Finding Your Groove: Tips for Better Time & Feel

If there’s one thing that separates a “pretty good” jazz guitarist from a great one, it’s not monster technique or a library of scales. It’s time and feel. The way your notes sit inside the groove. The way your comping makes the band lean forward. The way your solo has that irresistible pulse that makes listeners bob their heads without realizing it.

And here’s the thing: groove isn’t some mystical gift. It’s trainable. Like your phrasing, your ears, or your fretboard knowledge, time-feel is a skill that improves with deliberate practice.

So today, let’s talk about how to build your groove.

1. Start With the Most Important Instrument in Jazz… the Drums

If you want killer time-feel, you need to marinate in great drumming.

Listen to:

• Jimmy Cobb

• Tony Williams

• Philly Joe Jones

• Elvin Jones

• Lewis Nash

But don’t “listen for licks.” Listen for the ride cymbal pattern — that magical ding-ding-da-ding that drives the band.

Try this: put on Smokin’ at the Half Note and listen ONLY to Jimmy Cobb’s ride for one chorus.
Not Wes. Not Kelly. Just the cymbal.

Then play quarter notes along with it.
Then eighth notes.
Then comp simple voicings.

This alone will transform your time.

2. Stop Trying to Play “On” the Beat

This is a big one. Most guitarists who “rush” are actually trying too hard to be perfect.

Jazz isn’t classical music — you want your notes to dance around the beat, not sit stiffly on top of it.

Here’s a simple rule:
➡️ Place your notes behind the beat slightly.

Not late.
Just relaxed.
Like you’re leaning back in a comfy chair.

Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, and Peter Bernstein do this beautifully. It creates that “deep pocket” feel we all admire.

3. Practice With a Metronome… on 2 & 4

Yes. It works.
Yes. It’s harder than it looks.

Set your metronome to click on beats 2 and 4, not every beat.
This simulates the swing of a jazz drummer.

Play:

• scales

• arpeggios

• comping

• small phrases

• full solos

This exercise forces you to feel time internally instead of relying on the metronome as a crutch.

Feeling lost? Good. That means it’s working.

4. Use “Target Notes” to Lock Into the Groove

Better time-feel often comes from better phrasing, and better phrasing comes from landing on important notes.

Try this:

• Choose a tune (Autumn Leaves, All of Me, Solar)

• Aim to hit the 3rd or 7th of every chord on beat 1

• Fill the rest with simple eighth notes

Suddenly your lines lock into the harmony AND the groove.
This is how horn players phrase naturally.

5. Comp Like a Drummer, Not Like a Pianist

Most guitarists overplay when comping.
Drummers don’t.

Try comping using just:

• Charleston rhythm

• Freddie Green-style quarter notes

• Sparse “hits” that respond to the soloist

Your goal is groove > harmony.

Ask any sax player — they'd rather play with a guitarist who swings simply than one who plays hip voicings with bad time.

6. Leave More Space Than You Think

Jazz isn’t about filling every moment with sound.
It’s about creating tension and release.

Try these exercises:

• Solo using only 3 notes over an entire chorus

• Play only quarter notes

• Play a chorus using only rests and pick-up notes

• Comp with just ONE voicing per bar

Your feel becomes clearer because your ideas become clearer.

Space reveals groove.

7. Record Yourself Often (You Will Be Shocked)

I’m serious! Video recordings are brutally honest.
And that’s great!

Record:

• a blues in F

• a standard at medium tempo

• a comping chorus with a metronome

Listen back to ONLY your time.
Not your tone.
Not your note choices.

Ask:

• Am I pushing?

• Am I dragging?

• Is the pulse steady?

• Does it feel good?

Awareness is half the battle.

Remember: Groove Comes From the Body, Not the Brain

Your hands follow your internal pulse.
And your internal pulse grows stronger the more you:

• listen

• relax

• simplify

• and stay curious

Groove isn’t about playing harder, faster, or smarter.
It’s about connecting your musical ideas to a steady heartbeat.

When your feel improves, EVERYTHING improves — your solos, your comping, your interaction with the band, even your confidence.

And that’s the magic of jazz guitar.
It’s not just about notes.
It’s about how those notes feel.

Want to Deepen Your Rhythm & Groove?

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If you’d like guidance, tools, and personalized direction, you know where to find us.