How do you keep your rhythm playing funky fresh? 💥

Ok I can’t resist. Should have called this video “The Wong way to play rhythm guitar”

That first piece of advice about thinning out the chord to avoid getting punished by the FOH person is pure gold.

His right hand deserves a Physics and Math Nobel Prize. Good god. He looks like an awesome guy, too. So humble. So gifted. So down to earth..

I'm a bassist. I've been trying to convey this message for years, decades. Harmonic information. Uh, I'm just gonna refer this video to my peeps. It's well said, with intelligence. You have done a great service. And so much more good I go here.

Cory has become such an icon in the past few years. He's like a Nile Rodgers for the KZfaq generation. Also, these are some outstanding tips! Regardless of your instrument, everything Cory just talked about applies: • The way individual instruments blend, and gel together in a band is CRITICAL! Get the mud out! • Playing in time is how a band sounds tight and professional, and every instrumentalist needs to be expert at it. • Lastly, players MUST listen as they play, and follow the band's dynamics as they happen. You're not robots. I've played in some okay bands, and the best ones understood these points. The not so good ones-or the not so good players-couldn't do these things. I would add that the larger a band gets the harder it can be to keep this stuff under control, so the band leader has to be a VERY good leader, which Cory obviously is. My best band experience was with a simple rock/funk 3 piece. Everyone had to pull their weight all the time, or else it fell apart. We got pretty tight because we had to be.

This is great. Awareness is probably the number one problem in amateur bands. Everyone just wants to be heard all the time instead of meshing and picking your spots.

I saw Corey and his band at the Sultan Room a few months ago. I know this is a rhythm guitar lesson but really the ideas of “less is more” for note choices, consistent timing, and being musically aware of how you fit into an ensemble are the essential pillars for any successful musician who wants to play in a band.

00:46 #1 Too many notes in voicing 03:13 #2 Right hand consistency and dynamics control 05:55 #3 Awareness

I play most of the solos in a two guitar cover band but when me and the other guitarist are both playing rhythm parts, I listen carefully to what he's playing on any given song and usually craft voicings that will blend with it. I don't just automatically dig my heels in and demand that he conform to what I'm doing but try to blend into what he's voicing in his rhythm parts. That's the sharing and give and take you have to have in a band with two guitarists.

Corey Wong at Sweetwater? Probably also filmed a demo for his new pedal with Jackson Audio. Can't wait for that video!

These are great tips! One rhythm tip I learned from listening to Keith Richards that I think may also be useful is keeping the rhythm dynamic-- you can write a rhythm part with a motif and slightly vary it as the song progresses to keep it engaging. I first noticed this with you cant alway's get what you want where Keith displaces the hammer on in the acoustic rhythm he's playing by a beat or 2 each time he plays it in the beginning

I played my first musical as a guitarist. All over the place i was playing 3 note chords on the highest 4 strings. Some weird voicings id never seen before. It was really eye opening.

Great advice. I once was called in to session with a gospel choir where the dudes I played with had been playing together for years. And they used to start to shred their butts off for the heck of it. I played less and less because the groove got so busy it was insane but I doubt they paid any attention to what I was doing on the guitar. Keep it phunky, Cory.

Cory is an excellent teacher. He definitely dispenses guitar wisdom. ' Sitting at his feet ' so to speak is time well spent

Great tips. I've always tried to have awareness. I'm not the fastest or technically proficient, but I get lots of compliments on my ability to make a band sound better. Cory is awesome!

I was just talking about Point #1 with a student last night - he plays in an originals band with another guitarist and keyboardist. Same issue, obviously - we discussed shell voicings on the three top strings, doing the Nile Rodgers kinda thing when things are sounding too ‘cluttered’ Cory is such an artist and killer musician - bravo! 👏

I played for decades as a rhythm guitarist in bands where often I was the only guitar. When we would bring in a lead guitarist, they would usually fight me when I would say I need to modify what I was playing to accommodate a 2nd guitar. Alone, I was filling the sound with the one guitar, with 2 guitars, each needs to thin out in order to compliment each other, not fight against each other. During parts of a song, vocals, etc., where there is not actual lead guitar or a solo, even the lead guitar is going to want to, or should want to be contributing. If I am ripping 1/8 & 1/16’s to “fill it up”, anything other than a single strum may sound to full or muddy. Work together. Often less is more. A band is teamwork, not a constant “look at me” moment, although every member should be able to get the spotlight on occasion. Have fun and as always, enjoy!

The most amazing thing to me is how he doesn’t smack the PUP selector when he’s going full tilt…that’s my biggest issue with Strats.

All good points. I'm not a musician, but the whole thing brings to mind something I heard a long time ago. "Play what serves the song the best".

Great Lesson from Cory. He seems like a good guy

As a bar musician for 45 years, how I wish this could have been seen by so many of my bandmates.

Cory, great video! Everything you described, is one of the reason Nile Rodgers was one of the best rhythm guitarists EVER! He almost NEVER touched the low strings, played a lot of notes, nor played too far down OR up the fingerboard. You nailed it! 👍

I'm more rooted in metal and guys like James Hetfield but one of the things I like about Cory is even in his funky accented rhythms is that he still gives the strings a good workout and hits the note hard when they need to be worked hard. If you need punch, hit it hard. Smack it. I see so many guitar players that don't do this.

That right hand wrist motion is inhuman. He just kinda flails it perfectly, it is incredible.

This is great advice for literally any musician on any instrument.

Because of this video on rhythm guitar, specifically by Corey Wong, I am now subscribing to Sweetwater KZfaq channel. Thank you so much among the top three rhythm guitar videos that I have seen thus far as a self taught guitarist that I aspire to be and am becoming thank you, thank you, thank you.

This advice is all gold and goes for any rhythm instrument!

I play electric guitar in a contemporary Christian worship band that consists of drums, bass, acoustic guitar, two vocals, keys, and sometimes- synth. With that many instruments happening, I've personally found that sometimes laying out entirely until the bridge or chorus is what works best for some pieces and, more often than not, a volume swell note here and there is all that is needed for verses- and then I open up with partial chords or single note lines. Any solos when they happen are generally built around the vocal line and just emphasize it. Lots of triads- rarely full chords- and I regularly ride the guitar's tone knobs which are wonderful for creating dynamics. Biggest thing is LISTENING to see what ISN'T needed in a song . . .

Excellent presentation. I’m not a rhythm guitar but your principles in this video are universal, I think. Great contribution.

I spent decades playing drums,mostly in funk bands. Cory nails it; listen and play with intention and purpose with your boys in the band,that's the gig.Go Cory,talking about the real deal.

SRV is an ever-giving well of right hand dynamics and delivery techniques.

One of the best musical lessons for any comping player‼️

This is basic, but essential, info. Gotta have all of this in your bag. Thanks for posting.

Mistake #4: Filling up every bar with 16th notes rhythmically.

Excellent vlog thanks.......nice playing

Nice one, my band is a UK three piece indie guitar band, I am the lead vocalist, rhythm/lead guitar and keys/synths player, I’ve definitely learnt over the years how important it is to lock in and listen to what the other band members are playing which is essential not to be just thinking about what you are playing and then being far too loud!! Focusing and listening to what your other members will make you a better, tighter and more creative player, locking into a bass part or a drum beat and it then pulsing through my body then makes me create things I maybe wouldn’t have thought of and can then set a rhythmic pattern, loop, phrase to then adapt and create the vocal/guitar parts to fit and follow how the other band members are playing which then develops the feel and rhythm of the whole song. When I play I am always constantly focused and listening to all the other band members which is really important and I understand others may find this hard to do as well as focusing on what you are playing yourself, myself having always been the sound engineer and producer live and in the studio has definitely helped and enabled me to do this, in my head when I’m listening to everything I always try to think of all instruments sitting on different shelves and having the part they play and where it sits within an EQ band, this works well for me. The amount of musicians I’ve seen over the years especially guitarists who don’t listen to other band members, usually end up being far too loud in the mix drowning everyone else out, they have effects pedals i.e. overdrive level/volume on full and having no dynamics, instead of just using less which then gives better dynamics and control, for me less is more and will then create a better, nicer sounding mix.

So cool to hear these tips. So unique to see the art of rhythm playing. I had no idea.

Sir you are a great communicator. Makes it easier to learn.

Wow there's actually some really useful tips in here, I wasn't expecting that. I expected to hear the same things you find in 9 out of every 10 videos. The one about using simpler chord voicings is a really good thing to know.

Good stuff. Over the years I kinda figured most of this out on my own, but it's great to hear it articulated so well.

Reassuring and encouraging to know I am not the only one making these mistakes! Many thanks As well as for the technical reasons you gave, I also think awareness and listening is important for finding your place in the vibe.

The first one makes me happy because I’ve been insecure about the way I play chords for rhythm on the higher four strings with three notes a chord. For some reason I thought it was the wrong way and I see other players practicing with larger chords and think they sound great but I never heard them in a band setting. I drew inspiration from funk guitarists and that’s how I even play my acoustic.

Solid advice. Really the top 3 for playing in a band. Even if you can only play 1 chord shape, but do these 3 things well, than you will valuable to a band.

One of the most down to earth, simply just being a great human. Gosh, what a guy.

This is great video, especially if you’re at that intermediate level of guitar play. Good advice, its worth the time watching.

might be the best music lesson I've ever received. Cory Wong is the best

Just the best advice! I've been screaming about this for years! Bravo Cory 👏

So glad I watched this. Every thing said was spot on with issues in my playing. The attack mechanics are great. I have been practicing Bohannon riffs to help.

excellent advise for musicians wanting to be in a band and make it work. last point about listening to the band more than focusing on your part is so important for me as i play by ear. usually i change my input to suit, rather than ask someone else to change, especially someone else who hasn't got the play by ear happening yet. worst thing is when someone learns tab to a song and it clashes with the band. it takes a lot of time to fix and sometimes they can't hear it clashing. practice using your ears.

A great player I knoew has always said ignore the leftt hand that will come but the right hand is the absolute key. brilliant lesson !!

Clear, concise, and awesome.

Thinning things out and slowing down…I actually *have* to do this now because I’ve carpal tunnel in both hands and cannot hold a barre chord or a complex chord without pain. My entire approach to the instrument is in flux. I’m glad I watched this video, now I’m low key thrilled by the innovations I’ll have to make!

This is GOLD. Thank you Cory and Sweetwater!

Tge collab i didn't know I needed.

Cory is funky, and an awesome educator!

The two note chord had a third note in it which was a harmonic that was ringing during the two notes.

Excellent information. Thanks!

This is gold! Thank you!

Finally someone made a guitar video worth watching! Thanks!

This was super helpful and helped my process of writing chord progressions

Thank you Cory and Sweetwater!

This Amp sounds AMAZING!!! Love it

Thank you Sweetwater and Cory Wong for making this video. This is gold

Mind-boggling rhythm chops. Love it

What I noticed more than anything was the fluid, loose movement of your right wrist that gives such punch to your rhythms. Master class.

Great stuff Maestro! Absolutely love the work you did with Dave Koz and I’m even more nuts over the stuff you did with Dirty Loops! Just phenomenal.

Absolutely love Cory Wong! How to play like him… step one remove all bones in the wrist of your picking hand 🤣

Wow! Thank you! Amazing control.

Cory Wong is remarkable. Such an artist with such remarkable breadth. The storylines he creates and the production quality of the videos he puts together for his youtube channel are so cool.

My 54 years of playing guitar (and bass) agrees with everything you said.

Great stuff! Very good reminders....Thanks!

Super helpful. Thanks

Great lesson. Cory has some sick rhythm chops.

What a fekkin' great lesson!!! superb playing as well!!!

Nicely put!

Such an exceptional player and a really wonderful teacher too! Super knowledgeable and insightful cat, and boy what a right hand🥵

That was wonderfully informative, thanks!

Point #3 comes to me naturally, as I'm typically the composer for my group. Point #1, however, was a struggle for me once I finally got to hear us on a demo record; took a while to figure out why we sounded so...... cluttered. Now, we play fewer notes, but with more precision. This is a good video.

Thanks Sweetwater and Cory Wong!

Great video great show. Playing guitar. Great music. So sound. Great audio

I'm in a trio consisting of a guitarist who sings, a drummer who doesn't, and a lead instrumentalist (harmonica) who also sings and occasionally adds supplemental congas and/or cowbell. With such sparse instrumentation, our guitarist is usually playing five or six note chords in the lowest possible root position...to create full chords with as much low end presence in the mix as possible. With that in mind, one of the things we're constantly on the look out for is the rhythmic interplay between the guitar and drums, tailoring the patterns to _hit together_ in some moments and to _create space_ (or fill in gaps) in others. By applying Tip #3, it's amazing what a huge (but not muddy) sound a tiny band can create.

If one creates multi tracked songs and play all the instruments themselves , they realize instantly the issue with “ to many notes” . Great info.

Great info. Thanks.

Excellent teaching, sir!

His playing is so clean, these videos are great

Fantastic video!!!!!!!!!

A fantastic guy. Truly into the rhythm

great info thankyou!!!!!!!!

Great vid. I saw rhythm - guitar - come up on my screen . I can’t begin to tell anyone who wants to be a credible player to forget everything but the rhythm,and timing . If you can’t play rhythm in time YOU CANT PLAY ! Why people believe playing “ lead “ is so superior to a rhythm player boggles my mind. Cory whim I’d never heard of before was spot on. I’ve been playing for sixty three years, that means nothing other than indicating I’m old. When I started playing in 1958 I had a passion for the guitar. Luckily I was influenced by the Everly Brothers before all else. I loved those Don Everly acoustic intros , Don playing in G tuning, Phil standard tuning, both playing J 200 guitars . That taught me how important rhythm was, the acoustic intros were always a hook for their early tunes . By 1961- 62 I started listening to jazz players, my dad would take me to clubs. By the time I became professional I was only playing four note chords unless it was a countryish tune playing first position cowboy chords, they have their place,and sound great depending on genre. I’ll bet I haven’t played a six note chord in forty years . I love four note inversions . Like say an A minor add 9. D string 9 th fret - G string 7th fret - B string 7th fret ,high E string 5th fret. That’s a four fret stretch. However if you pay attention to the bass notes in your inversions you can play melodic chord lines . I guarantee you far fewer great rhythm players than lead players . Ps. Of course I can play single note solos , there always based on the chords ,relative inversions or whatever. Takes this man’s advice . Notice how loose his right hand was. He wasn’t thinking, he was felling . Kudos Cory …

Awesome video with some great advice.

My high school jazz teacher (even though I played trombone in the stage band, he was big on making sure I had some knowledge on all the instruments I played) used to have me practice three-note voicings on both piano and guitar. 3rd, 7th, and alteration, as much as possible, which was always the standard voicing in the old big band comping style anyway. Those three notes give you that definitive jazz sound, but also give the bass and piano more space. The rest of the chord is usually fleshed out by the horn sections anyway -- so, like Cory said, if you've got horns and keyboards and piano and bass and all of that, there's not really a need to have six-note voicings on the guitar. Like the piano, those voicings are POSSIBLE if you're playing solo or you're the only accompanying instrument, but not necessary all the time. There's a reason metal and rock players lean on power chords.

1:52 That compression.....

Great video Cory. As a high school music teacher who does not play guitar, this video clearly presents the challenges (and solutions) young players encounter when trying to funk grooves. Thank you!

thank you for this informative video

Highly informative! And your technique is really awesome too!👍

Great lesson thanks

Thanks for this.this helps ...tottaly

Thank you Cory. Good advice.

Great tips. Thanks.