Something I noticed when I first started to play in front of people was that there was a fairly obvious way in which people see the guitars in a band. If you are playing an electric, there is an automatic assumption that you are going to be playing “lead”. Come on stage with an acoustic guitar, on the other hand, and there will be an assumption that you are “rhythm”.

Well, those assumptions may be correct some, maybe even a majority, of the time, but they are certainly not true in all cases.

Maybe the people that this perception affects the most are electric guitar players. Pick up a sweet axe and crank up the sound, and people think you are going to be single picking a rapid series of notes that will make their ears bleed.

However, a look at most rock bands, and country bands for that matter, will show that there are two or even three electric guitars at work, and they are certainly not all being used for lead. Rock guitar is all about making different amplified instruments work together to make one harmonious sound, and that means one or two electric guitars playing rhythm.

Before you take your first country guitar lesson, then, don’t write off an electric as a lead instrument only. Beginner’s guitar lessons can help you become a great rhythm player with an electric in your hand, and you’ll be an important part of any band as well.

photo credit: SpiritMama

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