What's next? Well, of course you should try as many different keys and chords as possible, as using the same key (E major) might get redundant after three or four songs, but it does work quite nicely for most praise songs, as well as John Mayeresque acoustic noodling styles, among others.

If you're feeling a bit more inventive (and maybe have some extra guitars/strings lying around, unlike me), experiment with alternate tunings. Find out how to play the basic I IV V I and I IV vi V I progressions in some different tunings. For the sake of this lesson, try using those tunings that allow you to use your open strings, like for the key of D Major, open D tuning (D A D F# A D) or the infamous DADGAD (D A D G A D-duh!) tuning; for E Major, E A E G# B E, etc. Always, see what works and try it out on your own. If you are in a worship leader/ band leader position, maybe play the new chords/tunings yourself while the other guitarist(s) play the regular open chords underneath. It will do wonders to the balance, sound, and overall musicality of the group!

Try using a capo/half capo as well. The difference between a song in the key of E and a song in the key of F# could very well be a capo on fret 2! The audience won't know you're playing the exact same chord shapes, with maybe even the exact same progression(s), but it will sound colorful and different. And besides, who wants to play a song in the key of F# Major without a capo anyway?

I hope you enjoyed this lesson/tutorial, and let me know what you think! You can find me at Higher Calling Music.net or nick@highercallingmusic.net. Happy strumming!

Nick Thacker