Learn Acoustic Guitar for Worship

The key of G is the most important key to learn. The chords in this key are really close together — often you only have to move one or two fingers on the fretboard to get to the next chord. That makes songs in this key really easy for beginners to play. 

The key of C is another important key to learn. The chords in this key are really close together — often you only have to move one or two fingers on the fretboard to get to the next chord. That makes songs in this key really easy for beginners to play. 

The key of E is another important key to learn. The chords in this key are fun to play because you can slide your fingers up and down the neck using essentially the same fingering. 

Once you learn the three most important keys (G,C,E), you can play in any key using the exact same chord shapes. You do this by using a capo. I'll show you how easy a capo is to use in this video.

Knowing chords is just half of learning guitar—you do it with one hand! In this video, we'll look at what your other hand, your strumming hand, should be doing. There are many ways to strum and pick a guitar, but worship music falls into only a few different strumming patterns. 

Have you ever noticed that some music makes you want to clap your hands while other music makes you want to sway? Many times the "feel" of a song has to do with the time signature, or in other words, how many beats are played in repeating patterns. In this video, I'll show you the two most important time signatures for playing worship music.

Once you have learned time signatures and common strumming patterns, it's time to try playing and singing at the same time. I'll walk you through it step by step. 

Once you have learned the basics of playing and singing, it's time to take it a step further. 

By the end of this video, you'll know how to learn to play and sing any song by using a practical method. 

Here are some more exercises you can play to get a feel for what it is like to strum chord progressions in the key of C.

Here are some exercises you can play to get a feel for what it is like to strum chord progressions in the key of E.

Here are some more exercises you can play to get a feel for what it is like to strum chord progressions in the key of E.

Now that you know the basic chord shapes in open positions, you'll want to learn how to play different chord shapes up the neck. Barre (pronounced "bar") chords are an easy way to play major and minor chords anywhere on the fretboard. 

Now that you know the basic chord shapes in open positions, you'll want to learn how to play different chord shapes up the neck. Barre (pronounced "bar") chords are an easy way to play major and minor chords anywhere on the fretboard. 

Now that you've mastered some basic strum patterns, it's time to learn how to get better at syncopation or "off beat strumming." In part two, I'll show you how to play syncopated rhythms in a different way that you'll hear in many different worship songs. 

You made it! You should be proud of yourself for learning the basics of acoustic guitar for worship. God has exciting things for your life!