Rock Rhythm:

Common Rhythms

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"Held" Chords

There is nothing wrong with leaving lots of space, allowing the chords to ring out! This is especially true if there are other instruments playing "busy" parts, such as the keyboard in Baba O'Riley.

The Who - Baba O'Riley (1971)

The following example adds an anticipation of beat 3, coming in on the "and of 2", pushing the rhythm forward - this is super common in rock music! We'll see it again in several other examples.

Bryan Adams - It's Only Love (1984)

Straight Eighths

Straight Eighths provide a driving rhythm. These rhythms are often palm-muted to create a tight and defined sound, and are usually played with down-strokes exclusively.

Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)

The Cars - Just What I Needed (1978)

Judas Priest - You Got Another Thing Comin' (1982)

Def Leppard - Rock. (Till You Drop) (1983)

Kiss - Tears Are Falling (1984)

Great White -Once Bitten Twice Shy (1989)

Straight Eighths with Accents >

The > sign indicates an accent, which is when emphasise a note by playing it a little louder. Accents are a great way to add interest to a Straight Eights part.

Billy Idol - White Wedding (1982)

Notice that the accents in the following example follow the same rhythm as Cuts Like a Knife, with the second accent on the "and of 2".

Bryan Adams - Summer of '69 (1984)

In this example, we see the same rhythm used in bar 2, and, every 4 bars after, we see an additional accent added. This is a cool way to keep the part interesting for the listener (and the player).

Def Leppard - Stagefright (1983)

This final example uses the same rhythm, but introduces percussive mutes, where you hit the muted strings, but can't really discern the note. The accented notes jump out even more strongly in this example.

Scorpions - Blackout (1982)

Sixteenths

This is probably the most well known 16th note, or Semiquaver, rhythm - everyone knows it!

Survivor - Eye of the Tiger (1982)

This takes the same approach further by introducing additional notes.

Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen (1982)

Gallop Rhythm

The Gallop Rhythm is actually a little easier than the Sixteenth Note rhythm, as it is basically the same, but we drop the 2nd Semiquaver in each beat, so we only have to play 3 notes, not four. This rhythm is called the Gallop Rhythm because it sounds similar to the sound of a horse galloping. It has a driving feel and is almost always performed using the palm-mute technique - it is an essential rhythm for Classic Metal from the 80's. The following examples are in chronological order - you can see the variations artists have added to the basic rhythm to keep it sounding fresh!

Deep Purple - Hard Lovin' Man (1970)

Heart - Barracuda (1977)

UFO - Lights Out (1977)

Judas Priest - Stained Class (1978)

Michael Schenker Group - Cry for the Nations (1980)

In bands with two guitarists, each player will often perform different parts, with one playing the basic Gallop Rhythm, while the other will play small chords to create some "harmonic movement".

Def Leppard - Too Late for Love (1983)

Dio - Holy Diver (1983)

Metallica - Motorbreath (1983)

Kiss - Exciter (1983)

You don't have to play Gallop Rhythms exclusively - break it up! In the following song, a simple rhythm is introduced in the first couple bars, saving the Gallop Rhythm for the second half. This is great way to ensure that the listener doesn't get sick of hearing the rhythm... especially since it used so often!

Dio - The Last in Line (1984)

This is another way of 'conserving' the rhythm - in this example, the Gallop Rhythm is only used for one beat in each bar.

Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock (1984)

Ratt - Lay it Down (Drop D tuning) (1985)

Dio - King of Rock and Roll (1985)

Europe - The Final Countdown (1986)

Metallica - Battery (1986)

Reverse Gallop Rhythm

The Reverse Gallop removes the 3rd Semiquaver form out Sixteenth Note rhythm to create a Gallop variation - it kinda feels backwards! This rhythm shows all the time in more extreme rock styles, such as 80's Thrash.

Slayer - Raining Blood (1986)

Another thing that you will hear often is the combining of the Gallop and the Reverse Gallop to create an exciting rhythm that feels like it is constantly changing. Personally, I think it sounds kind of "Tribal".

Slayer - Angel of Death (1986)

12/8 Shuffle Rhythms & Triplets

These rhythms have been "borrowed" from Blues music (a huge influence on Rock music). A Triplet is three notes played in the space of one beat. These kinds of rhythms have a 'lilting' feel to them.

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (1970)

This example has a shuffle feel (some people call it a swing feel), where the quavers have a "long, short' feel.

Black Sabbath - Children of the Grave (1971)

The shuffle feel is less pronounced in this example because the are no quavers.

Iron Maiden - Running Free (1980)

Iron Maiden - Phantom of the Opera (1980)

Michael Schenker Group - Looking for Love (1981)

This figure is like a mirror image of the Running Free example; the triplets and the crotchets have been reversed.

Metallica - The Four Horsemen (1983)

An additional triplet in the 2nd bar helps to propel this riff along!

Metallica - Am I Evil? (1984)

Iron Maiden: Gallop Specialists

There is no band I associate the Gallop Rhythm with more strongly than Iron Maiden - it is a trademark rhythm showing up in many of their classic songs. Since the release of the Killers album in 1981, every album has featured one or more prominent Gallop Rhythms.

Iron Maiden - Killers (1981)

Iron Maiden - Run to the Hills (1982)

Iron Maiden - Flight of Icarus (1983)

Iron Maiden - The Trooper (1983)

Iron Maiden - Powerslave (1984)

Iron Maiden - Stranger in a Strange Land (1986)

Iron Maiden - The Evil that Men Do (1988)

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