Riff using half notes
Lesson time: (1min 44sec)
Tommy Webb builds a simple riff on the open E and the G at the third fret, using half notes so you feel how a two-beat note changes the rhythm.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Guitar Method: Rock & Pop
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Lesson Example Three: Notation and Rhythm
In this example, we're sticking with the same pitches: the open E string and the G on the third fret. However, what changes is the length of the note.
Half Notes Explained
- Half Notes: These are represented by heads that are not colored in, but still have a stem coming off them.
- As mentioned previously, half notes last for two beats:
1, 2; 1, 2.
Bars Overview
- Bar 1: Two open E strings played in half notes.
- Bar 2: Third fret (G note) followed by an open E string.
Playing the First Two Bars:
When played together, it sounds like:
1, 2; 1, 2; 1, 2; 1, 2.
This pattern is then repeated in bars 3 and 4, taking the first two bars and copying them into the second two.
Practicing the Rhythm
Before we start playing the track, it's a good idea to practice switching between quarter notes and half notes. This can be done just on the open E string.
Suggested Practice Pattern
- Four Open Quarter Notes
- Two Half Notes
- Repeat: Four Quarter Notes and Two Half Notes
It would sound like this:
1, 2, 3, 4; 1, 2; 1, T; 1, 2, 3, 4; 1, 2; 1, T.
This exercise is designed to help us feel how those different notes interact and to get used to playing at various speeds.
Tempo Adjustment
You'll notice this example is set at 100 BPM, up from the 90 BPM we were looking at before. Therefore, the counting and the music will be a bit quicker.
Recommendation
You may want to practice this a few more times before trying with the backing track, just to familiarize yourself with the phrase and to build up your speed.
About the instructor
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. read more