Acoustic vs. Electric Guitar

After leading worship last week on the Spring Break trip I thought I'd add a post on the different roles for acoustic and electric guitar in a worship band setting. Both types of guitars are similar in that they share the same tuning, and chord fingerings but they are also different in terms of style of play and length of sustain. One way of looking at it is a balance between a rhythmic role and melodic role.

In a worship band an acoustic guitar has a primary rhythmic role and a secondary melodic role. Since an acoustic guitar has limited sustain, it must be strummed more frequently (and harder) than an electric guitar. So primarily it is driving the rhythm of the music and secondarily in terms of the chord changes. As a result an acoustic guitarist is pretty much playing 80-90% of the time during a song and the primary melodic contribution is via a change of chords or a finger picked section. A good example of this would be Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin.

An electric guitar is more balanced in terms of rhythmic/melodic roles. The guitar has greater sustain (the length of time that sound will ring out on a given strum) due to the pickups and amplification so it has to be strummed less often (and easier) than a acoustic guitar. The guitar is often used for single-note runs, partial chords, and arpeggios to add a melodic contribution to the song. In contemporary music the electric guitar may be played sparingly during the verse and then in a rhythmic way during the chorus. This often gives the chorus a sense of power due to the extra rhythmic content. A good example of the melodic contribution of an electric can be found in almost any U2 recording. For example, Pride, In the Name of Love illustrates a heavy melodic/rhythmic contribution mixed with some air-filled arpeggios that give the music a sense of space.

When leading worship in a solo environment the worship leader almost always either plays piano or acoustic guitar. An electric guitar only works if it has a sonic foundation of bass, drums and keys.

Keyboard instruments have this same type of split. A piano is similar to an acoustic guitar in that there is some sustain after the key is struck. An organ will produce sound for as long as the key is held down. It will stop as soon as the key is released.

Instruments are like spiritual gifts. Turn them loose, in the right combination and some beautiful music happens.