Depot Artspace

I got rhythm

Dylan Kay

At its very simplest, music can be thought of as notes and rhythm – what to play and when to play it. (Of course, it’s much more complex than this, but bear with me…)

Most people are focused on the “notes” – melodies, riffs, chords, scales etc – but it’s essential that equal (if not more) attention is placed on when to play these notes: rhythm is king!

Rhythm is the thing that makes the music “feel” good, makes you tap your foot, dance etc. It’s the thing that moves people (literally). The challenge is to develop our rhythm and timing such that when we play music, it grooves and feels great. Here are some suggestions for those starting out, or who doubt their rhythmic ability: Begin by tapping your foot when you listen to music – put on your favourite music and practice tapping your foot to it. (If you’re feeling brave, moving, marching or dancing to music is another great way to get your body in tune with rhythm – no-one has to see you do it!) Learning rhythm notation (i.e. crochets, quavers etc) in your guitar lessons will help enormously in helping you visualise rhythm and understand how it all fits together. It’s easier than you think.

Practice rhythm exercises away from the guitar – clap those rhythms, learn to count them out loud and tap your foot at the same time – all together these will develop a strong internal foundation for whatever you play. Notice how you tend to walk down the street – unless avoiding obstacles, you tend to walk at a steady pace (in time) – if you can do that, you can learn to play guitar in time and move other people with your playing. There’s nothing better!

Check out the blog for some more rhythm ideas: www.aucklandguitarschool.co.nz/blog/rhythm-basics/ and as ever, get in touch if you’d like help.

See you next month!

The challenge is to develop our rhythm and time such that when we play music, it grooves and feels great.

Dylan Kay, Auckland Guitar School, Howick and Takapuna, Auckland "Transform your playing." 09 533 5246 www.aucklandguitarschool.co.nz

Depot Artspace with Amy Saunders Depot Artspace and Creative Hub, Devonport

Amy Saunders

The team at Depot Artspace sends you warm wishes for 2022. We are excited to be back and really looking forward to sharing some new projects with you in the year ahead. Depot Sound is open for business as usual and our creative development programmes, Wayfind Creative and Artslab, are also back in action with a mix of online and physical workshops. Depot Gallery has four exciting exhibitions opening this month showcasing emerging, international and local artists. We hope you can make a trip to Devonport to come and see us; we are open Tuesday - Saturday 10am-4pm. Take care and here’s to 2022!

Depot Sound has had a busy start to the year with many 2021 bookings being pushed out due to lockdown. However, Studio 2 is officially open for business with it now being run by our fantastic in-house engineer Noah Page! Get in touch with Noah or Neil for any audio or music projects you may have coming up. As always, Depot Sound is known for our amazing quality with great rates and support for our local community. www.depotsound.co.nz

Wayfind Creative has celebrated some amazing successes since it launched one year ago, building on the Depot’s long history of helping creatives develop sustainable careers. If you would like to take your creative career to the next level, check out our exciting programme to start your path to creating a financially viable, sustainable and deeply rewarding career. www.wayfindcreative.co.nz

ArtsLab is for job seekers who are looking for a creative careers programme – talk to your case manager at MSD to find out more!

Depot Galleries We have four stunning exhibitions lined up for February! Check out our events page for full details and also the online gallery to view our online stockroom and some of the 2021 exhibitions. www.depotartspace.co.nz/events, www.depotartspacegallery.com