Guitar: Rhythm and Accompaniment for Stylistic Playing (10 credits)

Do you find yourself falling back on the same two or three strumming patterns, no matter what song you’re playing?

Being able to play the right chords is only part of effective guitar accompaniment. Rhythm, groove, and playing style are what help a song actually sound and feel like the music your client knows.

In Guitar: Rhythm and Accompaniment for Stylistic Playing, you’ll expand your guitar vocabulary by learning a variety of rhythm and accompaniment techniques you can use to create more stylistically appropriate, interesting, and musical performances.

Through step-by-step video instruction and hands-on practice, you’ll explore ways to move beyond your default strum and develop greater flexibility in how you accompany songs. As you build your rhythmic skills, you’ll have more options for matching your playing to different musical styles, moods, and clinical situations.

Most importantly, this course is designed to help you take those skills off the practice screen and bring them into your music therapy sessions, so your guitar playing can become more versatile, responsive, and engaging.

Printable PDF handouts are included to support your practice and give you resources you can continue using after completing the course.

In this workshop, you will learn:

How to move beyond basic strumming patterns and expand your guitar accompaniment vocabulary.
A variety of rhythm and accompaniment techniques for more stylistically diverse playing.
How rhythm and groove influence the overall feel and character of a song.
Ways to make your accompaniment better reflect different musical styles.
How to vary your guitar playing to better match the song, client, mood, and therapeutic experience.
Practical techniques for developing greater rhythmic confidence and flexibility.
How to incorporate new accompaniment skills into your everyday music therapy practice.

Course Schedule and Format

Activity Time Video – Course Opening and Part 1 Introduction 11:12

Video – Why Rhythm 5:42 Video – Single Note Picking Exercises 9:33 Practice 15:00 Video – Pick Dexterity 13:28 Practice 15:00 Video – Root to 5th 7:04 Practice 15:00

Video – Part 2 Introduction – Arpeggio Accompaniment 1:12

Video – 3/4 time Arpeggio Accompaniment 6:54 Practice 15:00

Video – 4/4 time Arpeggio Accompaniment – Song in E 6:41 Practice 20:00

Video – 4/4 time Arpeggio Accompaniment – Song in D 16:41 Practice 15:00

Video – Part 3 Introduction – Rhythm Transcribing :53

Video – Repetitive Rhythms 18:38 Practice 15:00

Video – Rhythm Transcribing part 1 25:44 Practice 20:00

Video – Rhythm Transcribing part 2 26:14 Practice 15:00

Video – Rhythm Transcribing part 3 15:02 Practice 15:00 Video – Distinct Rhythms 5:24 Practice 15:00

Video – Part 4 Introduction – Stylistic Accompaniment 1:49

Video – Country Music Style Accompaniment 7:08 Practice 15:00

Video – Jazz Music Style Accompaniment 12:34 Practice 15:00

Video – Blues Music Style Accompaniment 24:16 Practice 15:00

Video – Patriotic Music Style Accompaniment 15:16 Practice 15:00

Video – Bass Motion Style Accompaniment 10:14 Practice 15:00

Video – Rhythm Tip 6:48 Practice 15:00

Video – Closing :50

Post Test 15:00

Learning Objectives (relevant CBMT domain items)

By the end of the course instruction participants will be able to (***or begin to):

-Perform single note exercises and understand the importance of practicing them as they relate to guitar rhythm/accompaniment development. (III.A.5.a) (III.A.5.f.2)

-Demonstrate arpeggiated style picking to songs in 3/4 and 4/4 time. (III.A.5.c) (III.A.5.d)

-Apply the two concepts presented here for transcribing, then applying those rhythm/ accompaniment possibilities to songs when learning them. (III.A.5.c) (III.A.5.d) (III.A.5.i)

-Implement stylistic rhythm/accompaniment components in the popular song styles discussed here, i.e., jazz, blues, country and patriotic. (III.A.5.c) (III.A.5.d) (III.A.5.i)

*** the reason the language “begin to” is included is because all guitar players are at varying degrees of development and competency. This course covers basic information that all music therapy professionals can play and information that at times, is of a more advanced level. At this time, those with less experience can be exposed to this information then apply the more advanced techniques in the future as their skills develop.

Guitar: Rhythm and Accompaniment for Stylistic Playing is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 10 CMTEs-Continuing Music Therapy Education credits. The Spiegel Academy, CBMT Approved Provider #P-106, maintains responsibility for program quality and adherence to CBMT policies and criteria.

Class Description