Every musician should have a clear understanding of the fundamentals of rhythm. Even if you consider yourself an “ear player,” knowing how to count and play different rhythms while keeping a steady beat is a valuable skill that will help you in a variety of real-life musical situations. By learning the arithmetic of rhythm on paper, you’ll be able to accurately read and learn music from transcriptions, and you will no longer have to rely entirely on the recording for the timing and phrasing of the notes.

Over my past two columns, I've been investigating different approaches to improvisation on the guitar, specifically addressing ways to combine chordal and single-note-line ideas effectively to create rhythm parts that are both harmonically and rhythmically interesting and inspired.

The most important part of this process is to find a way to do this as instantly and spontaneously as possible, and this is true for anything this is truly improvisational.

AC/DC are more than just a great rock band, they're an institution. Trends may come and go, but their unique brand of rhythm 'n bruise has proven to be timeless. Angus Young, the band 's lead playing livewire, has also deservedly attained a legendary standing in the business. In fact, one of modern rock's leading lights, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, recently refered to him as "the absolute god of blues-rock guitar."