The definitive course to learn acoustic guitar for worship ministry.
By the end of this course, you'll know:
✅ Over 100 chords, inversions & variations across 8 content-rich modules, plus Intro & Final Exams
✅ Best practices for keys of G, D, C, E & A, as well as how to transpose, access any key with a capo, bar chords & acceptable substitutes for difficult chords
✅ 3 alternate tunings unique to Zac's style of worship leading for a better sound & easier chording (you likely won't find these anywhere else!)
✅ And much more!
✅ Includes 249 min. video run time, 207 multiple choice quiz/test questions, 25 paragraph-answer critical thinking questions, 8 Coaching Community prompts & 5 posts.
(Used in multiple courses: 10 min video, 6 quiz questions & 3 posts.)
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Here's a lesson from Module 1 of this award-winning course:
Remember:
A G chord is 3x0033 (actual notes used: GxDGDG).
This is technically a G5, but I recommend you use this voicing for G chords. It is a fairly universal voicing you can use in many situations.
There's another version of the G chord not covered in this video. Many people default to is 320033 for G (2 instead of x on the A string). In my opinion, this sounds too muddy or messy, and won't be used. If you use it, it's best to use it when capoed higher (capo 3 and higher).
A note: Your fingers will probably hurt, maybe even have indents. This is normal. When I started playing guitar, it took me about 2-3 weeks of daily practice to build callouses so my fingers got used to playing guitar.
Here's what's included in your course:
Step #1: Get functional first.
Module 1 - "Our First Two Chords"
- How to quickly read & interpret guitar chords in tabulature
- What notes to tune to in Standard tuning
- Proper fretting technique so you get a clean sound
- G & C chords (Standard tuning)
- Basic "diamond" strumming patterns (and how to simplify to self-teach strumming)
- Bonus for advanced players: G & C chords in Zac's favorite alternate tuning (Lazy D)
Module 2 - "Three More Chords, Key of G"
- The other 3 chords needed to play most worship songs in the key of G:
- Em, D, Am
- Practical shortcut chords that help you get functional faster while improving your sound
- Simple strumming patterns using primarily downstrumming
- Bonus for advanced players: Em, D & Am chords in Zac's favorite alternate tuning
Module 3 - "Let's Learn Another Key"
- Chords used in the key of D (A, Bm, G)
- Useful substitute & shortcut chords in the key of D so you get functional faster (Asus, Bm7, G2)
- How to transition between chords smoothly
- Increasing strumming pattern difficulty
- Bonus for advanced players: chords in the key of D in Zac's favorite alternate tuning
Step #2: Expand your toolbelt of essential chords & concepts.
Module 4 - "Keys, Capos & Transposing"
- How to find notes on specific frets on guitar
- What keys are and how they work
- How to use capos to access any key easily using chords in the key of G or D
- How to transpose chord charts between keys, and develop the ability to do it on the fly mentally
- Adding F & Dm chords in Standard tuning so we can play in the key of C
- Useful shortcut chords for F & Dm (Fmaj7, Dm7)
- Bonus: Why we usually don't use F or Dm in Zac's favorite alternate tuning
Module 5 - "Essential Chord Variations"
- The most common inversions you'll see in the keys of G, D & C
- Common chord variants in key of G, D & C
- Large chord library full of practical voicings & options you may not have seen before
- Recommended voicings to use for chords with multiple options
- How to know when to use specific chord voicings
- Bonus for advanced players: Common chord variants in keys of G, D & C using Zac's favorite alternate tuning
Step #3: Get creative & prepare for professional-tier worship ministry.
Module 6 - "Playing in a Worship Team"
- How to play acoustic and excel in a worship team setting
- How to know when “less is more” and when you need to guide the rhythm on your team
- How to vary strumming patterns for dynamics & creative effect
- How to play with a click track
- Special techniques such as palm muting & fingerpicking
- Bonus for advanced players: Beautiful, useful chords you can use to be creative higher on the neck in Zac's favorite alternate tuning
Module 7 - "Getting Creative"
- How to play in the key of E, with many chord options high & low on the neck
- How to play with the warm Open D tuning (D, A, Bm, G, Em), including tons of beautiful chord voicings & inversions
- Fingerpicking/classical guitar techniques in Open D that are ideal for solo acoustic
- How to use multiple acoustics in a team to avoid the dreaded "wall of sound" effect in a mix
- Bonus for advanced players: Alternate chord voicings and countermelody options higher up the neck in the key of D
Module 8 - "Advanced Techniques"
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How to play in Drop Top C alternate tuning using C form chords for a pseudo 12-string sound with options high on the neck
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Advanced bluegrass strumming patterns that are useful for songs by bands like Rend Collective, All Sons & Daughters, Shane & Shane, etc.
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How to play with kick while leading from acoustic & develop competency even if you don't play drums
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Automating certain mental aspects so you can focus on what's really important
