Praise Songs on the Guitar: Get Started

• December 14, 2016
• Guitar

If praise and worship is your motivation for learning guitar or if you’re already a player but have recently discovered praise and worship music, let us help point you in the right direction. Praise songs on the guitar can be quite simple and probably should be.

Most praise leaders in your local church gravitate to songs that are easy to remember and perform so the congregation can catch on and start singing more quickly. Churches are full of musicians who aren’t virtuosos but play well enough to lead a praise and worship song. Praise music can be fun and rewarding as you will find most church patrons are anxious to sing along. All you have to do is strike a chord and get the congregation going, then keep everyone in time. Let’s look at some praise songs on the guitar that are easy enough to perform.

Praise Songs In the Key of G

A few classic praise songs would be a good place to start. “Lord, I Lift Your Name On High” is an easy four-chord praise song in the key of G. Praise songs are meant to lift our spirits and help us enter into worship. They turn our attention off of our worries and help us look upward to the Lord. Another classic would be “This is the Day.” The song’s lyrics will help explain a praise song’s purpose. “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with praise.” The goal of praise music is never to entertain, but always to rally the troops and set the tone.

A more modern praise song or two in the key of G would be “Hosanna” by Paul Baloche or “Our God” by Chris Tomlin. “Our God” is in E minor but that’s the relative minor to the key of G, so the chords are the same. It’s just that the primary mode is natural minor. It’s still a four-chord song and people love to sing it.

You can also try “Nothing Is Impossible” by Planet Shakers or “Sing A New Song,” by Israel Houghton. These hyper praise songs are meant to express joy and engage the congregation. If the stage on this link looks like an aerobics class instructions video, just try to look past the visual and get into the song. The lyrics to these songs are very uplifting and they’re pretty easy to play.

 

 

Praise Songs In the Key of C

Depending on who you are, these praise songs can be played in the original key or you can capo and use the same chord shapes but play them higher or lower to fit your vocal range. “Praise Adonai” by Paul Baloche is actually in A minor, but again, A minor is the relative minor to the key of C, so with the exception of a Bb, this praise song is a four-chord song. Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself and learn new chords. That’s how you grow.

Try a classic like “Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee.” It may require a new chord or two but with some persistence, you’ll conquer it and the congregation will be inspired. A newer praise song in the key of C would be “Only King Forever” by Elevation Church. If you’re playing in one of the more “modern” churches with questionable hairstyles, try to look past the packaging and get into the song. The lyrics of this new song are very vertical and easy to sing.

 

 

Praise Songs In the Key of D

We’re categorizing these by key signature because G, C, D, and E are all very friendly guitar keys. You can add a capo and play one of these chord shapes to put the song in about any key you like. “Sing To The King” is a great D major song and it involves a few mixed chords like Emi/D and G/D. Mixed chords just means the bass note is different than the chord name. An Emi/D is simply a Emi on the top and D note on the bass.

Praise songs on the guitar will have plenty of these fun chords to help you grow as a player and expand your chord vocabulary. “Ever Be” by Kalley Heiligenthal of Bethel is a beautiful medium tempo praise song easy enough to play on guitar. “Open Up The Heavens” by Vertical Church is good for a male voice in the key of D.

 

 

Praise Songs In the Key of E

A great E major song would be the mid tempo Matt Redman classic “Better Is One Day.” For fun, try Kari Jobe’s “Breathe On Us” or “Hands To Heaven.” The key of E gives us some very cool open voice chords. Open voice chords means there are interesting open strings ringing out in the chord. For example, in the key of E you’d use E, F#mi, G#mi, A, B, C#mi, D and E as likely chords.

If played as power chords unbarred, these all involve open strings that turn ordinary triads into interesting and way cool or dissonant chords. These open string tension chords are commonly used in modern pop music. If you’re brave, try to tackle “I’m Going Free (Jailbreak)” by Vertical Church Band. This praise song on guitar is swift and requires some steady moving of chords to help you grow. Feel free to use a capo or open voiced chords to help you on your quest to becoming a great worship leader.

 

 

Finally, there are dozens, maybe even hundreds of new praise songs for guitar as well as great hymns or classics you can add to your set list. Once you’ve got a few dozen songs under your belt, you’ll find that there are plenty of similarities in any new song you attempt to learn. Music is music. The melody and vibe may change, but the keys are in stone and the chord changes are almost always gonna be predictable. Everyone tries to be unique and twist things to hook you in, but the fundamentals are unchanging. Make a list of your own praise songs to learn on guitar and get started.

To help you in your quest of becoming a great worship leader, you may want to enlist in some guitar lessons. Here at Pro Lessons, we offer affordable online guitar lessons taught by experienced guitar instructors. To find out how you can become our next student, click on the link below.