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The standard line-up in a worship band usually comprises worship leader\/acoustic guitarist, lead guitarist, drums, bass, keyboards and a couple of backing singers. It\u2019s rare for a band to have a lone acoustic guitarist.<\/p>\n
As a result nobody is really quite sure what to do with an acoustic guitarist who isn\u2019t the worship leader so, usually, they are left own devices and nobody\u2019s really thinking about the parts they play. Therefore the demands on acoustic guitarists are not too great. If they stick to the chord chart and play in time everyone\u2019s happy: they are usually on auto-pilot anyway.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s pretty counter-productive. The reality is most worship songs are written on acoustic guitars so there is a fair amount of responsibility that goes with this role. The acoustic guitarist should help to shape the songs the worship leader has chosen to sing. The acoustic guitarist \u2013 and a particularly accomplished one \u2013 can help to take the worship to another level and that\u2019ll yield vibrant, spirit-filled services.<\/p>\n
So, if you are one of those \u2018anonymous\u2019 acoustic guitarists here\u2019s a few pointers to help you play a key role in the worship band.<\/p>\n
1 Do\u2026 be finger pickin\u2019 good<\/strong> 2 Don\u2019t\u2026 become an extra lead guitarist 3 Do\u2026 stay in tune<\/strong> 4 Do\u2026 change your strings<\/strong> 5 Don\u2019t\u2026 be the King of the Swingers<\/strong> 6 Don\u2019t\u2026. abuse the capo<\/strong> 7 Do\u2026 buy a silent jack<\/strong> 8 Don\u2019t\u2026 become an unholy strummer<\/strong> There are a couple of basic rules\/considerations that\u2019ll make your strumming much more reliable and musical and they are as follows:<\/p>\n 9 Do\u2026 work with the rhythm section<\/strong> 10 Do\u2026 play to a metronome<\/strong> <\/p>\n Sign up to get 40 FREE worship music lessons<\/a>\u00a0taken from our portfolio of\u00a0DVDs and online learning<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Intermediate Acoustic Worship Guitar Course – DVDs or Download<\/a><\/p>\n The Worship Guitar Collection – Download only<\/a><\/p>\n Song Learner Guitar Collection – DVDs or Downloads<\/a><\/p>\n New Beginniner Worship Guitar Course – DVDs<\/a> or Downloads<\/a><\/p>\n What 3 things do you wish worship guitar players would STOP doing<\/a> (Facebook discussion)<\/p>\n 50 tips – acoustic guitar<\/a><\/p>\n Ask the expert – Choosing strumming patterns<\/a><\/p>\n Pedals for acoustic guitars<\/a><\/p>\n How can I stop my plectrum\/pick slipping?<\/a><\/p>\n Buyers guide – small classy acoustic guitars<\/a><\/p>\n Buyers guide – good acoustic guitars<\/a><\/p>\n Free lesson from our acoustic worship guitar DVD<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe plectrum is a useful tool but if you use it all the time you are selling yourself short. Of course, most services start with a bang \u2013 a ploy to wake people up \u2013 and as such the plectrum is a must-use. However, you do need variety and having the confidence to put down the plectrum and finger-pick shows you are a versatile musician and that you have a sensitivity to the music.
\nWhen you do put the pick down it is absolutely essential that you use your volume pedal to bring yourself up to the required level: there is a tendency for acoustic guitarists to disappear when they start finger-picking.
\nDon\u2019t always assume that the slower songs require finger-picking \u2013 this is a one-size-fits-all mentality. The song may just require a different strumming pattern.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>You may be a very accomplished player and possess the technique and musical qualities that put you (at least) on par with the lead guitarist. You might feel then that you might like to take on a few lead lines every now and then because a) you can and b) it alleviates the monotony of what you are playing.
\nIt is true that a lot of worship songs \u2013 although inspiring and melodic \u2013 are not much of a hoot to play. You are a musician after all and constantly playing C, D and G in varying tempos isn\u2019t exactly an excitement-fest is it?
\nThis is where you have to suck it up, stick to your task and appreciate that what you are part of is something beautiful even if at the time it doesn\u2019t seem like it. It could be worse: you could be the bass player…<\/p>\n
\nSounds simple and basic but there are guitarists who find it difficult not to sound like a deflating balloon. If you are one of these constant offenders buy a decent tuner pedal that\u2019ll allow you to tune in silence and \u2018on the hoof\u2019.
\nIf tuning is a problem for you it may be that you are not actually listening to the sounds you are making. You could be making an unholy racket when all you need to do is take a few seconds out to tune a couple of strings. If your guitar regularly goes out of tune get it looked at and put a humidifier in the case to help iron out annoying variations.<\/p>\n
\nSounds obvious but an acoustic guitar with year-old strings on it sounds like somebody sandblasting the church building. Old strings are the curse of the acoustic guitar and if you leave them on for anything more than three months, you\u2019ll have a dull sounding instrument that\u2019ll fail to inspire you week in, week out.<\/p>\n
\nTo swing, or not to swing, that is the question. Well, it\u2019s not really it\u2019s just we\u2019ve just made a gratuitous Shakespearian reference and we\u2019ve been dying to do this ever since we started this series.
\nIf you are a habitual swinger people will start to think you are preparing for a future career as a holiday camp pit musician. Swing rhythms usually start to become a problem when somebody has just discovered the joys of\u2026 um, swing. The swing rhythm is really only useful on very specific songs and if it is used inappropriately it sounds pathetically twee. So, our advice is: keep it straight unless you are certain the song is written in this style.<\/p>\n
\nThe capo is an extremely useful tool that can enable you to move from one song to another seamlessly. You have to think of it as an instrument in its own right and that it is there to help but it can also lead to abuse whereby you\u2019ll play in, say, a G-shape key\u2026 all the ruddy time. Don\u2019t get stuck in this rut because everything will end up sounding the same and before you know it the worship will start to have that horrible, homogenous feel about it.
\nStretch out a bit by learning a few replacement chords <\/a>and be prepared to play in unfamiliar keys. The capo is your friend but don\u2019t let it become too familiar.<\/p>\n
\nThere\u2019s silence \u2013 a purposeful, beautiful silence \u2013 punctuated by the thud of the guitarist unplugging his or her instrument. Then, to add insult to injury, repeats this horror by plugging the lead into another guitar. This musical broadside will cut right across everything and a guitarist who does this on a regular basis should be battered over the head with an Amplified Bible. Over time the serial \u2018jack-out jack-in\u2019 offender has learned to assume that sheepish look that says \u2018I\u2019m sorry, but I can\u2019t help it. It\u2019s the technology\u2019s fault\u2019. There is something that you can do to stop this: you can buy a silent jack – a very useful piece of technology that\u2019ll stop you freaking the congregation out every week.<\/p>\n
\nThere is a fine art to strumming that many guitarists have ignored, or failed, to master. Simply sticking to your favourite pattern and applying it to every song won\u2019t win you many friends and your appearances in the worship band will start to diminish. The classic \u2018down down up up down\u2019 pattern is fine\u2026 for a while, but don\u2019t keep drawing from this musical well because we\u2019ll all get bored.<\/p>\n\n
\nAs we have said, most worship songs begin their life as guitar-based compositions and in that respect your interpretation of them is hugely important. The guitar part is usually the template for a worship song so have an open mind and not just stick with the first thing that comes into your head. If it doesn\u2019t sound quite right, have a chat with the worship leader and the lead guitarist and see if you can take the bare bones of the song to another level. What\u2019s written down is not necessarily gospel. Listen to what the drummer and bass player are doing and don\u2019t be frightened to throw in a few ideas for them \u2013 they\u2019ll appreciate it. You must remember that you are playing a rhythmic instrument as well as a tonal one.<\/p>\n
\nAcoustic guitar players who focus heavily on chord shapes can be guilty of regular timing meltdowns. There\u2019s a number of criminals in this arena: the quick-quick-slow player who unsettles the groove, the gradually-getting-faster player who never sticks to the required tempo and the straightforward out-of-time player, who is well\u2026 out of time. Then there\u2019s the funereal player who plays the Happy Song like a Requiem.
\nIf you even suspect that you are any of the above go to the music store and buy yourself a metronome. Start practising songs at a medium pace – say 84bpm \u2013 and then move to quicker and slower speeds. Playing at slow speeds is difficult because the gaps between the notes are extended and it requires a greater degree of accuracy. If you can play in time at 68bhp, you\u2019ve probably got it licked.<\/p>\nNew to Musicademy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Musicademy resources for acoustic guitarists:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Other posts you make like:<\/strong><\/h2>\n