Playing songs on the guitar in chord melody style is a great way to add variety and skill to what an intermediate to advanced guitarist plays. By using this style a guitarist can accompany himself while still playing the entire melody of the song!
This PDF provides a simple chord melody solo of “Jesus Loves Me.”
You can practice playing this song to this audio:
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
“Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart” is a moving hymn that calls upon the Spirit to minister to the heart of a believer. This PDF provides the melody in the fret numbers for playing the melody on the first string, the basic chords, and the first stanza of the song.
You can practice playing the melody or chords along with this mp3 audio of the melody:
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Every guitar player should learn the main progressions in the six basic guitar keys. This PDF provides the chord diagrams and much more to play the I – IV – V7 – I progression in the keys of F, C, G, D, A, and E.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
“Silent Night! Holy Night!” is a beautiful Christmas carol! This PDF provides a chord-melody solo of the carol that includes the notes, chords, chord diagrams, and lyrics for the first line. 
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Beginning guitarists should learn several guitar scales well. Learning the chromatic, natural, and major scales provides beginners with a solid foundation for playing their instrument proficiently.
I teach all my students to play an E chromatic scale on the first string in their first lesson. To play the scale, play the string open, then play all the notes in order from the first fret to the twelfth fret.
The student does not learn the names of the notes at this time; he focuses on proper technique of fingering and sounding each note.
In one of their early lessons, I then teach them to play an E chromatic scale across the strings in first position. I encourage them to use this scale regularly as a warm-up exercise for their playing.
Learning the chromatic scales is a foundational skill that I stress with all my students. Playing these scales with good technique teaches the student many important skills and also helps train their ears.
Having taught them to play the two E chromatic scales, I teach them to play an A natural scale. Learning a natural scale helps the student learn the names of the notes and which notes have sharps/flats between them and which ones do not.
My students also learn to play an E natural scale across the strings in first position. By learning this scale, the student learns to name all the natural notes in first position.
Learning to play natural scales in multiple positions and on all the strings helps in learning the guitar fretboard well. Knowing the fretboard well is vital for becoming a skilled guitarist who can play at advanced levels.
In addition to teaching them to play chromatic and natural scales, I teach them to play an E major scale on the first string.
I also teach them to play a movable major scale in 4th position. Learning this scales serves many important purposes in the training of skilled guitarists.
Anyone who wants to be a skilled guitarist should learn these guitar scales well. Good teachers should stress the importance of doing so with all their students.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Jesus Loves Me is a favorite hymn of believers, especially of children. This PDF provides the guitar chords and lyrics to play the first stanza of the song.
In addition, you can practice playing the chords to this song to the melody by using the audio of the melody:
See the full lyrics here.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
“Satisfied” by Clara T. Williams is a hymn that powerfully testifies to the satisfaction that knowing Jesus brings to the life of a believer. This PDF provides the first stanza, melody notes, and chord symbols for all the chords to play the song in the key of D.
If you are an advanced guitarist, play all the chords to this song. To make the song easier to play, play the chords as normal chords instead of playing them as slash chords (for example, play Em7 instead of Em7/D).
With this mp3 audio of the song, you can practice playing the chords while hearing the melody (there are 5 introductory beats before the song begins).
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Long before there was any rock music, classical guitarists such as Fernando Sor and Andrés Segovia earned widespread acclaim for their fantastic musical abilities. These virtuosos played instrumental music that was recognized all over the world for its musical excellence.
When rock music became popular in the US, the electric guitar was at the forefront of the popularity of that style. The classical guitar, however, had already existed for more than a century and a half by that time, and it never was and never has been the symbol of rock music.
To reject the use of the classical guitar so as not to associate oneself with rock music is a seriously flawed perspective that has no historical or biblical basis (see this post for an explanation) to support it. Christian churches today should not reject the use of the classical guitar out of an erroneous notion that to use the classical guitar is inherently to play rock music, CCM, or any other music that they deem to be unacceptable music for corporate worship.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Lord willing, I will be teaching an adult beginning guitar class for Majesty Music Academy in Spring 2018. If you know of anyone in the Greenville, SC area who might be interested in learning guitar by enrolling in a guitar class, please let them know about this opportunity.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
“Always the Same” is a beautiful hymn by Ron Hamilton that extols how Jesus is unchanging. Recently, four of us from my church ministered this hymn as an oboe, cello, viola, and guitar quartet.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Rajesh Gandhi holds a Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation from Bob Jones Seminary; he's a long-time member of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, SC.
