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Tight Timing Basics for Electric Guitar: Subdivision, Counting, and Stable Groove

Capítulo 6

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Beat vs. Subdivision: Where “Tight” Actually Comes From

Tight timing is the ability to place your pick strokes consistently inside a steady grid. That grid has two layers: the beat (the main pulse you tap your foot to) and the subdivision (the smaller slices inside each beat). Most rhythm problems aren’t “bad rhythm” in general; they’re inconsistent subdivision.

Quarter notes (1 per beat)

Quarter notes are the beat itself. If the metronome clicks on each beat in 4/4, quarter notes land exactly with each click.

Count: 1 2 3 4
Feel: big steps, wide spacing
Use: locking in the pulse before adding density

Eighth notes (2 per beat)

Eighth notes split each beat into two equal parts. You now have an “in-between” point exactly halfway between clicks.

Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Feel: smaller steps, more motion
Use: most rock/pop strumming grids

Sixteenth notes (4 per beat)

Sixteenth notes split each beat into four equal parts. This is the most common grid for tight rhythm guitar because it gives you precise placement for syncopation, accents, and rests.

Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a
Feel: very even “machine” spacing
Use: funk, tight rock, modern metal rhythms (even when you’re not playing every note)

Key idea: you don’t have to play every subdivision, but you must be able to feel them. Your strumming hand will act like a clock that keeps those subdivisions moving.

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Counting Out Loud + Foot Tapping While Playing

Counting out loud forces your brain to commit to a grid. Foot tapping anchors the beat so your hands don’t “float.” Combine them and timing becomes physical and audible.

Step-by-step setup (do this before the drills)

Set a metronome to a comfortable tempo (start around 60–80 BPM).
Tap your foot on quarter notes only: foot hits on 1 2 3 4.
Count out loud in the subdivision you’re practicing (quarters, eighths, or sixteenths).
Play as simply as possible (single chord or muted strings) so timing is the main focus.

How to count correctly (and why it matters)

Use consistent syllables so the “spaces” are always the same size. Avoid making “&” or “e” shorter or longer than the others.

Quarters: 1 2 3 4
Eighths: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Sixteenths: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Practical check: record 20–30 seconds on your phone. If your counting drifts away from the click, your playing will drift too. Fix the counting first.

Keep the Strumming Hand Moving: Your Timing Engine (Even During Rests)

A common reason rhythms get sloppy is that the strumming hand stops during rests. When the hand stops, you lose the subdivision grid, and the next attack tends to be late, early, or inconsistent. Instead, keep a constant down-up motion that matches the subdivision, and simply choose which strokes actually hit the strings.

The “ghost motion” concept

During a rest, your hand continues the same motion at the same speed, but the pick either misses the strings or lightly brushes muted strings without producing a real note. The motion is the clock; the sound is optional.

Foot = quarter-note anchor
Hand motion = subdivision engine
Pick contact = which subdivisions you choose to sound

Mapping motion to subdivision

Use this as a coordination rule for your right hand motion (sound or no sound):

Eighth-note grid (continuous motion):  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &  (count)Down Up  Down Up  Down Up  Down Up (hand)Sixteenth-note grid (continuous motion):1   e   &   a   2   e   &   a   3   e   &   a   4   e   &   aDown Up Down Up Down Up Down Up Down Up Down Up Down Up Down Up

Even if you only play on “2” and “4,” your hand still moves through every subdivision so the placement stays stable.

Progressive Groove Drills (Build the Grid in Layers)

These drills are designed to be simple but strict. Use one chord shape or muted strings; the goal is timing accuracy, not harmonic complexity.

Drill 1: Quarter notes with metronome (lock the beat)

Tempo: 70 BPM (adjust as needed). Foot taps on every click. Play one downstroke per click.

Count:  1   2   3   4Sound:  X   X   X   X

Step 1: Count out loud “1 2 3 4.”
Step 2: Make each attack identical in volume and length.
Step 3: Record yourself and listen for flamming (your pick slightly before/after the click).

Drill 2: Eighth notes (steady down-up engine)

Keep foot on quarters. Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.” Use continuous down-up motion.

Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &Hand:   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   USound:  X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X

Step 1: Start with all strokes sounding.
Step 2: Aim for identical spacing between down and up strokes.
Step 3: If the upstrokes rush, lower the tempo and exaggerate the “&” spacing while counting.

Drill 3: Sixteenth notes at slower tempos (precision grid)

Set the metronome slower (try 50–65 BPM). Count “1 e & a …” while keeping continuous motion.

Count:  1   e   &   a   2   e   &   a   3   e   &   a   4   e   &   aHand:   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   USound:  X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X

Step 1: Speak the syllables evenly (no “machine-gun” bursts).
Step 2: Keep the hand motion small and consistent so each subdivision is equal.
Step 3: Increase tempo only when the sixteenths feel relaxed and even.

Rest-Based Patterns While Maintaining Constant Hand Motion

Rests are where timing falls apart. These patterns train you to keep the subdivision engine running while selectively sounding strokes.

Pattern A: Play beats 1–2, rest 3–4 (quarter-note version)

Count quarters. Keep your hand moving in an even down-up motion at an eighth-note rate (silent motion allowed), but only sound the downstrokes on beats 1 and 2.

Count (quarters):  1       2       3       4Hand (eighths):    D   U   D   U   D   U   D   USound:            X       X       -       -

Step 1: Tap foot on 1 2 3 4.
Step 2: Keep the down-up motion unchanged through beats 3–4.
Step 3: Re-enter on beat 1 without a “wind-up” or pause.

Pattern B: Eighth-note groove with rests (sound only the downbeats)

Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.” Keep continuous motion, but only sound on the numbers (rest on all “&”).

Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &Hand:   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   USound:  X   -   X   -   X   -   X   -

Step 1: Make the silent upstrokes identical in size and timing to the sounding strokes.
Step 2: Listen for “late” numbers after a rest; that means the hand slowed down.

Pattern C: Sixteenth-note grid with “holes” (sound 1, rest e-&-a)

This is a strong test of subdivision stability. Count full sixteenths, keep full motion, but only sound the first sixteenth of each beat.

Count:  1   e   &   a   2   e   &   a   3   e   &   a   4   e   &   aSound:  X   -   -   -   X   -   -   -   X   -   -   -   X   -   -   -

Step 1: Start very slow (50–60 BPM).
Step 2: Make sure the hand does not “freeze” during the three silent subdivisions.
Step 3: If the next “1” drifts, reduce tempo and exaggerate the silent motion.

Timing Pitfalls and Immediate Fixes

Pitfall 1: Rushing transitions (especially when changing patterns)

Symptom: the moment you switch from quarters to eighths (or add a rest), you jump ahead of the click.

Fix: Reduce tempo and practice the transition as a one-bar loop.
Method: Play 1 bar of the first pattern, 1 bar of the second pattern, repeat without stopping.
Focus: Keep the foot tap unchanged; only the hand density changes.

Pitfall 2: Dragging during rests (the groove collapses when you don’t play)

Symptom: your re-entry after a rest is late, or the band “pulls you back in.”

Fix: Keep constant strumming-hand motion through the rest (ghost motion).
Method: Count the subdivision out loud during the rest (don’t go silent).
Check: Record and listen specifically to the first note after the rest.

Pitfall 3: Speeding up on accents (accent = tempo spike)

Symptom: accented strokes land early and make the groove feel nervous.

Fix: Reintroduce accents only after the unaccented grid is stable.
Method: Loop one bar with no accents, then add a single accent (for example, accent beat 2 only) while keeping the hand motion identical.
Rule: Accents change volume, not spacing.

Fast troubleshooting routine (30–60 seconds)

Drop tempo by 10–20 BPM.
Isolate a single bar that contains the problem.
Count out loud the smallest subdivision involved (often sixteenths).
Keep the strumming hand moving continuously.
Reintroduce complexity one element at a time (rests first, then accents, then faster tempo).

Now answer the exercise about the content:

When a rhythm gets sloppy specifically around rests, what is the most effective immediate fix to keep timing tight?

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You missed! Try again.

Timing often drifts during rests because the subdivision grid disappears when the hand stops. Keeping continuous ghost motion and counting the subdivision maintains the internal clock so re-entries stay aligned.