KEYS
PRACTICAL PREVENTION OF SERVICE DRAMA | Ed Kerr
Photo Courtesy of SundayKeys
Plan Ahead . Please .
Ever have one of those weekends ? Where just about everything that could go wrong with your keyboard setup went wrong ? I never do , of course . I ’ ve done this a long time . Boy , I wish that were true . I ’ ve traveled for years and set up in churches and concert venues and arenas around the world , but there are still things that go wrong for me . For the most part , I must admit that most of these things could have been avoided with better planning on my part .
So , in this article , rather than describe color chord voicings you can use or concepts of playing well on your worship team , I ’ m going to spend this article addressing very practical things that need to take place before the first count-off is sounded and your team starts playing together . Yep . Practical .
MAKE A LIST . CHECK IT TWICE . OR MORE .
For over a year I ’ ve been using a great app called Todoist for keeping track of tasks that I need to do . I have a list that reminds me of details I need to remember about weekly worship team rehearsals or choir preparations . I have a list filled with things I need to pick up on my next trip to town . After this weekend , I ’ m making a list of EVERYTHING I need when I go out to play keyboards at another church !
Obviously , you will need to adapt my list for whatever your particular setup involves , but even if you only move your equipment from your church to your house each week , you ’ ll do well to get the things I list here .
• An extra power supply for your laptop . I ’ ve been using a powered USB-C hub with my MacBook Pro in my studio lately . It powers my laptop , sends video to my widescreen monitor , receives MIDI from my CP88 , interacts with my audio interface and several other tasks . I sure don ’ t want to unplug all the cables that are in it in the studio . So , having an extra power supply for my laptop eliminates the need to have the Hub with me when I travel .
• Get a small USB hub for your laptop . Whatever ports you have on your laptop , if you find that you often run short of having enough USB connections for what you need to accomplish with your setup , make a hub part of your setup . There ’ s nothing worse than plugging in MIDI from your keyboard and connecting your audio interface and realizing that you still have two more connections to make . Ugh . Hub . Add it to your list .
• Get two ( or more ) of every cable that you might need . These days laptops and keyboards and audio gear connect in a variety of ways . Newer devices connect with USB-C cables . Older ones might use USB-A on the device end and USB-C on the computer end . Arggh ! Get yourselves duplicates of cables in lots of different configurations . Have at least one cable for what you need to work well at home and at least one for your travelling setup .
• Remember Murphy ’ s Law . “ Anything that can go wrong , will go wrong .” How does this relate to what you and I do as keyboard players ? I ’ ll tell you how . The cable you were sure was thrown into your backpack before you left , will actually still be sitting at home when you pull up the church . Or the sustain pedal you knew you had packed is sadly sitting unplugged below your desk at home . The power cord you remember loading up is nowhere to be found .
Why does any of this matter ? Because your heart matters . If you spend time in frustration or a frantic search for something essential that you need before your worship team rehearsal or before a worship service starts , your heart is going to be mired in the mud of things that have gone wrong , rather than confidently pressing in