GUITAR
[ SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE: PLAYING IN Ab | Roger Zimish ]
What does it take to be a better guitarist on Lord” for direction. Within the last year, I started in the song “Start a Fire” by Unspoken. The
a Worship team? Have you heard the saying playing at “City on a Hill” church in Nashville, main chords are [Ab / D / Fm7/ Ebsus] or using
“less is more”, less of me and more about God? not as the electric lead guitar player, but rather the Nashville number system it is [1 / 4 / 6m / 5]
As a guitarist, many of us strive for the best as the acoustic rhythm player. Most of the time I in the key of Ab.
guitar sounds on our instrument, and with our plug into my tuner, and that’s it! Yes, it was hard amps and effects pedals in Worship. There’s to give up my pedalboard, however this has Example 1 shows the chord shapes you can
nothing wrong with that as long as we don’t led to have a Heart of Worship and has even play in what would be the chorus of the song.
get caught up in performance mode rather than Opened the eyes of my Heart as I concentrate When you use a capo on the first fret, the chord
singing praise and ushering in the presence of on the words and their meaning that I am singing shapes are: [G / C / Em / Dsus]. Remember
God with the congregation. Finding the balance instead of dancing on my effects pedals. Now, that these are the chord shapes, not the actual
between our gift as a guitarist and the meaning when I do get the call to play electric and bring chords.
of why we are there on the Worship team in my board, it makes it that much more enjoyable the first place is one of the keys to becoming a and Worshipful.
Example 2 shows the chord progression in what
better Worship Musician. Sometimes, we may
have to step away from the pedalboard.
would be the verse in the first position using
So, that’s part of my story. Whether you play upper chord voicings on the D-G-B & A strings
electric guitar on the main team or in the youth only. Use your index finger to bar at the first fret,
Did he just say step away from the pedalboard? band, getting on a rotation to simply play the almost as if it was a capo, leaving out the bass
Yes, I did, and I have done it myself at times, acoustic guitar even once a quarter may be notes of the chord, which can be covered by
recently as a matter of fact. Here’s a short beneficial so your Worship life doesn’t become the keyboard, bass or the guitar player using
testimony as to why: A few years ago, my wife spiritually flat. the capo. You will see that you can use minimal
and I felt the call to move to Nashville, where
hand movement to play all 4 chords.
there are lots of artists and musicians and what Since we also don’t want to become flat in our seems to be a church on almost every corner. It musical worship, here are some tips for playing Keep developing your gifts while getting back
soon felt like home, but before pursuing a spot songs in flat keys, with or without a capo. Here to the Heart of Worship.
on a worship team I decided to “wait upon the is a chord progression in the key of Ab, like that
EX.#1 Capo fret 1
⁄
EX #2
⁄
42
G C E‹ D
4
1
1
1
3
4 1
2
1
3
4 1
1
1
3
3
1 3
4
3
1
A¨ D¨ F‹ E¨
F‹ D¨ A¨ E¨(“4)
1
1
1
3 1
2
1
3 4
4
1
1 4
4
3
1
August 2017
WorshipMusician.com