KEYS
SMART , RHYTHMIC KEYS | David Pfaltzgraff
Have you ever seen a clip of one of those old-timey musicians playing a vintage organ live at a baseball game ? Think Yankee Stadium , Chicago Cubs , etc and picture an old gentleman in a tweed suit . Some of these performances are truly incredible , especially the ones where the organist is playing not just organ but also percussion , drums , bells , and perhaps the occasional blow-horn .
In videos you can find online these old-timers are moving faster than you ’ d think humanely possible , providing bass , rhythm , lead , melody , harmony , counter-melody and goodness knows what else all with just four limbs and the occasional elbow .
Ring a bell ? Pun-intended .
There have been a few times I ’ ve sat in with a band where the primary piano player must have studied under one of these fellas , or at least might as well have , if their ability to fill an incredibly over-the-top amount of space was any indication .
In modern worship music it often doesn ’ t take much for the keyboardist to overplay , especially when it comes to rhythmic or syncopated parts . The tendency , then , is for keys players to sit back , play on the changes , and let the rest of the band handle even the slightest hint of movement and energy .
But it doesn ’ t have to be that way . Let ’ s talk about how you can bring energy , momentum , and interest to your keys parts with smart , rhythmic playing that won ’ t distract and doesn ’ t require a master ’ s degree in polyrhythmic theory .
RELEASE IT
Before we dig into a couple simple rhythmic ideas it ’ s important to touch on a simple rule of thumb : the more rhythmic your parts , the faster your keys sounds need to release . If you ’ re used to ‘ just play a pad ’ worship keys you ’ ve likely got a good bit of release time , reverb , shimmer , or some other form of ambience in your sound .
This is quite useful when you ’ re laying back and gluing together , but as you start to introduce more rhythmic playing , repeating notes in your chords or moving between different melodic ideas , all of that space can quickly build up into mud .
Luckily in modern hardware and software you can usually find a way to quickly and easily dial this release time back . Just how short you need will be dictated by the tempo and style of your playing , but when in doubt it ’ s often better to go a bit too fast than too slow .
STRUM , STRUMMY DRUM
Now that we ’ ve discussed how more rhythmic playing may require you to adjust the sounds you choose , we can start to talk about how to build up a palette of rhythmic ideas to pull from .
The good news is you don ’ t need to pull these out of the ether .
Instead , you can practice actively listening