I Think, Therefore I Sound Awesome

How do you begin a song? Perhaps like this: "Oh, this one again. I know this. Off we go!"

I have recently joined a local concert band as a drummer, and have had to dust of some rusty brain cells to try and remember how to sight-read drum notation. But I can't just launch into the song. I've got to look at the music first, recognise the patterns that the arranger has written so I know what to play, make sure I know where in the stave the snare is, or the bass, looking at any dynamic and tempo markers so I know how to approach the song, and of course, watching the conductor so I know when to start and how fast. All of this happens long before I whack a skin.

Whether you're rehearsing or leading worship in a Sunday, time spent just asking a few simple questions before putting hands to keys or mic to mouth can make the world of difference to how that song comes off.

• What are the lyrics of the song saying?
• How does that affect the mood of the song?
• How fast should the song be?
• What should the feel of the song be?
• Where does each instrument come in?
• How loud should we start?
• What key is the song in?
• Do I know all the chords/can I substitute other chords?
• Does everyone know the song?
• Is anyone playing the same part (e.g. guitars) and should perhaps try something different?
• Who are we following for this song?

Of course, many of these questions by nature should be asked together as a team. This ensures that everyone is on exactly the same page, and has the same point of departure for a song.

Many teams try and rely on 'how we did this last time'. Even if last time was great, the more time that goes by between your 'great performance' and your present one will have an increasingly negative effect on the quality. People forget things at different rates, but everyone forgets (or fools themselves into remembering the way they wanted it to be).

So think before you play. Let your brain take a mental breath every time you approach a song, no matter how long you've been doing it. It will make the difference between okay and excellent.

Beat it!

One of the biggest challenges in leading church worship is how to get the drummer to fit with the rest of the band in presenting songs.

Of course a rock-style or pop-style song is pretty easy, if it's in 4/4 or 3/4. A 6/8 folky number like Getty/Townend's You're the Word of God the Father is also pretty simple to land.

But what about hymns? Always a challenge to find the right way for the drummer to play along for the hymns. The songs have funny beats, the timing is never even, we keep stopping after each verse. How does the drummer make a meaningful contribution to songs like O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing, or There Is A Fountain?

I think there are 3 points to keep in mind

1. Don't feel that you have to play all the time, or that the beat depends on you. These songs tend to be more melody-driven than the rhythm-driven stuff we're used to playing.
2. Keep it authentic. These songs are written with beautiful music, but from a particular musical palette. Learn to play them like that, instead of trying to force them into the rock/pop mould (or worse, the Funk/Disco mould).
3. Learn to use your drums and cymbals to add colour and texture to songs. An almost 'orchestral' style of playing suits hymns much better. Think in little isolated phrases that place emphasis on certain words, or help to move the song between different levels of energy. If you want to get schooled in this style of playing, listen to Matt Sorum's expert touch on Guns N' Roses November Rain, especially the first few verses before the solo section.

Above all, play musically. Your drum kit is not a drum machine, it's a musical instrument, with limitless possibilities for musical expression. Learn what sounds it is capable of making, and use those for God's glory and to serve the community of God's people you find yourself in.

Electric Guitarists, you have my ears...

Dear Electric Guitarists

If you were to attend a Saturday morning seminar on using the electric guitar in a worship ministry team context,

• what kind of stuff would you like to learn about?
• what kind of stuff would you like to do during the course of the seminar?
• what kind of guitar-related gear would you like to be able to buy, if there was a concession stand from a local retailer?

Share your thoughts with me, and then watch this space...

Review: OpenLP 1.9.6

Projecting words of songs and Bible verses is pretty much de rigeur for churches these days. But there must be something between those sad, greasy, OHP's and $100-a-month all in one service production stations?

This is where some nice guys in Cape Town, South Africa, have come up with a cross-platform projection interface, which is (*gasp*) free of charge! Introducing.... OpenLP! (applause)

And a very tidy piece of software it is too. It has a very easy-to-use interface, including live and preview modes, and can queue up not just songs, but Bible verses, PowerPoint presentations, images, videos and audio, allowing your entire service to run from the same interface. No more frantically swopping cables in order to project the youth camp report back after the first song!

The best part, in my opinion, is the ability to import song lyrics from SongSelect. This allows you to populate your database with the correct lyrics and correct copyright licensing information. Hey, the easier it is to be legal, the more likely we will.

This is an initial impression, so perhaps I'll do a follow up in the future. For now, I'd suggest you download it and give it a go. What have you got to lose?

Immortal, Invisible, Inaccessible?

The great hymns of the past have such rich words and concepts. Often we don't sing them today because the style of the music is inaccessible. We just can't relate to the choral harmonies and organ music. When last did you hear that on the radio?!

We must remember, though, that very often these hymns were written as poems and set later to music, and that many tunes were used for the same hymn. 100 years later, the most popular one has stuck.

Case in point is Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise. This hymn was written in the 19th century by Walter Chalmers Smith, and the tune that we know is called St Denio, a Welsh folk-ballad tune.

It is a hymn about the reading of Scripture (read the Wikipedia article - very interesting!), and takes its inspiration from 1 Timothy 1.15-17, Romans 16.25-27, 2 Corinthians 3.12-18, and 1 Timothy 6.11-16, among others.

Chris McClarney has just released a modern version of this classic hymn that sounds fantastic and that I can't wait to do at our evening services. Chris sounds a little like Paolo Nutini, but he's got a unique, classic-soul vibe that's all his own. The music can be purchased at http://www.kingswayworship.co.uk/immortal-invisible/

Love to hear your comments on the song!

(I found this song through my subscription to Kingsway.com. Each week, I have a new song emailed to me free of charge, both the .mp3 and the official sheet music in .pdf format. I can't recommend enough that you sign up!)