Overview

What it is

On the first of each month, a new Song Cover Lab prompt goes live. Submit a short video of yourself playing the song and you could receive personalized feedback and be featured on the site.

Purpose

The purpose is to get worship rhythm guitarists playing new songs with the skills you currently have and maybe even develop some new techniques. You don't have to wait to be told how to play or watch a step by step tutorial, you can play worship songs now.

Most worship rhythm guitarists have been told they need permission or to achieve a specific skill level to be considered worship guitarists. At WGA, we don't believe that at all. This is your chance to prove to yourself that you can play songs right now along with the rest of the worship guitar community! We get better as guitarists by playing more guitar.

Who can participate

Anyone who wants to play more worship rhythm guitar is welcome to participate.

What you need

Here's what you need to participate in the monthly Song Cover Lab:

• A guitar
• A way to record a video of yourself playing
• A WGA account with the Song Cover Lab toggle turned on. To do this, sign in here, scroll to the bottom of the page and opt in to the Song Cover Lab as shown in the screenshot below.

How to participate

Here's the rough order of how each monthly cover works.

1. Check the current month's cover page for the song cover prompt on or before the 1st of the month
2. Learn the song using resources on this site or any other resource you find helpful (mentioned in the section below)
3. Record yourself playing the song cover prompt for the month
4. Submit a link of your video with supporting information by email before the 20th of the month

For details on what your video needs to include and what additional information is required, see the Rules page.

What you can win

At the end of each month, up to two videos are selected to receive personalized, one-on-one feedback (usually written) from me, the founder of Worship Guitar Academy, who has over 20 years of experience playing rhythm and lead guitar, teaching countless students, and leading multiple worship teams.

Winners receive personalized written feedback from WGA on their specific submission - what it shows, what is working, and what to focus on to keep getting better. Personalized feedback is delivered directly to winners up to a month after the lab closes.

We may reach out about other opportunities for featured players.

What WGA provides

Feel free to use whatever resources you can find to assist you when learning the monthly song. Here are a few WGA resources you can use to help you learn and play the song of the month:

• The song used in the lab will be available in the Songs tab which includes the Chord Shape Finder and a few other sections to help you figure out how best to approach playing the song
• Use the Learn section for referencing any topics you want to learn about or clarify. This includes the following sections:
  • Chord Transitions - How to transition from one chord to the next
  • Chords - Ways to play a single chord
  • Chords per Key - How to play each chord in a given key
  • Glossary - Common music questions with real answers
  • Guides - Reference articles covering guitar topics
• Depending on your familiarity with WGA and your rhythm guitar level, you may benefit from our courses:
  • Learn Any Song: a brief free course that walks you through how to listen to a new song, identify instruments and parts, internalize the song, and prepares you to start playing the new song
  • Foundational Strumming Patterns: a paid course where you will learn to play 3 basic strum patterns you can use on most songs. This course is ideal if you are brand new to strumming or struggling to figure out the timing of strumming.

How the archive works

Every cover page stays after the month ends with all participant and winner names and videos (granted they give us permission to post them). You can find any past covers in the monthly covers section.