\nThere are two schools of thought here \u2013 one that comes from you and the other that comes from everyone else. Your school of thought is: \u2018I can\u2019t hear myself\u2019. Everyone else\u2019s is: \u2018The guitarist is too loud\u2019.
\nGuitarists, who are offering their time to play at church want to worship like everyone else but volume, and the amount of it, can be a bone of contention. The trouble is as we all know, to get a great sound from your beloved tube amp, it needs to be cranked up a bit, but most amps are designed to be used at a volume WAY above church levels so, get a small amp<\/a> and point it towards the instruments that produce volume and need to hear you. I.e. the drums – I.e. not the backing vocalists. Also try to get 6-10 feet away from your amp and angle the speaker towards your face. it’ll sound a lot louder then.\u00a0And do use your guitar volume control or even a volume pedal to match the intensity of the song and the volume of the singing. Maybe set it on 8 for the rhythm parts and 10 for the out there stuff. Lastly\u00a0don’t use too much pre amp distortion. You won’t be able to hear yourself and that classic ‘wasp in a jam jar’ tone will get lost in the mix. Cleaner tones, without masses of reverb or out of time delay, cut through more and generally the congregation can cope with them better than\u00a0the uber metal sound. Don’t worry, you won’t\u00a0 have to go super clean and join the Gaither band.\u00a0Even classic rock and metal tracks had less\u00a0distortion than you think.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
2 Don\u2019t\u2026 play all the time<\/strong> 3 Do\u2026 maintain your equipment<\/strong> 4 Don\u2019t\u2026 always play the lead lines<\/strong> 5 Do\u2026 play in different styles<\/strong> 6 Don\u2019t\u2026. look for solos\/new licks all the time<\/strong> 7 Do\u2026 use different sound combinations<\/strong> 8 Don\u2019t\u2026 clash with the keyboards.<\/strong> 9 \u00a0Don\u2019t\u2026 noodle in rehearsal 10\u00a0Do\u2026 meet up with worship pastor on a regular basis 11 Do… buy the Musicademy electric guitar in worship DVDs! <\/p>\n Other posts you may like:<\/strong><\/p>\n The 10 commandments of electric guitar<\/a><\/p>\n 12 tips for electric guitarists<\/a><\/p>\n Pedals for electric guitarists<\/a><\/p>\n Lightweight Les Paul of Love (part 1<\/a>) and (part 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n Electric guitar styles – U2<\/a><\/p>\n Electric guitar styles – Coldplay<\/a><\/p>\n How to increase speed when playing guitar<\/a><\/p>\n Tips for acoustic guitarists<\/a><\/p>\n Pedals for acoustic guitars<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0<\/span>acoustic guitarists<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0sound men\/women<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0backing vocalists<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0drummers<\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0worship leaders<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0a guide for \u201cinsensitive\u201d musicians<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013 percussionists<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nSongs enjoy space and arrangements rely on musicians having the discipline to allow that space to happen. With electric guitar being potentially so dynamic its contribution can really lift a song, but as with anything that can add strong flavour, too much can ruin the recipe. So in music it is particularly tempting just to go in too early. Give songs time to build \u2013 don\u2019t be the 800-metre runner who\u2019s kicked in at 300 to go and is running out of puff in the home straight. Playing all time means you\u2019ll stay on the same level and the beauty of worship is that it ebbs and flows. If you are simply strumming away, mirroring the worship leader\u2019s part, then you are just adding to the noise not the beauty.<\/p>\n
\nString breaks cannot be helped, but you can do your best to avoid them by changing your strings more often. It sounds ridiculously simplistic but old strings sound dull, they give up the ghost at key times and it\u2019s just distracting when a guitarist has to walk off stage for a couple of minutes to change a string if he doesn\u2019t have a spare axe.
\nThen there\u2019s the amp meltdown, the dodgy lead, the weak tuning peg, the temperamental volume pedal\u2026 all waiting to try the patience of even the most benign musician. Guitarists generally have a lot of gear and that means there\u2019s more to go wrong and a rehearsal delayed by someone trying to trace the source of that infernal buzzing is like being stuck on a stationary train to Wigan. To be honest that’s often a result of having a lot of stuff to plug in that’s not regularly used elsewhere. Pulling and untangling cables and power supplies shortens their life expectancy dramatically so get yourself a simple, usable, permanent set up that requires the minimum setting up and plugging in. So guitar into board, board into amp, two plugs, bish bash bosh, and off you go!<\/p>\n
\nYou can get in a rut with this: it is tempting, particlarly if you don’t know the chords to the\u00a0song off by heart or can’t follow it by ear\u00a0just to\u00a0play the\u00a0good old pentatonic scale \u00a0but that just suggests you are not really thinking about the song and that you\u2019re merely going through the motions. Listen to the song beforehand and get some inspiration to find something that fits the arrangement hand in glove as\u00a0if it was on a CD. That generally means a great but not necessarily complicated rhythm part with well chosen sounds. Most worship leaders want you to keep it simple but they love it when you come up with something that fits – and inspires – the rest of the band and the congregation.\u00a0\u00a0Remember, you don’t\u00a0need to be a technical genius to play something beautiful.<\/p>\n
\nThere are no-nos in songs. Even tried-and-tested Musicademy musicians have been known to choose completely inappropriate styles. Playing a particular worship song ‘in the country style’ proved to be metaphorical banana skin once – \u00a0and the memory of that incident still hurts us now. It sounded like Billy Ray Cyrus pepping up a funeral. We\u2019re only human. Still, in spite of that we still think there\u2019s room for a bit of well-chosen variety. If you are a dyed-in-the-wool metalhead make sure that Slash licks don\u2019t keep seeping into every single song. It\u2019s also refreshing when you make a conscious effort to keep away from your \u2018first love\u2019 because when you do go there it\u2019ll feel fresh and you\u2019ll enjoy it more. Don\u2019t persuade yourself that everyone loves your \u2018signature sound\u2019 \u2013 they do, but they\u2019ll hate it if thats all they get for three straight Sundays. So play for the song –\u00a0what sort of style was it originally\u00a0written and arranged in? Could you find out the\u00a0styles that influenced the writer? (there’s a lot of info out on the net if you dig a little). What are the authenic sounds and chops of those influences? Can the ENTIRE band pull off that style credibly? And crucially will the congregation apprecite it or will it turn into a bit of a mild comedy moment? – Reggae anyone?<\/p>\n
\nHard work yields results and if that new solo or riff you have mastered after hours of practice sounds terrific in your bedroom then it\u2019s certain to sound wicked in the worship set. Well, no. It is tempting to parade your newly acquired musical wares in front of a packed congregation and, if performed well, even more tempting to keep on doing it. This is a good way to get yourself removed from the worship rota. The ‘Sweet Child O Mine’ riff works well\u00a0harmonically over the verse of ‘Dancing Generation’ – but, and its a big but – just because you can do something does it mean you should?<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s important that you listen to the music, experiment with sounds and try something different, but it\u2019s also important that you have a clear intention about what you want to do. Make sure you have nailed it during the rehearsal – if you start messing around with the sounds in the set it\u2019ll freak the band, and the congregation out. Don\u2019t go overboard though – there are guitarists who turn up to church with a pedal board the size of a dining room table and throughout the service they\u2019ll try to use all of them regardless of whether it fits in with the song or not. A good pedal junkie<\/a> knows when and how, and keeps his or her or powder dry until the time is right. You may have bought your new fancy pedal and feel desperate to try it out but if the set list doesn\u2019t warrant its use, resist the temptation \u2013 there\u2019ll be other times.<\/p>\n
\nKeyboard players and guitarists have to work together. Like drummers and bassists who need to lock down a rhythm, these two have to find a musical \u2018place\u2019 where they can operate together without clashing. Being sensitive to what the keyboard player is doing is, erm\u2026 key, and if you can interlock and work out structure and arrangements that co-exist nicely, then you are halfway there. If the keyboard player is playing something busy, hold back, and if they are playing pads then you have licence to experiment a little. Rhythmical business by two instruments can often can ruin a groove so even if you cant hear the keyboard, try and look at their fingers to work out what rhythms they are playing and in what register. Worship bands need \u2018teams\u2019 that can work together (ahem) in harmony.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>This is wholly frustrating and it drives, well, everyone up the wall. If you do this you\u2019ll return to your car after a Sunday service to find all four tyres deflated. Noodling is Chinese water torture for everyone except you and the only thing that stops your worship leader and accompanying musicians from grabbing you by the ears and imploring you to shut up is that they are Christians, and they have the gift of love and patience. Noodling inbetween songs in practice times while the worship leader is communicating to other musicians, is wholly rude, completely insensitive, narcissistic, galactically irritating and plain wrong. If you are a serial noodler put your hands in your pockets, count to 360 and resist every temptation to start practising your pentatonic scales. If that’s just impossible, take off your guitar and step away from it when someone is talking through changes. And turn off your flippin IPhone. Don’t even think about phoning, texting, tweeting, playing tetris, to make use of the ‘dead’ moments between playing the songs…<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Most churches have a worship pastor and, as a mirror image of everyday society, they come in all shapes and sizes and, crucially, they have their own foibles. But, that said, let\u2019s generalise gratuitously for the masses.
\nThe archetypal worship leader plays acoustic guitar with some skill, can write a few tunes and has a reasonable voice. He or she is Jack of all Trades and, without being disrespectful, they are master of none. They have a basic understanding of music and their guitar-playing is fairly simplistic. It is, therefore, helpful to meet up with your worship pastor on a regular basis. During these meetings you can offer some tips, jam together, come up with song ideas, arrangements and pray together. It all helps. Even if your worship pastor is solely a singer or keyboard player it\u2019s just useful to get an understanding of where they are coming from and spend some time together away from the constraints of the usual frenetic, time-limited rehearsals. You get\u00a0to cut a\u00a0whole lot more slack when experiencing ‘musical differences’ if you both know that you genuinely like each other and have got each other’s back.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Our 10-hour, 4-DVD course for electric guitarists who want to take their skills and creativity to the next level. Also perfect for acoustic guitarists who want to transfer to electric. Available on DVD<\/span>\u00a0or as <\/span>downloads<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/drc0fhsrp02et.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/electric-guitar-in-worship.jpg\" "\\"electric")
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