A rhythm chart is simply a shorthand system which uses standard musical notation to map out a song for the player. They utilize time signatures and bars and in the standard manner and if there are specific melodic ideas or rhythms to be played these will be indicated; however, the player is usually left to their devices to interpret the chart. Although it may seem like an advanced topic, by playing along with a rhythm chart students can develop an advanced skill as beginning players.
Rhythm charts can contain basic information about a song, but following along with one and interpreting the musical symbols associated with them is a skill worth developing; we’ll start at a basic level and move along from there.
There are three main components to rhythm chart: 1) the chord – rhythm charts may or may not use a chord graph, most often a player will only see the text name of the chord. (ex. “G”). 2) The rhythm – the notation used above is a variant of standard notation (using “stems” and “flags”) and does not imply pitch. The rhythm may or may not be exactly notated; most often what is written is a simplification and the player is to create their own part. 3) Symbols – rhythm charts will inevitably use traditional musical symbols such as repeat signs, time signatures and various codas.
Next month I’ll delve deeper into how to have students navigate rhythm charts.
