Worship has always gone hand in hand with music. Since the beginning of time, beats and rhythmic chants were used as a form of prayer. Samuel spoke of David dancing in the presence of the Lord. In the chapter of Exodus, Miriam played her tambourine and danced to celebrate the freedom of the Israelites as the Egyptians that pursued them drowned.
As Christianity evolved and was taken up in many different countries, so did its music and rituals. Hymns were sung, and songs took on different styles from Gregorian to Gospel, and then modern worship music took on widely loved tunes of pop and rock. From the Jesus Movement of the latter years of the Sixties, spiritual music has gone on to influence popular music. Rock and roll was no longer considered the music of bad behavior and rebellion, but was made the tune of worship.
The guitar is an ideal instrument for worship – easy to learn, with its simple sound resonating sincerity. It is an instrument based more on chords than notes, similar to the voices of a choir with lifted voices. This instrument is suited for travel, and can be easily brought out of its case, all set and ready to go, wherever worship takes place.
Now, worship guitar lessons in some ways are conducted like any other guitar lessons for any other kind of music: you have to learn how to move your fingers into chords and notes. Because worship music tend to have a lot of chords and chord patterns, learning chords is a great way to start on playing Christian songs.
Your early worship guitar lessons will also be comprised of learning to read chord notations, tuning your guitar properly, and drills on switching chords and strumming techniques. From there, you can move on to more advanced material: substitute chords, sliding, plucking individual strings, and reading tablature (which will let you learn how to position your fingers for plucking). Quite soon, you’ll have an extensive repertoire of worship songs, and experience the joy of worshipping through music.
Learning to play the guitar can be difficult at times. Taking worship guitar lessons entails a commitment on your part, which will require you to spends hours and hours trying to improve. But as long as you find music-making enjoyable, the learning process shouldn’t be so hard. Playing worship songs on a guitar is a very deep and personal way to connect with God, and can prove to be as spiritual and moving as prayer.
Music and worship songs has long been a part of the religious experience. Christians who wish to make a deeper connection with God may find that taking some worship guitar lessons are a great way to enhance their spiritual lives. The process of learning the basics like Christian guitar chords and tuning your guitars, and moving on to more high-level techniques like plucking and tablature reading, can prove to be a spiritual journey that will give you another way to express your faith.
- Jonathan Drake