Vineyard East Worship

As the cold weather settles into our region it is important to take extra precautions for the care of your guitars. Cold weather is dry and can cause cracks and intonation problems. The solution is to keep the guitar humidified. You can buy humidifiers from most reliable music stores or order directly from the manufacturer.

Most guitar manufacturers also recommend keeping the guitar in the case. This helps to keep the wood from drying out and will keep that investment of yours in “tip top” condition.

Read interview with veteran worship leader John Barnett on IndigenousWorship.com >

I Wonder As I Wander
A guitar TAB version of an Appalachian Carol.
Let the open bass note ring through the measure as you pick the higher strings.

You have just purchased a new guitar or better yet, your grandma gave you her old one and it turns out that it’s a collector’s item and worth two grand. You are dazed and amazed by all that has happened and are wondering what to do with this instrument besides playing it. Here are some tips on how to take care of your guitar and keep it in tip-top shape.

First, guitars are made of wood. (I know, this information is right on the cutting edge.) Because of this feature, the guitar is affected by environmental changes, primarily humidity. The best way to protect against humidity changes is to keep the guitar in its case whenever you are not playing it. I can hear your complaints already, “That’s a pain in the neck.” “I like to look at it.” “I will forget I have it and never play it.”

Second, during the winter months place a small humidifier in the case to keep the guitar from drying out. These can be purchased very inexpensively at a well-equipped guitar shop. The simplest kinds are made of plastic with a small hole in the top and a sponge on the inside. Keep the sponge moist and your guitar will live happily through the winter months.

Third, wipe the neck and strings after each use. The acid and perspiration from your hands will coat the strings and in a matter of weeks they will go dead. The problem then becomes that you get used to this dull, lifeless sound and think your guitar sounds great when it really sounds terrible.

Fourth, keep the finish clean and polished. You know the feeling, the light is glistening off the spruce top, you take a deep breath and smile at the beauty of your instrument, inwardly congratulating yourself on such a fine choice. You tilt your head to the side to see it at another angle and suddenly you see dried fingerprint stains all over the top. You immediately look around to see who could have done this and then sheepishly realize that no one else has ever played your guitar. Buy a high quality guitar polish from your favorite guitar store and give that little wooden beauty a good shine.

Songteach.com is a website brought to us by Vineyard Records UK designed to resource you with songs for your community, whether for use in a small group or church setting.

Songteach provides free video tutorials with easy-to-follow instructions so less experienced players can quickly learn new songs & provides more seasoned players with twists, new techniques & exercises to consider. Although the site only offers guitar tutorials right now, watch for keyboard tutorials, vocal tutorials and much much more! PDF chord charts are also available on Songteach. Read more »

What Child Is This.mp3 (1 MB)

What Child Is This Gtr.pdf (109 KB)

Well, honestly I saw zero posts in Instruments, so I just had to be the first..

Well let’s see..for a long time I was lead guitarist at VCF Portland,ME…

I played a purple Ibanez RG550 circa 1987: and life was good.

I haven’t done lead for a looong time now, and find myself behind a bass more often than not: it’s a Ibanez SG 200 series if I’m remembering right.

Played through a smallish Peavey amp.

We’re still a fairly small plant(100 +\- folks usually) and we meet in a school caf, so the amp carries well enough without going into the system thus far.

Well, that’s it!

Peace brothers & sisters..

Rich

Let’s look at  a wonderful song, “All I Have.” We can plainly strum the song in a normal fashion and be done with it. But if we add a couple of techniques, we can take this a song to a different level. Read more »

Do you find yourself getting bored with the same sound of the chords used in songs? Is it negatively affecting your worship? If so, it’s time to open up your strings and let your axe ring out their best possible tone.

Read more »

The best exercise to strengthen hands and fingers is actually just spending more time with the guitar; stretching the fingers as much as possible to their limit, to improve their dexterity. I’ve found a lot of different voicing just stretching out the pinky. Read more »