Track with me here . If there ’ s a short ( or long ) intro or instra break , it does not serve the band ( or anyone ) well for the worship leader to linger at the boom mic . They ’ re sending a “ false positive ” message to everyone and creating a subconscious state of insecurity .
The only foolproof strategy is if the worship leader moves to the side , away from the mic at the breaks , and then comes back when it ’ s time to sing again , thereby “ rebooting ” the process .
Coming back to the mic tells everyone ( including the projectionist ) that the next lyrics are to be sung .
Is this overkill ? Not if you ’ ve witnessed what I have – people from the congregation inadvertently singing “ solos ” and then stopping abruptly , sometimes not without a bit of embarrassment .
4 . MOVE THE GUITAR NECK FOR RITARDANDOS . Ritardando is the Italian musical expression for “ slowing down ,” usually at the end of a song .
If you want your band to follow you rhythmically through that slow-down , use your guitar neck . You can literally subdivide the measure by moving your neck down and up and decelerating the tempo .
5 . RAISE THE GUITAR NECK TO SIGNAL THE END OF THE SONG . If the band isn ’ t certain if the chorus you ’ re on is the final chorus , etc ., simply raise the neck of your guitar about 30 degrees as you sing , and the band can see that as a signal to wrap up . They ’ ll know the song is about to end .
6 . CONFIRM THE LENGTH OF THE CLOSING SONG ( EVEN BEFORE IT BEGINS .) Sometimes , we need to “ call an audible ” and truncate the song at the end of the service . We can communicate our plans for this with our teams without saying a word .
For this to happen , it helps to have two versions of the song rehearsed and ready in the minds of the band , but even in the slide shows of the projectionist .
These two versions are : the unabridged version , and the abridged version . But how to communicate with the band and the projectionist which way you ’ re going to go ?
Right before the closing song , I can choose one of two postures that will be visible to everyone , even from far away . First , hands at my sides indicates “ no hurry ” – and therefore the unabridged version .
Second , hands on my guitar indicates that time is short and we are “ in a hurry ” – and therefore the need for the abridged version .
CLOSING THOUGHTS I hope these tips have been helpful today . There are more , and I ’ ll share additional thoughts with you on related subjects in the future .
For now , put some of these into practice for your next time of worship or band offerings . Don ’ t feel like you need to tackle “ all ” of them at once .
Thanks for your time today . Keep showing up , and I ’ ll see you next time !
© GuitarSuccess4U . All rights reserved .
David Harsh David is a nationally touring worship leader , songwriter and performing artist . He is passionate about equipping guitarists to discover their potential . Learn more and join now at www . GuitarSuccess4U . com .
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