Female guitarist news some help bad!

[guitarlady37]

Hi. Iam a guitarist. But I have been teaching myself, I play at church on sunday. But i need more help with my playing. I sound terrible i think< but the members at church say iam doing fine. Well we need music in the church no question about that.  I want to know what do use tune your guitar to in order to play in church on sunday. i tune my guitar to open G :G DDGBD. AND SOMETIMES. DROP D; DADGBE. OR SHOULD I TUNE MY GUITAR TO STANDARD.  The worship leaders sing a lot of slow songs: such as anointing fall on me.  jesus, there is something about that name. what chords do i use to play thoses slow songs. I just feel my way and play with any chords. But i want to learn to play skillfuly before God and his people. I really love the lord and want to be a blessing to my local church. Please help me out here. should i tune my guitar to VESTAPOL. ANY ADVICE FROM MY SAVED BROTHERS WILL BE A GREAT BLESSING TO ME. PRAY FOR ME AS I CONTINUE TO PLEASE THE LORD.

[Gibby]

Hi. Iam a guitarist. But I have been teaching myself, I play at church on sunday. But i need more help with my playing. I sound terrible i think< but the members at church say iam doing fine. Well we need music in the church no question about that.  I want to know what do use tune your guitar to in order to play in church on sunday. i tune my guitar to open G :G DDGBD. AND SOMETIMES. DROP D; DADGBE. OR SHOULD I TUNE MY GUITAR TO STANDARD.  The worship leaders sing a lot of slow songs: such as anointing fall on me.  jesus, there is something about that name. what chords do i use to play thoses slow songs. I just feel my way and play with any chords. But i want to learn to play skillfuly before God and his people. I really love the lord and want to be a blessing to my local church. Please help me out here. should i tune my guitar to VESTAPOL. ANY ADVICE FROM MY SAVED BROTHERS WILL BE A GREAT BLESSING TO ME. PRAY FOR ME AS I CONTINUE TO PLEASE THE LORD.

welcome to LGM

I cannot speak for all the guitarist on LGM, but I tune my guitar in standard. 

Do you guys have a Keyboardist or organist?  If so, your role as a guitarist will not really include chording the whole song.  You should play licks and riffs and maybe a chord or two.  But still, in order to play skillfully you still need to practice...and practice. 

Also, look up Uriah's posts and he has alot of tricks and riffs that will help you push the praise and worship service to another level.

hope this helps

[uriahsmusic]

...I feel your pain....If you are the only musician there then those alternate tunings work better if you can get that style down.  Unfortunately I am a Guitarists guitarist......and though I sound great in a service while doing my guitar stuff...when the organist doesnt show....I am at a loss!....I mean I will play anyway or jump on the organ......but I dont have that style down where it sounds like the vastipol players and that real oldschool quartet.

one of those guys needs to step up!...I know for a fact that when they see me play...they back off...but they dont realize that this new stuff isnt better!.....it is just more modern...that old stuff will hold you through the service....

any of you out there?

[guitarlady37]

Thanks for your advice. I changed the other day and tuned my guitar to standard.  Which was better for me. I think I was really moving to fast to soon.  I do well playing with a drummer or a keyboardist, I just follow them by ear. Thanks be to God we recently had some college young men who moved to my town and they
are attending church, and they are musicians, who attend the school in our area. So God is working things out for us. Thank God for prayer. They are freshman and
they do pretty good. But in the mean time I will be praying and fasting that God would continue to use me for his will and glory.  I like other tuning, but maybe Iam not ready for them yet? I was playing in G. and Drop D tuning. So maybe I will switch back and forth and see what  really works for me. Thanks for your help and support. Please continue to pray for me as I continue to pray for you. May the Lord bless you and keep you in his will.

[katstrat]

Glad things worked out ok.It's hard to play in Open G,it's great for slide work.

[Donta M Jones]

    Hello everybody!  This is Donte from Columbus GA. I'm glad to finally be apart of the team. To the guitar lady, stay focused, you can do it, just practice and study the chords well.I struggled with playing for a long time before I began to understand how to coordinate my practices. I would go back and forth from trying to play lead, and rythm.Do one at a time. Learn chords FIRST, then learn to play scales.If you do as I did at first you'll just stress yourself out. I know quite a few guitarist who can solo a flame to a match. But they cannot play or understand chord progressions, or even a simple major chord positioned on the second bass string. So learn the chords. And once you feel comfortable, then start fitting your scales into your practices. Also try playing with different groups of musicians. It really helps your anxiety of playing around different people. After a while start doing things like using effects, using different gauged strings (light or heavy) to suit your style of playing, study your favorite musician, and stay logged in this site and you'll do fine. And most of all YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IN THE SPIRIT.    Be blessed and stay focused.     

[Gibby]

    Hello everybody!  This is Donte from Columbus GA. I'm glad to finally be apart of the team. To the guitar lady, stay focused, you can do it, just practice and study the chords well.I struggled with playing for a long time before I began to understand how to coordinate my practices. I would go back and forth from trying to play lead, and rythm.Do one at a time. Learn chords FIRST, then learn to play scales.If you do as I did at first you'll just stress yourself out. I know quite a few guitarist who can solo a flame to a match. But they cannot play or understand chord progressions, or even a simple major chord positioned on the second bass string. So learn the chords. And once you feel comfortable, then start fitting your scales into your practices. Also try playing with different groups of musicians. It really helps your anxiety of playing around different people. After a while start doing things like using effects, using different gauged strings (light or heavy) to suit your style of playing, study your favorite musician, and stay logged in this site and you'll do fine. And most of all YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IN THE SPIRIT.    Be blessed and stay focused.     

welcome to LGM!!!

[Donta M Jones]

Go to www.moneychords.com it should help.

[guitarlady37]

Thanks Brother. This information has been a great help.

[Rown]

               http://www.hearandplay.com/gospelkeys202.html

[ngodsfaith]

hello guitar lady,
     I'm also a female guitarist that has been playing for about a year and a half. I also play at church and God has been truly blessing. Continue to ask God for direction and he will continue to lead you to be a musician after his own heart. I will also keep you in my prayers and I know God will bring the increase. Yea! Play all for Jesus!