Off the Charts

Christmas Music Stand 2005
Originally uploaded by joy-z

In what would Jesus Play Ben commented that:

"worship players needs to be like a mirror, reflecting peoples gazes up to God"

amen brother. My question is how do we reflect UP to God if our heads are buried in our music charts? The answers is we can't so we need a way to internalize a lot of music into our frazzled brains in about a week's time.

That's a tall order but if you follow my 3 step plan you will become rich in song memorization and be the proud owner of a complete set of Ginsu knives.

1. Guitarists and bassists: Make your own charts. This one act will glue most of the song in your head. The key is to have the least amount of ink on the page. I often end up with a couple of versions of the chart, the early ones have quite a bit of ink on them, later charts get even simpler.
   
2. Break down the song into sections. Most worship songs rely on repetition. Just remember how to play the verse, chorus and the bridge and combine them together during the service. Breaking out of the chart is not nearly as scary as it seems all you really need are the mileposts.
1. A typical chart would include the following sections:
• Intro, Verse1, Chorus 1, Verse 2, Chorus2, Bridge, Chorus3 -5, Outtro
• If the song requires switching patches note this on the chart as well.
  
3. Practice the song to the CD using your simple chart at home and in rehearsal.
   

This is what works for me. When my act is really together I simply make a one page list of songs using 64 point bold type that I set on the floor by my effects pedals. I usually write in the patch name that I am using as well on each song.

Don't Quit Your Day Job

Originally uploaded by manyfires

It struck me the other day that a bit of context would help with this blog. I believe I am somewhat typical of a worship player. There is the marriage, the kids, the 2 pet birds, the 1.5 dogs, the dozen or so half-finished projects around the house, the movies of the kids that have not been edited, the friends I haven't called back, and , and and.... I'm sure your list is just as long.

Yet if I won the lottery I'm sure I would end up spending my time and money on various musical pursuits. Whether music fits on my calendar or not it is a big part of who I am. So I find myself neglecting other pursuits to rehearse, to chart, to talk about guitars, amps, effects, to record small projects, and, and and...

Its with this context that I think about this blog. How does your average player who's day job is not music, play worship music that is good, that inspires, that doesn't distract the congregation, that is musical? If you are REALLY dedicated to worship there are far better blogs for you that I encourage you to check out. worship matters has tons of great content. But most of the blogs I find are written by worship leaders or other paid music staff. My take on worship is simply that my take. A guy with a day job, who loves music and loves serving my church and my God.

In the posts ahead I will focus on how to get the most out of the time you spend thinking, rehearsing, and playing.