Worship Songs Guitar Chords

[Urbano Bozman]

Inthis post I wanted to create an outline of chord shapes that can equip any guitarist, electric or acoustic, to be able to get up on stage at their church and fill in the mix nicely. Many people ask us about transposing, so here is a great solution. If I had these basic chords given to me when I was younger I would have most likely advanced in my playing much quicker.

With each of the chord shapes outlined in this post there are countless variations. In my own playing, I have developed many preferred alternative chords that I play differently than what is listed here. After mastering these basics, I encourage everyone to pursue deeper knowledge of theory and the fretboard so you can easily explore alternative chord voicings. Many chord choices I have found have come from learning other songs and developing an ear for what works, so keep practicing!

With all of the chords, I have listed out the general 7 chord shapes you would need for each song. Most worship songs are simple and call for the 1, 5, 6, and 4 chords (that progression is the most common). To keep things simple, for guitar, you can get away with interchanging the 1/3 with the 1, and the 5/7 with the 5. If all of these numbers are confusing you, do not worry about it, but I would encourage you to research The Nashville Number System as you practice.

These are the most basic chords anyone could probably know. Many people play them differently, but most of the time this is how I roll. I rarely play the high E string with these chords and if I do I will alternate what note I choose depending on what emotion I want (i.e. 0, 2, 3). If you have a capo, you should be able alternate between these G and D open chord shapes to play in any key.

These box chord shapes will allow you to play in any key, but without a capo. These will give you some different voicings to help you play better with other guitarists as well as open the door for more lead guitar options. Make sure to practice using your fretting hand to mute any unplayed strings to make things cleaner.

January 6, 2010 at 09:26 PM I really am struggling. Our worship leader wants me to play in the band, but all he has are chord sheets for the music. I am still a beginner and want to help, but I understand notes on a staff, not guitar chords. I was wondering if there was a fast way to determine what note on the violin would be best when faced with this situation. I don't know enough about guitar chord theory to know what to do. I looked but could not find a listing that would show a direct translation between the 2. If anyone could lead me in the right direction or maybe have a chart it would make my life easier.

Then, go to www,google.com and look up "guitar chord charts" This will show you how a number of chords are played on the frets of those 6 strings. The chords will be named, so you can then go between standard guitar charts, the pictoral charts and G clef to figure out notes you might want to play on your violin - or even to write out.

January 6, 2010 at 10:39 PM Mine is not the answer your worship leader wants, but...if you are a beginner, it is possible that working from unfamiliar notation is just not where you're at right now and will hinder your playing. Of course, I don't know how motivated you are, how much understanding you already have of chords, how solid your technique is, etc. but if I were your teacher I'd be hesitating about having you jump into brand new notation if you're still solidifying the foundations of you're instrument.

Of course "jump in" is the key caution there....if you can get music ahead of time and work on one or two songs at a time while still keeping your technique and other practice good--go for it! And if you're very self-motivated, or have a teacher who can work with you on it, chord synbols are a great way to work on your ear training and study of harmony--it can open up whole new doors in your playing! If that's the case go for it, and the resources listed will probably be of great help. Otherwise be careful, trying to play something you're not ready for has the potential to be a distraction both to you and your congregation.

January 7, 2010 at 12:07 AM I jam quite a bit, and have to pick up and improvise on unfamiliar tunes on the fly. What helps me the most is to practice scales in each key, from memory, and then practice arpeggios of each chord in the key, naming each chord and note in my head as I do so. For example, in the key of C, the C chord is C E G. I'll start on the open G string, and play G, C, E, G, C, E, G as high as I care to go. Then I'll go to Dm, Em, F, G. etc.

When I do this faithfully, I don't have much problem improvising in any key, even Eb and Ab, because the notes and chords become almost automatic. If I don't keep the scales and chords fresh, I can't do it on the fly, because I have to stop and think.

I don't know what keys you all play in, but it might be that you only use two or three keys. It shouldn't take long before you start feeling comfortable playing in the chords, and hearing how the passing notes of the melody fit in. Playing by ear and learning to pick up tunes great skill to learn, and church music is a great place to start.

January 7, 2010 at 02:35 AM I would start by playing the chord root (D is D, C7 is C, etc.) You're not a bass, but it gives you the feel for the song, then after run-through or two, start playing the 3rd above -- minor 3rd instead of major if it has the 'm' next to the chord. (Cm would be an Eb). For practice, you could also try the fifth.

You should also attempt to play the melody. You'll start finding fun things to do. Some songs you may also be able to echo the melody a measure or two behind to start -- you may not finish the phrase and have to end on the chord root, though, so consider yourself warned. Most worship songs aren't too complicated for chords, so the echo method is more effective than in non-worship-related band music, in my experience.

January 7, 2010 at 08:50 AM I am a classically trained violinist, but have in my life spent some years playing bluegrass, rock and folk music. I am quite knowledgeable regarding music theory, and harmonic structure and function. Naturally that knowledge has served me well in situations such as you describe, Nonetheless, nothing can take the place of LEARNING THE MELODY of the piece your are playing. Many tune have the same progression, but are quite different (think of the St. Paul's suite!). Yes, learning each melody will require some woodshedding, but the benefits are great. I am not suggesting that you just play the melody, but rather use it as the basis for your improvisations and back up - and sometimes just playing the melody with well chosen double stops works very well indeed.

January 7, 2010 at 03:31 PM I have no experience in playing this way but just playing the chord root or the third of the chord, etc. sounds to me like poor voice leading. Chords progress from one to another by choosing inversions of the chord that allow one to avoid parallel fifths and octaves. In short it isn't a good idea to play the same tone (root, third, fifth etc.) as you increase the risk of parallel voices in the harmony.

I was asked to play the song White Bird with a "rock band" some years ago. My wife carefully transcribed the violin line and I rehearsed with the band. The keyboard player just played chord after chord in root position. It was ugly.

January 8, 2010 at 03:42 AM Back to the original request, a direct link between the cord and notes. Use Mandolin cords. The Mandoline is tuned exactly like a violin so you have your direct connection. A C cord is a C cord is a C cord. C E F. It's true for all cords. The music that has guitar cords also have mandolin cords and banjo cords, etc. Hope this helps:-)

January 8, 2010 at 03:52 PM I'm with the writer who suggested that you hold off joining the band while you work on your basics. Perhaps you could record their rehearsals, to gather some info about how they organize & work things out, and where a violin would fit in. My sense is church bands don't rehearse a lot, play a lot by ear and wing it. Nothing wrong with that; folk, fiddle & rock groups work that way, too. I think a beginner would be overwhelmed. But if there are particular tunes or sung responses the band repeats weekly, seasonally or periodically, you could also record the melodies and try to learn them. I did not follow the suggestion of the last respondent. Yes, a C cHord is a C chord, but references to mandolin & banjo seem out of context. Some tune charts & sheet music come w/tabs (little graphs) of where to place your fingers on a guitar, etc., to play the chord named. Maybe that was where he was pointing you? But not all charts have tabs, and it would be unusual to have guitar, mando & banjo tabs provided. Oh- a C chord is C-E-G. Hoping his F was a typo. Sue

January 8, 2010 at 09:33 PM I am going to play devil's advocate here, and say sometimes you learn to swim fastest when you are thrown in the deep end. I have done a lot of improvising at church, and found it to be one of the more forgiving environments to play in: the songs were familiar, the music director pretty much let me do what I wanted, and though I made mistakes I could usually pass them off as intentional. You should get to know chords well, but before you even do that, listen to the song you're supposed to play and imagine a countermelody that sounds nice. Playing a third below the melody can often be a good choice (use your judgment if anything doesn't sound right). Try to stick to stepwise motion in your countermelody while you are learning the ropes.

January 8, 2010 at 10:49 PM Hi! i'm also a worship violinist, and when i started playing the violin i did not have a teacher. the first thing i did was to put on a cd and started to search for a note on the violin that would fit the song, and when i hit that one note i was SO HAPPY! I have studied the violin with a teacher now for two years and know music theory and i can tell you that no theory or knowlege is needed for improvising. just listen to the music and search until you find a note that works and soon you will realize that you will automaticly go places you never knew existed. you can do this in private with a cd at first but i encourage you to start playing with the band as soon as you have gotten the hang of it, then you will become able to improvise in any song, although you have never heard it before, and you can also play in the spirit, a new song unto the lord. You have to trust in yourself and just play, i have noticed that almost anything you play works, and if it doesn't it's probably only a half step away! If you would like to discuss these things further, feel free to e-mail me, i would be happy to help! and i would also give you this advice that if you don't feel comfortable playing in the band it is better that you don't.. maybe until you are ready, but not all musicians join the worship.. being a worshipper is more than just the music. And if you are not prepared it can be like standing in the front line of a battlefield without an armor..you can get hurt. Be blessed!

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