CAPO GUITAR
“ SAME GOD ” BY ELEVATION WORSHIP | Mitch Bohannon
I had heard “ Same God ” before , but when our Student Pastor , David Doyle , told me that it would be one of the main songs for his upcoming D-Now ( Disciple Now youth event ), I listened more intently . What an incredibly powerful song ! It really connects worshippers with the ‘ Who ’ God is through the different personalities in the Scripture . It truly is amazing how the God of all is so personal and so faithful and so consistent !
There are so many powerful dynamics in the song that having multiple instruments leading would be ideal , however , if it ’ s just you and your guitar … don ’ t shy away from it . The recording has a cool melody that starts low on the electric guitar . With the cut capo , I start it out with just an alternating 1 / 16 th note picking pattern that concentrates on the 3 rd and 4 th strings . The song is at a tempo of 72 , which is normal for ballads and slower feeling songs … so playing
1 / 16 th notes helps the song to not feel slow .
You ’ ll notice in the video I skip many chords and simplify fingerings … I ’ ll play one finger on the bass string of the “ C ” chord and then bounce to a one-finger chord holding the bass note of the “ F ” chord . That really is a passing chord , so it ’ s not necessary to play all the strings . Also , you may notice that I dropped the song a full step from the recording . The recording is in “ Db ” and I initially charted it in “ C ,” but for today … it still felt high . That ’ s the beauty of playing with capos ! You can move up or down the neck without changing your fingerings or chord patterns .
When I finger pick , I always keep a pick handy
on the top of my guitar so that I can increase the dynamic of a song . Building up to the big second chorus in “ Same God ” feels great . And I also love the feel of palm-muting through the beginning of the bridge . Playing with dynamics like that helps the listener / worshipper to listen and connect with the lyrics and also builds up musical tension so that the octave jump in the second bridge works !
As you lead , remind your folks that He answered prayers back then and He will answer now . He is the same God !
Mitch Bohannon Mitch Bohannon and his wife , Noelle have been married for 30 years with three adult kids and two granddaughters . Mitch developed the Short-Cut Capo for Kyser and is the Director of Live Production at Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles , Louisiana .