The complete and ultimate guide on how to be a successful Christian musician starting from no music experience

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Guitar Theory Revolution

Hey guys, Thank you all for checking out this blog post. I know that my blog posts will serve you to my utmost ability. If you are interested in supporting a Christian musician and want to learn music theory at the same time, then check out Guitar Theory Revolution. Guitar Theory Revolution was designed to teach guitarists theory without using the piano extensively. It aims at showing how to apply Music Theory and gives great insight on the musicianship needed to be a great musician. Thank you all once again for listening in on this blog post and be sure to check out Guitar Theory Revolution. Now back to the show

Whether you’re a beginner at music, or you’re a seasoned vet in the music field, this article will provide some knowledge about a little bit of everything in the music field in order to become a successful musician. 

Before we do that, let’s have our moment of silence. 

At this time, I would like all of us to take a moment of silence and pray to God to help us to become the musicians that we are supposed to become. Take a minimum of 5 minutes and pray for this. 

Now back to the show

The complete guide 

So in this article we’ll be covering a wide array of topics. And it will go in chronological order from the very first time you pick up a guitar all the way until you sign to a record label. 

And the topics are

1. Starting out in music 101
2. The drive
3. Practice
4. Some essential music skills
5. Music theory 101
6. Advanced practice 
7. Music industry must knows
8. Music marketing
9. Signing or not signing to a record label

Let’s start. 

Starting out in music 101

When you start out in music, it’s important to note that there are a lot of challenges that face every new artist. 

And depending on where you live, who you are, and what you can afford, you’ll be able to overcome those challenges. 

Some producers started out with turntables and a DAW, though that’s very expensive.

Others started out with guitars, such as myself. 

What’s important to note is that if you’re a Christian musician, you have faith in the Lord that he will provide for the necessities of being a musician. 

I remember back when I first started the guitar, I actually prayed to God to give me my first guitar. 

And sure enough, he gave me one.

I also prayed for my lessons, and he gave me free lessons through my school.

What happened was that the same year that I prayed for lessons, they opened up the guitar program at my school. So obviously that was God who was answering my prayers. 

So pray to God to provide for you and he will do amazing things just for you. 

At this point in time, do not worry about releasing music or getting heard by the industry because you still have a lot to bring to the table. Just be thankful to God that he provided you with that guitar and those lessons.

Here is an article that I wrote called, “When God answers Prayers.” I find it inspiring and encouraging whenever I hear about How God answers prayers. and yes he does answer prayers.

The drive

There is an element, and it’s a big element too, that you have to show up consistently over long periods of time in order to become the musician that you need to become. 

You have to practice, you have to work hard at your music, you have to fight for your music, that’s what the music life is like. 

And ultimately, we get our strength to do those things from God, so pray to God to help you obtain strength to see through your music career. 

It does take a long time to achieve music success, so don’t get upset just because you see 16 year old Justin Bieber out there with his Lamborghini. 

Instead, fight for your music, become the best musician possible and through that, you will earn a really good payday. 

Here is an article that I wrote that talks about where to find the motivation to make your music career happen.

This isn’t a Christian article and it could include some offensive language. But here is an article about indie artists who make good money.

Practice

I can’t stress this enough. I used to teach guitar and I would say the same things to my guitar students. 

I could teach you how to do a million and one things on the guitar, things that you wouldn’t dream of, and none of it would matter unless you were to practice it. 

You HAVE TO practice, that’s what separates the alright from the greats! Practice! 

Practice as much as you can. 

It’s good to note that it takes a lot of patience to wait out for your music abilities to become something good. 

So even though you have to practice a lot, it’s important to note that it’s good to also pace yourself. 

If you want to invest big hours into your music, build yourself up to that task first. 

It’s recommended that a student doesn’t burn himself out but get’s the necessary amount of practice is that he practices his music for 30 minutes each day. 

But it has to be good practice. 

It can’t be practice like, you pick up the guitar and go get a bottle of water and then use the bathroom and then eat a snack, no you have to sit down for 30 minutes and immerse yourself in the music world.

And I’ll tell you how to practice.

If your teacher tells you to play mary had a little lamb, then play mary had a little lamb over and over and over again. Play it at different speeds, play it swinging, play it until you know the entire thing inside out and blindfolded. 

That’s how you become a part of the greats. 

I remember that I used to have students who would not practice and it was such a pain to go through each class and try and build on the foundations that they don’t know. 

So do yourself a favor, practice! 

Some essential music skills

So you can go out and try and be the best at whatever you want to become. 

If you want to be a producer, I would recommend learning how to play the piano because producers have to use a MIDI in order to produce songs and make new sounds. 

If you want to be a singer, I would also recommend the piano and maybe the guitar because those elements are often looked for in an artist. 

Whatever you do, there are some common things that every musician is recommended on learning, piano and singing.

Even if you’re a producer, having a voice will help when you’re recording or making sounds because that personal element will be a differentiating factor in your producing styles and other people’s producing styles. 

Also, my band teacher told me that your voice has to be developed in order to succeed in music because that’s your voice. It’s your instrument that will help you to do good. 

And if you want to go to music college, it’s important to note that music colleges have a piano proficiency exam in order to get in. Also, you will be tested on piano throughout the course of your music college days. 

Sometimes it’s visually easier to see things on the piano than a guitar. The piano is layed out nicely and has a very easy way to find different keys and transpose songs. 

If you really feel like a challenge, try and learn some of these techniques in order to major in music as a guitarist.

Music theory 101

By this point, I assume that you have the basics in music theory already within your grasp. 

Here is a link to a book about songwriting that I highly recommend.

So I’m not going to go over how to read music or how to count rests. Instead, I will give you some songwriting music theory so that you can go out and try and write your own tunes

Some of these things are “cookie cutter” things. Which means that you can apply them to a lot of different things. 

1. Use transposition to your advantage. What happens is that different keys were made so that we could sing the same song but sung by a different person. Have you ever noticed those songs that are too high to sing? You can actually transpose that song into a lower key and sing it comfortably. And it’s really easy to do. All you have to do is to identify what are the Roman Numeral relative chords in the key and then use those same chords to use it in a different key. I’ll give you an example. Hillsong United’s From the inside out is sung in the Key of G. and I think it has the chords of G, C, D. if we number each note from 1 to 8 on the scale (because there are 8 diatonic notes in the scale) then we know that G=1, A=2, B=3, C=4, D=5, E=6, and F=7, and then G=8 because after that music repeats itself. 

Then we know that the chord progression in that song From the Inside out is a 1,4,5 Chord progression Because G=1, C=4, and D=5. So if you need to sing it in a lower key, say for example key of E, you know that E is the root note and you need to find the chords that are relative to that chord progression. So since E=1, that means A=4, and B =5. So all you would need in order to sing it at a lower key is to sing with the chords E, A, and B   **** Don’t forget to add sharps and flats where appropriate. In the example above, the chords that are always going to be major in a major key are 1,4, and 5 the chords that are always going to be MINOR are 2,3, and 6. 7 is diminished. So if you wanted to use the 2 chord in the key of E, you have to factor in the sharps and the minor tonality. What is the 2 chord of the key of E? Well we know that the second note from E is F and since the key of E has an F# we know that the 2 chord has an F# in it and since we know that the 2 chord is minor we know that the 2 chord in the key of E is none other than F#minor.

2. Simplicity is key. I can’t stress enough of how the best songs in the world are actually very simple. It takes a lot of work in order to play complex things, but in reality, it’s hardly used anywhere because it’s much more appealing to the ears to hear a simple song than it is to listen to a piece that has 1,000 chords in it. 
3. Learn to write poetry. When you’re a musician, you’re a writer. You’re an influencer, you are a leader. Therefore, it is important to write and learn how to get good at conveying your message in artistic manners. It will also help out your songwriting abilities. 

Advanced practice

Alright, you’ve been playing your guitar steady for a few years now and now it’s time that you learn some advanced concepts that will skyrocket your abilities. 

If you’re a good musician, I would recommend increasing your playing time. Maybe a minimum of 2 hours a day. Maximum is however much you can fit in. 

Honestly, at this point it depends on what you want to do with your music. If you want to be a guitarist for a band or singer, then obviously invest more time in guitar. If you want to be a solo artist, then balance it out between singing and guitar. Whatever it is you are going to have to start doing a few things.

And in this instance, I am talking about guitarists in particular but you can apply some of these concepts to other instruments as well. 

1. Practicing scales. I would say that my scales got my fingers to play EXTREMELY fast. 
2. Learn more chords. For pianists, guitarists, and bassists, chords are extremely important because we are the rhythm section of a musical act. We provide harmony and rhythm to the entire musical act that supports it. We lay a foundation for the piece to make great music. 
3. Learn different techniques and styles. In guitar in particular, there are so many different techniques that you could use in order to write a song. Things like pinch harmonics, sweeping, arpeggios, tremolo picking, hammer-on’s, pull-off’s, sliding, raking, palm muting, and barre chords are all going to make you a better guitarist. Learning styles will help to make your own unique sound. I personally have a lot of influences everywhere I’m not going to lie. However, I’m trying to stick to solidly Christian music because that is where my heart lies. 

***hey guys! if you like my blog post, be sure to check out my song that’s out now called Peace in your heart. I wrote the song about the situation of mankind and how we are called to serve God. I wrote, produced, sang, mixed, mastered, I did everything in this song including the artwork. be sure to follow me on my socials on Instagram @ germangonzalez9575 and on X @ Germin8r96 the QR Code to my song is down below.

QR Code to Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube music is down below but my song is out on all major streaming platforms. So go check it out!

Here is a link to my music in case you don’t want to mess around with the QR Codes

Here is a link to my song Peace in your Heart on Spotify

Here is a link to my song Peace in your heart on Apple Music

Hey guys! If you liked that song be sure to check out my song that I released a few weeks ago, this blog post has been updated for 2025.

This song is called the Answer on Spotify

Song called the Answer on Apple Music

Music industry must knows

So if you want to get into the music industry, it’s important to know what the music industry wants from you in order to get into it. 

Let’s talk about this. 

The music industry wants you to be talented, we know that. 

They want someone extraordinary, we know that. 

But they also want some paperwork to go along with that. They want some background, some authentication that says that you can do the things that you say you can do. 

So with that you’ll need a few things. 

1. A following. I am under the impression that some musicians think that a record label is there to start their career. I am under the impression that some people think that a record label only looks at talent in order to decide if they want to sign a person or not. And though talent plays a big part in the music field, it’s not the only factor that plays in A&R’s decision of whether they want to get signed or not. A following is needed in order to get signed. If you have a large following, it means that people like you and what you have to offer. That’s what that means to a record label. And if you’re doing music, then you can safely assume that people love your music. A record label will NOT sign you 95% of the time without this.  
2. Sold music. As a new artist, Record labels are often taking big risks in order to develop a new artist. So in order to see if they can sign you, then want to see proof that you can sell out. They want to see that your music is actually what people want right now. Regardless of whether or not you have to pay back the record label for the bonus that they give you (which is often the case) they are still taking a risk because they might not get that money back. So they want to see that you are profitable. Here is a rule of thumb, if you can sell out in a small area, you can sell out in a large area. 
3. EPK. An EPK is a musical resume. You use an EPK in order to show Record labels what you’re all about. You show them videos, pictures, how many followers you have, what concerts you’ve done, how many record sales you’ve gotten, ticket sales etc. etc. EVERYTHING that’s worth bragging about is what’s needed in your EPK.
4. A heart to break boundaries. When you’re going through all of this, it’s going to take years to develop all of the things that you see right here. So have patience, have a heart that works hard. The harder you work, the easier it will be to break through all of the noise that surrounds artists and music.
5. A lawyer. This is of course when you’re really in deep. A good lawyer can actually do SO MANY things for you. They can get you signed, they can get you to work with other artists, they can help you with your contracts, liability issues, copyright issues, etc. etc. Sometimes you need a team of lawyers but it’s okay. 

Here is a link that talks about how to create a following on the internet. AKA marketing.

Music marketing

Ahh marketing, the method in how you’ll get your following, sales, and promote your music. 

What should you do? Tik-tok? Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Blogging? YouTube? SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM!

I would honestly say that if you were to choose one, just pick ONE. What happens is that we can spread ourselves too thin and not focus enough energy and time to build one good platform instead of a bunch of small bad ones. 

I personally picked blogging because I thought it would help me to write better essays in college, and it does. 

But it’s also a very good method of promoting content. 

If you would like, pick 2 platforms to grow your following on but stick with it. Be consistent. 

LITERALLY the only thing that you have to do in order to promote your music is to JUST CREATE CONTENT.

That’s about 90% of all Social Media Management is to create content. The other 10% is like paperwork and setting up your website with Google Search console.  

Write about music, write about Christianity, but be consistent with it. If you write one day and don’t write until a week later, then write 2 blog posts on the same day, that’s not consistent. 

Just be consistent about how you write your blog posts and people will go to your site. And the same is true for a YouTube channel. 

Just put up a video every day.

I’m not guaranteeing anything, but that’s what all the professionals say. 

Here is a guide on how to get followers on X

Signing or not signing to a record label. 

I personally am against signing to a record label. I think that record labels are a thing of the past. 

But I would understand why someone would still want to sign to a record label. They offer so much assistance and can get you places you never thought possible. 

So let’s talk about Signing or not signing to a record label, let’s start with signing. 

Signing. Signing to a record label means that you work for that label. It means that you are under their time and that you have to do the things that they say. But it’s not all bad. They do offer large bonuses to qualified candidates who want to join their label. They also offer some of the best songwriters, mixing engineers, mastering engineers, producers, session musicians, etc. etc. 

And of course, if it wasn’t worth signing to a record label, people wouldn’t do it. So we have to be smart in how we sign to a record label. 

I’m not going to preach about how you should own your masters because if you wanted that then you wouldn’t sign most of the time. (Not throwing shade to Taylor Swift) 

But I will say that anyone can succeed with or without a label, they just have to do their due diligence. So do your homework! 

Not signing. I personally think the indie way is the best way. Of course I’ve never had the temptation of half a million dollars siting at my side, which is what these labels do. But I am going to say that I think the more humble approach is the best approach. When we’re artists, we’re so eager to see a good payday from our music. We’re so eager to find success in something that is difficult to achieve. And it’s understandable. But if you build your music in strong ways. You will succeed in what you go out to do. Work hard and never give up. Always pray to God and never forget that he is the reason why we do these things. 

Broadcast

I sure hope that I have been an inspiration and a hope to you all. Please remember to pray, read your bible, go to church, and love God above all else. Like, comment, share, subscribe, and I will see you all next time.

If you want to go to heaven, then believe in Jesus and you will go to heaven. (John 3:16)

Thank you all for listening in on this blog post. 

German Gonzalez, signing out!

Have you ever thought about playing at bars and nightclubs as a Christian musician? Click here to learn more about this topic.