Still asked to this day if I play lead or rhythm guitar by non-musos...

welshboyo

You assume that non-muso's know the difference to a Bass guitar and a 6 stringed one....

I've come to the conclusion over the years that they don't, they just see a "guitar" and just see 2 guitars in a band and think one is Rhythm (Bass) and the other is Lead.

That's how I see it anyway...

Kilgore

Van Halen could have been a much better band with a half decent rhythm player.  

prowla

I play lead bass!

slacker

springhead said:

As Keef said, you can't go into a shop and buy a lead guitar.  "You're a guitar player and you play guitar".

Said one of the best rhythm guitarists ever. 

It's a role. I've played both. I feel more comfortable playing rhythm. In my current band I sing (?) and so I tend to let the other guitarist take the solos as he's better at it. However I do like playing slde and written solos or lead parts. It's probably a 25/75 split. On one song I take the simple lead part for the intro and let him go for the proper one. 

On accoustic I tend to play root position but throw in some melody or fills to give the illusion that I can play better than I can. 

axisus

A rhythm guitarist is someone who can't play solos. Simples!

Keefy

As far as I’m concerned the correct answer is Yes, I play lead or rhythm guitar - as well as all points in between.

I think it was Danny Kortchmar who told Guitar Player mag that he could teach his grandmother to play ‘lead guitar’, but ‘rhythm guitar’ required special skill that not everyone had.

EricTheWeary

welshboyo said:

You assume that non-muso's know the difference to a Bass guitar and a 6 stringed one....

I've come to the conclusion over the years that they don't, they just see a "guitar" and just see 2 guitars in a band and think one is Rhythm (Bass) and the other is Lead.

 Hence the Mr Bassist t shirt that my brother bought me. 

CaseOfAce

EricTheWeary said:

welshboyo said:

You assume that non-muso's know the difference to a Bass guitar and a 6 stringed one....

I've come to the conclusion over the years that they don't, they just see a "guitar" and just see 2 guitars in a band and think one is Rhythm (Bass) and the other is Lead.

 Hence the Mr Bassist t shirt that my brother bought me. 

...and the (apocryphal?) story of Michael Stipe not knowing during the first 6 months of being in REM that the bass player's instrument only had 4 strings....

guitarjack66

If you play lead guitar do you only play metal? (Think about it!)

hollywoodrox

Lead is just a decayed piece of Uranium so it’s definitely  heavy metal 

Dominic

When you play 'lead' guitar ( a strange name ) you are essentially playing the simple top line melody  .......a monophonic tune although when you are good at it you may well add some interesting ornamentations .....derived from arpeggios or scales .
This is derived from Baroque Music where ornamentation was encouraged to be played at the musicians discretion and was sometimes just a simple trill.
When you play rythm you could just play the basic chords (harmony) of a tune so long as you play it to the correct tempo .This could mean interesting time structures that work in conjunction with the bpm .On top of this you need to make it interesting and use different voicings , registers ......it gets more interesting still when you add different voicings or extensions and even more interesting when you can use substitutions and flesh things out with compatible passing chords ,notes or arpeggiated richness.
 This is when playing any instrument gets a bit more technical and musically skilled .If you reach a level of chord chemistry ( see what I did there ) that this flows freely and falls satisfyingly upon the ear then you are truly a guitarist.
When you can do both at once and arrange those shapes/patterns in such manner as to keep the melody woven through it either on top or weaved in and out you are a Certified Guitar Player and probably called Chet or Tommy etc .

Tannin

welshboyo said:

You assume that non-muso's know the difference to a Bass guitar and a 6 stringed one....

I've come to the conclusion over the years that they don't, they just see a "guitar" and just see 2 guitars in a band and think one is Rhythm (Bass) and the other is Lead.

Oh dear.

Back in my bass playing days, we played cabaret: weddings, 21sts, functions. Good money but not exactly rock star heart-throb stuff. One night we were taking a short break and a good-looking girl came up to the band table round the side of the stage and said she wanted to meet the bass player. She had that glint of intention in her eye. Whoopee! thinks I. Some fun times ahead!

Modestly, I admitted to being the bass player (handsome devil that I am). 

"No, not you, the bass player" she said, pointing at the lead guitarist.

Sigh.

PAL

My answer would be "I play guitar"

Lestratcaster

I always get asked "do you sing?" whenever I say I can play the guitar. (I can't sing very well by the way).

I would say I'm mostly a rhythm player, have played in the last few bands I've been in but have done lead too. So its both, but I just say I play guitar in general, don't really think about roles.

Dominic

I get that 'oh do you sing too ' when I say I play guitar .
I really cannot sing to save my life.
I also get 'do you play the mouth-organ '
I always so No .....'.I fucking hate the things and my name isn't Bob Dylan either '

HAL9000

Dominic said:

I get that 'oh do you sing too ' when I say I play guitar .
I really cannot sing to save my life.

Is that lead or rhythm singing?

CaseOfAce

Lestratcaster said:

I always get asked "do you sing?" whenever I say I can play the guitar. (I can't sing very well by the way).

This reminds me of the time I turned up at a party years ago with a newly bought Takamine acoustic in tow (the host had asked me to bring it along to show him, in my defence! - honest).

Invariably later that night the other party goers saw it and said ...ooh play us a song... at which point I strummed a few chords, half-a*rsed played a fingerpicking tune I knew...  and it suddenly dawned on me that I really should learn to sing as well as play guitar.

Lesson learnt. I wasn't the first guitarist to learn this the hard way - and I won't be the last.
  

PolarityMan

Guitar solos are lame.

guitarjack66

PolarityMan said:

Guitar solos are lame.

I'm not sure if you are being sarcastic here or honest but even as a guitarist I get bored of songs with 4 minute solos in them. Leave them wanting more is my motto. This is partly because I am a crap player but even so I enjoy guitar based music when it's understated or part of something bigger.

Blaendulais

I say i play harmony guitar.