitar
4:57
07. How to Use a Guitar Pick
2:49
08. Make Your First Sound on the Guitar
2:45
09. How to Strum a Guitar
2:02
10. How to Read Music - Tab
Free lesson1:52
11. How to Read Music - Notation
3:03
12. Note Values and Rhythm
5:08
01. Introduction to Rock riffs and melodies
1:47
02. How to get a clean fretted sound
3:19
03. Riff using the E&G notes
3:30
04. Riff using the E&G notes (performance)
1:10
05. Riff accenting the strong note
You are here1:34
06. Riff accenting the strong note (performance)
0:58
07. Riff using half notes
1:44
08. Riff using half notes (performance)
0:50
01. Intro to Rock pt2 and my Gibson Les Paul
1:10
02. Riff combining half notes & quarter notes
1:36
03. Riff combining half notes & quarter notes (performance)
0:56
04. Melody A combining 4 notes
4:00
05. Melody A combining 4 notes (performance)
0:57
06. Melody B combining 4 notes
2:32
07. Melody B combining 4 notes (performance)
0:55
08. Rock City - bars 3&4
2:18
09. Rock City - bars 3&4 (performance)
0:58
10. Well done on the Rock section
0:17
01. Intro to the pop section and rests
1:14
02. Riff with rest on beat 3
3:36
03. Riff with rest on beat 3 (performance)
1:04
04. Riff using F note with rests
2:53
05. Riff using F note with rests (performance)
1:05
06. Melody using C note and rests
4:59
07. Melody using C note and rests (performance)
0:54
08. Summary of Pop part 1
0:55
01. What is a Fender Telecaster
1:05
02. Melody with a D note
3:51
03. Melody with a D note (performance)
1:10
04. Melody using whole notes
2:34
05. Melody using whole notes (performance)
0:57
06. Riff combining note values
2:32
07. Riff combining note values (performance)
1:03
08. Party People bars 13-16
2:23
09. Party People bars 13-16 (performance)
1:22
Lesson transcript
Example 2: Strong Beats in the Bar
In this section, we're going to look at Example 2, focusing on the strong beats of the bar. Remember:
- The strong beat is always beat one.
Counting the Beats
As we've been doing, let's count:
1, 2, 3, 4.
1, 2, 3, 4.
1, 2, 3, four.
To help differentiate, we're going to play our G note now on beat one.
Playing the G Note
- The G note is located on the top E string (big E string), which corresponds to fret number three.
- Use your third finger for this.
We will play the same rhythms as in Example 1:
- All quarter notes
- All even
- All the same
Repeating the Phrase
We have the same example of the first bar repeated three more times, giving us a four-bar phrase.
Strong Beats Breakdown
In the first bar:
-
On beat one, which is our G, pluck slightly harder.
-
Follow this with three open E strings.
-
Pluck the open strings as normal, but a little softer than the G.
Listening for the Downbeat
As you practice, you'll notice:
"You can really feel that downbeat coming down on bar one, which is what the heavy rock sound is all about."
Practice Routine
Let's give that second example a go:
- As always, I'll play the first time, you play the second time.
- We'll alternate back and forth twice, with a four-beat count in between every take.
Take a few minutes to practice this slowly before we go over the backing track.
Remember: Focus on getting that strong downbeat a little harder, followed by the open E strings afterwards.
47 lessons
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Tommy Webb is a London-based guitarist who completed a BA(Hons) Degree in guitar at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, studying under Sandy Beales (One Direction, Wheatus) and Nicolas Meier (Jeff Beck). His own playing moves freely across rock, pop, indie, hip-hop, country and metal - the exact ground his guitar methods cover.
Tommy has worked with a wide range of artists and bands across the country, including Jarki Monno and Indira May, sharing stages and sessions with guitarists Paul Murray (Jess Glynne, Zak Abel) and Adam Chetwood (Paolo Nutini, Mark Ronson), and drummers Alex Woodward (Black Honey), Luke Robinson and “Bambi Music” (N-Dubz, Lethal Bizzle, Wretch 32, Tinie Tempah).
On stage, he has performed at the Jazz Cafe opening for soul singer Jocelyn Brown, plus venues and festivals including Ronnie Scott's, Troy Bar, The Watford Colosseum, Camden Assembly, Kensington Roof Gardens, Notting Hill Arts Club, Meraki Festival and Sundown Festival.
On record and radio, Tommy has played live sessions for BBC Three Counties Introducing, Vibe FM and Pulse 88, with tracks featured on BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2. He has recorded at studios including South Lanes Brighton, Hempstead Road and Titan Studios with producers such as Steph Carter (Gallows, Lyoness) and TMS / Froe Barnes (Lewis Capaldi, Dua Lipa).
In his guitar methods, Tommy passes all of that working-musician know-how on to you - teaching the techniques, tones and feel behind real styles, from rock and pop to indie, hip-hop, country and metal, so you can play the music you actually love.
