KEYS
STOP , REST , PLAY KEYBOARD | David Pfaltzgraff photo by Soundtrap via Unsplash
You ’ ve heard it said ‘ stop , collaborate , and listen ’. While this classic lyric surely contains more than a morsel of truth for the average church musician , I ’ d propose an alternate line ‘ stop , rest , and play .’
You see , when it comes to playing worship keyboard there ’ s more to contributing than simply having a good sense of musical timing . In a bigger sense you need to know ‘ when the time is right .’
I ’ d like to share three specific ‘ times ’ to wrap your head around . Working on your timing in each of these areas will save you time and improve your participation in your worship team .
STOPPING TIME
These days it ’ s pretty common to hear a worship leader tell their team ‘ rehearse is what we do as a team , practice is what you do at home .’ The intent in differentiating the two is to encourage band members to come prepared . To put in time and effort at home familiarizing themselves with the strong structures , dynamic changes , chords , and parts .
I know from experience that some musicians put in a good bit less practice time than others , and figuring out how to handle those situations is perhaps another article entirely . But I ’ ve also experienced a unique trend when it comes to dealing with worship keys players , both on teams I ’ ve led and from feedback I ’ ve received in my work at Sunday Sounds .
The trend is that many keys players , for whatever reason , often struggle with overpreparing and practicing at home . Perhaps it ’ s because it takes a certain type of person to get into the mindset of a keys player , someone who is willing to dig into the nitty gritty details of synth textures , piano tone , and that one very specific arpeggiated piano riff . Whatever the case may be , the resulting mountain of time and effort can be hard for a volunteer keys player to manage .
I have to admit I ’ m this type of keys player myself . I have very rarely felt underprepared going into a rehearsal , but I have , only in hindsight , realized that I burnt myself out much more than necessary when practicing at home . Going too deep down the rabbit-hole , if you will , on parts , pads , and the like will chew up whatever time you allow it to fill .
Which lays the important context for the first ‘ time ’ you should work on improving . You need to learn when it ’ s time to stop practicing at home , and call it good . The fact that you ’ re here reading this article gives me good reason to suspect you take your participation seriously and desire to bring something of excellence to
86 December 2023 Subscribe for Free ...