What are guitar parts in worship music?
A guitar part is the specific chord progression, lead line, or other musical element a guitarist is responsible for playing in a song. Not to be confused with parts of a guitar.
Every guitarist on a worship team contributes to the song, with each instrument playing their own parts. Parts can mean you play chord progressions throughout. It could mean lead lines or riffs during an intro or other section. It could even be a mix depending on the worship team setup, set list, and creativity of your team. Whatever you're responsible for playing during a song, those are your parts.
How the phrase is used
You'll hear "parts" used in a few common ways on a worship team:
"Make sure you know your parts before rehearsal." This means you should know the chord progressions and strum patterns used in the song. This isn't just knowing the chords but also how you're going to play them in the context of the song and with the rest of the band.
"The acoustic has a simple part on this one." Acoustic guitarists almost always play the foundational rhythm of the song, playing each chord progression.
"What's the electric part on this song?" What is the electric guitar playing in the recording? Chords, specific rhythms/strums, lead lines. Are they playing low or high chords?
"Can you learn the guitar part from the recording?" Listen to the original recording and mimic what the guitarist plays. This includes the specific rhythm patterns and the chord voicings used. Not sure how to critically listen to a new song and recognize all the parts? Follow along with our brief free course called Learn Any Song.
Parts vs. chords
Knowing the chords and knowing your parts are different things. Chords tell you what harmony to play (chords are made up of multiple notes). Parts are the expected elements you should play to fulfill your role as a guitarist while playing a song. Your parts tell you how your guitar fits into the bigger picture of the song with the rest of the band: when to strum, how often, which chord voicings, whether there's a specific rhythmic figure or lead line involved, etc.
Two guitarists playing the same song can have completely different parts. On a song with two guitarists, one might play the full chord progression with open chords on acoustic. The other might play the same chords using a capo and a different strum pattern. Combined these two parts create a unique dynamic and fill the frequency range with complimentary guitar parts.
Related glossary terms
- Dynamics - your part includes not just what you play but how you play
- Playing with space - knowing when your part calls for fewer strums
- Guitar parts and roles - a breakdown of the four distinct guitar roles on a worship team
- Effective Personal Practice Leads to Great Rehearsals