KEYS
PLAYING KEYS DYNAMICALLY | David Pfaltzgraff
Photo by Ludomił Sawicki on Unsplash
Ever played a toy piano ? The sound is immediately recognizable . A loud , clanging belltone that can at times border on atonal . If you ’ re a parent whose children have received the gift of a toy piano from a well-intentioned relative , you likely know how dastardly a gift it can be . If you ’ ve been the giftee of said instrument to a favored niece or nephew , I ’ d invite you to pause here for a moment of self-reflection on your life choices . smoothly building intensity in step with your band as you all build together .
But if it were as easy as agreeing with the statement on an intellectual level , there ’ d be a much longer list of worship teams that play with a refined and polished level of dynamic variance . Instead , I find that the individual members of each team often fall into one of three camps .
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW ?
The second camp comes to the stage with an entirely different tendency . These players are often just as forceful in their playing as the first , but rather than simply being caught up in the excitement of praise and worship this crew is instead facing a technical problem . They ’ re often playing as hard as they can simply to make sure they can hear themselves .
So how is it possible that that same instrument can evoke a certain charm under the right direction in its proper context ? Well , I ’ d propose there are scarce few children on this planet who are naturally inclined to lean into the gentle nuance of a softer playing touch , opting instead for a constant full throttle attack without relent .
It ’ s easy to understand why a kid would just be excited to make noise . But are you playing your keyboard like a kid at a toy piano ? Let ’ s find out .
NOT UP TO ELEVEN
‘ It ’ s important to not always play the piano at full intensity ’ seems like an obvious statement , one I ’ m sure none of you dear readers would disagree with . As a keys player I ’ m sure you ’ re capable of playing with a lighter touch and
The first camp I like to call the enthusiastic contributor . They ’ re excited about the song , the setlist , and the parts they ’ ve prepared to play and when the time comes to hit the stage , they most often have a hard time holding back that excitement , instead leaning towards the intense , powerful , and forceful throughout the service .
This is less about a lack of skill and more indicative of focus shifting just slightly off center . As worship musicians we should aim to bring our passion and energy to what we do , but if that excitement causes us to play ahead of or on top of the moment it needs to be refocused back to meeting the musical moment , contributing excellence in balance , and ensuring that all of that passion adds to instead of subtracts from the whole .
Whether your team is using in-ear monitors or wedges , it ’ s vitally important that each member of the team can hear both themselves and a useful representation of the rest of the band so they can gauge how well they ’ re blending in . Team members who are pounding away at every chord just so they can actually hear their parts are so focused on the basic mechanics of a mix that they have no focus left for considering their volume levels and dynamics in relation to their teammates or the dynamic movements of a service .
In this case the solution can actually come pretty easily . Simply acknowledging there ’ s a problem and taking the time during rehearsal or soundcheck to better prepare that player ’ s mix will often yield immediate improvement that far outweighs the small amount of time and effort required to address it .
88 June 2024 Subscribe for Free ...