Are there any general principles that all church musicians should consider, regardless which instrument they play?
It’s important to remember that the church worship context is different to a concert performance. The objective is not to entertain the ‘audience’ (or ourselves), rather it is to facilitate worship within the congregation and everything we do should be to that end. An attitude of service is essential. Of course that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be creative or interesting in what we play, but we need to constantly be asking ‘Is what I’m doing helping the people to press into God and worship?’. If what you’re doing is a distraction, then stop!
All musicians need to learn to listen to the overall sound. As team players, we need to reason from the whole to the part, not the other way round. That means continually asking yourself whether what you’re playing is contributing positively to the overall sound without getting in the way of what others are playing. Sometimes it may be appropriate to stop playing so as to let the other instruments have their space. We also need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and the overall dynamics of the meeting. It is not the worship leaders job to direct every detail.
Play with authority. Even if you’re only playing a couple of notes, play with confidence, and make sure that the team is providing sufficient support to the congregation so that they’re not uncomfortable. Work on being ‘tight’ so that all the instruments lock together to make a cohesive and solid sound.
Practice! Develop your skills and become a master of your instrument. Try also to rehearse regularly as a group, don’t just rely on a few stressful minutes before the start of a church meeting to figure out your arrangements etc.
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Why have drums at all? What does a drummer do?
In a standard band setup, the drummer has the foundational role of setting the tempo and ‘feel’ of the song. He or she provides the rhythmic backbone on which the whole arrangement hangs. This is especially true of rockier, up-tempo songs, but can still be vital in providing support to slower, gentler songs. Often the dynamics at any given moment are primarily dictated by the drummer. As the foundational instrument, it is appropriate for the other musicians to take their cue from the drums in terms of tempo and dynamics – when the drums build, we all build and vice-versa!
What qualities make a good worship drummer?
First and foremost the ability to set and maintain a solid tempo which is appropriate for the song. Sometimes it’s helpful for the drummer to use a metronome as an aid to tempo; steady, solid and avoiding the common pitfall of inadvertently speeding up or slowing down between different sections of a song.
Also a developed sensitivity to appropriate dynamics at different times. Often in worship, a simple rhythm works more effectively than a busy one. Sensing where to build an arrangement by increasing the intensity then ‘bring it down’ in more reflective moments.
Being conscious of how loud you are compared to the other musicians and congregation. Unfortunately the nature of church meeting room acoustics and the disposition of the congregation often means that you need to drum more quietly than you would ideally like to! Please be sensitive!
Should the drummer or the worship leader start each song?
Sometimes if the worship leader is already playing round the chords on a guitar etc, they will naturally start a song, but usually we’d expect the drummer to set the tempo and click in the band (once he’s been given the nod). This actually takes pressure off the worship leader at that point, and makes it easier for the whole group to start in a deliberate, tidy way.
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What is the role of the bass player?
The bass working with the drums adds depth to the foundation. When the bass and drums lock together, the result is solid platform on which to build the rest of the song.
So in practice what is the best approach?
A great starting point for church bass players is to hold the root note of each chord in the song. Try and be firm and lock it with the kick drum. As a song intensity builds it will often be appropriate to play more rhythmically, but make sure that it’s working with the kick drum, and try and stay with the root note, rather than arpeggiating and having too many passing notes. ‘Less is more’ tends to be the best policy where bass is concerned.
What qualities make a good worship bass player?
Good sense of rhythm - the ability to play in time and lock with the drummer (who hopefully is also playing tightly!)
Discipline – to mostly keep it simple and not get too ‘carried away’.
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It’s just strumming the chords isn’t it?
The acoustic guitar can carry a congregation without the need for other instruments at all, but in a group setting it’s main job will mostly be add movement and some ‘body’ to the sound. Probably best to only have one acoustic guitar playing at a time, and let the rhythm section to the hard work! By which I mean that strumming lightly, cleanly and in time will be better than thrashing the strings which tends to give a very scratchy sound.
Often if there’s a band playing with you, it may be appropriate to strum just once or twice per bar, rather than feeling that you need to drive the rhythm. This gives more ‘space’ for the other instruments to work in, and can help with the dynamics so that you can build up to full strumming for certain sections of the song. For a lighter sound, it can be effective not to include the lowest couple of strings when you strum.
Are capos good or bad?
A capo is obviously useful for transposing so that you can play easy chords in a difficult key. But why not take the time to learn some of the trickier chords and don’t rely on the capo to do the complex stuff!
However a capo is an excellent tool if you want to actually change the sound of the guitar. By moving it up the neck you are effectively shortening the strings so that chords will sound different. This can be a great way of moving the guitar sound into a different register and out of the way of other instruments (such as the electric guitar) that might be occupying that octave. This can open up the sound and make it easier to hear each instrument working in its own space.
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What’s the point of a noisy thing like that?
Well, the electric guitar is capable of creating a massive diversity of tones and parts, and is consequently very useful in bringing colour and interest to worship music. It can work across a large spectrum – anywhere from crunchy power chords which will help give energy and ‘drive’ a rocky song, through to delicate effected tones which can add sparkle and texture to even a mellow song.
So do I find a sound I like, then start strumming the chords from the chart?
Er, that’s probably not the best approach. Just strumming chords with electric guitar tends to sound too thick (not to mention bland), and will likely obscure the acoustic guitar. Whatever type of song you’re working on, it’s usually best to think in terms of ‘parts’. Listen to the song and be thinking whether a melodic phrase or riff might work over any of the sections. Often a simple repeated phrase or arpeggio that can be continued as the chords change underneath is really effective – obviously it needs to avoid clashing with the chords or main melody.
Think too about the type of sound that’s appropriate for the song. If it’s energetic and rocky, then an overdriven sound may be fine. If the song is gentle and spacious, then a more jangly sound with delay or other effects may fit. Be prepared to sit out altogether some of the time so that when the electric enters it has greater impact.
My amp sounds best LOUD, why don’t people seem to understand that?
It’s true that many guitar amps do indeed sound good when they’re loud, and heavier guitar sounds seem designed to be loud and go limp if you turn them down too much. However, in a church worship context where you’re often in room with challenging acoustics and a less than ideal PA system, it will make life difficult for the PA operator, other musicians and congregation if the guitar amp is dominating.
There are things that can help – try facing the amp away from the congregation and towards you so that it’s louder for you than for them. It might then be appropriate for the amp to be miked up so that PA operator can control the level out front. Some folks even have the amp in another room and mike it up, but that only works if the guitarist has good monitoring to hear clearly what he’s playing. Another great tool is an attenuator which allows you to drive the amp ‘loud’ and get a pleasing, driven tone, but reduce the level coming from the cab. The lower you can have the level on stage, the easier it will be for the PA operator to fit you ‘in the mix’. If the stage volume is too loud, the PA guy (or gal) will be helpless!
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What are the main things for a keyboard player to be aware of when playing in a worship band?
Firstly, there’s the whole question of sounds – most modern keyboards can create hundreds of sounds of every imaginable type, but you need to be thinking about what will work in the band setting. A good starting point would often be an acoustic piano sound as it has a proven track record of fitting well with other instruments.
If you’re used to playing piano by yourself you may be used to playing bass notes, chords, tune, embellishments all at the same time! However with the band, you need to play less because much of that stuff is already being covered by the other instruments. Avoid getting in the way of the bass player with your left hand – if you are going that low, make sure you’re playing the same notes as the bass guitar, preferably with the same rhythm so there are no muddy clashes.
Avoid playing the tune, as there are vocalists and a congregation already doing that and it can become ‘melodic overkill’. With extra embellishments in the right hand, try to confine them to the gaps between vocal lines, and leave some space for other instruments such as the electric guitar who may also be filling.
The piano is great for adding ‘body’ to the sound by playing the chords – often using chord extensions which are not necessarily on the chart or being played by the other musicians can add harmonic richness to the sound. E.g. try playing Em7 or even Em9 when you just see Em on the chart – this can make for a fuller, pleasing sound without clashing.
Okay that’s piano, what about the other 255 sounds on my keyboard?
Worship times often benefit from a warm pad or strings sound that can be layered behind a piano sound to give a ‘backdrop’ to the sound without adding lots of rhythm. Electric piano can make an mellower alternative to piano, and Hammond organ can make a rockier song ‘fatter’ without being too busy. Other weird and wonderful synth noises etc may be appropriate to feature at particular moments but don’t get carried away.
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How do you fit a violin, flute or oboe etc into a band setup?
Featuring orchestral instruments at appropriate moments can add a great new dimension to the sound. Often slower songs with spacious arrangements will give the most room for such instruments to shine. On the other hand, certain song styles do not usually lend themselves to these instruments. I can’t think of many examples of an oboe being successfully used in a rock song. So be sensitive to when you’re adding something special, and when it’s just ‘playing along’ for the sake of it.
Try using the instrument just in certain sections of the song e.g. Verse 2 and the chorus, rather than all the way through, so that when it enters it has more impact.
Avoid playing the tune if it’s being sung – a harmony part around the melody usually works better and we don’t get that ‘melody overkill’ that I mentioned earlier.
Do I have to improvise?
While it’s undoubtedly a useful skill to be able to improvise around the chords with a solo instrument and make up something good on the spot, it’s perfectly possible to work out parts and score them beforehand. It’s a bit more work, but by sitting down and working out what you’re going to play and at what point, you will probably end up with something that makes more musical sense. This is particularly true if there’s more than one orchestral instrumentalist. You can work out parts that will definitely fit and not trample across one another.
If you’re unsure of where to start, try picking one note from the current chord and play that, and move to a new note with each chord change. Then look at adding passing notes to make the part more melodic. Think about which register you’re playing in. As a rule, the lower octave will be mellower and quieter than the higher octaves which tend to cut through more.
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How many vocalists?
Between two and four vocalists (with microphones) is generally a workable number. If you have a worship leader singing the tune, it’s great to have someone of the opposite sex also singing the tune to add depth (or height!) to the sound. The other one or two singers can add harmonies; one in the alto range roughly a third below the tune, and one in the tenor range roughly a sixth below.
Let’s harmonize?
Adding harmonies to the tune adds great dimension to the music, but think carefully about where to bring them in. Rather than singing harmonies all the way through, consider adding them to emphasise particular lines or for the chorus etc. As with the other instruments, it’s all about dynamics. You’ll need to take time out with the vocalists to work out the parts and practice singing them together tightly. Try and phrase things exactly together.
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