NEW RESPONSIBILITY : PADS AS CHARACTER INSTRUMENTS Let ’ s go from one extreme to the other and talk about those bright , buzzy synth sounds that are also often called pads . These are the kinds of sounds that , while also featuring endless sustain , share very little else in common with the classic , subdued , warm pad sound slapped on every transition in the set .
These pads are often the defining instrument of a song and are used for powerful , aggressive chords that move at the forefront of the progression .
It ’ s only been in the last five years or so that us keys players have been given these opportunities to shine and the difficulty many run into right away is that this type of synth sound can be much more difficult to dial in , whether you ’ re using a hardware workstation keyboard or software . Because these sounds are so forward in the mix every little nuance or EQ problem is on full display so the stakes are often much higher .
In my experience , I ’ ve seen those higher stakes discourage keys volunteers and worship leaders alike from taking the time to figure out a way to nail those parts live , which I think is a real shame . Just like all our guitarist friends started spending their rainy-day money on delay pedals and tube amps fifteen years ago to keep up with Hillsong , the mantle has been passed to us , keys friends . While these new types of pads and synth sounds do take more effort to achieve , I encourage you to take the time to dig into the origins and creation of these sounds so you can learn how to approximate them yourself . The payoff is a lot of fun !
THE MIDDLE : PADS IN THE FULL MIX Lastly let ’ s talk about what might be described as the new home base for many worship keys players . Today ’ s worship music often features pads more prominently than the arrangements of ten years ago , even when the keys player isn ’ t driving the whole song . Many top songs today see a stronger interplay between the electric guitars and the keys positions that invites the keys player to fill different parts of the frequency spectrum once largely reserved for the electric .
For these contexts , the appropriate pad sound can vary widely from song to song , weekend
to weekend , and band to band . The most important thing then is rather than trying to find a one size fits all sound to instead focus on flexibility and playing to both the strengths of the musicians around you and taking opportunities to fill the spaces left empty by them . Ear training and making sure you ’ re aware of and able to hear the rest of your band is paramount to doing this successfully .
THE LOWLY WILL BE LIFTED UP As keys players it ’ s tempting to consider ‘ playing pads ’ as the very base-level function of what we can bring to the table , but the right pad , played the right way , at the right time can take any song or worship band mix to the next level . So , the next time your worship leader looks over their shoulder to give you a knowing head nod , ask yourself , “ What can I do to enhance this specific moment for my team and my church ?” And focus on bringing excellence to whatever you choose to do , whether it be holding the 1 and 5 for four straight minutes or melting faces with that distorted super-saw .
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 .
SundaySounds . com