KEYS
BREAK YOUR SHIMMER HABIT | David Pfaltzgraff
Friends , it ’ s 2023 . I think it ’ s time for an honest talk about shimmer .
I remember the first time I saw it , a small , square , blue pedal on my worship leader ’ s pedalboard . I watched in awe as he stomped it on , hit a single chord , and the heaven ’ s opened as a flurry of ascending octaves sparkled ever upward to meet the angel chorus . I ’ m kidding , of course , but seriously it was awesome .
‘ What ’ s that ?’ I asked him , not realizing the answer would shake the very foundation of my musical existence .
‘ It ’ s a shimmer reverb ’ he answered , nonchalant for one who had just opened up the sonic heavens with a simple , sustained triad .
I was hooked . I had never heard a sound quite as simultaneously familiar and transcendent , as beautiful as it was haunting , and I knew I had to get that sound for myself .
That was over a decade ago now and if you ’ re anything like me , you also found yourself at some point dousing every single piano , pad , and miscellaneous synth sound you could think to with a hefty dose of shimmer for most of the last ten years .
But today , in 2023 , has shimmer run its course , is it played out and over-used , or does it still have a place for the modern worship keys player ?
As with any other trend that takes hold , I think the long-term truth lies in moderation , but if you ’ ve found it challenging to consider dialing back that shimmer mix , you ’ re not alone , but you should try and find a way to let it go once in a while .
Shimmer truly does add ‘ instant atmosphere ’ and as worship leaders it can be a simple solution to cover up transitions , fill space , and add a feeling of polish to the band ’ s sound .
But , if you ’ re ready to try a bit of a shimmer detox , here are a few simple techniques to fill the gap its absence leaves .
PLAY HIGHER
Shimmer reverb is achieved by feeding your playing signal into a chain of pitch shifting , typically an octave or multiple octaves up , coupled with lush , modulated reverb . This results in your keys sound filling more high frequency space , which can be useful for adding energy , ambience , and a sense of lift to your band .
The simplest way to achieve something similar without relying on shimmer reverb ? Play higher notes , my friend .
It ’ s not a joke , though it may seem obvious . The truth is when you use shimmer you don ’ t have to open up your keyboard voicings as much , because the high octave ’ s added by the shimmer effect open things up for you .
But this isn ’ t always a great thing , since instead of shifting your note placement up , the shimmer is simply adding even more signal above . This results in the ‘ wall of sound ’ that shimmer is so often utilized to achieve , but it ’ s not without its own compromises .
Oftentimes you ’ ll find that turning off the shimmer reverb and simply moving your right hand up an octave at strategic times provides a similar lift , without muddying up the mix and since there ’ s no super long reverb tail to compensate for you remain free to more quickly change notes and embellish with right hand voice leading or harmony .
Simple and effective .
PLAY BRIGHTER
Shimmer reverb adds brightness because those cascading higher octaves occupy higher frequency space . Shifting your actual played notes up is one way to achieve something similar , but you can also leave your hands where they are and instead let the timbre or character of the sounds you use provide that extra brightness .
This could be as simple as sweeping up the tone filter control or mod wheel for a pad , to