conversation with a real person . That ’ s fine . You can leverage your phone , e-mail , calendar , and more .
These digital reminders can be less intense than an actual person checking in on you , but they can also be less effective , because it ’ s much easier to hit “ snooze ” or “ delete ” than to “ ghost ” a friend ’ s communication when they reach out to you .
7 . LISTEN TO A RECORDING OF THE FINISHED SONG … OFTEN . Music is so powerful . Listen to it . If there ’ s a recording available of the song you want to be able to play , listen to it . A lot . Just listening to it will allow you to experience the subtleties and nuances of it , as well as the mechanics of tempo , chord changes , and melodies or other elements .
8 . PRACTICE THE SONG WITH A METRONOME . Try playing the song at varying speeds with a metronome . See how well you can keep up .
The metronome keeps us honest , because it won ’ t slow down for us if we ’ re dragging , and it won ’ t speed up with us if we ’ re rushing . It can help us maintain our tempo awareness on a song .
9 . PRACTICE THE SONG WITH THE RECORDING . This is a step I ’ ve rarely seen people take , especially when it comes to worship music , and it ’ s actually even better than playing with a metronome , because it helps facilitate a level of memory work that can lead to more visual independence from the page . I highly recommend it .
10 . PRACTICE WITH THE SONG RECORDING IN YOUR DESIRED KEY AND POSITION . I rarely play worship songs in their original keys due to the vocal ranges of some of today ’ s worship vocalists . By leveraging digital software , I like to take the purchased audio track and transpose it ( down , usually ) to a key that ’ s more suitable for my voice . And then I tackle it with the CAGED System and find my preferred voicing .
Curious about my unique approach to the CAGED System ? Check out my “ Unleashing the CAGED Beast ” article / video in the October 2021 issue of Worship Musician Magazine . You ’ ll love it !
11 . PLAY THE SONG FOR A “ SAFE ” AUDIENCE . Before you “ go public ,” I encourage you to connect with a family member or a friend who ’ s
willing to listen to you play the song .
You can invite them to give you their undivided attention and to offer their feedback , or you can encourage them to listen with “ divided ” attention while they ’ re doing something else . Just knowing that they ’ re listening to you play can compel you to complete the song , much more so than if you were playing it alone in your practice space .
12 . KEEP THE SONG FRESH . Once you ’ ve got the song under your fingers ( and if applicable , in your voice ), ideally , it ’ s good to play it frequently enough that your fingers ( and voice ) can make it happen almost on command . This is the art of practicing and maintaining a repertoire .
I hope these tools gave you some good insights into leveling up your preparation of songs for your repertoire . Please reach out to me via david @ guitarsuccess4u . com and let me know .
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David Harsh David is a nationally touring worship leader , songwriter and performing artist . He is passionate about equipping guitarists to discover their potential . Learn more and join now at www . GuitarSuccess4U . com .
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