PADS
MAKE YOUR PART A PART | Ed Kerr
In this issue of [WM] you can read an interview any number of other names. The important know the root, third and fifth of every chord
with Jared Haschek, an Australian arranger, characteristic of this type of pad sound is that in your song. Then pay attention to the types
songwriter and keyboard player whose work it doesn’t evolve much over time. Hold a chord of voicings you use when you play pad parts.
you’ve undoubtedly heard on many Hillsong down and there will be little change as you Watch your fingers as you play and ask yourself
Worship projects. I hope you’ll take a moment sustain your notes. if you’re filling in any thirds of the chords. If you
to read the interview if you haven’t already.
are, make an effort to open up your voicings,
There’s a lot of inspiring stuff there for any Here I’ll focus on that type of sound. You can limiting yourself to only notes that are a fifth
worship musician and for keyboard players in hear an example of this sound on the first verse apart.
particular. I want to focus here on something and chorus of the original recording of “What A Jared said that relates especially well to pad Beautiful Name” from Hillsong Worship. There’s Listen to what happens in the pad part on the
players on worship teams. a link to this recording at the end of this article. Hillsong recording when they reach the first
Nothing but pad and the lead vocal are heard. chorus. What changes about the notes you’re
He said that whether he’s playing in a studio on This makes it easy to hear the pad voicing, and hearing in the pad part, D and A? Nothing. Even
a large budget recording or making music on it’s a voicing often used when pad sounds are when the chords of the chorus are defined by
a weekend with the worship team in his home played on lots of recordings. the bass player, the D and A are still clearly
church, he wants to “make my part a part”.
heard from the pads.
For you and I, what does it look like and sound The most important feature of this voicing, like to “make a part a part” when we’re playing and something you should keep in mind when So, if you want your pad parts to have the
pads? playing pad parts, is the lack of a third of the character of pad parts heard on recordings,
chord. The recording is in the key of D, and all be willing to minimize movement. Discipline
There are unlimited options to choose from that you hear is the D and the A of the D chord, yourself to play lots of long notes, notes that
today when picking a pad sound for a song. the root and the 5th. The third, F#, is not heard. don’t change though chords might be changing
Some sounds work well for playing lead lines, (IMAGE 1) in the rest of the worship team.
interest to a song, and some primarily contribute I call this an “open” voicing. Make it a goal Here’s the CCLI chart for Chorus 1. The chords
a sustained sound to a song. Depending on the to know your chords well enough that you are D, A, Bm and G.
some have arpeggiation and add rhythmic
instrument you’re playing or the software you’re
using, this sustained type of sound might be
called warm pad, mellow pad, lush pad, or
IMAGE 1
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IMAGE 2
August 2019
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