kids funneled into the service . It must have been during this time , I figure , where everything went wrong .
You see , as best I can tell , when the drummer got up from their kit , or perhaps one of the youth group kids did this , they adjusted the drum trigger interface to send different data to MainStage .
I didn ’ t discover this , of course , until we had started that sweet , dark ballad and the drummer played the kick for the first time as we swelled into a moody pre-chorus .
What was intended to be this smooth swell of perfectly sound-designed reverb , instead triggered this absolutely random , tuned synth note that somehow managed to clash with every possible chord we played , for the entire song . It was loud , brash , and somewhere in between a dog barking and a car tire spinning perpetually on icy concrete .
The drummer had no idea what to do , other than to keep playing . I hadn ’ t prepared for this worst case scenario either and also froze . We played the song . Dog barks , car sounds , and all .
Friends , it did not go well . The risk did not pay off .
SAFE RISKS In more recent years , as I ’ ve been able to build a team around what we do at Sunday Sounds , one of our Sound Designers , Joy , shared this term during a video shoot we were doing . She talked about the concept of taking ‘ safe risks ’ in one ’ s keyboard playing .
What this concept serves to do , is to be the antidote to complacency , the caffeine to a sluggish at-home-practice routine , and a useful litmus test for whether or not you ’ re actually growing as a musician .
Safe risks don ’ t look like other risks do . They ’ re not done recklessly , or on the fly . Instead , it ’ s a regular practice of pushing yourself , riding the line of what you are 100 % confident you can do and what you ’ re 90 % confident you can do . It also encourages a strong culture of communication within your band , and as you take little safe risks , doubling that lead line , adding that extra melodic riff , or even the risk of choosing not to fill space with an ambient pad for a song or two , your band will catch on to the fact that you ’ re ‘ trying stuff ’ without aiming to be flashy or showing off .
If you have found yourself , at any recent rehearsal or service , wishing you had more to do than just piano and pads , or ‘ hitting the changes ’, then I think this can serve as a challenge to you . Talk to your worship leader , see if you can bring your worship team along for the ride , and take some safe risks from the keyboard .
Maybe just don ’ t tape a drum trigger to the keys connected to a dog bark synth . Trust me .
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
84 October 2024 Subscribe for Free ...