Tutorial - Elements of Drumming in Church

Hey guys. Here's another tutorial, this time aimed squarely at drummers.

Having a drummer in the music ministry team is a great blessing. Besides keeping time, your instrument allows you the unique responsibility of directing dynamic expression in a song. If that sounds like university physics to you, what I mean is that you can help to build parts of song, bring down the power level and emphasise passages perhaps more obviously than other instruments.

I know drummers get a lot of flack. If you're not being rained on because you're too loud, you are left to yourself to tap along. Drummers are there to provide a tempo, emphasise the rhythms present in the songs, and keep the songs at the right power levels for the mood it creates.

As a result, there are a few things you should work on as a drummer:

• Practice with a metronome! This is something all musos should do, but particularly for drummers. Having a good intrinsic sense of timing covers a multitude of sins. Practice different simple beats at a very slow time (about 48bpm - gives a great workout and you can hear immediately when your beat is off.) Then practice fills at this tempo, aiming to always be on the beat.

• Learn to read drum notation. Whilst you may not use this in church, it helps you no end in understanding the rhythmic construction of your playing. If this sounds daunting, it took me one 30min lesson to teach a pupil to read notation, and already it has helped him to understand how the beat starts on the 1, and how quavers and semiquavers should sound in bar. Looka round on the web to find drum notation and start learning.

• Think rhythmically when you play a song. Don't just think, "The song is at this speed, so that's how I'll play it." What are the rhythms in the words? Say the words in time without singing them, and see what rhythms jump out at you, and then use these in your playing. This will help you to support the song and better serve those around you.

• Think like an orchestral percussionist. Think of your drums as playing a part in a song, rather than just keeping time. Some songs require the drums to drive the pulse, other songs may just require the drummer to accent certain sections with cymble washes or floor tom rolls. Don't be scared not to play - the best players are characterised more by what they don't play. Less is always more.

Drummers have a hard job, but are so vital to many church music teams. Be encouraged! But always think how your playing can glorify God and serve those around you as they worship.

The Sola Panel | Rightly handling the words

The Sola Panel | Rightly handling the words

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Having a Gift Makes it Tougher, Not Easier

I have decided to embark on a few short tutorials based around those fantastic Sovereign Grace ones, such as the keyboard one listed in the last post.

If we are using our gifts to glorify God and serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, and if we understand that God has given us those gifts in the first place, then we should be working hard at developing those gifts.

Do you ever spend time practicing your instrument? Do you consider it necessary to get better at playing the guitar or singing or whatever, or do you consider your ability adequate for what you do in the church music team?

Well, God has called us to be stewards of what he has given to us. Consider the parable of the talents from Matthew 25v14.

Now these are not literal talents, but what is clear here is that God doesn't give us anything that we may keep it locked in a strong-box. Instead, we must put God's blessings to work.

If God has given you a musical gift, then great! But what are you doing with it? Often in church music teams we become easily satisfied with little, when God has given us the potential for something really great. Not for the sake of musical excellence, but so that we may serve in the best way we possibly can.

Obviously practicing takes time, but if you are committed to this ministry, then that should be part of your commitment. And if you're time is limited (who I am kidding, everyone's time is limited) then make the most of those two or three 15min sessions in the living room with your guitar each week.

To make the most of your time, work on these things in particular:

• Timing. Even get a metronome to help you stay on the beat.
• Musical repertoire. For singers, work on improving your range and ability to sing intervals of two notes. Use a piano or keyboard to help. This will help you hit notes bang on. For tonal instruments, continue to improve your knowledge of chords and scales, so you always have the tools to draw from. For drummers, this continue building on your mental library of beats, so you can always play what compliments the music the best, rather than whatever your hands and feet end up doing
• Memory. Spend time actually learning songs so you can sing them and play them without reading the music. This will make you far more comfortable with a song, even when you have the music. And for instruments, it will help us engage with the words of songs, even when we're focused on the music.

Set goals for yourself. Spend time practicing and improving on what God has given you, in his strength, so that he may be glorified.

Having a Gift Makes it Tougher, Not Easier

I have decided to embark on a few short tutorials based around those fantastic Sovereign Grace ones, such as the keyboard one listed in the last post.

If we are using our gifts to glorify God and serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, and if we understand that God has given us those gifts in the first place, then we should be working hard at developing those gifts.

Do you ever spend time practicing your instrument? Do you consider it necessary to get better at playing the guitar or singing or whatever, or do you consider your ability adequate for what you do in the church music team?

Well, God has called us to be stewards of what he has given to us. Consider the following parable from Matthew 25:

¹⁴^{A)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} "For^{B)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} it will be like a man^{C)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} going on a journey, who called his servants^{a]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵To one he gave five^{D)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} talents,^{b]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} to another two, to another one,^{E)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} to each according to his ability. Then he^{F)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} went away. ¹⁶He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸But he who had received the one talent went and^{G)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹Now^{H)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} after a long time the master of those servants came and^{I)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} settled accounts with them. ²⁰And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' ²¹His master said to him, 'Well done, good and^{J)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">}faithful servant.^{c]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">}^{K)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} You have been faithful over a little;^{L)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} I will set you over much. Enter into^{M)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">}the joy of your master.' ²²And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' ²³His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' ²⁴He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be^{N)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} a hard man, reaping^{O)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, ²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here^{P)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} you have what is yours.' ²⁶But his master answered him, 'You^{Q)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹^{R)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰And^{S)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} cast^{T)" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">} the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What is clear here is that God doesn't give us anything that we may keep it locked in a strong-box. Instead, we must put God's blessings to work.

If God has given you a musical gift, then great! But what are you doing with it? Often in church music teams we become easily satisfied with little, when God has given us the potential for something really great. Not for the sake of musical excellence, but so that we may serve in the best way we possibly can.

Obviously practicing takes time, but if you are committed to this ministry, then that should be part of your committment. And if you're time is limited (who I am kidding, everyone's time is limited) then make the most of those two or three 15min sessions in the living room with your guitar each week.

To make the most of your time, work on these things in particular:

• Timing. Even get a metronome to help you stay on the beat.
• Musical repertoire. For singers, work on improving your range and ability to sing intervals of two notes. Use a piano or keyboard to help. This will help you hit notes bang on. For tonal instruments, continue to improve your knowledge of chords and scales, so you always have the tools to draw from. For drummers, this continue building on your mental library of beats, so you can always play what compliments the music the best, rather than whatever your hands and feet end up doing
• Memory. Spend time actually learning songs so you can sing them and play them without reading the music. This will make you far more comfortable with a song, even when you have the music. And for instruments, it will help us engage with the words of songs, even when we're focussed on the music.

Set goals for yourself. Spend time practicing and improving on what God has given you, in his strength, so that he may be glorified.