it ’ s the right call for every song in your setlist for months on end .
This kind of timing is about musical taste , seasoning , and maturity and ironically the passage of time and gaining of experience is what helps this skill become more refined . If you ’ d like to speed up that process , I ’ d encourage you to ask advice of more experienced musicians you know , so you can learn from their experience as well . If you don ’ t have access to musicians that inspire you directly , look to the most popular worship music artists of today and listen to their work with an ear to dissect , analyze , and understand the artistry and creative decision making that went into their expression of worship and creativity .
THE BIG FINISH The third area of timing for a worship keys player is perhaps the hardest to pin down . If you ’ re reading this article , I ’ d say it ’ s a fair guess you desire to bring something of excellence to your worship team , to hone your craft , and to contribute meaningfully to your local church . This desire is good and noble , which makes this an even harder habit to form . Friend , you must learn how to discern when the time is right for you to be ‘ done ’ with practice and preparation for a particular worship service or event .
I used to spend a dozen or more hours each week painstakingly recreating the sounds , parts , and programming for songs my worship team was going to play . Why ? Because I loved doing it , I was passionate about it , and I felt good about the results . But in the end that level of effort was simply not sustainable for me along with all the other responsibilities I had to my family , myself , and to my vocation . I had to find better , more efficient ways to prepare , develop systems and routines that made it easier to achieve great results , and also be honest about when I was crossing the threshold from ‘ great ’ to ‘ unnecessarily over-the-top effort ’ in pursuit of perfectionism alone .
Don ’ t get me wrong , sometimes you may feel it ’ s appropriate and necessary to put in some extra effort to achieve something new and exciting with your keys rig . In fact , perhaps many of you reading this in January are just coming down from one such effort pulling off Christmas services last month . That ’ s not always a bad thing but will be a bad thing if it ’ s always where you are .
It requires a laying down of pride , an acceptance of limitations , and a trust in your God-given abilities , your team , your church community , and ultimately your Creator to learn when to stop striving above and beyond , but in the end it ’ s the difference between ministry longevity and burnout . Like I said , the most important kind of musical timing for any worship keys player .
As you enter into this new year , I pray blessings on you and your team in all the ways you serve . May you find greater longevity in your contributions to your team and with God ’ s grace , turn away from burnout towards true contentment in your role . Happy New Year and here ’ s to good timing !
David Pfaltzgraff Founder and Lead Sound Designer at SundaySounds . com , a site that resources worship keys players and guitarists around the world . David currently resides in Des Moines , IA with his wife and two boys . He enjoys volunteering in his church ’ s worship ministry , old synthesizers , and a good super-hero movie .
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