Preparing for Worship

It’s a dilemma. On one hand, replicating the original version of a worship song helps our congregations instantly connect and engage. On the other hand, there’s value in modeling authentic worship and offering a personal expression of exaltation. Can you do both?

Jordan Houghton, a Sweetwater content creator, and I had great conversations with key movers and shakers and up-and-comers David Hislop, E Edwards, Chad Carouthers, Tyler Logan, Austin Shuffit, Mason Veloz, AJ Rodriquez, and Nick Bowcott to get their takes. From playing on Elevation and Bethel songs to supporting artists including Brandon Lake, Kari Jobe, Israel Houghton, Anberlin, and Brooke Ligertwood, these musicians offer great insight to approaching worship guitar and how you can grow.

How Closely Do You Stick to a Song’s Original Version?

How Do You Prepare to Play?

How Do You Grow as a Musician in Worship?

How Closely Do You Stick to a Song’s Original Version?

David Hislop

There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer. Arguably, if the original is great, why spin it? I approach this by honoring the song’s DNA. That means keeping anything that carries a strong part of the song — melodies, song parts, lead lines. If there’s not a lead hook or parts, then there’s more freedom to workshop it as a band and create something with our own spin that sounds cohesive. I try to make everything I play sound super-intentional, even if I’m playing spontaneously. That takes a lot of practice, but you don’t need to be distracting, and you never want to sound like you’re noodling. It’s cool when you can put your fingerprint on a song. If it’s an older song, then it may be time to freshen it up.

Austin Shuffit

I replicate the original parts and care a lot about the details and the tone. Obsessively running down all these roads helps me grow and adds tools to my bag. I prepare my parts with the same intentionality as the person writing the lyrics. Even though I come to rehearsal with the original parts completely prepared, I’m always willing to change it up. Everyone runs into issues when someone comes unprepared. If the keys player arrives having switched up how they’re playing it, and the guitar player switched, and the drums have also changed, it may no longer feel like the same song. When people come with the original parts prepared, it’s really productive. So, getting adamant about the little details is a really easy way for me to grow.

Chad Carouthers

Strip a song down to its foundation, which is lyrics and melody. That’s the song. If there’s a main hook, include it so that people recognize the song and worship. Re-evaluate the other parts and rebuild the song to create the best and most authentic representation that you can play confidently. When you play confidently, the audience feels secure. Then they open up and let go, and you have an uninterrupted worship experience. If you go off track, you’re literally gambling the worship, so make sure that the changes are for the better. Worship music is fluid, so know what’s happening in the room. Are they singing along or not? Can you let them take it? It’s not about learning the original parts.

E Edwards

While growing up, listening and replicating everything helped me get good quickly. But at the end of the day, the heart of most songs can be covered by a vocal and an acoustic guitar. So, replicate the heart of a song in the best way that you can. But filter it for your church. If something feels a little flashy or aggressive for the room, then leave those notes out. Remember that you are at your church for a reason. They have you, not me or another player. They need you. Trust your instinct and listen to the people in position over you. When we get a song, sometimes it’s just with a vocal and piano, maybe an acoustic. Then we get the band around it and work on it, making sure we stay true to the picture that the writers had in their heads. Everything else is people doing their part and worshipping.

Mason Veloz

Part of the answer to this is that it’s really important to know the audience. Do they want to hear their favorites, or do they want to hear crazy, new arrangements? If I started playing songs at my church in a way the audience is not used to, then they might be confused. If I changed style, they may not know where to clap. If I’m thinking about changing an arrangement, I have to ask whether the artistic decision makes the original better for the environment. I won’t do something differently just to make it different. The change has to enhance the experience in some way. You also have to know your team and what they can play successfully.

Nick Bowcott

When I started playing at church, they’d send what seemed like 800 different guitar tracks for a single song. Some were really subliminal, especially when washed in reverb. Cool? Yes, but confusing. I learned to approach worship music like an ’80s or ’90s rock ballad, such as a multilayered Def Leppard song. I’ve had the honor of knowing Philip Collen for 37 years, and this is the thing — there’s no ego. Phil said he learned this working with producer Mutt Lange: “You’ve got to check your ego at the door and do what’s best for the song.” Whatever you play on a worship song, you’ve got to serve the song and not step on the vocal. People don’t come to watch me play guitar; it’s all about the vocal. It’s my job to make that as cool as possible. It’s not going to sound like the original. It’s going to sound like the original played by me. I step back and listen. When there are holes, I’ll try to fill them as long as it’s not getting in the way. Serve the song.

Tyler Logan

Create a quality experience where people encounter Jesus. That’s the ultimate goal. There are parts that you have to nail, but I also want to allow freedom for the band to step out and shine. I try to keep 80% of the original parts then have the band add their 20% together using the gifts that God has given. But sloppiness is a distraction. If what the band adds translates to worship, then go for it.

How Do You Prepare to Play?

AJ Rodriquez

I want to be extremely prepared but also flexible. I try to create flexibility in Ableton so we can jump around or take parts in and out. Sometimes, I’ll edit tracks to leave more space for the band. It’s a drag for everybody if you show up not knowing your parts and are learning them on the spot. Not very fun. When everybody comes prepared and you have killer musicians, then you can go anywhere.

Tyler Logan

Preparedness is not just learning music. It starts with crafting your rig. My rig had to become more flexible so I wouldn’t be blindsided by unexpected changes. I needed to get sounds right away — an ambient swell, a driving dotted-eighth delay, and a searing, Van Halen–style lead. I’ve shifted to a Helix. The snapshots and effects work for me so I can create in every environment. I look at Planning Center to see if it feels more like a Gretsch, a Tele, a Strat, or a Jazzmaster Sunday. Then I adjust my rig. Our pastor says, “Blessed are the flexible, for they bend but are never broken.” Being prepared has really helped.

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Chad Carouthers

After a point, the gear doesn’t matter. I don’t want gear to become too much a part of my identity. I need to express myself, not just make good sounds. All I really need in worship music is a clean tone, a drive tone, a solo tone, an ambient tone, and a delay. Once my tone reaches an acceptable quality threshold, I stop caring about it. I focus on playing. I start by learning the original part. Then I find three other ways to play it by inverting it or playing it on other parts of the neck until I suddenly realize that I’ve found my part. Then I can focus on interacting with the other musicians and following the worship leader.

David Hislop

At Bethel, we sometimes have spontaneous worship moments. But to make that sound deliberate, I have to practice at home. Knowing theory and shapes lets me play something that sounds really intentional without messing up or being distracting. Noodling around a scale never sits well. If we sense during soundcheck that there could be a powerful moment, then we might create a launching pad, a progression, and a landing strip. We don’t explore it too much ahead of time so we can see where it goes. But the hours I put in at home make me better able to handle those moments when inspiration comes. It just takes practice and learning from good resources — that’s why Kenyon Reed and I are developing a guitar tone course at Tone Factor. Sometimes, inspiration comes from working on guitar parts, like adding tasteful little sparkles or colorful harmonies over a line. We call them “guitarmonies.” That’s when we might try out a pedal to enhance the sound. It’s a lot of fun.

Jordan Houghton

You have to be able to flex and do what’s necessary. Sometimes it’s scary, but when you take a leap during rehearsal time and start doing what makes the most sense for you in the set, there’s this passion that rises up. There’s an excitement that comes from the challenge. That way you can stay pretty true to the part, but if there’s a moment where things start to flow or the worship leader says, “Hey, take this,” then you’ve got something great already loaded in the chamber.

E Edwards

A song is an offering of worship to God. I don’t want my first time playing it to be in front of the congregation. I want a couple of days at home to really get it into my heart. When Sunday comes, I want to be past thinking about the part I’m playing or hoping to just make it to another song that I know well. Spending time alone with a song is like David before he ever played for King Saul in places of high honor. David was out alone in the field playing to the Lord. That’s where he developed his musical voice on the instrument. Music can free people and change their hearts. It would be a disservice to just play a song I’ve worked on only a couple of times. I follow the saying, “Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong.” I want to get the song into my heart.

Nick Bowcott

A lot of music is multilayered. When you watch a band play live, you might notice that they’ve picked the key parts from everything you’d hear on a recording. So, pick and choose. Music at church isn’t about weird time signatures or Allan Holdsworth chords that only Spider-Man can play. You can get away with two or three notes if they’re the right ones in the right places. It’s up to you to be creative and make it exciting. A lot of the time, I only play dyads, triads, or natural harmonics. I may add a ninth or something, but I’ll try it with the rehearsal track to make sure it doesn’t mess with the vocal.

Otherwise, I don’t pay too much attention to the tracks. I’ll listen to the song on a loop around the house and get it caught in my brain until I get its intention. If I find a hook or a chord that catches my ear, then I duplicate that. If there’s a motif that matches and complements the vocal, I might repeat it with a slight variation. I’m going to be respectful to the song and play something that adds to it, not that subtracts from it. This approach is the long way, but guess what? It’s about what I hear and my interpretation — not someone else’s. And it will sound like me.

The first time we play a song at rehearsal, I don’t play very much because I listen to what everyone else is doing. Once I’ve got an idea of what the landscape is, then I start to add what’s necessary without getting in the way. If it’s a minor chord, I always play a minor seven because that’s my favorite chord, and I’ll throw in suspensions or add chords if I think they enhance the song. If it moves me, then hopefully it’ll move someone else.

There’s one thing that separates all the great guitarists I’ve had the honor of knowing over the years, including Slash, Zakk Wylde, Dimebag, and Yngwie. It’s also true of athletes such as David Beckham, Mike Tyson, and Kobe Bryant and actors such as Keanu Reeves. They’ve worked harder than anybody else. Bob Bailey, former Director of Sweetwater Academy, said one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard when he worked here. “The most honest relationship you’ll have in your life is with your musical instrument because it will give you exactly what you give it. There’s no malice. Give it nothing, and it will give you nothing in return. But give it something, and it’ll give back to you in spades.”

How Do You Grow as a Musician in Worship?

Tyler Logan

Do the best you can do to honor the artistry that someone has laid already. Sometimes you’re playing with people who want you to be creative right out of the gate. Other people don’t want that right away, and they may not tell you. But you can build your credibility with them over time and earn their trust. Then they will validate you and want more of your creativity. So, if you’re playing a part, at least know it — being prepared builds trust. Showing up ready to play and being flexible have served me well over the years. You carry the mantle, the responsibility, of being a beacon in any environment to raise the level around you. So, grab someone else’s arm, lift them up, and say, “Hey, we can do this better.” But starting with a foundation of honor leads to a place where some magic starts to happen and come out of your playing.

David Hislop

We’re all growing day by day. When I’m playing on Sunday, it’s not about me and my style. I contribute one part to the whole mix, the sum of what’s going on. Serve the vision of the team, the moment, and the overall sound of what everyone is playing. As you show up time after time doing this and being prepared with parts that serve the song, the leadership will trust you more, and the more you’re going to get liberty to explore and put your own spin on things. It’s really about being sensitive to the room, the spirit, and your leader. It’s important to be excellent, not just in how you play. Skill on your instrument may open doors for you, but your character — who you are — will keep you there.

Mason Veloz

There’s a duality in life, in music, and in God. There’s a moment to bring beauty, and there’s a moment when the Kingdom suffers violence, so we take it by force. I would describe my style this way. So, I listen to artists who have that in their performance and songs. I listen over and over until I’ve pulled everything out of it and the feeling is gone. Then I search for another song or another performance or another artist and just draw everything out that soothes my soul. It inspires me.

E Edwards

I think I grow by adding and by getting out of the way. I want to play meaningfully and provide something with impact, something captivating. I don’t want to just fill space. There are six or seven other people playing on the team who are excellent at what they do. It would be selfish of me to think that my parts should continue throughout the whole song and overshadow them. Sometimes I just stop playing and listen to what other people are playing. I listen to the space because it’s not all just about notes. When you come in after that space, you can really make an impact.

I ask how I can color the lyrics in a pleasing way. For instance, on one of the Elevation songs called “Lion,” there is a part where it says, “Roar.” So, I tried to figure out how to roar on my guitar to emphasize the lyric and match the emotion it was carrying. That’s serving the lyric.

What helps me the most is knowing that none of this is about me. It’s not because of me. Whether I’m playing for a baby dedication in front of 25 people or on a tour in front of thousands, the size of the stage doesn’t matter. What I can do is be part of a window through which they lock their eyes on the Lord. It’s a good thing if people don’t even know I was up there.

Deep down, I know there’s something that the Lord wants to hear from me in the way that I play. I never want to forsake that. It’s not that I am the exclusive person He wants to hear. But I’m there for a reason. Whatever my qualifications, I’m supposed to be there. So, I’ll do my best both on and off the stage.

Growing is not about asking how to get your career to a certain point. There’s no one clear path, no “If I do A, B, and C, then I’ll get to play on this upcoming record.” Every person’s story is different. The better question is asking how to sustain yourself and your career at the point you are right now, how to keep up your character and stay humble.

People who have been on the platform for years and years, they’ve had to sustain being close to the Lord. I want that. Find somebody older than you who you look up to. Instead of asking how to get the job they have, ask how you can sustain growth in the position you’re in right now.

Nick Bowcott

Everyone has a unique, innate gift. If you don’t be yourself on the stage, then you’ve cheated yourself and the audience. You’re doing the One you’re worshipping a great disservice by trying to be somebody else. That’s all you can be, the best you. So, steal licks, anything that you like the way it sounds, but play it how you hear it. Make it yours. Listen to Van Halen’s “You Really Got Me” and compare it to the original. It’s the same song, but it’s completely different — it’s Van Halen. If you’re doing an Elevation song, then you shouldn’t sound exactly like Elevation. They did that already. It should sound like an Elevation song being done by you.

I’ve learned a lot from my heroes.

One of mine was Ritchie Blackmore. He said, “Don’t copy me. Find out who I copied and listen to that, and then find out who they listened to. Go back as far as you can to the source. Then it will be more like you.” I thought that was brilliant. So, I listened to one of his heroes, the blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield. I learned from him to make practicing more difficult than performing so that it’s easier when you’re on the stage. So, if you’re playing an Eddie Van Halen–style part with a repeat delay, learn how to play it without the delay first. Then add the delay, and it’ll be great. Take away the things you hide behind and, once the cake is baked, add the icing.

I asked another hero, Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple, Kansas), about where his overwhelming sense of melody came from. He said, “Back in college, I’d play in the park. I became fascinated by what made people stop and listen or walk by. Invariably what stopped them was a great melody. What made them walk was a long, self-indulgent solo.”

David Byrne (Talking Heads) is one of the smartest guys on this planet and very funny. He said, “Lyrics exist to make normal people listen to music longer than they would otherwise.” In popular music, the hook is the melody. If there’s a significant guitar hook, then play it without deviating too far. You’ve got to realize what’s important to the song. Nine times out of 10, it’s the vocal. So, sometimes I’ll just mimic the vocal melody to reinforce it.

Yngwie Malmsteen once told me, “You have to believe in what you’re doing because if you don’t, if you’re not in love with what you’re doing, how do you expect anyone else to.” When you watch someone play something that they believe in, it changes your perception. If you’re bored, then your audience will be bored. So, find things that make you feel good about a song in the hope that it translates. Watch the audience to make sure it does.

You’re looking to connect with people. So, pour everything into your playing. See if it resonates. If the people are getting into it, guess what? It’s right. It’s a symbiotic thing. There’s a sense of unity, that you’re part of something bigger than yourself. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I leave with a spring in my step that I didn’t have walking in. To me, that connection is the joy and beauty of live music.

Find the Gear to Support Your Music

Worship isn’t about gear. But the guitars, amps, pedals, and accessories can free you to focus on what’s most important. It can help inspire you to dig deep, give your all, and invite others to do the same. Sweetwater Sales Engineers are experts in the gear it takes to translate your vision into reality. Call us at (800) 222-4700 for personalized recommendations.
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