Rhythm
I’ve always struggled with rhythm.
As I was learning to play guitar I felt like I could master all the other aspects of music. I could learn the mechanics of forming chords and finger picking. I could easily grasp the theory behind scales and how chords are formed.
But I could never quite get the rhythm. Even if I would play with a metronome, I would be so distracted by trying to count the beats, that everything else would fall apart.
With enough practice, I have gotten to the point where I can usually keep a beat. I can sense if I am speeding up or slowing down the tempo. But I still can’t count the beats. I have a gut feeling of when I have played a measure and when it’s time to change chords, but occasionally I skip a beat or add an extra beat without noticing.
Looking back, I realized that my struggle with rhythm has distracted me from further pursuing the aspects of music that I am able to master. I learned the basics of theory and mechanics, but I never invested the time or energy into mastering them because I was so distraught over not being able to master rhythm.
As I’ve been working on building up discipline in other areas of my life, I have found that I still struggle with rhythm. I’m trying to learn to count the beats of every day life, but there are often days where I skip or add beats. I can’t keep a constant tempo from day to day.
But because I’m so focused on my struggle with rhythm, I find myself distracted from the mechanics of every day life. I overlook the things that I can master.
I am Brandon Keepers, and I work at