GUITAR
FINDING YOUR VOICE | Jeffrey B . Scott
Do you remember the day you knew ? For me , it was a Christian band in concert ; the first of my teenage life . It was epic . A great singer , an excellent band , and a fantastic show made for one life-changing night . That ’ s when I knew I wanted to play guitar .
What was it for you ?
Regardless of where or when , something sparked that first desire to play guitar . And whether you realized it or not , that spark probably also gave you a target , a desired outcome that led you in a specific direction .
In your head , it probably sounded like , “ I want to play like that guy !”
For many of us , wanting to play like “ that guy ” turned into , “ I want to sound like me !” But how does that happen ?
[ If you are reading this and thinking , “ hold on ... didn ’ t you just say that creativity wasn ’ t allowed in church / worship guitar ? And now you ’ re telling me I need to find my unique voice ?”
From some of the feedback we received , it seems I might have been misunderstood in my previous article about parts and creativity in our regular worship environments . Learning the original parts is where we discover the musical tendencies of the players who influence the music we play . And as we learn parts , we can , in turn , find things of theirs to both make our own and to use to forge new ground .
Creativity , in the sense of how you approach your particular worship environment , has to be a part of things if you have a unique situation ( for instance , if your whole worship team is a pianist and a guitarist ). However , knowing the original parts when your context is more typical can help you and your team to perform the songs you are playing more consistently .]
IDENTIFY YOUR INFLUENCES
We are all standing on the backs of those who have gone before us . Whether you learned that Stairway riff or not , we all started with
Whether you learned that Stairway riff or not , we all started with something we wanted to play
something we wanted to play . It ’ s a good exercise to identify those early influences and glean anything you can from them , especially if it ’ s been awhile . And if your inspiration is someone more recent , do your research and find out who their influences are . This will not only remind you of where you started , but will also help you see how far you may have already come . And it will help you appropriate those particular influences when you need them .
COMMIT TO THE PROCESS
Once you have recognized your influences , it ’ s easy to get complacent and stay there . But finding your voice is also about a commitment to keep working . Honing , experimenting , and re-evaluating are all part of the process . In the digital world , it means finding the building blocks you like , but not using a preset . In the analog world , it may mean swapping out pedals or rebuilding your pedalboard entirely to find something that is uniquely you .
REMEMBER CONTEXT
Once you ’ ve identified your unique voice , it can be easy to impose that voice on the world around you . Resist the urge ! One of the most individual worship guitar voices I know is James Duke , but when he is asked to play at his home church , he is still being himself but in the context of that worship environment . Consider your context and play into that space . For instance , if your preferred voice is Joe Satriani-like , that may work for some worship environments , but it ’ s possible it won ’ t work all the time . Choose where and when to employ it .
By God ’ s hand , we are all uncommon . Innately different , wonderfully made by His great power . Finding your unique voice is part of figuring out what God has built into you and discovering an avenue to use those gifts for His glory .
Jeffrey B . Scott Jeffrey lives in Nashville with his wife and 3 kids ( and 1 dog child ) and plays guitar for American Idol winner David Cook .
76 August 2018 WorshipMusician . com