How To Play Rhythm Guitar Like Jimi Hendrix

by Simon Candy Musician And Guitar Instructor

In this video, you learn how to spice up your guitar playing with rhythm fills.

Rhythm fills, or chord fills as they can be known, are the cool sounding riffs you sometimes hear between the chords of a progression.

This technique can be found in the playing of guitarist’s like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and John Mayer.

In this lesson, I show you chord rhythm fills that relate to common shapes on the fretboard. This makes it easy for you to visualise and access them in your playing.

I also show you examples of applying these rhythm fills to a simple chord progression.

Watch the video below to learn how to make chord rhythm fills part of your guitar playing:

Chord Rhythm Fill Video Tutorial

Chord Rhythm Fills

Rhythm Fill 1

This first rhythm fill relates to the root 5 bar chord form:

Chord Rhythm Fill 1

Rhythm Fill 2

Here is a variation of the first fill:

Chord Rhythm Fill 2

Rhythm Fill 3

Another variation of the original fill:

Chord Rhythm Fill 3

Rhythm Fill 4

This rhythm fill relates to the root 6 bar chord form:

Chord Rhythm Fill 4

Rhythm Fill 5

Here is a variation of the previous fill:

Chord Rhythm Fill 5

Rhythm Fill 6

Another variation:

Chord Rhythm Fill 6

Rhythm Fill Example 1

The following is an example of combining chord rhythm fills across a simple chord progression in G:

Chord Rhythm Fill Progression 1

Rhythm Fill Example 2

Here is another example of applying the same chord riffs with basic variations applied:

Chord Rhythm Fill Progression 2

Discover more rhythm guitar techniques and concepts for your playing

About The Author:

Simon Candy is a highly experienced and sought after guitar instructor from Melbourne, Australia. Having taught guitar for over 25 years, Simon specialises in the acoustic guitar through styles including jazz, rock, blues, and fingerpicking. Simon offers online tuition for acoustic guitar