Gospel & Praise Break Guitar

Status
Not open for further replies.
Stratstrangler

Stratstrangler

Well-Known Member
I'm always on the lookout for different musical styles, especially with Strat type guitars. I found this young man almost by accident, but it seems his name is known in the Gospel music world as a wonderful artist in that genre; with several bigger stars requesting his playing on their musical efforts. Jabari Johnson from Texas. He's judged by some to be the best at “Praise Break” guitar playing. The video shows how he does it.

Has anyone tried their hand at playing this style? I’ve begun to try and assimilate this style into my own playing. It's a challange for sure! I'm wondering if the “medium” higher action on my Strats would be aided by a substantial lowering. Of course a quick mind and fleet large fingers are the key to it. The first half dozen minutes here show just how great this fellow is.





Stratstrangler
 
Last edited:
Stratstrangler said:
I'm always on the lookout for different musical styles, especially with Strat type guitars. I found this young man almost by accident, but it seems his name is known in the Gospel music world as a wonderful artist in that genre; with several bigger stars requesting his playing on their musical efforts. Jabari Johnson from Texas. He's judged by some to be the best at “Praise Break” guitar playing. The video shows how he does it.

Has anyone tried their hand at playing this style? I’ve begun to try and assimilate this style into my own playing. It's a challange for sure! I'm wondering if the “medium” higher action on my Strats would be aided by a substantial lowering. Of course a quick mind and fleet large fingers are the key to it. The first half dozen minutes here show just how great this fellow.





Stratstrangler
Click to expand...


When I played lead guitar on a worship team for six months, I had never played worship music before. Nearly everything was a triad on the G/b/e. You could literally remove the E/A/D and still play....
 
Stratstrangler said:
I'm always on the lookout for different musical styles, especially with Strat type guitars. I found this young man almost by accident, but it seems his name is known in the Gospel music world as a wonderful artist in that genre; with several bigger stars requesting his playing on their musical efforts. Jabari Johnson from Texas. He's judged by some to be the best at “Praise Break” guitar playing. The video shows how he does it.

Has anyone tried their hand at playing this style? I’ve begun to try and assimilate this style into my own playing. It's a challange for sure! I'm wondering if the “medium” higher action on my Strats would be aided by a substantial lowering. Of course a quick mind and fleet large fingers are the key to it. The first half dozen minutes here show just how great this fellow.





Stratstrangler
Click to expand...


Very talented fellow...
 
Robert Herndon said:
When I played lead guitar on a worship team for six months, I had never played worship music before. Nearly everything was a triad on the G/b/e. You could literally remove the E/A/D and still play....
Click to expand...

Right. There is a lot that can be accomplished just where you describe. I also try to keep chords, and triad inversions on the middle 4 strings; A/D/G/B and some triad inversions on G/B/E. Strats excel at this IMHO due to the Strat's pickups. I guess any clear-sounding guitar could accomplish the same.


Stratstrangler
 
Stratstrangler said:
Right. There is a lot that can be accomplished just where you describe. I also try to keep chords, and triad inversions on the middle 4 strings; A/D/G/B and some triad inversions on G/B/E. Strats excel at this IMHO due to the Strat's pickups. I guess any clear-sounding guitar could accomplish the same.


Stratstrangler
Click to expand...

I didn't believe how political it can be on a worship team until I looked into playing again...

One church down here in SoCal won't allow any guitar but a Fender with a single coil (and no red guitars at all) and you must use the house amps, and only the worship leader can adjust the amp settings. You can only use one specific brand of delay, which can be programmed (somehow) by the tempo click in the Aviom...No joke. I got an email detailing all of this....
 
Robert Herndon said:
I didn't believe how political it can be on a worship team until I looked into playing again...

One church down here in SoCal won't allow any guitar but a Fender with a single coil (and no red guitars at all) and you must use the house amps, and only the worship leader can adjust the amp settings. You can only use one specific brand of delay, which can be programmed (somehow) by the tempo click in the Aviom...No joke. I got an email detailing all of this....
Click to expand...


Were you thinking.....cult?


Stratstrangler
 
Stratstrangler said:
Were you thinking.....cult?


Stratstrangler
Click to expand...

Not at all. I actually found out this is a very common practice (down here anyways) and there is such an incredible amount of structure in these worship bands to keep the sound consistent with the original music and not sound like a "rock concert."

When i applied, i was given a list of specific pieces of equipment that were allowed. They also have a training class (called Tone School) where they teach you how to achieve a given sound and how to set the effects.

Honestly, it was just too much structure and control, so I politely bowed out of the process...
 
Robert Herndon said:
Not at all. I actually found out this is a very common practice (down here anyways) and there is such an incredible amount of structure in these worship bands to keep the sound consistent with the original music and not sound like a "rock concert."

When i applied, i was given a list of specific pieces of equipment that were allowed. They also have a training class (called Tone School) where they teach you how to achieve a given sound and how to set the effects.

Honestly, it was just too much structure and control, so I politely bowed out of the process...
Click to expand...


I understand that. I agree that that style has to be somewhat structured, most folks could not tolerate too much of it. It's kind of like the control that record labels exert over their people who are under a contract to produce a product with a certain sound, the ultimate result that artists all tend to sound like one another then (in time) are relegated as past “flavors of the month” performers. Sad, and the reason that so many artists break away and buy back their music and form their own organization. But, I digress.


Stratstrangler
 
Stratstrangler said:
Jabari Johnson from Texas. He's judged by some to be the best at “Praise Break” guitar playing.
Click to expand...
First of all: Welcome to TTR... :cheers:

Thanks for posting a video of this amazingly talented guitar player. An absurd amount of rhythm and fleet fingering firepower... :dood:

Never heard of the term: "Praise Break guitar playing".
 
Last edited:
Stratstrangler said:
I understand that. I agree that that style has to be somewhat structured, most folks could not tolerate too much of it. It's kind of like the control that record labels exert over their people who are under a contract to produce a product with a certain sound, the ultimate result that artists all tend to sound like one another then (in time) are relegated as past “flavors of the month” performers. Sad, and the reason that so many artists break away and buy back their music and form their own organization. But, I digress.


Stratstrangler
Click to expand...

Stratty,

You have made, what I believe to be, the most accurate observation of the structure and purpose of worship music oversight, especially in regards to the control over its sound and personnel.

Having said that, its just not enjoyable for me to work under that type of tonal scrutiny. I did three services on Sunday and one on Wednesday for six months in the spring of 2011 at a large, non-denominational church in Visalia, California.

While your post explains the reasons behind things perfectly, specific guitar brand and color requirements, effects on an approved list by brand and model number, amps under lock and key and all the structure aimed at replicating the sound on the CD was just an impossible pill for me to swallow.

To me, this was totally different from a producer wanting a certain sound, based on keeping a recorded work within the confines of a specific genre, because it didn't matter what equipment you used to achieve it, as long as you could create the desired sound.

I think, perhaps, my creative nature is just too wild and spontaneous to be under so much control....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top