Worship with Your Guitar by Lincoln Brewster

Worship advice from one of today's best instrumentalists.

I'm amazed by the transformation of my heart since I started playing guitar in a worship setting. In the old days, my heart's focus was, "When do I get to do a solo?" or "When are we going to play some songs that rock?" God is gradually and gently molding my heart into one that seeks the best way to contribute to the global picture of any situation. Let's remember that music is only a tool and NOT the goal. God is the goal. Our desire is to make sure He is glorified, seeking ways to make our instruments compliment and add to the atmosphere of worship.

Here are some tips I think will help you better serve any worship setting in which you find yourself.

1. Have a clear understanding of your role.

Why are you there? If I don't understand my role, there's a good chance I will play things, or use sounds that are inappropriate.

For example, my church doesn't have the same band line-up every week, so my role can change week-to-week (acoustic only, acoustic and electric, electric only, electric with another electric player). The greatest challenge for me is being the only guitar player, which means I play electric for most of the service. Without an acoustic guitar player, I have to fill that role to some degree—not because it is my heart's desire to strum my electric like an acoustic, but because it is my heart's desire to do what is best for any given situation. I accomplish this is by playing more strum-oriented parts, as I would on an acoustic; however, this requires that I clean up my sound a good bit. I have a patch stored for this very purpose to use in this setting. Also, guitar choice is key. I prefer to play my Fender Stratocaster in this setting, because it has much more detail and can be strummed with good results, while a Les Paul or a guitar with "humbucking" pick-ups is more difficult to produce a "strummy" sound.

However, if I just decide to use the sound I like best, with whatever guitar I want to use, I'm not only being selfish, but I can distract the very people I am there to serve. I must remember that it is NOT about me or what is right for me. It is about what is right for the setting. Above all else, we are there to serve.

2. Come prepared.

Guitar... CHECK! Tuner... CHECK! Strap... CHECK! Cables... UHHH, CHECK? Strings... UMMM, I'll be right back.

It's typically not the big stuff, but the small stuff that becomes the time, or momentum killers before a service. In most worship settings, time is of the essence so it is very important to be fully prepared. Change your strings at home if you can, even tune at home. Be organized and consistent. Make sure you have everything you need, including cables and extra cables (they do go bad from time to time), extra strings, picks, capo, pedals, batteries, power supplies, and tools to make your contribution smoother if anything goes wrong with your instrument or gear. If a cable is too long, either coil it up and wire tie it or get a shorter cable. Label each piece, so setup is a breeze. If possible, mount all your gear to a pedal board so you only have to plug in power and a couple of guitar cords.

I have a Line 6 POD XT with the short FLOORBOARD (http://www.line6.com/) that I use on the road. I carry them in a Pelican 1550 case (http://www.pelican.com/). I also carry many of the above items in the same case so everything is in one location, easily accessible and well protected for any type of travel. Ask yourself, "If any piece of gear in my setup completely failed, would it put me out of commission for the service?" If so, have a backup for that piece of gear. A backup guitar of some sort is essential for me. Due to baggage limitations on the road, we often borrow one from the host church. This is only a last resort so it doesn't have to equal what you normally use.

I also bring a spare POD. I can use the POD without the FLOORBOARD, but my tone is a non-negotiable! What items do you need backups for? One last note on preparation: know the songs! Many people are typically one step behind. For example, we LEARN songs at REHEARSAL, we REHEARSE songs at SOUND CHECK, and we SOUND CHECK during SERVICE. This isn't the way to do it! If we show up knowing the songs, there is no need to learn them at rehearsal. We can actually rehearse at rehearsal! Then at sound check we can, you guessed it, SOUND CHECK. We're then free to focus on why we're there by the time the service starts.

3. Play with passion!

Preparation and understanding your role release you to play with passion! I love the feeling of showing up, knowing why I am there, and knowing that I have all of the tools I need. This gives me an incredible sense of expectancy of how God will meet us.

I remember playing our 9:15 am service one Sunday, and things were a little rushed that morning. Time ran short and we barely had time to pray before getting started. As soon as we hit the downbeat, I could tell something was missing, and even though all of the parts were right, it still just lacked passion. After the service our worship team talked about what it means to play and sing with passion. The next service reflected the difference between night and day. It was awesome! Our drummer later came up to me said, "What a difference. I mean...it was the same songs, the same tempos, the same chords, but what a difference." I replied, "It's not the notes we play, it's how we play the notes we play."

This is how the practical disciplines free us to embrace the spiritual. The distractions of ambiguity and lack of preparation disappear, and our hearts for the one true and living God are reflected through our fingers as inspiring sounds of worship and praise! Hallelujah!

This article originally appeared in Worship Magazine.