Worship Musician May 2020 | Page 132

KEYS HOW TO PLAY KEYS WELL IN QUARANTINE | David Pfaltzgraff Well, saying much has changed for us Let’s talk about how to play worship keys well about the sound and resource you are to the worship musicians in the last weeks would be in quarantine. team. That might look like taking some time at something of an understatement. As a worship home to record some extra accompaniment musician myself I can say with certainty this is TIMELY piano and pad tracks that you can give to your the longest I’ve ever gone without playing live ‘… who knows whether you have not attained media team so anytime they need to back up music in a worship band, not to mention the royalty for such a time as this?’ Mordecai posits a scripture, video, or prayer time they can rely longest stretch in my life without setting foot in to Esther as she weighs the possible outcomes on those assets already provided. Perhaps you a church building. of approaching the King to ask for the safety of are comfortable enough to offer to produce her people in Esther 4:14. additional instrumental live worship sessions for By this time many qualified and extremely your church’s social media accounts, playing talented people have chimed in with their In a lot of ways what’s happening in the stripped down versions of familiar songs that insights, how world now will define a generation or more can provide extra encouragement and comfort churches around the world can make the most ideas, and inspiration for and I have to think that we can ask a similar to your people. Maybe now’s the time for you of this time of isolation to stay connected to question of ourselves. Though playing worship to offer to step up into that leadership role your their communities and congregants. I’m so keys well isn’t likely to save an entire people heart has been stuck on for a while. thankful for all the voices who’ve stepped up from destruction we are nonetheless here in and provided timely content, often at no cost, to the position we are, equipped by God for this There’s a timely step for you to take during help the Church navigate these unprecedented specific time. quarantine. What does that look like for you? times. I’d like to invite you as a worship leader or MUSICAL Today I want to speak not to how to approach as a keys player in your band to consider One of the biggest challenges of not getting the crisis at large but instead on how we as what choices you can make right now, in this together in person for musicians is not worship keys players can make sure that our time, to maximize your impact. The norm has surprisingly the fact that live music collaboration contributions to our worship bands, non- been thoroughly disrupted so we have a real really only works when you’re actually next to traditional as they may be during this time, are opportunity to innovate instead of replicate. the people you’re playing with. appropriate for the context in which they’ll be Wondering what some examples of ‘timely’ While we can enjoy and reap the benefit of received. might be for the worship keys role? Now’s the online connections during this time, most if not time to think outside the box and be proactive all prove inadequate to emulate the feeling of nonetheless timely, musical, and stylistically 132 May 2020 Subscribe for Free...