comfortable doing so , I ’ d encourage you to lean into the broad spectrum of music culture ’ s countless offerings to see what you can learn , absorb , and apply .
IT ’ S ABOUT TONE As a keys player I love digging into the history of specific keyboards or even specific individual presets from keyboards that have been widely used across popular music . Take a few minutes to Google “ Fantasia Keyboard Patch ” or “ DX7 EP 1 ” to see an incredible list of hit songs featuring these simple presets .
That ’ s just the tip of the iceberg ! The truth is that much of what we ’ re doing now as keys players builds upon groundwork laid by not just incredible musicians of the ‘ 70s and ‘ 80s , but also by innovative sound designers and keyboard programmers who created sounds that inspired entire genres of music .
If you ’ re ever short on inspiration or not sure of how to nail a certain feel , try spending some time going down the search engine rabbit trail to uncover the roots below . Not only will you learn something new , you ’ ll also gain a more nuanced understanding of the context behind not just what notes you play but the sounds you use to play them .
FRESHEN UP As a third tip here , I ’ d like to emphasize that I don ’ t foresee bare nostalgia ruling the worship music landscape anytime soon . Far from it , I see innovative bands finding new ways to resurface ideas , sounds , and techniques from the past to continue to push their recordings into new areas .
As you go about digging up history and building a musical vocabulary of influences always ask yourself ‘ how can I use this in my current band ’ s context ’ to make sure that you ’ re letting the history influence your choices instead of trying to cram your band into any past genre or sound . The former will often help you come up with a fresh new idea , while the latter is a short road to sounding stale or derivative .
WRITE YOUR OWN HISTORY At the end of the day for many of us worship keys players we have the fun but sometimes challenging role of being in both a cover band and being a part of a living , breathing expression of a local church ’ s worship . When you strive for musical excellence , whether by precisely emulating or by pushing into new ( old ) sonic territory , the desired outcome should always remain the same : using your musical voice to help further a culture of worshipful expression that is timely and encouraging to your community . At the end of the day always keep that at the center , just maybe also get prepared to surround it with lush , stereo chorus !
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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