me . Talking about guitars and their sound is something that I really enjoy .
I think that for most , if not all worship guitar players , achieving that big sound that we all look for can be one of the biggest challenges we can face . We must consider the fact that in order for this to happen , all of the links of the chain that make up the sound per se , must be properly working . It isn ’ t only about playing the song right or playing the guitar right , you ’ ll find that whatever is in your chain can greatly affect your sound . For good or for bad . I will be explaining my thought process behind putting together the guitar , cables , pedals , amplifier , microphones and all of the elements of the chain that go from your guitar all the way to the speakers that produce the final sound the people will hear . 1 . Amplifier - I plug in my guitar directly into the amplifier and EQ it the best way that I can . 2 . Microphone placement - I make sure that all of the microphones are where they ’ re supposed to be . Although it ’ s normally the engineer ’ s job , I still like to double check myself . 3 . I plug into the pedalboard and set the parameters for each pedal to my preferences . 4 . I use a looper pedal that allows me to record a riff that I can go listen to out in the house . This will show me what my guitar really sounds like . Doing it this way , I make sure that my tone is as good as it can possibly be which is fundamental .
Now , something you always talk about that I believe is very important is that as guitar players , we need to be well prepared before a set . Whether there are tracks or not , we should be familiar with most of the guitar parts on the track and be able to execute them if needed . It isn ’ t only about learning the song structure , but also learning all of the main guitar parts of the track . You might have to piece together different parts from the guitar stems but it helps to fill in the gaps and make it sound like the album recording out in the house . I believe that this is key to being a great worship guitar player . When I go on tour with the band I like to set some time aside and make sure that the parts that I play live are not on the tracks and vice versa … but I ’ m also prepared in case the tracks malfunction .
I believe that as guitar players we have a great responsibility in the genre of music that we play . Years ago , I remember this guitar player was playing a lead line but there was no rhythm guitar player in the band that can fill in that gap . I approached him and asked him to play in more of a hybrid manner so that the band can sound fuller , but his response was that he was only used to the way he played his parts as a lead player .
I want to make it clear that it also doesn ’ t mean that you should be playing 100 % of the time without stopping . I firmly believe that one of the things that makes a great guitar player is knowing when and when not to play . I ’ ve always said that when playing any particular guitar part , ask yourself if what you are playing helps the song . If it does you ’ ll know that you ’ re doing your job . If it doesn ’ t make a difference whether you play it or not , that ’ s how you know you ’ re probably doing too much .
Finally , I want to talk about experience as I was mentioning in the beginning . A big guitar sound is the sum of many factors , factors that you will be able to have a hold of more as time goes by .
Factors that you will have down after spending hours with your guitar , amp , and pedals . There ’ s no shortcut for this , it takes time . Great things demand effort , patience , and time . The guitar is no exception .
Chris Rocha Lives in Houston , TX , and is the guitarist and producer for Miel San Marcos