I've been asked by my friends friend to join his nirvana cover band. It is a great opurtunity, cause nirvana are my faveourite band and all, but there's one problem; they have a lead guitarist and they need rythm(how do you spell it?) guitarist. Now, playing rythm's just not my thing, I think one band needs one guitarist, cause the rythm guitar dude usually gets discriminated alot, like I mean they cant do much, you know what I mean?
They offered me a vocalist and rythm guitar dude spot, should I take it?

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riley

Thats a load os 5h1te bro. Rhythm guitarists do a HELL of a lot for a band. Perfectly timing a rhythm to make the drummer sound as though his drums are playing chords is one of the hardest jobs out there. In some cases it can be harder than riffing. Saying that Nirvana have no lead riffs anyway and their lead guitar is simpler than most rhythm guitarists [edit] as you would perseve them.

Granted a Nirvana tribute wont be difficult but if you think rhythms a walk in the park then you should really listen to Pete Townshend, Izzy Stradlin, Malcolm Young, Keith Richards, Brad Whitford and James Hetfield and then imagine their respective bands without them.

If they didn't do much then why are they there?

Listen to Appetite for Destruction and just leave the left ear in (Izzy's side) and then tell me they don't do much.

Yours sincerely

A disgruntled rhythm guitarist...

CC

p.s. Go for it man, a band is a band, I think t would do you good but you need to widen your tastes IMO. Best of luck.

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I dont like bands with two guitarist's in them, its just like having two drummers. It would suck. And Its not cause nirvana didn't have two guitarists (I dont worship nirvana, there just one of my faveourite bands), I have no f***ing clue why I wont like being a rythmist, its just not my thing.

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riley

Towards the end Nirvana did indeed have 2 guitarists, his name was Pat Smear, they also did in their early days.

Rythm guitar isn't lead without the solos man, it's a different style of playing.

Not all the guitarists I mentioned were in 2 guitar bands. Pete Townshend was in The Who man.

Its NOT the same as having 2 drummers man. They play completely different things. Those guys I mentioned were in acts far more legendary and technically proficient than Nirvana.

You have an annoying generic perception of what rhythm guitar is it seems. You really need to broaden your horizons bro.

CC
CC

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I absolutely have to agree wilth Celtic on this issue. Every one of those names he listed were MONSTER rythm players! Also, take Stevie ray vaughn for a good example of serious blues rythm jamming right along with his lead riffs! check him out on youtube, and while you're at it, put attention to Pete townsends wild man rythm act in won't get fooled again for starters. I'll bet if you put some time in at youtube checking out the names listed in these posts, that you will never be the same! Hey, why not give rythm a fair try, you haven't anything to lose, right? Ask anyone, a strong rythm background will definetly improve your lead chops man! Being able to play at all is a gift, play it all, even things that may not be your first choice can really grow on you and you just might find a whole lot of pure joy, sometimes in what you'd least expect to ever be playing.

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I believe in Christianity as i believe that the sun has risen. not only because i see it, but because by it, i see everything else. C.S. Lewis

At least they didnt ask you to play bass

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Rated "M" for meaty.

It's all about playing isn't it?

I wonder if Dicky Betts minded doing rhythm for Duane Allman when they weren't doing duet leads?

Sounds like it would be fun man. I wish I was good enough to get asked to play. Go for it.

Go for it Riley.You'll become a better player and expand your abilities..... Mike

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

You're questioning playing in a band because they want you to play rhythm? Suck it up buttercup, everyone has to pay their dues. Besides you'll never be a great guitarist unless you're a great rhythm player.

Do you think Clapton whines when he plays backup for Doyle? BB didn't mind playing for Bonamassa when he was 10. Albert certainly didn't mind backing up Stevie.

If your chops are as good as you think they are then they'll let you play lead too.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

From a bass players perspective two guitar players occasionaly drowns out what the bass is doing. The plus side for the rythm guitarist is he is normaly heard more than the bass player! Rythm players aren't at the bottom of the food chain. Heck to a regular spectator a rythm guitarist is just a guitarist. And those non musicians like guitarists the most! Most of the time! Plus you may even get a solo every once and a while if you play your cards right!

Depends on the band bro. In my own band myself and the bass never clash unless its intended for a power chorus or something to put beef in the song otherwise we have our own individual pockets to fill.

CC

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I realize that playing rhythm sounds like being an "assistant" manager or some other 2nd string job. But when used correctly, it's a very key role in the band. Or at least, it can be. In my old band, the rhythm player did all the fills as well as carrying the tune and being co-responsible for the bass player in monitoring the audience.

True, when we played songs just like the record, the bass and rhythm were sometimes redundant. But when we played them our way, they complimented each other. If you think about it, there are some very well known rhythm players (Bob Wier comes to mind) who are/were a core part of their band's sound.

A good rhythm player (like a good bass player) is hard to find and a great one is scarce.

Besides, you can be honest with them up front and say you're willing to sit in and see how it goes, but no promises. As long as you're straight about it and don't leave them the day before a gig, I'd say give it a shot!

see, the whole cause for this thread is because the general public a long time ago placed the lead guitarist on a pedestal. social conventions made it mandatory for a traditional rock/blues band to have a lead guitarist wailing away in every song. frankly, i think that may be one reason why many people are losing touch with the blues. it's been done, over and over and over (next to the repetition of the same 1,4,5 progression). it might be safe to say that most musicians are guitar players, and i feel like the "value" of the guitar as an instrument is decreasing because there are so many people playing it and trying to be the next great blooz god. call it inflation if you will. we need something to break the redundancy.

as another guitarist, i've been trying to think outside of the box, and i don't try to place focus on myself in any band i play with. i threw out the terms "rhythm" and "lead" a while ago, and i prefer blending both roles together. one of my bands had 2 guitar players, myself as one of them. whenever we list band members, i try to list us simply as (first name last name) - Guitars. forget who's lead and who's rhythm. it's all useless jargon.

think of it this way...many multi-guitar bands saw the lead/rhythm roles being shared amongst the players. it wasn't always the same guy playing the solo. in my band, we each tended to play lead on different songs. playing live, we would extend songs by doing trade-off's for fun. or then there were times when BOTH guitarists were needed to play the solo (insert southern rock band here).
i dont know, there aren't any rules, but there's no reason why the "2nd guitarist" shouldnt have the option to step up front. its still music, still playing an instrument, it should also be equally expressive in the artistic sense. (but then again, i'm one of the few who appreciate drum and bass solo's when appropriate, so maybe i'm biased).

if you ask me, it's all become one big misconception, convoluted with slanted ideals. just plain stupid. like i said, there are no rules, so what exactly have we been abiding by for the past 30 years?

i've said it before, but i like when the band is setup in such a way that the guitar is on the same level as everyone else. likewise, i like when there is only ONE guitarist, as i do prefer this for myself. (to be clear, i have been performing with a larger band lately, not the typical power trio, which helps support this setup). but being the only guitarist can be interesting because it forces you to think creatively, and you can drop back and step forward in the mix as suitable without stepping on the toes of another guit player. you can switch between lead and rhythm all throughout, with "lead" meaning small fills. again, playing in a smaller band is more challenging this way because there's more space to fill. i like larger bands with all different instruments because you get a whole different feel. everyone is more laid back, contributing to the music in their own way, and occasionally someone might step up to take a brief lead. no one is above anyone else in any hierarchal way. but we're talking about Nirvana, so i shouldn't go too far off-topic.

its nice to not have to play guitar solo's every song. even i get tired of hearing it. solo's shouldn't be mandatory, which is the evil of rock music.

I think I see where you are coming from on this one.

Indeed, the ignorant attach certain stigmas to rhythm players as being failed lead players who have accepted the 'fact' that they are of minimal skills and have assumed their rather disgraceful place in the pecking order; and then there's the equally ridiculous notion that bass players are merely failed guitar players entirely. Preposterous? Of course, but these are real and widespread concepts.

Playing in a band, one has to remember that they are essentially catering to the general public who forms their own perceptions and although not necessarily accurate, one does indeed, get a label. This can be good, bad or anywhere in between depending on said band's social/musical circles and the 'mob mentality' of the circles. And let's not forget, many a band mate is not immune to this brand of ignorance either.

Logic dictates three choices: Put up with it, change it or avoid it.

Apparently, you already have a whole bunch of resentment with the rhythm player idea. Even if you considered coming in as a singer only, you'd always despise the other guitar player's presence and subliminally want him to fail at every turn so you could assume his duties. Here too though, faulty premise = faulty conclusion where marginal (if any) constructive purposes are served.

The bottom line: For the benefit of ALL concerned and especially yourself of course, I'd pass. I would however, evaluate my personal objectives in a band playing situation and let it be known as appropriate. If you can back it up, fine. If you can't, diligently work on it until you can.

As always, this is IMO, YMMV.

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You dig?

I fail to see how a decision can be made not to be a rhythm player after quite clearly proving bugger all knowledge on the role and solidifying that with a statement of not listening to 2 guitar music.

Especially when almost ALL one guitar bands record more than 2 or more guitars anyway.....

CC

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