KEYS
KEYS , PRACTICE & TIMING | David Pfaltzgraff
Back in the day I regularly led worship for my church ’ s youth ministry . I remember a particular youth event where I was planning to introduce the song “ Alive ” by Hillsong Young & Free .
The band was planning to perform along with tracks and a click , and we were excited to pull off this great new song . As the first bars of the intro began the teenagers in attendance were pumped up and everyone was clapping along , feeling the energy . Typically I would lead worship with an electric guitar in hand , but in preparation for this event I decided to push myself and leave the guitar on the stand for the opening song .
With just a microphone in hand and nothing between me and the crowd of teens I was determined to give it my all . As the intro came to a close I shouted , “ Let ’ s go !” into my microphone and began to raise both my hands into the air , only to immediately realize the unthinkable was happening as my microphone slipped out of my hand and began to fly across the stage just as the first verse was supposed to begin .
I was the only vocalist for this particular event and instead of me beginning to sign the lyrics to this new song the only sound coming through the microphone was a rhythmic ‘ thump thump thump ’ as it landed 10 feet away on stage and proceeded to roll further and further from me while the crowd of shocked teenagers stared at me in confusion .
Talk about bad timing , right ? While I wasn ’ t at the keyboard in that moment , I ’ ll never forget what I would ’ ve given to have had better timing !
Today let ’ s talk about three distinct areas where timing is of the utmost importance for all worship keys players .
TEMPO , TEMPO Let ’ s start with the obvious : any good musician desiring to be a great one has to develop a strong sense of musical timing , the ability to play in sync with the rest of the band and , most often these days , a metronome .
It ’ s tempting to gloss over this area or take it for granted , but if you ’ ve ever played in a band with a drummer who hasn ’ t taken the time to develop this skill , you know what a drastic impact bad timing can have . When it comes to the worship keys position the impact of subpar musical timing may not be as immediately evident , but will shine through in times of transition , moments where the piano is at the forefront , or when faced with quicker , more rhythmic synth lead parts .
When it comes to improving your ability to play at a consistent tempo , practice is truly the key . If your team plays to a metronome be sure to practice with one at home and if your team doesn ’ t , it can be even more useful for you to build up muscle memory for keeping time internally , making that metronome vital as you prepare for worship .
START THE SCENE The second area of timing is your ability to choose the right keys sound , part or tone for the right time and place . As a modern worship keys player is sure to know , you can make your keyboard sound like pretty much anything if you ’ re willing to dig for the right sound , but just because you can make your keyboard sound like an orchestra of flugelhorns doesn ’ t mean