I am not sure if I love drums or guitar more. But really the way to look at love of music is that it is all encompassing and that the guitar is a drum. I’ve been seeing some great percussive ideas on guitar that I haven’t seen that often. For me, it really opens up a lot of new directions you can take. Here’s a list so you can check them out.
- Play the back beat
- Play flamenco guitar
- Play the beat with muted palms
- Beatbox while you play with muted palms
- Play the guitar like a hand drum
- Play the guitar like a pandiero
- Play a chord and then play a simplified bass drum and snare
- Play a rhythmic pattern with your left hand with pulloffs and tap ons and play a beat with your right hand
A friend of mine suggested I check out Candyman Records. Here’s a really famous video that give you idea of the left hand pull-offs and tapping while keeping a simple bass drum/snare beat with the righthand.
Another whole type of adding percussion to the guitar it to literally add percussive instruments to the guitar, like a shaker or bells that you can tap with finger while you strum a chord. Or you can add a tambourine or chekere or clave or shaker on your foot or feet.
Of all the things above, the most important would probably be to play a strong backbeat. It really thickens the music up. And if you are playing with people you can also use it find a tighter groove.