HElp needed(esp christian guitar players)

[jc_passion]

I currently attend a rather traditional church, and find that most songs are in the key of Eb, Ab, Db, Bb, and i´ve been learning quite a lot of open chords or chord voicings , but i was just wondering is there anyway i can play such nice, and contemporary chords for the songs in my church? I do know that i can use the capo and barred chords but is there any other techniques which u all have learnt? or how would you all play such songs? for those non-christians, what are some really special chords which you all play besides the usual chord progressions and barred chords?

 

[Shanekua]

Hello,

Nice to see another Christian Guitarist :wink:

I´m still quite a beginner myself...
But anyway, say for the song "I could Sing of Your Love forever" I use the chord progression
D Em7 G2 Asus

Note: E A D G B e
D : x x 0 2 3 2
Em : 0 2 2 0 3 3
G2 : 3 2 0 0 3 3
Asus : x 0 2 2 3 0

Number indicates the fret you hold the respective string down.

Its not really as complicated as the notation seems. The 3rd finger is rooted at the B string 3 fret through the progression. The rest is then natural.

Hope this helps :wink: Cheers

 

[Lifehouse]

Somehow, for those songs, it sounds better on an acoustic. I would prefer songs like Shout of the King, or King of Majesty.. Most of hillsongs genre worship songs features great riff, bridge.. Tends to give the player more exposure..

Cheers~! :lol:

 

[BF109E]

I currently attend a rather traditional church, and find that most songs are in the key of Eb, Ab, Db, Bb, and i´ve been learning quite a lot of open chords or chord voicings , but i was just wondering is there anyway i can play such nice, and contemporary chords for the songs in my church? I do know that i can use the capo and barred chords but is there any other techniques which u all have learnt? or how would you all play such songs? for those non-christians, what are some really special chords which you all play besides the usual chord progressions and barred chords?

Thanx :

I know this thread is bit old, but let me share my experience.

Ok, if you get a lot of songs with plenty of flats, the best way is still to use the capo to play in more guitar-friendly keys. Certain keys like E and G lend themselves to very interesting chord shapes and can give a lot of colours to the song.

Besides learning different chord voicings, you should also try to play the chords in various position across the neck. Mix and match to see if it fits. This will work better if there is a second guitarist, sort of like parts for the guitar. If the arrangement of the songs can't be varied too much, vary the sounds with effects such as chorus, overdrive or distortion where appropriate.
It will give a fresh impetus to a hymn or chorus, provided the pastor or congregation can accept it since you come from a rather traditional church.

Another technique is through chord substitution, for example substituting dominant 7th chords with 9s, or using more jazz-oriented chords to substitute for the normal open chords.

In a band situation, less is more. Hence don't overplay and try to come up with simple riffs, or muted playing with only 3 strings (any 3) or with power chords. Vary the sound so that it complement rather than clash with the keyboard, piano, organ or another guitarist. You may also want to create varied tempos with the drummer and bassist through your riffs. Learn some pop or rock riffs and sometimes you can subtlely work into the hymns or choruses. An example would be stuff from U2, such as those chord arpeggios done by Edge.

Work on these and you'll notice a variation in your playing and sound.

Learn from concert videos (all sorts, pop, rock etc) and experiment whenever you can.

Hope the above helps.


:lol: