Rhythm Guitar Vs. Lead Guitar What’s The Difference?

Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between rhythm guitar and lead guitar? Hang out with me for a little bit and I’ll show you some examples and explain it too.
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[@rickyevans3845]

rhythm tends to play the same tune/chords for the entire song, lead plays the solo's and generally overpowers the rhythm in volume and aggressiveness. Even while a lead guitarist is whacking out some solo, rhythm will still be banging out the tune it started the song with. I believe that's correct anyway

[@TomasMichaud]

Sounds good. Thanks for commenting Ricky.

[@madjack1748]

I like songs with rhythm and lead. They both compliment each other if done right.

[@lol-od4ip]

@@madjack1748 check out seven by Sunny day real estate

[@adam614ce]

@@lol-od4ip They were amazing

[@edwinwilkerson6051]

you answered the question this guy talked a lot but did not say anything...John played lead on "get back" because george left the band ..John said it was not easy for him

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

I find that rhythm guitar is way harder to play well than lead guitar because you have to master dozens of chords and change fast and keep in lock with bass and drummer. So why is it that bands want only a veteran guitar player for lead?

[@TomasMichaud]

Thanks for commenting Renaissance Man. For most people, it's more difficult to be good at soloing. Maybe it's a natural skill for you.

[@Elguapo93]

Because lead can't stuff up

[@michaelonesley9004]

Rythm is harder to play

[@psk5896]

@@michaelonesley9004 depends on the music you're playing ofcourse

[@lethumthiyane5245]

I personally have had a lot more training in rhythm guitar so I personally find rhythm guitar easier But everyone’s different

[@tacolo1417]

Thomas Michaud: Have you ever wondered what‘s the difference between rythm guitar and lead guitar? Me: that‘s.. why i‘m here

[@_greenfox_6876]

Hello there!

[@Deathworm-eg5lt]

Hello there!

[@whatilearnttoday5295]

Learn your scales.

[@albert20001000]

Thank you for letting me know the difference! I'm learning to play guitar now!

[@TomasMichaud]

Thanks for commenting Albert. I wish you the best.

[@deanfernandes4048]

Also I would love to learn how to play the examples in this video. Sounds really good

[@TomasMichaud]

great to hear that, Dean :) Hazel Starland Guitar Customer Support

[@No1WillMakeItOutAlive]

Thanks for making this I was confused

[@michelledaley55]

I really needed to know the difference. thanks so much. Good to hear about double stops as well. Can't do it but good to know.

[@TomasMichaud]

Glad this helped Michelle.

[@deanfernandes4048]

Amazing explanation. To the point with examples. Love you man. Learning a lot from your videos. Keep the friendly vibe going.

[@TomasMichaud]

Thanks you Dean. I really appreciate it. - Tomas

[@deniseschnurr1765]

Thank you for a en explanation that a non-player can understand. You have a nice demeanor; you must be a great teacher.

[@skajl1208]

Thanks for this video! Me and my friends have recently been discussing starting a band, and the role of rythm guitar was left to me while my friend took the lead guitar, and this video really helped me understand the implications and differences between the two!

[@nelusan]

Great explanations. Thanks! I just adore how we can find videos about Everything on the internet. Love it.

[@EverythingIsLit]

This was so helpful! I always wanted someone to articulate the difference between lead guitar and rhythm, and you've done it so well here. Thanks!

[@TomasMichaud]

Glad it was helpful MaKaila!

[@freddriscoll9672]

Thankyou Tomas its refreshing to have someone who explains things in layman terms .Not someone showing their expertise on guitar and and explaining stuff all else Great Work

[@TomasMichaud]

Glad it was helpful Fred!

[@mathiasgodwin5357]

Thanks sir Tomas, for that shot vid. it really saves a lot of time doing some googling

[@TomasMichaud]

You're very welcome Mathias.

[@sami6909]

I personally believe that leads are way hard than the rhythm part. As we have to memorize each fret and pick them faster. Rhythm is easy due to a bunch or chords and the strum pattern. And even lead guitarists are giver higher importance than rhythm, but without a rhythm the song is incomplete.

[@tweets9349]

Rhythm needs to master all chords not just simple major ones. Doing this requires you to memorize and learn your fretboard. Both are vital for the song

[@zakman6975]

Thank you for clearing this up for me, also, you are really good at guitar so well done. Keep on strumming Tomas:)

[@TomasMichaud]

Thank you so much for the kind words.

[@joshuastoute9]

Your lessons are great. Thank you!

[@parchment52]

awesome finally cleared that up for me

[@rowliv]

Thank you. I look forward to enrolling in your beginner course.

[@TomasMichaud]

I look forward to seeing you there!

[@jordencharles4830]

I think a true guitar player can play both and a main thing when it comes to lead following the chords!!!! Like your solos will make so much sense, you can play the scales in the key but really it will give a song a whole new feel if you follow the chords!

[@evieweavy1695]

Thank you so much you have just helped me pass my Music Exam

[@joeloliver2279]

Thanks for this I’m learning guitar and haven’t decided on how I want to play and this vid really helped me see the differences between them

[@TomasMichaud]

Glad I could help Joel!

[@BrooklynCat100]

Thanks man, I just started playing guitar, so this was insightful. I liked what you played.

[@TomasMichaud]

Thank you for stopping by.

[@joscamp25]

I think you made a video that explained the subject matter well. Don't know if you have done it in newer videos, but a suggestion I would have would to maybe get a buddy that can help jam with you to give more of a hands on example.

[@devanshtandon860]

A guitarist who plays tabs/notes will be called a rhythm guitarist or a lead guitarist ? Edit: pls reply fast

[@TomasMichaud]

Hi Devansh. Reading notes and tabs applied to both rhythm and lead.

[@devanshtandon860]

@@TomasMichaud ok thanx a lot !!

[@PaperClipFlip]

Thank you for doing this! Very helpful.

[@Brusli795]

Very much well Said. Thanks for the ideas. What kind of Style Secondhand Serenade is? Playing Guitar and he is also the Singer.

[@eduardsfetcu4657]

So to put this in an easier manner: Rhythm: chords Lead: fingerpicking

[@TomasMichaud]

Hi Eduard. I think of lead as more single notes... melody or when someone takes a solo.

[@eduardsfetcu4657]

Hello! Yeah, I was thinking of that too. I’m pretty new to guitar. Thanks for replying!

[@allans7281]

When a song starts, is the lead guitar playin the rift along with the rhythm guitar? What’s the relationship between the two in the beginning of the song? I typically think of a lead guitar as mainly playing the games solo. Thx :) Fun video

[@TomasMichaud]

Hi Allan. The lead guitar is most prominent during the solo. I don't know any clear relationship for the beginning of a song. It could play a riff, to play rhythm, and many other possibilities.

[@tailsfox45]

You are an extremely pleasant person

[@bubibu1141]

*It's difficult in words, but it's like...* Lead Guitarist = tiniwniw ti ni niwniw tin tininiwtininiw Rhythm Guitarist = Bbrrrrngdeng deng dedeng deng

[@sanghaitwist9844]

I get it now. That was more than enough of an explanation.

[@void4955]

i've seen your comment in some other video too

[@jellywisee]

yow HAHAHAHA legendary intro

[@kurtlol7131]

this helps a lot bc i'm the rhythm guitarist of my band

[@TomasMichaud]

Glad I could help Kurt.

[@donpedroelbuey8151]

If you are writing a song that will include both a rhythm and lead which part would you write first? Generally speaking.

[@TomasMichaud]

Hi Don Pedro. Thanks for asking. The answer depends on what you consider "writing a song". If you mean a song with chord changes and lyrics you could either write the melody first and add the chords afterward, or create the chord structure and add melody to it. There's no 1 Right Way to do this. I actually do both… Whichever seems to come first, more often I come up with the melody. I don't write lyrics so not an issue for me. But I think some songwriters write lyrics first and then collaborate with someone to write the music. If you're talking about playing lead guitar as in soloing that almost always comes afterward.

[@donpedroelbuey8151]

Thank you!

[@mandag34]

When I was young I used to say that I liked songs with good rythm. I liked Michael jackson Prince and my friends were very into Rock and Roll I did not actually like the Solos and all of that. Then I grew up and I kind of forgot about what I liked about music and other things like that. Then very recently Covid kicked in and I decided to learn Guitar. What did I fall for first? Rythm Guitar. I love it. Its much more satisfying to play a good rythm than Lead.

[@urbanrc7237]

Hi I'm a beginner and I know seven nation army and smoke on the water. I'm considering getting an electric for my birthday but I'm not sure what I should get. I'm going to a guitar shop to try ones out and pick one I like but I'm not sure what to get. Should I get a cheaper lead and rhythm or a good rhythm/lead but only get one.

[@Omnilaady2943]

So say a rhythm guitarist joins a band with: a bass player, drummer, keyboard player, and a lead guitar player. Would the new rhythm Gutiar have to work with both the drummer and bass player, while of course coordinating with the lead guitarist. Or does the rhythm Gutiarist has to be something of an amplifier with everyone in the band

[@iamwaterboy-1731]

Would you say the riff at the start of Back in black or Smells like teen spirit is lead or rhythm? 🤔

[@stn0505]

i frequently see people playing the guitar. One is like playing BGM of a song and they sing, without singing you won't know what song is it. Another way is playing the song itself (like happy birthday song) you can tell right away what song is it. like the guitar is actually singing it. what do you call the styles of play? any specific names for it?

[@chrispalacios_18]

Thank you 4 your clarification.

[@CLeAnQUaRTeRz]

great video man very infromative! :)

[@downhill240]

Always interesting lessons here!

[@TomasMichaud]

Thank you :) Hazel Starland Guitar Customer Support

[@dreyes6232]

Simple answer: Lead does some crazy stuff land plays tabs While Rhythm just does chords I like rhythm more because in lead guitar u have to memorize the whole guitar tabs

[@abroadaziz7456]

can you please do tutorial of how to put the melody and song together

[@cyndidahmer9965]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@TomasMichaud]

Glad I could help, Cyndi.

[@onyxsolace5398]

amazing video, thank you Thomas

[@TomasMichaud]

My pleasure!

[@zachzee590]

Thanks for the video but question, if you wanted to get into playing finger style, would it be better to start learning rhythm or lead in order to get a base knowledge first?

[@danbenitezmusic1931]

PheonixTv Rhythm

[@burningthefields]

Fingerstyle = lead.

[@azula2399]

Well, my problem is Frank Iero and ray toro, they switch. Frank is supposed to be rythym and Ray is supposed to be lead . That’s my confusion, they switch

[@anixcour327]

a fellow man of culture

[@azula2399]

Anixcour of course Now can U explain haha

[@markhenry6486]

For a long time I wanted to learn what you just taught me. I appreciate that thank you. Mark Henry

[@TomasMichaud]

You're welcome!

[@parivaliollahi5744]

thank you so much

[@bunkosquad2000]

Q: What's a rhythm guitarist? A: Someone who can't play lead; Q: What's a bass player? A: Someone who can't play guitar; Q: What's a drummer? A: Someone who can't play an instrument; Q: What's a singer? A: Someone whose mom bought him a microphone....

[@mireillemac64]

I find you very friendly ! - Je vous trouve très sympathique !

[@TomasMichaud]

Thanks for commenting, mireillemac64.

[@jervisjordansalazar3978]

Hi Good Day. Can Lead and Rhythm used same Effets at the same time? Thankyou.

[@guitaria66636]

thanks a lot for this

[@TomasMichaud]

Most welcome!

[@ericscreeper]

Ik this is a dumb question but are lead and rhythm roles played on the same instrument

[@Gabye80]

No, there is lead jazz and a rythm trombone! Just kidding.. YES, this applies to acoustic/electric guitars, if you mean that each role has the same instrument, I think there might be cases when lead and rythm are an acoustic and an electric but really depends on the genre of the band/song that is being played.

[@lawarzgar1220]

can you tell me a lesson in online

[@TomasMichaud]

Hi Lawa, I'm pleased to share this link with you realguitaronline.com/rgs-offer-3/ - please check this out and be a member or Real Guitar School where there's tons of amazing gifts (lesson) from Tomas Michaud for a passionate guitar player like you. See you there. Hazel Starland Guitar Customer Support

[@quicogonzalez7614]

Me, a beginner guitarist: understanding the vid. 2:16: wait wtf was that. How do you do that?

[@MrKellyak47]

Tomas, l play at a gathering with only me and piano. I'm plying an acoustic guitar. with singers. piano leads. They play in basic keys, C, G etc.. do you have any suggestions on how I can make it sound better.

[@TomasMichaud]

Hi. The piano and guitar have a lot of notes in the same frequency range. It's easy to sound cluttered and muddy. Like many things there's no quick fix but much can be solved by listening carefully to how they sound together, play less than you think you should, listen to other recordings of guitar and piano together and listen for what they do that sounds good to you, record your sound and try different things. The low frequencies are the most suspect (i.e. bass notes). Just a few ideas.

[@mlaforce321]

It would have been very helpful to show how the chords and notes are typically related and provide examples or a rhythm chord progressions with various types of lead guitar techniques... Just saying.

[@TomasMichaud]

Thanks Matt. Great ideas.

[@abroadaziz7456]

to be honest you are so good

[@darkknight6325]

good one

[@TomasMichaud]

Thank you Rigil.

[@darkknight6325]

Tomas Michaud 😊

[@jackgrant9301]

I love playing guitar but I have next to zero experience playing with other people, because I dont know any musicians.

[@TomasMichaud]

It can be both scary and fun, Jack.

[@ollielast7796]

Thx

[@TomasMichaud]

Any time Ollie.

[@lynnebennett4009]

Thanks for answering my question via your demo!

[@TomasMichaud]

You are most welcome, Lynne.

[@oyasumidoge]

Why would anyone dislike this

[@TomasMichaud]

Thanks Cem.

[@DJ-hx7bl]

What guitar are you using

[@matthewi.minnick5845]

Allison McCall it looks like a high end Yamaha L-series to me. I'm not sure which model, but likely a Yamaha LL-36 or LL-56 if I had to guess.

[@matthewi.minnick5845]

Allison McCall it's actually a Yamaha LL-16RD

[@MrTyler7707]

John Lennon vs. George Harrison

[@lawarzgar1220]

have a flamenco lesson

[@zarlodious1]

You are awesome thanks for the video!

[@TomasMichaud]

You're welcome, zarlodious1

[@lawarzgar1220]

can you tell me a lesson

[@devinbruce1176]

He sounds like king candy from reck it ralph😄

[@monkey-trial...6578]

He sounds a bit like Norm Mc Donald.

[@bobloblaw9791]

Rhythm guitar is for singers that don’t know what to do with their hands

[@nealdew71]

You should be demonstrating more than talking. You not the only one.

[@patrickshenton769]

You look a bit like Paul Simon.

[@mjs2016]

The difference is that a good lead player gets all the chicks but a good rhythm player gets all the guys

[@itsthatsimple7237]

🤣🤣🤣

[@toddbristol7613]

Just wonderful, been searching for "advanced guitar scales tabs" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Ronthan Janvelyn Genie - (just google it ) ? It is a great one off guide for discovering how to play Guitar Solos minus the hard work. Ive heard some decent things about it and my partner got cool results with it.

[@nicorepetto5781]

Sounds like White Tyson

[@isabelgarcia1175]

Cheers for this, been searching for "learn to play lead guitar fast" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Ronthan Janvelyn Genie - (search on google ) ? It is a smashing one off guide for discovering how to play Guitar Solos minus the normal expense. Ive heard some decent things about it and my work buddy got amazing results with it.

[@whatilearnttoday5295]

There is no difference. "I just play rhythm guitar." is simply a cop-out where people relegate themselves to mediocrity by refusing to learn their scales.

[@dfe9957]

Im the 801st like

[@TomasMichaud]

Cool! Thanks Eddy.

[@sale9667]

the thimplest thrythm thuitar thechnithe

[@aaron1847]

Freddie Rose seriously? you made me laugh

[@ruudboy26]

Lmaooooo

[@_DixonCider]

You're dithpicable.

[@milespiol4479]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA

[@RogaEgy]

Thx. I wanted to know the difference, and thankfully, you clarified it simply 🙏🤍

[@TomasMichaud]

Happy to help!

[@Hale-Bopp]

This is awesome! Thank you for explaining.

[@TomasMichaud]

You're welcome.