Questions about "You You Are God" by Gateway Worship

[harvdog]

Our band has started working on the song "You You Are God" by Gateway Worship. First off...this is a great song! The basics are pretty simple. What I'm curious about is the cool delay part early in the verses (i.e., "Here I am to see Your grace").

If anyone is familiar with this song and knows how they accomplish this sound, please let me know. I would love to add this to our version.

[Viqbang]

If it sounds anything like the version I just found on youtube...then that is what I would classify as an "edge" delay.

Depending on the delay unit you have, find the dotted eighth setting and it will get you close. If you have a timefactor, nova delay, or similar run the dual delay setting with a quarter note into the dotted eighth. That will give it the appropriate galloping feel.

This assumes (sort of...long winded explanation snipped) that you are using a tap-tempo delay to keep time with the rhythm (BPM aka ms) you use for the song.

To my ear, it sounds as if there are layered guitars...one playing chords through the entire filter sweep of the wah...and the other doing the delay. If you are a single electric group then you can approximate by sweeping from heel-down to toe-down on wah throughout either a measure (or 4) depending on how it sounds to your ear.

A few questions that can help me give more insight:

what delay unit are you using?
what key are you playing the song in (I'll give you some voicings that you can play with)?

[SatelliteOrders]

A delay set at slapback speed. There's also a bit of dirt and a bit of wah coming around.

[harvdog]

Originally Posted by Viqbang

If it sounds anything like the version I just found on youtube...then that is what I would classify as an "edge" delay.

Depending on the delay unit you have, find the dotted eighth setting and it will get you close. If you have a timefactor, nova delay, or similar run the dual delay setting with a quarter note into the dotted eighth. That will give it the appropriate galloping feel.

This assumes (sort of...long winded explanation snipped) that you are using a tap-tempo delay to keep time with the rhythm (BPM aka ms) you use for the song.

To my ear, it sounds as if there are layered guitars...one playing chords through the entire filter sweep of the wah...and the other doing the delay. If you are a single electric group then you can approximate by sweeping from heel-down to toe-down on wah throughout either a measure (or 4) depending on how it sounds to your ear.

A few questions that can help me give more insight:

what delay unit are you using?
what key are you playing the song in (I'll give you some voicings that you can play with)?

To clarify one thing, I play rhythm so I would be playing the chords and our lead guitarist would handle the lead riffs and delay work. I don't use a delay unit yet but he uses the delay in a Boss ME-50.

Regarding the song, it is in the key of C. Here are the lyrics and chords for the verse:

C5
Here I am I've come to find You
F C5
Here I am to see Your grace
Am G
To bring to You an offering
F G
I have to ask myself one thing
Am G Bb2(no3) F
How can I do anything but praise I praise


Thanks for all the help and information.

[Viqbang]

Okay. I'm not terribly familiar with the ME-50 but I downloaded the users manual to give it a peek...

Tell him to set the knob on the delay/mod section to the dotted eighth symbol. Then the tap button below (when tapped on the quarter note) will be in time with the song...which is heaps easier than doing the subdivision of BPM in ms yourself. It also allows you to handle on the fly rhythmic shifts that invariably occur during songs.

So...I'm working and won't be able to tab it out for you properly. But a typical delay trick is to emphasize the root tonality (in this case C) and throw in the 5th as an accent. (i.e. 3rd string 5th fret, second string 8th fret) and play on the 1/8th notes to get the gallop going. I suspect that your lead guitarist might have some experience with this sort of thing if you play much modern worship music.

I tend to keep the root tonality going (C) and then play around with accent notes in the major scale...often descending....remember, this is worship, the "right" way is with the heart. But maybe a pattern something like

1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&
C-C-C-G-C-C-G-C

then play with alternating the G with an F and an E (frets 6 and 5 on 2nd string)

At the risk of making it more complicated, the patterns I like are usually in sets of 9 or 10 notes over the eighths so that the accents vary throughout the song...Bit weird to describe...

The KEY, in my opinion, is how you approach the song. This is not a lead, it is not a fill, rather it is using the guitar to build texture. It shouldn't stand out, shouldn't detract, but should be compelling when it occurs.

clear as mud, eh? If you, or he, have more questions I will try and answer.

edit: I typed the pattern wrongly...blar