‘How Great Thou Art’ For Guitar

One of the most popular hymns is ‘How Great Thou Art’. It was originally penned in Sweden in the late 1800′s. Inspired by a huge rainstorm that was followed by almost immediate blue skies lined with a huge rainbow.

This caused the writer to reflect on the greatness of our Great God. The original poem was later sung to a familiar Swedish tune and the rest is history. If you would like to learn an arrangement of this song. Here is a video with how to get the music for free.

For other Christian Guitar Lessons you can visit our main website WorshipGuitarClass.com. There are quite a few videos posted free at the website. Over the years, many wonderful new Christian worship songs are being written and some of them, like ‘How Great Thou Art’ may touch people in a special way and become one of the hymns that continues to be used, too.

Learning to play songs like the one in the above video are good to use in personal worship as well as in church or home group settings.

Kids Guitar Lessons – Benefits to Their Development

There is something infectious about sitting next to someone who is playing the guitar. Watching them strum those strings and produce beautiful music can be both captivating and inspiring. Perhaps that is why so many kids dream of being able to play the guitar. However, what many parents do not realize is that taking guitar lessons can actually significantly impact their child’s development in a very positive way.

One of the biggest ways that kid’s guitar lessons can impact your child is by helping them to believe more in themselves. Suddenly they have a special talent that is all their own and it something that allows them to express themselves in a very creative way. Your child has a new voice, and that is the voice of music. With the notes they are able to work through their feelings however they need to.

Additionally guitar lessons are really beneficial to a child’s brain activity. Studies have shown that when children are completing musical activities like playing music, sight reading scores, and completing theory exercises all four of their brain cortex’s lobes are activated. By using their brain more they are challenging it which only helps it to thrive.

Playing the guitar takes discipline, and that means that if your child is studying it they are learning about self-discipline and hard work. You have to practice daily if you expect to improve, and this is an opportunity for the child to learn how to stick to that practice schedule. Only they are accountable for what happens if they do not, and that real world experience can be very helpful.

Additionally, taking guitar lessons will help teach your child how to learn. It may sound simple, but most people do not think about the fact that each of us learns in a different way. To truly excel in your learning you need to know how to break down the process for yourself. Guitar lessons can teach your child how to do this. As they work through chord progressions, scales, and songs they learn how they need to disassemble larger tasks into smaller and more manageable bits.

Unbelievably music is very much tied to math. Specifically the concepts involved in music theory are directly tied to mathematics, and what your child learns in guitar lessons can directly impact their skills as a mathematician. As they learn about intervals and such they will learn to think in terms of fractions.

One of the best things about taking guitar lessons is that your child will hone their listening skills. Not only will that help them identify proper pitches and their tonal memory, but it can also factor into how they process directions. Often kids do not really listen, but in a guitar class they must to progress. This is a life skill that they will be able to take with them forever.

Guitar lessons have many different developmental benefits, but probably most importantly they are quite simply fun. Kids love playing the guitar, and the lessons will give them the skills that they need to do so successfully. The only real question is, why haven’t you started them yet?

Guitar Expert Jean Welles teaches Christians of all ages who want to play the guitar without hand fatigue, easily learn worship songs and use their talents to glorify an Awesome God. Children can be playing their first song free by watching a short video at http://www.worshipguitarclass.com/kids-worship-guitar.html. Learn to play with excellent technique with her free guitar playing tips report and free chord chart e-book at the website.

Guitar Music Theory – Is It Useful For a Worship Leader to Know?

It is important that worship leaders know music theory. Is is good to know how to play worship songs, but when you understand how an arrangement is designed you can add different chords to enrich a song. Music theory gives you a better understanding of the music that surrounds the arrangement and how it can be injected to add more voices and more instruments.

There is something special about knowing how to enrich a song or musical arrangement. You are not taking away from its intention but adding to the richness of music. Many worship leaders know that music can excite or calm a congregation or audience, their understanding of how music affects people allows them to customize an arrangement. A good worship leader does just that…. helps to lead people into an experience of God’s presence.

Since worship leaders are responsible for starting and ending a worship service it is important to go with the mood of the service. Generally there is an offertory in the middle of a church service; an instrumental piece is usually played that segues into the sermon or prayer time. A worship leader that knows music theory can heighten the sense of worship and allow God to move among those he is speaking to. Music should not be used as a lead but as a guide, many people who attend church that are older opt for the traditional hymns over contemporary music so knowing how to keep a balance of music in the church is important.

Music is a wonderful way to minister to the hearts of those in the congregation; it can drive the service or bring reverence. Music moves people and when a worship leader knows how to arrange music it can help add variety to a worship service. Many people identify with music and unfortunately some people base their church experience on how well the music is performed. Worship leaders have a responsibility to minister to those who value music as a way to allow God to work in the church. Knowing music theory gives the worship leader more choices when it comes to arrangements and original music. They are free to be creative when writing their own worship music. Plus, if a song is in a difficult key for the singers or congregation, it is easy to change it into another easier to sing key.

When a worship leader knows music theory he can write music that can be played and sung by various voices and instruments. There are people with musical talents that might not ever try out for a choir but when a worship minister opens the door through various music it can spark an individual to join the choir or worship team. Contemporary worship is quickly becoming the way to reach those who want something new from the growing church. A worship leader that knows music theory can also bring out talent from the children and youth of a church. They can help to add additional instruments or arrangements that create a fuller sound for Easter and Christmas programs.

Guitar Expert Jean Welles teaches Christians who want to play the guitar without hand fatigue, easily learn worship songs and use their talents to glorify an Awesome God. She is offering a free video lesson on reading music and music theory at Guitar Music Theory. Learn to play with excellent technique with her free guitar playing tips report and free chord chart e-book at the website.

5 Tips For Learning Your Favorite Christian Guitar Songs

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How to Find a Good Used Guitar

You can get fabulous deals buying a used guitar, if you know what to look for. This article is focused on how to find a good used acoustic or classical guitar.

A few years ago I was celebrating a friend’s birthday in a home with a wall of guitars. I spotted a nice Yamaha classical guitar and asked permission to play it. The owner proudly told me that she had purchased it for $5 at a garage sale.

I know guitars and this instrument originally sold for around $400. It was in excellent condition and around 20 to 30 years old.

On the other hand, I heard through the grapevine that a gentleman purchased a used Ramirez guitar and didn’t realize that the neck was warped. This instrument will never play in tune. He wasted his money. A good Ramirez costs around $5000, but if it’s always out of tune I certainly wouldn’t buy it at any price.

Here are seven items to check before buying a used guitar:

1. When looking at the guitar notice the overall condition. Dings are OK, but I would be wary of large cracks.

2. Check the neck for warping. You can look down the side of the neck, like a billiard stick. Another way to check for warping is to press down the 6th string at the 1st and 19th frets. A tiny gap is normal, but if you see 1/4″ space or more between the neck and strings, don’t buy it.

3. Check the bridge. The bride is the piece of wood that the strings attach to and is located next to the sound hole. Take a business card and try to slide it under the bridge. If you can slide you card under it, then it may pop off. That will cost you $80 to $150 to fix.

4. Check the guitar bracing. Tap the top of the instrument and if the bracing is loose you will hear a sound like a snare drum. It’s expensive to repair.

5. Check the frets. Play each note of the guitar on every string to see if there are any buzzes.

6. Check the heel. The heel is located on the back of the guitar and usually connects the body and neck of the guitar. Is the neck still connected to the body? It can cost anywhere from $50 to hundreds of dollars to fix.

Most manufacturers assemble the guitar bodies separately from the necks. Then they are glued together later. Spanish guitars have what is called a Spanish foot. The whole guitar is assembled and glued at the same time. The neck actually protrudes inside the body and you can see the foot through the sound hole. The neck will not separate from the body.

7. Do you enjoy playing the instrument? Every guitar sounds different and you should buy one that is easy for you to play and has a sound quality that you like.

If you don’t have a lot of experience playing the guitar it’s a good idea to take a knowledgeable friend. Visiting guitar shops is helpful. It will expose you to many guitars. They often have specials and some even sell used instruments too.

Happy shopping!

Jean Welles is the author of Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class(TM) DVD’s, a Christ-centered guitar instructional series used in hundreds of churches. For a free lesson visit WorshipGuitarClass.com/guitar-video-dvd.html

Christian Guitar Lessons – 5 Most Frequently Asked Christian Guitar Lesson Questions and Answers

Learning to play worship songs on a guitar is the primary goal that many people have for learning to play the guitar. As a professional guitar instructor, here are some of the most frequently asked Christian Guitar Lessons questions I get.

1. Am I too old to learn to play the guitar?

It is never to late to start learning a new instrument. Adults tend to learn faster than kids, but are much more impatient because they expect to sound good faster. If you are between ages 5 and 100+, you can learn. I have had new students that were even in their 80′s and 90′s!

2. How long does it take to get good?

I have heard that if you did anything an hour a day for two years, you could master it. In general, it does take about 2 years to become very good at playing the guitar. The nice thing about playing the guitar is that you can be playing easy music very quickly. You can be playing your first song in minutes and I have seen students start to lead worship in as little as a few months of playing.

3. How long should I practice?

I recommend 15 to 20 minutes for very small children, ages 5 – 8. For ages 9 and up 30+ minutes is good. Ideally, an hour a day is a good time to aim for. Professional level players will practice many hours a day.

If you are an adult, it may be difficult to find an hour to practice everyday. Do what you can. You will still progress with even 15 to 20 minutes a day. Being consistent is one of the keys to progressing on an instrument.

4. I am left-handed. Should I get a left-handed guitar?

I always recommend playing the same as a right-handed person. Both hands are going to feel awkward in the beginning anyway, and if you can play a right-handed guitar, you can play any guitar. For example, if you are at a party and there is a guitar there… you can play it and share your music without having to always your left-handed guitar there. A left-handed guitar is strung the opposite as the right-handed one.

In college, a friend of mine played the guitar right-handed, but did everything else left-handed. Mike has his Master’s degree in guitar and is an excellent performer, so I know it is quite possible for a left-handed person to play the instrument well right-handed.

5. What type of guitar do you recommend buying?

Although steel-string acoustic guitars are the most commonly used for leading worship, I have always recommended that students start with a nylon string guitar because it is much easier to hold down the strings. Electric guitars are super easy to play too.

If you have your heart set on starting with a steel string guitar, be sure to get one with a very low action. The action is the distance from the string to the neck. You might also look at lighter tension strings.

Guitar Expert Jean Welles teaches Christians who want to play the guitar without hand fatigue, easily learn worship songs and use their talents to glorify an Awesome God. Be playing the guitar in 5 minutes with our free video lesson at WorshipGuitarClass.com/guitar-video-dvd.html. Learn to play with excellent technique with her free guitar playing tips report and free chord chart e-book at the website.

5 Tips for Mastering Finger Picking

Hope to become really good at fingerpicking? Here are some recommendations which could help you grow to be a far better guitar player.

1. Spend time practicing
You can not expect to get better without having time on your craft. Having simply half an hour a day, you will certainly see improvements.

2. Focus
To become a great player, you should concentrate on learning particular objectives. If you simply play what you already understand, you will not learn to master new abilities on the guitar.

3. Find good teaching materials.
It’s incredibly benefitual to learn from excellent artists. Consider a course, individual instructions and also study from high-quality educational videos.

4. Pick songs you like
Select music and tunes you like to hear to. When you are enjoying the music, it can be easier to rehearse for a longer time.

5. Be patient and start slow
Metronomes are an fantastic tool for every musician. Start with the setting at a slow tempo, after that gradually increase the tempo.

If you appreciate Christian songs, a fine course to begin using for improving your fingerpicking abilities is our Mastering Finger Picking program. It’s at Guitar Finger Picking Course