This approach is just a starting point - you may end up writing an entirely different second guitar part just by experimenting with new voicings and rhythms, which is even better! If one guitar is strumming, have the other pick the arpeggios of the chords. Instead, try using different chord voicings.įor example, if the chords are Am - G - C - Dm, all played as open chords, have the second guitar play them as barre chords between the 5th and 12th frets.įor even better diversity, you can also mix up the rhythms. It's also more obvious when someone makes a mistake! If both guitars play exactly the same thing, it's kinda boring to listen to. Let's say you have a beautiful chordal arpeggio song that works great as a solo piece, but has no second guitar part. Am - G - C - Dm chords could be played by the rhythm guitar whilst melodies created using Am pentatonic could be played by the lead guitarist). This approach works best for rock songs or chordal songs that are simple to improvise over (eg. No problem - alternate who plays lead and who plays rhythm for each section of the song.įor example, you play chords in the chorus, and let your partner play chords in the verse.

'We both want to play lead though!' I hear you egotists exclaiming. Then give the lead guitar parts (solos, melodies and higher-range riffs etc) to the guitarist who eitherĪ) likes playing lead guitar parts more orī) is stronger at improvisation, scales and licks. Here's the shocking truth - all good lead guitarists are decent rhythm guitarists too.īut, when we're talking about performances, it makes sense to give the rhythm parts (chords, lower-range riffs etc) to the guitarist who eitherī) is better at keeping time and following a song structure, Rhythm & Lead Guitar Delegationĩ0% of guitarists I talk to want to be lead guitarists. Here's 3 easy ways to prepare, practice and perform a guitar duet for your next cafe gig, party, exam or jam session. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to arrange a song to work as a duet - especially when you're first starting out learning the guitar and don't have the theory expertise to write alternative arrangements. Solo guitar is fun, but it's a lot more fun to perform with others.

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