DRUMS
DRUMMERS ! PREPARING FOR SUNDAY AND BEYOND | Carl Albrecht
Besides your daily practice routine there ’ s always the need to prepare for the next worship service . So here ’ s a quick rundown of what that should look like .
PREPARE EARLY / DON ’ T WAIT . If you use Planning Center or another scheduling program / App go there first … and quickly . Don ’ t wait until the night before or on the way to church . That will really stress you out … AND probably means you will not bring your best game . Check the list and practice the music according to your “ level of need .” More on that in a minute . If your worship leader or MD ( Musical Director ) doesn ’ t give you a list or music until rehearsal time before service , then make the best of it . That ’ s a topic for another article . Hopefully your team has a long history of playing together and a lot of experience so that this scenario doesn ’ t hinder the music and , most importantly , the worship experience for your congregation .
OVER PREPARE / DO MORE THAN YOU THINK IS NEEDED . Print out the charts or put them in your iPad or other device , and take notes . Lots of notes ! What ’ s the tempo ? The style ? The feel ? The technical needs ? Write it all down . Do the work . If the music is familiar , then you probably don ’ t need a lot of time to practice it . But I would still do a quick run through . If you ’ re nervous about any of the music give it more attention . Practice until you ’ re not “ over thinking ” the music . Some say , “ Practice until you can ’ t make a mistake .” For experienced players that might mean only playing a verse and chorus and then moving on . If drumming is new to you , or you have less experience , then working on a new song for an hour might be needed . Be honest with yourself and do what it takes .
PREPARE THE TECHNICAL STUFF . If I ’ m suppose to prepare “ drum loops ” or play with tracks ( music stems ) I ’ ll load that stuff into my laptop using whatever program is needed . It could just be play along tracks played from iTunes . But you might be using a major music track source like Loop Community or MultiTracks using a music DAW ( digital audio workstation ) like Ableton , Cubase , or others . Whatever the case may be , get a head start on all of this tech work . Sure , if you do this all the time it may feel like the night before is no big deal . It may not be a problem for you . BUT … it ’ s not “ you ” I ’ m worried about … equipment can be unpredictable . What has worked great a hundred times , all of a sudden can crash or just not be working properly . Be way ahead of the game and it will make your life easier . Trust me on this ! Working out the tech stuff early relieves stress . AND … try to have back up systems in place if your church can afford to do that . Or you can have another band member have a duplicate system on their laptop or pad . I know some churches that run major music production systems and have up to three levels of backup for their services . Not every church can afford this , but work with what you ’ ve got . Even if it just means keeping your laptop backed up to an external drive . (* The rule in computer systems – “ Have three copies .”)
PREPARE YOUR INSTRUMENT / HOW ’ S YOUR DRUM SET SOUNDING ? As you play through the music be aware of the sound of your kit . Are the heads in good shape ? Does the tuning work for the songs that you ’ re playing ? Do you need to adjust the muffling of the drums ? Think of how your sound matches the recordings of the music you have to reproduce for the service . I try to match sounds as closely as possible . Even if your worship leader doesn ’ t demand this make it a musical goal to be as meticulous as possible . If your kit at home is different that what you play at church then work on matching their sound as closely as possible . I believe the sound of your drums makes you play a certain way . Be mindful of the details .
Being prepared and having a consistent practice routine allows you to enjoy the music and the worship experience . Blessings as you continue to grow in skill and service to the Lord and His people . Peace , Carl
Carl Albrecht Professional drummer for 30 + years , playing with Paul Baloche , Don Moen , Ron Kenoly , Abe Laboriel , LeAnn Rimes and others . He ’ s also a clinician , author & pastor . Contact Carl for coaching , online lessons , producing , or sessions . I ’ m still growing too ... www . CarlAlbrecht . com carlralbrecht @ gmail . com
84 November 2024 Subscribe for Free ...