KEYS
HOW BIG ARE YOUR WORSHIP PADS ? | David Pfaltzgraff
How big is your personality ? Are you the kind of person who quietly slips into the back of a room without being noticed ? Maybe whenever you come through the door every head turns , unable to ignore your presence . Or maybe you ’ re somewhere in the middle . You stroll in naturally , wave ‘ hi ’ to a few friends and naturally make your way over to the snacks ?
Now , same question , different subject : How big are your worship pads ?
If you ’ re not familiar with the concept , a ‘ pad ’ is a catchall musical term , generally used to describe a synth keys sound with infinite sustain for as long as a note is held , used for a wide variety of musical purposes . It gets complicated quickly though , because these days you might hear anything from a bright , buzzy sawtooth synth to a super mellow , orchestral strings sound both being referred to with that same term , ‘ pad ’.
So , in a world where pretty much any sound that sustains forever can be used as a pad , how can one determine the right kind of pad to use for a given moment , song , or worship service ? The answer is necessarily convoluted .
To cover the gamut of modern worship songs out there today you ’ ll need to become a pad chameleon , deftly shifting from aggressive , futuristic textures to slowly evolving , classic synthesizer tones on a whim .
See , you can ’ t always use the kind of pad that quietly slips into the back of the mix , nor can you always turn heads the moment you enter the arrangement . It ’ s a good thing to embrace your own personality , but when it comes to worship keys sounds , multiple personalities aren ’ t as bad a thing !
Today let ’ s talk about how to fill just the right amount of space using a playable , worship pad sound on your keyboard , in a few of the most common worship band contexts .
OLD RELIABLE : COVERING TRANSITIONS Let ’ s start with the basics and ‘ what is likely the most common worship pads use ’ case . So common , it ’ s basically a clique at this point .
A scenario : The worship leader wants to transition from an upbeat song in the key of C ( let ’ s say 132 BPM ) to a down-tempo worship staple , key of G , 76 BPM . Visualize the rest of the band hitting that final C power chord with fervor , the drummer ’ s trashcan ending fizzling out to a final cymbal swell . The worship leader , midcapo adjustment , pauses for a moment as the band awaits their instructions . Then , turning to you the worship leader says that oft-repeated phrase ‘ Why don ’ t you just hold out a pad here to handle the transition into the next song , sound good ?’
If you detect a trace of snark in the last paragraph , know that , while definitely present , it is intended in good fun alone ! After all , the reason using a pad to cover moments of transition is at this point practically synonymous with the word ‘ transition ’ itself is because pads are really great for covering moments of transition !
So , worship keys players , don ’ t begrudge your role as default ‘ space filler ’ but rather embrace it and take the opportunity to hone in on just the right textures and tones for those moments . When filling this classic role , it ’ s important to make sure your pad patch choices do have that subdued , ‘ slip into the mix ’ personality more often than not .