The 9 Template Rhythms and Notation
Here is a list of the 9 template rhythms with the notation version alongside. It is advisable to learn to
recognize the rhythm from the notation version as it is much easier to read when learning a new song.
Although the grids are a very effective way to learn the correct rhythm part to a song they require too
much space on the page. A single bar of notation only takes up a fraction of the space that a grid does
and as a result you will be able to read songs faster and thus learn more efficiently once you have
committed the notation version of the rhythms to memory.
Rhythm # 1 Straight 4
Grid form
STRAIGHT 4 WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm # 2 Straight 8 -
STRAIGHT 8 WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm # 3 - Rock 8
ROCK 8 WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm # 4 – Bluegrass
BLUEGRASS WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm #5 – Rhumba
RHUMBA WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm #6 – JIG
JIG WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm #6b Blues Shuffle
STRAIGHT 8 WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm #7 – Swing
SWING WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm #8 – Swing Rhumba
SWING RHUMBA WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm #9 – Swing Bluegrass
SWING BLUEGRASS WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm #10 – Waltz
WALTZ WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm #11 – Straight 8 in 3 beats to a bar
STRAIGHT 8 IN 3 BEATS TO THE BAR WRITTEN IN NOTATION
Rhythm #12 – Swing Waltz
SWING WALTZ WRITTEN IN NOTATION
USING THE GRIDS WE CAN FIT 4 BARS ON TO A PAGE BUT IT IS VERY HARD TO READ EVEN BEFORE WE
ADD THE CHORD SYMBOLS. HERE ARE 4 BARS OF A BLUEGRASS STRUMMING PATTERN IN GRID FORMAT
USING NOTATION WE CAN EASILY FIT 4 BARS OF MUSIC ON TO THE PAGE AND THE RESULT IS EASY TO
READ
EVEN WITH THE CHORD SYMBOLS
CONCLUSION
GRIDS ARE GREAT FOR LEARNING THE BASIC RHYTHMS AND THE INDIVIDUAL PARTS TO SONGS BUT ARE
INFERIOR TO NOTATION WHEN IT IS TIME TO PLAY THE WHOLE SONG. THERE ARE ONLY 9 BASIC
NOTATION PATTERNS TO MEMORIZE BY SIGHT (12 IF YOU COUNT THE WALTZ, STRAIGHT 8 IN 3 BEATS
TO THE BAR, AND SWING WALTZ). THE JOB OF LEARNING THE GUITAR USING THIS SITE IS GOING TO BE
MUCH EASIER IF YOU MEMORIZE THE NOTATION FORMS OF THE RHYTHMS