Praise Songs Chords

Evening of Gospel Music Keeps Songs of Faith Alive

The House of Elohim sits neat and tidy at 1920 N. Fourth St. in St. Charles. I’ve passed it a few times before. Elohim, I know, is a Hebrew word for God. And, yes, I’m always interested in discovering something new.

I'd come after reading a notice in a newspaper that read, “Gospel music night from 7 – 9 p.m. June 17.”

Sometimes what is new is old, ageless and timeless.

It was obvious that I was new and I was greeted right away by a woman who encouraged me to help myself to water or soda and to make myself comfortable, which was easy to do since the pews in the sanctuary have cushioned seats and backs.

I sat toward the back. The first thing I do when I am in a church for the first time is to look at the hymnals and Bibles in the pews. I know that many churches have moved away from hymnals and now use video screens for song lyrics, scripture, prayers, but there are still churches that use bound Bibles and hymnals. If there are Bibles and hymnals, I always take a look.

It was no surprise to me that the Bible was the King James Version, original completion date 1611. The hymnal was Heavenly Highway Hymns , 2 edition, 1989, and I don’t have that hymnal. I own many  different Bible translations - including the King James Version - and many hymnals, but this one was new to me. I knew many of the songs but there were a whole lot of songs that I did not know.

The musicians gathered at the front of the church. There was easy banter among them. This was not a band, but a group of pretty gosh darn good musicians who knew each other and gathered together  on a Friday evening to sing songs to glorify the Lord.

Guitars and a piano player, fiddle and harmonica, electric mandolin, and a bass fiddle. And they all were singers.  Each took a turn suggesting a song and taking the lead. I recognized “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” The other songs I did not know and turned to the hymnal for help.

At one point, Marilyn, the piano player, asked if the others knew “Like a Mountain Railroad.” (Since the event, I have discovered that the full title of the song is “Life is Like a Mountain Railroad.”) Enough of them did and so that’s what they played. My favorite song of the evening was “Love’s Gonna Live Here Again.” Lots of bass, harmonica, and always the fiddle.

There is “gospel music” and then there is “gospel music.” There are different types of gospel music, such as country gospel, urban contemporary gospel, bluegrass gospel, and so on.

Ukulele Chords G B » Chords For Christian Praise Songs

If you are starting out with worship music, try learning this chord progression on the guitar. Start with your index finger on the A string on the seventh fret, ring finger on the D string, ninth fret and the pinky on the G string, ninth fret. This is an easy E chord position that you can slide up and down the neck for most of the chords you need. Slide the position to the second fret (leading with the index finger) for a B chord , and two frets higher for a C#minor. Remove your index finger and slide the two remaining fingers to the second fret for a nice sounding A chord . Experiment with this position and you will find quite a few useful chords for worship.

Once you learn four or five chords in the key of E, move on to some chords in G . Start with your middle finger on the low E string, third fret. Place your ring finger on the B string on the same fret and your pinky on the high E string, same fret. This is a very commonly used G chord . Move your middle finger to the A sting and you instantly have a C chord . More chords can be formed from small movements, but learning them is beyond the scope of this article.

For people who have difficulties visualizing gutiar chords and memorizing them, guitar chord charts will be very helpful for you. You can download these guitar chord charts anywhere on the internet and they are usually available for free. If you are staying near a local music store, you might want to consider getting a hardcopy of the guitar chord charrts as they help greatly for beginner guitarists to pick up strumming.

It’s a good idea to explore these chords with a guitar teacher or someone experienced with playing pop music. Start with these two keys, learn about four or five chords in each one then branch out to learning songs in other keys. The chords might seem hard at first but work at it a bit and you’ll be playing worship in no time.

Chords For Christian Praise Songs

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