familiarization but is usually underutilized as a guiding arrangement .
In most cases it is left to each individual band member to arrange their own part . With just a chord chart to look at and only a shallow cognizance of the sound recording , we lose the benefit of the professional arrangement . Without the benefit of a professional arranger , guitarists , keyboardists , and bassists tend to just robotically read what is on the page . Drummers tend to play whatever feels right to them .
Most are so focused on their own “ playing what ’ s written ” task , they might be completely unaware of what other instruments are playing and the overall song arrangement . We can easily end up with a sonically soupy song slab . The congregation will most likely struggle to connect .
But our band members must see themselves not just as players of their instruments but also as arrangers . More than having just a general sense of the song and the ability to read a chord chart , they need to be coming to rehearsal with an arranged part for their own instrument that they have prepared and a good sense of the song ’ s overall arrangement .
MUSICAL DIRECTORS - band leaders , let ’ s impress upon our team this dual role . We are not just a bunch of individual players . We are also arrangers ! We play together . We play as one . If we are going to craft an effective , musical sound - one free of sonic soup ’ s cacophony - we must fill the arranger gap .
We might be able to create our own , original arrangement for a song - one that is completely and uniquely our own . But that can be time consuming and requires an uncommon level of musical ability . A better place to start is to study the professional song arrangement found in the sound recording by the professional artist . Listen ! Really listen to that arrangement and especially the parts of the instrument that you play .
We don ’ t need to try to copy everything we hear . We ought not be trying to reproduce every nuance of the pro-recording . As amateur volunteers , that will probably be beyond us anyway . But we should pick up on the main building blocks of the arrangement . Do our best to incorporate the broad brush- strokes of the parts we hear into our own parts .
GUITARISTS / KEYBOARDISTS – Can you hear what the players of your instrument are doing on this recording ? How can you arrange your instrument ' s part to fill a similar role ? Maybe you can hear that the electric guitar is higher up the neck playing a repeated , eighth-note phrase . Can you copy that ? If not , can you come up with a similar repeating phrase that ’ s within your ability level , using a similar tone , and register ? You might notice that the keyboard is not using the same piano sound throughout . In the choruses , it ’ s using a B3 organ sound played with just the right hand . Maybe the acoustic guitar is one simple raked chordper bar and not constant strumming . There might be an instrumental motif that is played in the intro and after each chorus that you should learn .
DRUMMERS – What are the different , repeated kick / snare patterns in the verse , chorus , and bridge ? Or are sections of the song implementing only the floor tom ? Then the floor tom with a kick drum only on the first beat of each bar ? Where are those build ups ? Where are the dynamic high and low points of the song and how do the drums help make them so effective ?
BASSISTS – Can you hear in the recording where the bass is playing simple long , sustained notes ? When there are quarter notes ? Eighth notes ? Are there moments of silence between the notes , or are they all joined together ? You may not want to attempt to copy that super complex bass lick heading into the last chorus , but you could work to master the same ( or similar ) bass / kick drum grooves that are on the recording .
And good arrangers know that we don ’ t need every instrument playing constantly . We all need to know the joy and musicality of not playing from time to time . There ’ s more about that topic in my article
“ SONIC SOUP - RESTS ARE GOLD ”
During my younger school years playing brass instruments in concert bands , I got pretty good at “ decoding ” those dots and lines on the page of my notation . Even though I enjoyed playing brass while reading notation to a point , there was a serious limit to how creative I could be . I did not get to exercise my inner arranger !
Today , whether I ’ m on bass , acoustic guitar or singing in a band , playing music is much more fun . I don ’ t have to follow all that detailed information on the black and white page of notation . Nor should I just read and play the chord chart like its simplified notation ! I have greater scope for creativity and expression . I ’ m an arranger too ! What a joy ! A joy that more church instrumentalists should taste .
The instrumentalist who is growing as an arranger gets to listen to and be inspired by the professionals ’ arrangements , has the chord chart to keep them on track , and ( hopefully ) a Musical Director ( MD ) to give guidance when needed . Within those boundaries , we get to create our own arrangements . But as we arrange - as we create - synergy is the key . As we arrange , we must be aware that we are one part of something way greater . And let ’ s never take our eye off the goal of warmly inviting our congregation to sing along as a heartfelt , passionate , sincere expression of worship to God .
“ The whole is greater than the sum of the parts .” Aristotle
Grant Norsworthy founder of MoreThanMusicMentor . com providing training for worshipping musicians .
MoreThanMusicMentor . com