Part 2: Give the notes time · Lesson 018 / 117
Accent a beat without making it early
Use strength to shape a rhythm while preserving its timing.
An accent makes an event stand out. On guitar, one simple way is to pick or strum a little more firmly. An accented note does not need to arrive early or last longer.
Play four quarter-note strums and emphasise beats 2 and 4. Listen for the change in feel while the spacing stays equal. Then emphasise beat 1 instead. The notes and tempo can remain unchanged while the pattern of emphasis changes.
The sound can also be shaped by which strings you catch or how sharply you mute. Leave those variations aside until the simple volume contrast is comfortable. One changing ingredient is easier to hear.
Avoid hitting aggressively. A useful accent may be a modest increase from a gentle background level. Relax the non-accented strokes so you have somewhere to go.
Hear it
Accents
Audio fileFour-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.
A concrete example
Soft–strong–soft–strong on counts 1–2–3–4 creates accents on 2 and 4. The time between all four attacks remains equal.
Try it, slowly
- Clap four equal beats and accent 2 and 4.
- Move the same pattern to a single note.
- Strum one chord with that emphasis, then compare a beat-1 accent.
Check one idea
What went wrong if your stronger beat 4 arrives before the click?
Show the explanation
You changed timing as well as emphasis. Slow down and make the stronger attack land on the same grid as the other beats.
A good place to stop
You can change the emphasis without unintentionally changing the tempo.
Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.