The beauty of easy worship songs on guitar is that they are quick to learn and only require a few basic chords. This makes these songs perfect for beginners. Christian music is immensely popular and a lot of people become interested in learning the guitar thanks to this genre.
Like all other musical instruments, it takes a lot of time and dedication to learn the guitar properly. If you take your time with these easy worship songs you can pick up some solid guitar skills which will see you into more advanced music. We’ve put together a list of easy worship songs on guitar that we feel are ideal for beginner musicians. Check out our list below.
1. Judy Collins – Amazing Grace
Almost every beginner’s music book for many instruments will include the song Amazing Grace. It’s probably one of the most famous worship songs out there. The song was originally penned back in 1779 by John Newton. The lyrics are all about being forgiven and redemption which is a huge part of many easy worship songs.
Because this song is so old there have been a lot of different versions done by artists over the centuries. Judy Collins is probably one of the more famous of these covers which is why we chose her version for our easy worship songs on guitar list. The song definitely has a sad sort of feeling to it and the lyrics have been written in the first person so it’s from the singer’s perspective. You can find forgiveness when listening to this worship song and find warmth in the love from God, which is why it was given this title.
To play the song you will need to know the chords which are in the key of G. There are three main chords in the key of G which include G, D and A7. You will need to follow a strumming pattern that has a three-count beat and downward strumming. When you hit the D chord you will want to strum the strings downwards from the fourth to the first. The G chord has you strumming downwards from the sixth string on your guitar. The A7 chords can be strummed from the fifth or sixth string depending on your preference because this acts as your bass note.
2. Chris Tomlin – How Great is Our God
Here is another easy worship song on the guitar that glorifies God and tells everyone just how great here is. Chris Tomlin uses metaphors throughout the piece to show just how amazing God can be. He also gives God a character that has been wrapped up in light which the darkness is afraid of. Other metaphors featured in How Great is Our God is that God is the lion and Jesus is the lamb.
Chris Tomlin originally released this song on his ‘Arriving’ album which ended up hitting number one on the Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs list. The intro actually sounds more like a rock song than a worship song but as Christ Tomlin begins to sing, you can really get into the softness and smooth feeling of the overall melody.
You will, once again, be playing in the key of G with this one. There are four chords you will need to know which include G, C, Em and D/F#. Although having so many chords may seem a little bit daunting at first the song is relatively slow so switching from one chord to another should be easy enough for beginners. You’ll find that once you’ve practiced this easy worship song a few times the chords will come a lot more smoothly.
How Great is Our God Guitar Tab
3. Hillsong Worship – Amazing Love
Next up on our easy worship songs on guitar is from Hillsong Worship who have made a lot of famous Christian songs over the years. This worship song praises God and shows just how amazing his love can be. The lyrics tell us how God’s love can change our lives and that he spreads this love throughout the world so that we should honor him.
We’ve given you a simpler version of the song so that you can play Christian songs on your guitar as a beginner. It sounds close to the original but it’s not exactly the same. There are only three chords in our version which includes G, A and D. The time signature is 4/4 and you’ll hear two different strumming patterns in both the chorus and the verse. You will be hitting all of the strings included in the chords on a downward strum but only some of those strings are hit on any upward strum. While you won’t need a capo to play this song you may want to get your guitar pick out so that it doesn’t hurt your fingers as much.
4. Joseph Scriven – What A Friend We Have in Jesus
There are four verses that make up this song and it is conveying the message that you can find inner peace if you follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. The lyrics give us advice on never being discouraged to put our troubles to God because he is the one that can help carry those burdens and make us feel lighter.
When Scriven originally wrote this as a poem for his dying mother to soothe her in her final days. He actually published it anonymously in 1855 but in 1868 Charles Converse arranged a tune to go along with the beautiful words. It’s definitely an uplifting piece that will help any Christian feel comforted in God’s light.
You’ll need the three chords of C for this one which include C, F and G. You may want to use the F/C chord as well which is a variation on an F chord because as a beginner this can make chord transitions a lot easier. For the strumming pattern, you will be following folk influence. This includes strumming the strings downwards four times and then using an upward strum after both your third and fourth downward ones.
What A Friend We Have in Jesus Guitar Tab
5. George Duffield Jr. – Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus
Many people often think that darkness threatens the beliefs of Christianity and this song is all about standing by Jesus in this fight. It’s almost a battle march where all of his followers are asked to be soldiers with the one mission of vanquishing evil. The song gives hope to these followers as their strength and belief in Jesus will help to protect them from any evils they find along the way. In the end they will find glory and enter into the God’s Kingdom.
The song was originally inspired by Dudley Tyng who was an associate of Duffield’s. He openly spoke against slavery back in 1858. The title of the worship song were actually Tyng’s words where he was asking all Christians to stand up and fight for what they believed was right. This ties in wonderfully with the battle-like theme of the song.
You’ll need three simple chords for this one which include A, D and E. There is a variation that can be added onto the E which will make it an Esus but that’s only there to improve the overall sound of your guitar. You’ll have to use a strumming pattern that is mostly downward strumming but if you want the song to sound more smooth then you may want to add in an after-beat upward strum too.
Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus Guitar Tab
6. Augustus Toplady – Rock of Ages
This song will be more suited to someone who wants to learn a quick worship song because it’s actually quite short. The song is about surrendering yourself as Jesus did to the cross so that you can be cleansed of all your sins.
Although the story of the composition of the song has widely varied over the years, many people believe Augustus penned it when he was climbing a gorge. A storm began to rage so he took shelter in a gap nearby. Here he found inspiration and wrote the lyrics there and then. The song definitely has a glorious feel to it and almost sounds like the hold songs you would hear in original cartoons.
You will need to know three of your basic guitar chords here which consist of G, C and D. If you want to you can play the D chord as it is or change it to a D/F# variation which makes the song sound better overall. The strumming pattern has a driving force behind it where you will make four downward strums and then use an upward after-beath strum after the fourth note.
7. Hillsong Worship – Cornerstone
We’re back with another Hillson Worship song with this one being about having God and Jesus’s love as one of the main foundations in your life. The cornerstone metaphor is used for the foundation throughout the song and without this, we would be weak. There are a lot of metaphors throughout the song such as Jesus being an anchor in a storm. The main message we can hear throughout is that strength and love can be found by following the word of God.
Cornerstone is played in the key of C which includes four separate notes – C,F, Am and G. As beginner you won’t find the strumming pattern to taxing because it’s mostly just downward strumming. The strums do change in intensity though so in different areas of the song so make sure you listen to the original to see where you need to change up your playing.
8. Henry J. Van Dyke – Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
You can probably tell from the title of the song what this one is going to be about. It definitely gives across the message of being happy while showing your devotion to God. There are plenty of personifications and metaphors used throughout for Christians and overall it’s a really beautiful song.
When you first listen to the song you may think it sounds a bit like ‘Ode to Joy’. If you thought this then you would be right. The composer actually wrote the original poem that made this song to the music from ‘Ode to Joy’ which was composed by Beethoven.
Don’t be put off that this song includes five chords of G, D, C, B and Em. We’re not going to lie, it’s a tricky one and there is a lot of switching around but because the song isn’t so fast, it makes it a lot easier. The strumming pattern is pretty much identical to other worship songs we’ve mentioned so far in this list so you shouldn’t have any problems in that department either.
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee Guitar Tab
9. Chris Tomlin – Whom Shall I Fear
In this one from Chris Tomlin we are all invited to believe in the strength of God as he is completely omnipotent and can crush any enemies that come his way. It comes from a perspective that the singer does a lot more than simply follow God’s teaching. He believes that God is his friend who continues to win battles every day of his life for him.
The song was originally released back in 2012 as was one of the songs from Tomlin’s seventh studio album. It hit number 10 in the US Christian Songs billboard charts. Much like Tomlin’s other songs you can hear a rock inspiration but this is much more mellow and sounds like other contemporary Christian music. However, the upbeat feeling of the song makes you just want to throw your hands up in the air and sing along.
The G chords are used in this one which consists of four different chords. These are G, C, Em and D/F#. You’ll use a driving strumming pattern with a strong four-beat count. You’ll need to use four downward strums on the strings and then include one after-beat as an upward strum after you’ve played the fourth strum.
10. MercyMe – Lord I Lift Your Name on High
Now this song may cause a lot of controversy as far as worship songs go because it’s basically just two verses repeated over and over again for a total of three minutes. The verses sing about praising the Lord and how thankful we are to him for sacrificing himself to save all of our sins.
Originally released in 1996, this is very much one of the more traditional worship songs out there. We wanted to include it here though because it’s a beautiful song that is really uplifting too.
You’ll be playing four chords throughout the song which include G, C, D and Em, with the Em chord only being played once. It’s so simple for beginner guitar players because you only have to play the chords and strum the strings twice throughout the piece. If you want to add in a bit more flair then you have the option to add in an after-beat strum that makes the whole song sound a lot nicer.
So there we are, that rounds out our list of easy worship songs that you can play on your guitar as a beginner. From Amazing Grace to other famous Christian songs, we think we’ve covered a large gambit of styles here. If you think we’ve missed anything or want to let us know your thoughts, post a comment below.