[WM] Worship Influencer Buyer's Guide 2023 | Page 23

for church services , college chapels and so on but because I also had some musical ability and history - being “ a guy from Sonicflood ” - I was often asked to “ lead worship ” too . Often that would be with a band of local - usually amateur , volunteer - musicians .

I always had a clear sense of how and what musicians should play in order to best facilitate congregational participation . But I found that , if I just jumped to telling band members what and how to sing and play without explaining why , I ’ d just come across as pushy and opinionated . Adding the why to the what and how developed over time into the More Than Music Mentor curriculum that I teach today .

Not that the end goal is merely getting a crowd to sing along . Not at all ! This is not just some sort of Christian-ese cover band karaoke ! But I strongly believe that the higher , deeper , more profound , life-changing things of God that we hope for as we worship together through songs are much more likely to occur if our congregation is singing than if they ’ re not .

Music is a gift from God , after all . When used in accordance with the Creator ’ s intended purpose , it has the ability to thin the barrier between humanity and divinity . To soften us - open us - to the things of God ’ s Holy Spirit . That ’ s what I believe anyway .

That ’ s what More Than Music Mentor is all about . That ’ s why I write articles - including my regular column with WMM - create video content and more . Those are freely available from my websites and YouTube channels . I also provide coaching and consultation over phone and video calls , or even email . But I believe I am most effective when I have opportunities to provide onsite training workshops ; face-to-face with those I ’ m training . I do a lot of this where I now live in New Zealand . But I also have opportunities from time to time to travel to the USA and Australia for More Than Music Mentor work . I ’ m ready to travel anywhere , if there ’ s the desire to have me !

[ WM ] Let ’ s talk gear . What is your primary instrument for the stage and songwriting ?

[ Grant ] My main stage instrument these days is my Taylor 410ce acoustic guitar . I consider myself a very average acoustic player . I ’ ve never made the time to really work at my guitar skills . Still , I get by for what I do .

The instrument I really worked at was bass . My main bass is a 1974 Fender Precision , although she does not get played very often these days .

For song writing , I ’ m most likely using the Taylor , but I also might write from bass or keyboard ( using either my Roland FP30 or a Yamaha P-125 digital piano ) or perhaps even from my Ortega Earth / CE Ukulele .

[ WM ] If you use a microphone for the stage , studio , or podcast , what brands / models do you use ?

[ Grant ] I travel with a Shure SM86 vocal microphone . I like the sound of that mic , but perhaps the main reason I use it is to help protect me from catching any illnesses from shared church microphones . A very real hazard when you travel as much as I do !

In my studio I have a Shure SM7B through a Cloudlifter CL-1 Mic Activator to increase the level . It ’ s a great sounding mic and extremely versatile . Whether I ’ m recording a vocal , an acoustic instrument , recording audio or video content or even just taking part in a video call , my SM7B is always within reach - mounted on my Rode PSA1 articulated studio boom arm .

[ WM ] If you play an acoustic guitar , what pickup system is on your guitar ?

[ Grant ] My main guitar is a Taylor 410ce acoustic . I replaced its original pick-up system with the Taylor ES2 Expression System about 4 years ago . I also have an older Taylor 310e with the 1.3 Expression System . That ’ s my spare .

[ WM ] What brand capo do you use ?

[ Grant ] Being a bassist whose kind of faking in on guitar , I rely on capos a lot . I avoid bar chords like the plague ! I always have three capos within easy reach . I have a Paige Original either in use or slipped past the nut around the base of the headstock ready to be used . It only ever comes off the guitar when I change strings ! I also rely heavily on a Kyser partial ( also known as a “ cut ”) capo . Finally , I have a G7th capo , used mainly when I capo only the 5 higher strings on the guitar .

[ WM ] What guitar strings do you prefer ?

[ Grant ] I ’ m a big fan of Elixir strings - having used them for as long as I can remember on my acoustic guitars and most of my basses . The Nanoweb 13-56 ’ s are my acoustic guitar strings of choice .

[ WM ] For In-Ear Monitors what brand are you using ?

[ Grant ] When leading sung worship , I always prefer to use old-school open speaker wedges , but with low stage levels . I need to have an immediate sense of the “ voice ” of the congregation . To share the same vibrating air with them ! But when I ’ m performing music - or if wedges are not available ( and the room ’ s too big for leading without monitors ) - I ’ ll reach for my trusty MEE Audio MX3 Pro in-ear monitors . You can spend more on IEM ’ s , but the MEE Audio range represent the best value for money I have found .

[ WM ] What is the next piece of gear you would be excited to have ?

[ Grant ] I ’ m not sure what ’ s next , but I have very recently picked up a Soundbrenner Core smartwatch and two Soundbrenner Pulse wearables . I have not fully dug into them yet , but these could be a real game changer . These three devices can be synced together through a phone or tablet app to give those who wear them a metronome vibration . At last ! A way of helping a team of musicians develop their musicality by playing with a metronome but

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