Am I Just A Worship Guitarist?
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Just wanted to be a little vulnerable and share my struggles and frustrations with being called a "Church Guitarist" or "Worship Guitarist." Do you ever feel frustrated with the "Church Guitarist" label? It's not that I'm ashamed of my faith or being associated with it, I hate being associated with the stereotype. You know, the guy who has an absurd collection of expensive gear and pedals and can barely play a high d-shaped chord... Or the guys who just phone it in and listen to the songs on the way. You know what I'm talking about.
In this video, I open up about my personal journey as a guitarist who loves and has been involved with both secular and worship genres. To some of your surprise, the big goal for me wasn't to be a worship guitar player. When I first played guitar, I fell in love with Rock N' Roll and wanted to be in a band. None of my friends were dedicated to it, and so my Mom suggested I audition for high school worship team, and that's where it all started.
Over the years, I've faced the challenges of being labeled a "Church Guitarist:" dealing with the stereotype, using more reverb than I need to ;), and being over-looked for Pop gigs because of my lack of experience (at the time) outside of Modern Worship Music. It's been tough to break the stereotype, but I'm learning to find balance and embrace that whatever type of guitarist people perceive me as, all I can do is my best to continue to grow and make the most of the opportunities presented to me. Because at the end of the day, my relationship with Worship Music is complicated. While I don't like being called a "Church Guitarist" I find a lot of purpose and joy in playing guitar at church. I love worshipping and I connect with the music and lyrics on a deeper level than I do on a Pop gig. I've experienced equally compelling moments on tour as I have at church. Music is the vehicle, but God is the driver. He meets in and can use us on any stage and to any size crowd. It's truly an honor to get to play church, even when it doesn't feel like it. And believe me, it doesn't always feel like it! haha-
If you've ever felt type-cast or struggled with the same challenges, you're not alone. This video is for fellow guitarists who share similar experiences and have felt limited by the stigma. I'm hoping we can all share our stories and struggles with it. It can be scary, but if I can do it, you can do it- Be sure to share this video with a fellow Church Guitarist who can relate, and drop a like on the video and subscribe to the channel before you head out!! :)
Chapters:
0:00​ The Church Guitarist Stigma
1:31​ How I Started Playing Guitar
2:06 Auditioning For The Worship Team
3:18 "Church Gigs"
5:12 Running Away from Worship Guitar
5:59 I Can't Be The Only One
6:59 My Relationship with Worship Music Is Complicated
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Does Tonex live up to the hype?: • Video
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Connect With Me:
IG: / justinmuncy
TikTok: / justinmuncy
Website: justinmuncy.com
Gear:
Fender Telecaster w Elliott Telewacker Pickups
Fender Stratocaster Standard
Gibson Les Paul Standard 2008
Gretsch White Falcon G6139T - CBDC
Walrus Audio Deep Six
Jackson Audio Belle Starr
Fulltone Full-Drive 2 Mosfet
Neural DSP Quad Cortex
Strymon Mobius
Strymon Timeline
Strymon BigSky
Apogee Duet 2
Logic Pro X
#WorshipGuitarist​ #GuitarConfessions​ #BreakingTheStigma #churchguitar #worshipguitar