I need to learn the gospel style guitar...

[guitaristforlife07]

So I have been playing guitar for about 6 years I can play most any form of rock from jimi hendrix to blink 182, I also play contemporary christian music likeChris Tomlin type stuff, blues, and a bit of country... Well I am faced with a challenge where I work at a bunch of guy want to start up a Gospel ? R&B band and they want me to play lead for them... I mean Im a great guitar player but I dont really k now what theyre going to like when I start playing I mean I dont wanna bust off a jimi hendrix esque solo aor start shredding Im totally braindead when it comes to gosepl guitar playing .. My friend Quan who is going to play keyboard let me listen to a little bit of what we would be playing he says a lot of stuff would be in C and F and sound like old school gosepl he let me listen to some artist named thomas edison or something I forgot, well anyway haha I was going to play bass but they were like " OOOO NOO man yall white boys kill on that lead we putting you on that lead" I woulda felt a lot better playing bass because I dont have to be heard as much and i know esxactly what notes to play but with the lead I have to improv and I need some pointers and help maybe some scales that go along well with this type of music haha thanks guys!

[uriahsmusic]

...usually if someone wants you to play...they have heard you already and want you to do what you already do well!....so I say chill and flow!

[Cherri]

Greetings!

[jlynnb1]

looks like you've got the confidence thing down, so your halfway there......

[axeman1]

I woulda felt a lot better playing bass because I dont have to be heard as much and i know esxactly what notes to play

Since you're very confident that you would do well on bass, start with that.  Just start with a bass pocket pattern or as I like to do sometimes, mimic the bassline being played by the either the bassist or organist for a couple of bars and then build a pocket melody from that.  As long as you stay in this pocket you're safe, then when you start to feel the groove and you know where the song is going you can get creative with a few of them bad white boy riffs  .  But mainly, do like Uriah said, just "chill and flow".

Peace.

[Dbagit]

Since you're very confident that you would do well on bass, start with that.  Just start with a bass pocket pattern or as I like to do sometimes, mimic the bassline being played by the either the bassist or organist for a couple of bars and then build a pocket melody from that.  As long as you stay in this pocket you're safe, then when you start to feel the groove and you know where the song is going you can get creative with a few of them bad white boy riffs  .  But mainly, do like Uriah said, just "chill and flow".

Peace.

Could you explain what you mean by "bass pocket pattern" and "pocket melody" please. I've never heard these terms before.

[Sonar]

So I have been playing guitar for about 6 years I can play most any form of rock from jimi hendrix to blink 182, I also play contemporary christian music like Chris Tomlin type stuff, blues, and a bit of country... Well I am faced with a challenge where I work at a bunch of guy want to start up a Gospel/R&B band and they want me to play lead for them... I mean I'm a great guitar player but I dont really know what they're going to like when I start playing. I mean, I dont wanna bust off a Jimi Hendrix-esque solo or start shredding. I'm totally brain dead when it comes to gospel guitar playing .. My friend Quan, who is going to play keyboard, let me listen to a little bit of what we would be playing. He says a lot of stuff would be in C and F and sound like old school gospel....

1. Don't believe Quan the keyboard player. You'll be lucky to ever see the key of "C" ever again. You'll definately see "F" a lot, but "Eb" is where you'll live from now on.   

2. Watch Uriah's submitted video clips & buy Uriah's lesson group deals.

3. Locate and purchase a "Hot Licks" guitar lesson called "Mastering R&B Guitar" taught by Cornell Dupree. Artful double Stops are going to be your bread and butter.

4. I didn't see much FUNK listed in your "resume" listing above. Get into old school funk BIG TIME.
Somehow I suspect licks from "Enema Of The State" by Blink 182 aren't going to be where you'll want to be going anymore. 

5. Dig into Hendrix work on "Little Wing" and "Angel"......it's pure oldest school R&B in condensed form.

6. Be ready to slide everything you know down four frets and lose the couple of notes that don't fit. You're entering a world in which keyboard players and the major scales rule.   

7. Buy a nice volume pedal....you can ALWAYS tastefully hide if you don't know exactly what you're doing with volume swelled single notes and intervals tastefully selected. You'll actually get complemented how well your "part" fit the song afterwards. It's funny....but true.   

8. Buy the most obnoxious distortion pedal you can find and then use it with a compressor. It sounds like distortions from many of those bad multi-effects boxes so many companies make, but the single pedal units are relatively controllable. There's no explaining the kind of distortion gospel guys want.....it's sort of a tone most guitarists spend big bucks and a lifetime trying to LOSE!
I bought a Tech 21 XXL pedal for $50 that does the job and allows me to put away all my $200 boutique distortion pedals. Another nice used find is the older Boss SD-2 DUAL Overdrive for under $50. Go figure.

9. When in doubt about a lead tone or style, default to Carlos Santana. Gospel guys LOVE Carlos Santana.   

.....he let me listen to some artist named thomas edison or something I forgot,...

When your friend mentioned you should be playing like Thomas Edison, didn't a light bulb go off for you?   

.....but they were like " OOOO NOO man yall white boys kill on that lead we putting you on that lead".....

I think they probably meant yall white boys that kill AND sound like Carlos Santana.   

[Gibby]

you'll be aight G4L

like uriah said, just do what you do

[axeman1]

Could you explain what you mean by "bass pocket pattern" and "pocket melody" please. I've never heard these terms before.

From previous threads, I've come to believe that the term "pocket" means slightly different things to different people so I'll describe what I mean by it.  I'm a self taught musician without formal training so my terminology is not going to be very technical but anyway....The pocket is simply the consistently repeated rythm pattern from the one to the four back to the one and so on.  (think drums) A good pocket is one that has enough quarter, eighth, and sixteenths (and beyond) to make it more interesting without losing the 1,2,3,4 measurement.   

The bass and drums are probably equally imortant components of the rythm section so it is equally important that they be in sync especially on the "1" beat.  The bass note on the "1" is usually the base note of the chord so this note has to be perfectly in sync with the drummer and has to be the right note or it throws everything off.  The 2,3,4 notes (and between) played by the bassist is where he shows his creativity by creating funky sub melodies from the other notes in the chords that support the melody of the song without clashing or dominating it.  This "sub melody" is what I mean by  "bass pocket pattern". 

To the point of what I was suggesting is that if you are playing with a good pocket bass player, and if you play by ear like I do; then when you are not that familiar with how to play a song, play softly in unison with the bassist for a few bars.  Then when you know where all the changes are going to take place, then you can feel your way into your own melodies and harmonies that flavor songs the way only a guitar can.  I'm not that great of a guitar player but I have a good ear so this works for me.

[Dbagit]

From previous threads, I've come to believe that the term "pocket" means slightly different things to different people so I'll describe what I mean by it.  I'm a self taught musician without formal training so my terminology is not going to be very technical but anyway....The pocket is simply the consistently repeated rythm pattern from the one to the four back to the one and so on.  (think drums) A good pocket is one that has enough quarter, eighth, and sixteenths (and beyond) to make it more interesting without losing the 1,2,3,4 measurement.   

The bass and drums are probably equally imortant components of the rythm section so it is equally important that they be in sync especially on the "1" beat.  The bass note on the "1" is usually the base note of the chord so this note has to be perfectly in sync with the drummer and has to be the right note or it throws everything off.  The 2,3,4 notes (and between) played by the bassist is where he shows his creativity by creating funky sub melodies from the other notes in the chords that support the melody of the song without clashing or dominating it.  This "sub melody" is what I mean by  "bass pocket pattern". 

To the point of what I was suggesting is that if you are playing with a good pocket bass player, and if you play by ear like I do; then when you are not that familiar with how to play a song, play softly in unison with the bassist for a few bars.  Then when you know where all the changes are going to take place, then you can feel your way into your own melodies and harmonies that flavor songs the way only a guitar can.  I'm not that great of a guitar player but I have a good ear so this works for me.

Thanks for explaining that. That sounds like it could me useful for me. I'm in a situation similar to the original poster.

[gtrdave]

Get yourself educated on chord progressions REALLY quick. Start studying some traditional and contemporary Gospel music. Soak yourself in it.
And like Sonar said, you can forget the key of C and E stuff...first off, keyboardists hate the key of E and second, hate the key of C almost as much...Eb, Db, Bb, Ab, sometimes F, Gb, etc...if you're playing with a REAL Gospel group, you're playing flat keys, period.

Some of the bluesy stuff that Hendrix and other rock guitarists did/do is useful but you've got to know that stuff in the keys that you'll be playing. Also, you've got to know about soloing over changes...some simple and other more complex...so you really have to get a grip on understanding chord theory, chord progressions, turn-arounds, modulating, etc...

And NEVER underestimate the role of the bassist in Gospel music. If you somehow think it's easier to play the bass in Gospel than it is the guitar, you're not playing it right. Knowing what notes to play is no big deal...knowing how to play them, where and when to play them and what not to play is what escapes many musicians.

You've got a good enthusiastic attitude and that's cool but always be teachable and humble. 

[jlynnb1]

You've got a good enthusiastic attitude and that's cool but always be teachable and humble. 

word

[tdanfonua]

I think you pretty know your way round in playing different styles with your guitar and that is very helpful. I used to play for clubs and lounges for 15 years mixing different types of styles from country to jazz and I was saved and become a born again christian and decided to quit clubs  in 2000. Now I play lead guitarist for our church  and let me tell you my previous experience is really helpful. You need to improvise and used your previous playing style to throw a little flavor to your gospel style of playing. Remember that most Gospel music originates from Blues and classic rock. For example, I was playing for our Church World Conference in Sydney, Australia in 2005 and the Choir Master wanted to do a song title "Open the Eyes of my heart Lord" and wanted an Introduction riff on it but in essence I have never heard the song, so I just listen to how the song goes and practice it for like 15 minutes and I used the Doobies Brother's Intro for "Listen To the Music" to start the song with. Hey brother everybody loves the introduction.
It is a matter fo improvising and feel it from your heart and be creative in what you do with your music experiences and talents. Just go with the flow and dedicated your playing style to God and I think you will experience a totally different feelings. Good Luck.
Hope this  advise help.

tdf.

[gtrdave]

I think you pretty know your way round in playing different styles with your guitar and that is very helpful. I used to play for clubs and lounges for 15 years mixing different types of styles from country to jazz and I was saved and become a born again christian and decided to quit clubs  in 2000. Now I play lead guitarist for our church  and let me tell you my previous experience is really helpful. You need to improvise and used your previous playing style to throw a little flavor to your gospel style of playing. Remember that most Gospel music originates from Blues and classic rock. For example, I was playing for our Church World Conference in Sydney, Australia in 2005 and the Choir Master wanted to do a song title "Open the Eyes of my heart Lord" and wanted an Introduction riff on it but in essence I have never heard the song, so I just listen to how the song goes and practice it for like 15 minutes and I used the Doobies Brother's Intro for "Listen To the Music" to start the song with. Hey brother everybody loves the introduction.
It is a matter fo improvising and feel it from your heart and be creative in what you do with your music experiences and talents. Just go with the flow and dedicated your playing style to God and I think you will experience a totally different feelings. Good Luck.
Hope this  advise help.

tdf.

Good testimony and advice but, and no offense meant, "Open the Eyes of my Heart" (if it's the one I'm thinking of) is about as elementary a song as it gets and can not be compared to a lot of Gospel music, old or new.
And before there was "classic rock" there was Gospel so you got your origins wrong. 

[jlynnb1]

yeah, the type gospel music that was being reffered to by the original poster is black/urban gospel......evern quartet type music. it has it's roots more in r&b, blues, funk and jazz.

[tdanfonua]

well then you are a pro and why do you need the help

[jlynnb1]

well then you are a pro and why do you need the help

referring to me or to the original poster??