Amateur To PRO Worship Guitarist in 4 Simple Ways

[@MyguitarteacherCa]

Using the volume as a Gain control is significant - but I would recommend getting a TREBEL BLEED CIRCUIT on your volume pot. This way your tone stays clear and not muddy when you drop the volume. Also, if you have humbuckers, consider adding some sort of single-coil split switch to get those sweet single-coil tones - especially in the neck pickup. Neither of these are expensive and require only a bit of soldering knowledge. 😁

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Oh I have the treble bleed on my JS1200 and I like that feature! Works very well for high gain amp models.

[@gmusiclarsen1163]

The absolute most important thing is to have a sound technician who will include you in the mix! I have found when vocalists are mixed way too loud, the band sounds like it's playing a mile away which doesn't help the music. The sound person is the most important effect on your pedal board, otherwise it becomes pointless😂

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Oh yeah, it’s a constant challenge everywhere! Some churches it’s like an acapella group mix with the vocals so loud and the band is essentially muted (but they don’t know they’re muted because they have individual in ear monitor mixes so they look really into the non-existent music)

[@gmusiclarsen1163]

@AllAboutWorshipGuitar 😂Exactly right! I receive my joy from my in ear mix!

[@ardyaprilianta9732]

I found that by knowing your delay pedal really well could change the ambience & tone of your guitar so much. Couple that with overdrives and reverb, you can cover a lot of ground

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

You may not even need a reverb pedal! Some of these delays and their analog sound (eg Keeley Halo) can sound like a reverb with longer feedback and darker delay tones.

[@joen2521]

Great advice as always... thanks for sharing

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

You’re welcome, and I’m glad you found it helpful!

[@ahall3823]

Here are mine: - make sure your guitar is in tune - don’t be afraid to stop playing - make sure your in-ear mix is right - put you reverb mix on an expression pedal

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Oh that reverb mix on an expression pedal is such a cool tip, if only my board had the space for it!

[@DrBadLlama]

One thing I do quite often is halve the BPMs of my delay when we do songs over 100 BPM. This allows me to still have a sound that is fitting within a mix, but avoids some crowding in the mix.

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

That’s a cool idea! It does change the actual subdivision of your delay though, doesn’t it? A dotted eighth becomes something like a dotted quarter.

[@DrBadLlama]

@@AllAboutWorshipGuitar I'm not smart enough to answer that question. I use a dd-500 set to either 8th for rhythm or dotted 8th for lead, then I turn the dial to set bpms, or tap them in. If that changes the subdivision then I'm fortunate it still plays nice in the mix.

[@shanerose5348]

Some fantastic, off the beaten path sounds!! That univibe was great. Excellent tips, great video, thoroughly enjoyed your live clips. Subbed.

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Thank you for the kind words, and thank you for the sub! I appreciate it. I hope the information is useful for your ministry.

[@larrycavallucci3258]

I'm a subscriber. Had to chuckle at the 2 Gtrs you used in ths vid. I have a PRS SE Custom 24, but don't use it that often. I also have a Gretsch 5420T. I mostly use a TELE Hybrid----3 pickups, 5-way switch with my POG GO. This Sunday, I will use the Tele for the back to back first 2 songs, both upbeat, then switch to the Gretsch during the announcements, as I capo songs 3 and 4, and also fingerpick those. Much better sound to fit those 2 songs. I ALWAYS preview what Gtr or Gtrs I will use during the week, or also do that at the practice session for the following Sunday if I want to try a different Gtr with a different tone/sound. SO I agree with you wholeheartedly on THAT point you made. At times, I can even switch to a different patch on my POD GO, and keep any secondary patch right below my main one for my TELE so I just need to move that knob once. Works out well that way. THANKS!

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Thanks for subbing and for sharing! I LOVE Nashville Tele's, which sometimes sound more strat than a strat can be. Yes, biggest learning point for me, just use the same guitar as the rehearsal!

[@Blankee-o1t]

Great tips and playing👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@JeffHendricks]

Good stuff as always, Justin.

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Thank you, Jeff! I appreciate it!

[@KingdomOfHeavenPictures]

Took me a while to figure out what the extra voice was during performances. What manages that? Is it a person or a system?

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

It’s a microphone that’s fed to our in ears and not the live sound system. Our music director is giving us cues through the mic.

[@ac8704]

Tip 1 might be made even worse by modelers. You have access to a near infinite amount of combinations of amps and effects. I have to force myself to just use a few good presets as opposed to endlessly tweaking things and constantly changing blocks out.

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

I agree! But if you have the spare time for recreation of course it’s fun to scroll through the effects and their weird sounds haha. The guitarist version of doom-scrolling!

[@smc1065]

Excellent tips sir. Love your heart.

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@jwhitty14]

Excellent Information.

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Thank you! I hope they were useful!

[@aaronmiglioranza2931]

U should do one with being the only electric player.

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

That's a great video idea, it could even be a series since it's so wide-spanning.

[@ricklaurens5884]

Can you explain to me why worships guitar players all use so much fx (delay& reverb)? It takes up a lot of sonic space while at the same time there are so many other instruments and vocals.

[@SnoW-wc2rw]

I’m a worship lead guitar player and I use my amp settings for the delay and spring reverb I do use pedals but haven’t brought them to church yet but I do that to give the music for God more color and to compliment the singer and bass

[@armymankr]

I think they do it to make the guitar tone softer so that electric guitar doesn't sound so forward and at the centre of the band

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Thanks for the responses from fellow musicians! I think it depends on the era. There was a time us church folks only had one delay on the board (DD-20 and the Nova Delay were THE hot pedals of the day). As music evolved, so did the influences that inspired the worship records, which followed pop music sensibilities (dreamy, mix-backward guitar parts that had heavy effects).

[@smc1065]

If you love your sound you will be inspired to play better. Most guitar players love the tonal possibilities that delay reverb and modulation give them and can enhance their musicality because they hear something that is pleasing. With that said, they still need to be used judiciously. Serve the song, serve the worship leader but ultimately serve Jesus with your best efforts.

[@aaronmiglioranza2931]

For the clean songs. Acoustic carrys most of that. But the delays help sustain for soft songs. if you're only electric player. There's heaps of space to fill. The praise (or amped up songs) are usually more basic.

[@markanthonypraico3099]

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

Ah, you must be talking about my Claire at the end of the video!

[@michaelyolch79]

Worship has become an absolute joke in the vast majority of American “churches.” Tragic.

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

I think there has been a major shift in worship practices, yes, towards Pentecostal-charismatic expressions, where liturgical observance is minimal. But even the most charismatic of the lot adhere to a structure introduced in the 19th century, so it’s not all bad historically speaking.

[@thesaj1110]

That sounded awful man, sorry! Simple is the key. Too much going on!!

[@AllAboutWorshipGuitar]

That’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it, no worries. If my MD thought it was too busy I’ll simplify but he was very happy with what I put on the table. Maybe the lesson is to over-train so you can scale back if need be.