Helyn Luisi Musical Testimony (Urbana 2000)
Guitarist for the Urbana worship teamby Helyn Luisi
OK, and maybe a few more chords. Just enough to play most of the songs in the Worship Song Book. That’s where I was about a year ago before the internship. A year before that I had been asked to lead the new “praise band” at my church because I was the only college age person there. When I returned to my university for the fall term, my newly acquired guitar skills made it possible for the small InterVarsity (IV) chapter to continue its musical worship; even if the only songs we sang were the simple ones I could play. I would plan to do songs such as I Love You Lord, Lord Prepare Me, and We Exalt Thee acapella for a “more worshipful and meditative environment.” It was also because I couldn’t fingerpick.
Many of the guitar players I’ve met this year are in the same situation, they are leading worship because they know how to play the guitar and aren’t being developed as strong worship leaders or as musicians. They are plowing through the song book learning a new chord when it’s in a song (you know, the mad dash to the chord finder in your guitar case). I’ve also met quite a few guitarists who were excellent musicians from whom I learned a lot, including two people on my own team.
The guitar is one of those instruments that is easy to pick up and figure out if you have the time and motivation. For students, it’s not a lack of motivation that keeps them from becoming better guitar players, it’s having time. I mean, who has time to practice when there are exams to study for and papers to write, none of them concerning open chords, drop D tuning or palm muting?
With so many things competing for our time, I’ve learned that it’s still worthwhile to put in the time developing as a guitar player. First, I quickly learned that to be a better musician, or guitar player, I needed to understand the instrument I was playing better. The guitar is not just a bunch of chords on a fret that you play and strum to get a tune. It is so much more than that. The guitar is a great instrument for artistic expression as well as analytical and mathematical composition. Take some time to learn some basic music theory and some guitar theory. You’d be surprised to see how logical music can be. One of the first things I discovered was why I could play so many songs with just G, C, and D. Other than the fact that most worship music is simple, it is also because using a few chords arranged in different orders can make up over a hundred songs.
Learning about the guitar also helped me to learn new chords and their structure. Not just the scary diminished add 13 chords, but also how to play the G chord on three different parts of the neck, each having a different sound. This “trick” of playing chords in different places is great to apply when playing with another guitarist. It adds depth to the arrangement. In the same way, understanding and using a capo opens up other expressive possibilities. In the song Humble King, Matt Frazier and I both play the acoustic guitar, but we each have very different sounds because I am using a DADGAD capo (one that only covers three of the six strings) resulting in different chord voicings.
Learning and understanding time signatures and tempo was great, too. It helped me see different options in playing rhythmically with the band or alone. For example, knowing that a song had a 4/4 time signature made it possible for me to use syncopation and change the strumming pattern and use palm muting to add rhythmic dimension to an otherwise straight song. When playing with a drum set as a rhythm guitarist, I spent a lot of time practicing not copying what the drummer was playing. In a rhythmic song such as Ancient of Days, we all had to find our own groove within the song.
Believe it or not, the guitar is an incredibly versatile instrument. Changing up sounds can add so much dimension to a song. You can flat pick on a faster song mixed with strumming, (I do this for Oh Our Lord and King) or give it more of a Spanish guitar feel and use your fingers, which I use on Grandes Son (warning: if you don’t have nails or calluses it can be a little painful). I particularly like playing chords in higher pitched registers and picking and strumming for a mandolin feel. To do this I spent some time listening to songs with mandolins in the arrangement so I could better understand how and when to use the sound. I also went to two concerts specifically to watch the guitarist and see if I could get some ideas. I was able to apply a guitar riff that Robert Cray does to Mache. One of my favorite sounds is the tinny sound that I can get from my guitar by playing closer to the bridge. I can get an edgier sound from it using it sparingly or it can sound more like a banjo for a more dissonant effect.
Finally, if you have the opportunity, take some lessons. Even if you have been playing for a long time and are very good, there is always something new to be learned such as how to apply pentatonic scales or other modes for soloing.
Now, I admit that I have had time on my side this year. Not a lot of people have two to four hours a day to devote to just playing an instrument, unless you are a music major. Most student guitar players are at the other extreme, maybe half an hour to practice the worship set before the meeting, or one evening a week to practice with the band. Hopefully, I have been able to make suggestions that will save you time on figuring it out on your own. But nothing beats individual practice time.
As a worship leader, it is important to take time to practice your instrument in the same way that a Bible study leader reads and prepares material for the study. Maybe the best you can do is half an hour every other day, or two hours a week. That is definitely better than half an hour before the worship time. Time spent in practice is also time that honors God. It makes you better prepared for worship times, so you can think about God and not what chord is next, and it honors Him by playing skillfully and to the best of your ability (Col. 3:17).
As I return to school for another full term, I know that one challenge will be to arrange my time to include playing my guitar as a high priority. I also look forward to returning as a more experienced worship leader, and a far better guitar player. Now, I have all new resources for I Love You Lord and Lord Prepare Me, whether I choose to fingerpick or not.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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