Just picking up the guitar or an experienced player, these easy worship songs on guitar are perfect for everyone.
The guitar has definitely conquered the musical space. Today, it is present in almost all musical styles, from jazz to rock and from reggae to funk. Despite this, the guitar is still considered a relatively new instrument. Every day, new ways of playing are invented, making the guitar an increasingly versatile instrument.
And if you're a beginner who's looking to get into a church band and want to do solo practices, worships songs are the best to get you started. There are some 2, 3, or 4-chord easy worship songs on guitar which will help you learn the ropes (or chords this time) better.
In this article, we'll see six of the easiest to play worship songs and also guide you to knowing and playing the chords.
Contents
6 Easy Worship Songs on Guitar
The ‘worship' genre is known for its approachability, but even by those standards, these are some of the easiest songs you can play on the guitar:
1. How Great is Our God – Chris Tomlin
Sang by American singer, songwriter, and worship leader, Chris Tomlin, How Great is Our God is not new to Christians, gospel bands, and church-goers. This song is on our list because of how beautifully composed it is and how easy it is to play.
It is a North American song that has practically become a chorus in many churches. This is because the singer has a penchant for making simple songs that have deep messages and then making them the bestsellers.
The song was recorded and released in “Arriving,” the artist's 2004 album and since then, it has not fallen out of track among the most sang worship songs with easy chords.
Asides from the little skill level required to play the song, a few things make it stand out. This is the fact that you can play it whenever in church and it will be easy to chorus as people can verse it properly.
How Great is our God is a four-chord song and is played with the G key with the main chords of G, C, Em, and the D/F#.
2. Amazing Grace – Judy Collins
Amazing Grace is a song which is heavily featured in many guitar books for beginners, and, without a doubt, for a good reason!
Amazing Grace is a Christian hymn written by the cleric and poet English John Newton (1725-1807) and published in 1779. The composition of the songs transmits the Christian message that forgiveness and redemption are possible despite the sins committed by human beings and that the soul can be saved from despair by the grace of God.
Newton wrote the lyrics from his personal experience. Educated without any religious conviction, throughout his youth, he experienced several coincidences and unexpected turns, many of them caused by his recalcitrant insubordination. He was forced to join the Royal Navy and as a sailor, he participated in the slave market.
During one night, a storm hit his boat so hard that, terrified, he implored God's help, a moment that marks the beginning of his spiritual conversion. His career as a slave trader lasted a few more years until he left the navy to study theology.
The song has a sad vibe with a slow pace and first-person POV lyrics. The chords of the song are in the G key. The three major chords are A7, G, and D.
3. Our Father – Traditional/Don Moen
Our Father, also known as the Lord's Prayer, is a Christian prayer par excellence. It is elaborated by Jesus of Nazareth according to the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 6, 9-13) and the Gospel of Luke (Lk 11), 1-4).
Although there is a difference in the description of the circumstances and the style of the text of the sentence in both authors, they usually coincide in the premises of the requests.
The Lord's Prayer is considered the common Christian prayer by the majority Christian faith; for the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant Churches. It is the model of Christian prayer but it's also sung as a worship song.
The song is popularized by famous American Christian gospel worship music singer, Don Moen.
4. Whom Shall I Fear – Chris Tomlin
Another Chris Tomlin masterpiece which is expected to be etched in time, Whom Shall I Fear was released in 2012 as part of “Burning Lights,” the 7th studio album of the American gospel singer.
The song calls on Christians to rely on the power of Christ, who is omnipotent and can crush their enemies. The song is written and sang in such a way which portrays that the relationship of the singer is more than that of a mere follower. Tomlin sees God as a close friend in whom we can confide, and who can win the battles of man.
The song got to number 10 on the list of Christian songs on US Billboard. As is the case with many contemporary Christian songs, the song is similar to a mellow rock.
From the G chord key, the song plays with 4 chords. These involve the G, C, Em, as well as D/F#.
5. Here I Am to Worship – Tim Hughes
We round up our list with a song from Tim Hughes, the popular British songwriter, singer, and Anglican priest. The song is about exalting the efforts of Christ for coming down to earth to save man from sin.
The singer sings about all the things Christ's coming has done for him. The bridge of the song tells us the pain He went through during atonement, explaining how unimaginable a feat it is. And in the chorus, the singer calls listeners and Christians to bow down and worship the Lord.
The contemporary song was released under the singer's 2001 debut album with the same title, “Here I am to Worship.” It sounds so well as a love song, but, it is mainly a dedication to God. After all, God is love.
Simple to play, the song only requires three chords, which are C, G, and the F chords
6. 10,000 Reasons – Matt Redman
In this song, we're going to take a look at the strumming pattern and the chords of the song, 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. This song is inspired by the opening verse of Psalm 103.
Apparently, the song is about praising the Lord and his name for how great he is, regardless of one's encounters. This is a 2013 song that was released by Redman under his “Spirit and Song: Disc M” album that is available under the Christian/Gospel genre on Deezer and Spotify.
This song is in the key of G and you can use the chords C, G, D with F#. The strumming pattern for this song is pretty much easy and this is what we call the red strawberry pattern. It goes like 1, 2, 3 and red strawberry.
Over to you
The tempo of worship songs like those from Chris Tomlin, Tim Hughes, and Judy Collins which we've mentioned are slow and perfect for learning the art of playing guitar. With worship songs requiring the use of 2, 3, or 4 chords, you should be able to progress faster.
Grasp the required chord slowly and cleanly first, hit the strings with the beating hand, and pick to make the chord sound on the guitar. Always pick two different chords alternately at the beginning, you will notice the progress clearly after a short time and each further learning phase. But do not expect too much from yourself at the beginning. It takes time for your fingers and your coordination to get used to the new situation.
Take breaks between the individual guitar chord exercises so that your hands do not tire or even hurt.
Header image credit: Ben White on Unsplash