Electric Guitar Tutorial // For All Seasons – This I Believe
From Jeff Luckey
This is a very important song for the church right now. In a post-modern world where so many things are subjective and relative, it’s so valuable to have these absolute truths set to song. Music can serve as an easy recall of what we know to be true. As believers, singing as the church, we can hold fast and proclaim these beliefs with absolute certainty. There is a sense of history, conviction, and timelessness to it. As time goes on, I’m excited to see the music change, but the truths remain the same. As a band, we wanted the music to match the excitement and victory of singing the core of our beliefs in unity. It’s so much fun to play and the content is undoubtedly impacting. I’m so glad we put the time into revamping and recording this beautifully written song. – Jeff Luckey
LEAD GUITAR
Always On:
-JHS Superbolt- drive = 8, tone = 11, volume = 3.5
Intro/Turn:
The first part of the riff I’m in the middle position, playing it with all three fingers lightly on the fretboard, then I move to the bridge pick-up, thrown on a boost, and play each note separately to keep it distinct.
-Strymon Big Sky- Hall- mix = 12, decay = 1.9sec
-Strymon Timeline- dTape, Whole Note (72 bpm), mix = 10, repeats = 10
-Fulltone Full-Drive (CompCut/Standard)- Volume = 9, Tone = 10, Overdrive = 8, Boost = 10
Chorus 1:
I play the keyboard during this first chorus. Just basic chords.
Verse 2:
This is my favorite part of the whole song. Not playing much, just timely notes and rung out triads in the middle position. The key here is to really dig into the triads and feel the part.
-Strymon Big-Sky- Cloud- mix = 10.5, decay = 3.7sec
-Strymon Timeline- dTape, Dot8 (72 bpm), mix = 10, repeats = 10
Chorus 2:
I put the capo on the 4th fret for this part specifically. Bridge position, just toggling between the g and b strings, chasing the melody a little bit.
-Strymon Timeline- dTape, Whole Note (72 bpm), mix = 10, repeats = 10
Bridge:
Slide up to the 12th fret and play the b and e strings at the same time. Then, click the boost on to do the riff after each time through the bridge.
-Strymon Timeline- dTape, Dot8 (72 bpm), mix = 10, repeats = 10
-Fulltone Full-Drive (CompCut/Standard)- Volume = 9, Tone = 10, Overdrive = 8, Boost = 10
Chorus 3 (down chorus, build):
This is basically half of the intro riff, same settings, but then moves to chorus 2 settings when it starts to build more. Start on whole note, then move to dot8. At the end of the song, just follow the drums and really dig in on those last few punches.
-Strymon Big Sky- Hall- mix = 12, decay = 1.9sec
-Strymon Timeline- dTape, Whole Note (72 bpm), mix = 10, repeats = 10
-Strymon Timeline- dTape, Dot8 (72 bpm), mix = 10, repeats = 10
RHYTHM GUITAR
Intro/Turn:
-JHS Superbolt- drive = 10, tone = 1, volume = 12
Verse 1:
These verses are super fun to play. With the chorus, and the bright room verb, it creates this kind of Dire Straits or Bruce Springsteen feel. In the first verse I play it pretty reserved and mellow to make the change between verses more drastic. The goal is to make it sound like it’s more out of phase, and in turn, it gives this really wide chorus feel and it just gives space to the part.
-JHS Superbolt- drive = 10, tone = 1, volume = 12
-Strymon Timeline- LoFi (144 bpm), mix = 3, repeats = 8, mod = 3, peak = 4.2k
-Strymon Big-Sky- Room- mix = 12, decay = 2.5sec, tone = 1
Chorus:
A huge part of the choruses are the chord changes. Playing as tight as I can with Johnny helps to have those changes have a deeper impact.
-JHS Superbolt- drive = 10, tone = 1, volume = 12
Verse 2:
In the second verse, I’m picking pretty hard as I mute the strings by the bridge. The biggest part of this song is FEELING. Every time this verse comes in, it takes my whole body to play the part right. I try to lock in with Johnny as much as I can.
-Greer Amps Light Speed- drive = 4, tone = 3, volume = 12
-Strymon Timeline- LoFi (144 bpm), mix = 3, repeats = 8, mod = 3, 4.2k peak
-Strymon Big-Sky- Room- mix = 12, decay = 2.5sec, tone = 1
Bridge:
Same concept as the chorus but I start to strum harder and get more aggressive once the bridge hits.
-JHS Superbolt- drive = 10, tone = 1, volume = 12