CAPO GUITAR
CHRISTMAS WITH THE SHORT-CUT CAPO | Mitch Bohannon
Are you a worship leader who loves Christmas time or one who is ready for it to be over before it begins ? Sadly , I used to be the latter . It ’ s not that I don ’ t like Christmas or celebrating the birth of my Savior ! No ! It just always seemed that there was often a variety of expectations from within the congregation that kind of took the fun out of planning and being creative .
For me , breakthroughs happened when Paul Baloche began releasing his Christmas mashups , blending popular Christmas songs with his songs of worship . Those songs helped to inspire me to become more creative with some of the songs that people were expecting while at the same time creating an atmosphere of worship . Re-writing charts so that the songs flow more and incorporating the Short-Cut Capo were also big helps in creating Christmas worship sets for Sundays .
Play the Changes : Look at your first two chords . For this song , they are “ E ” and then “ B .” So , stum an “ E ” and then strum twice playing “ E , B .” The next two chords are “ B ” and then “ E .” Strum twice playing those two chords in order . For this song , that goes back and forth until you get to the “ E , A ” pair . Do the same thing . This is practicing the fingering change at a tempo . It ’ s one thing to know the chord fingering and it ’ s another thing to know the fingering change . This is very good practice and even helps with muscle memory as you memorize the progression . I ’ ve been playing this song like this for so many years , I really
Angels We Have Heard on High
Public Domain
Key : E | Tempo 110 don ’ t even think about it . I just play it . That goes back to an article I wrote a few months back about the importance of memorizing your music . When you do not have to depend on music , you become freer to lead !
Don ’ t shy away from Christmas this Christmas ! Worship Him through every season ! If you need more help with the Short-Cut Capo , send me a message . Find me on Instagram @ CutCapo and YouTube @ mitchbohannon259 or email cutcapo @ gmail . com .
Before the Short-Cut Capo , I would have just avoided songs like , “ Angels We Have Heard on High .” But this song has become one of my favorite songs to play during the season . The Short-Cut helps to create great flow and there are only five chords you really need . I play it in the key of “ E .” but you can easily move it up the neck using a second capo two frets behind the Short-Cut . Check out the video … this year I started using a little musical hook that is not as busy as a normal intro / interlude and really sets the groove for the song .
The chart looks busy with a lot of chords , but the flow makes sense and accentuates the melody of the song . If you ’ re just starting out , one of the “ beginner ” techniques that I teach is what I call , “ playing the changes .” So , if you struggle with changing fingerings while you ’ re playing , this is for you .
INTRO | E E / C # E / D | E E / C # E / D |
VERSE 1 E |
B |
E |
Angels we have heard on high |
E |
B E |
A |
E |
B |
E |
Sweetly singing o ’ er the plains |
E |
B |
E A E |
And the mountains in reply |
E B E A |
E B E |
Echoing their joyous strains |
CHORUS E C # m F # m B E A B Glo -- -- --- -- -- -- -- --ria E B E A E B In excel – sis De -- o
E C # m F # m B E A B Glo -- -- --- -- -- -- -- --ria E B E A E B E In excel – sis De -- o
E B A C # m F # m Mitch Bohannon Mitch developed the Short-Cut Capo for Kyser and is the Director of Live Production at Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles , Louisiana .
68 December 2024 Subscribe for Free ...