“The Well” by Casting Crowns is a good song choice for beginners like me for a number of reasons. One, this easier version requires a capo at the first fret, and that means all of our chord shapes will happen in an unfamiliar area of the neck. We can’t rely on the little dots or count three over (for G, C, etc.) to know where to place our fingers. This helps us break the habit of using crutches (which are necessary at first, but later are lazy bad habits if we want to improve) to know where to play the chords. I’m trying to play as much as possible without looking at my hands, and when I have to challenge myself to play chords on a different part of the neck of the guitar it forces me to stop being reliant on looking at the frets when I play – as it’s different anyway, so I should try not to look down. I need to know the chord shapes by muscle memory, and this song is a good choice for that.
Also, I love this song, so I can work on putting emotion and my heart into the music. And third, since this version for novices involves those wonderful basic chords that are easier to play, it’s a good opportunity to work on strumming, dynamics, playing at different tempos, and trying to engage with the listener. And for that we have to practice looking up! It will be hard to break the habit of looking down at my hands, it will take time. But I’ll get there eventually! If you’re also learning guitar, keep going! I can feel myself improving and I’m sure you will too! Just practice, practice, practice!
