Capo Magic

Part 1:

Part 2:

So, want to learn guitar? Check it out on YouTube. Maybe it’s just because us Christians are such lovely helpful people as well, but you’ll also find a lot of people have posted their own little instructional clips on how to play specific worship songs. Some of it’s a bit hit and miss, but most of it definitely help anyone who’s beginner to intermediate, and there’s some stuff on there that will help or inspire the most advanced of players (like all the people who’ve posted their own screaming electric guitar versions of Pachelbel’s canon!).

Here’s a few good places to start:

Paul Baloche – tips on playing and leading in worship, along with some specific tips on his songs: http://uk.youtube.com/user/balochemusic and http://www.youtube.com/user/leadworshipdotcom

Worshiptogether’s New song cafe – a lot of songwriters stepping through their songs: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewSongCafe

Sing to him a new song; play skilfully, and shout for joy – Psalm 33:3

Personally, I much prefer playing a new song or shouting for joy to the Lord to sitting down and doing what is necessary to ensure I can play skilfully! Nevertheless the psalmist instructs us to do all three.

We really should too, if we want to testify of God’s glory. What does it say about the worth we place on God if we are not at least as diligent in developing our musical offerings as secular musicians are in pursuit of their ‘god’.

I’m not talking perfectionism – and speaking as a full-time husband, full-time father, full-time disciple-maker, and full-time church pastor(!) I’m certainly grounded in the realities of time pressures and priority juggling.

However. I am talking about having a heart to do our best for the one we love most, and being as diligent as we can to grow in skill.

If you want to grow in skill then there’s no getting around it, you’ve got to practise. Here are a few basic tips to get you started:

1. Make sure practice is a joy not a chore. Adjust your practice as necessary to keep it alive
2. If you get fed up or overly frustrated then stop and come back another time
3. Consistency rules. Little and often is better than the occasional mammoth session
4. Practice is not just playing stuff you’re comfortable with, it’s about being stretched
5. Learn a new skill occasionally – whether it’s a new scale, phrase, technique
6. Repetition brings familiarity and competency.

Remember, if you practice something which is harder – trickier to play, a more stretching range to sing, more complex rhythmically, then the stuff you play when ‘performing’ will suddenly seem much simpler.

More tips and skill drills to come, but if you’ve got some tips of your own then go right ahead and comment below.

‘Play a part, not a chart’ basically communicates that what you do when you play an instrument as part of a band is different to what you want do when playing on your own and learning to play the chord ‘chart’.

Often the biggest problem with band musicians who are growing in skill is not that they need to play better (although obviously this will usually help). Usually a greater need is that they learn to play a simpler part much more confidently.

Playing a fraction, making a whole.

One of the transitions that anyone needs to make from learning or playing an instrument on their own to playing as part of a team, is how to only play a part of the overall whole. For music to sound good it’s not enough for you as a musician to just figure out how to play the chords in the right rhythm, or to add your cool melodies, harmonies and licks. You need to figure out how to play something that fits with everyone else so that it blends together to make an overall sound which is pleasant. This will inevitably mean that you end up playing less, and you take up less room in both range and dynamics.

The intent is that everyone plays a different and complimentary part that all adds up to a beautiful whole. Everybody needs to play a pleasing and complimentary fraction. If everyone’s going all out and covering all the notes they can then you’re going to get a big, loud, muddy mess. Just imagine how it would be if a painter painted covered every inch of his canvas with every colour on his palette. You wouldn’t have a painting you’d have a big murky mess. It’s exactly the same with music and sound.

If you listen carefully to a decent recording of a good band the most striking thing is how simple the individual parts often are. This creates space, dynamics, and allows each instrument to shine through, allowing their unique voice to be heard. Often the problem with less experienced musicians is not that they can’t play well enough. It’s simply that they play too much. In fact, even before thinking about how to play you need to ask the even more fundamental question of why you’re playing and whether it’s necessary and helpful. Every part should have a reason for being there. Only when you ask these sorts of questions first are you really looking at how your part can serve the overall song arrangement.

What this means in practice – the instrument parts

Think for example of how you’d play a song might be played on just acoustic guitar or piano. You’re making the rhythm, you’re bringing out the bass notes, you’re adding some top end – maybe some little fills if you can get your fingers around it.

Then all of a sudden a bass guitar comes along. You need to stop playing his part and let him play it. If you’re on piano you’ve got to stop playing all those bass notes and stick to the mid and upper ranges – or at least simplify your bass part and make sure it fits together. If you’re on guitar you stop needing to bring out the bass notes and can start concentrating on the upper strings.

Then a drummer arrives and he’s got the rhythm. All of a sudden you don’t need to maintain all that on your own. Let him provide the drive and take a ride on it. Less chords, sustained chords, fills. All these opportunities open up for you to play less and yet be so much more effective.

Then add in an electric guitar. You don’t want to be playing all the same stuff that acoustic guitar is playing. If everyone plays around that mid range it’s going to sound all mid heavy and muddy. Instead you can have fun with power chords for grit and emphasis, work the top strings only – or better yet, work your way up the neck and add in some top end. Maybe even some simple lead fills if you’re confident enough.

And don’t forget that piano/acoustic guitar. If you’ve got both then you can’t all be playing the same stuff. On the keyboard you could start working in more pad or strings sounds and less of the ‘playing the piano’ stuff. That can create a nice backdrop. Or try taking the same thing you’re playing (remembering that you’re already sitting on your left hand of course) and shifting it up an octave. Straight away that can work wonders.

Then a solo instrument might join in. Sax, violin, trumpet or something. You can’t have loads of different melodies and fills going on. You need to listen to people who might be in your range and work with them.

Of course, how you do this will depend on the song itself and which ‘building blocks’ you lay down first. A song might have an acoustic guitar led feel, or be driving electric guitar rock, or be a more ‘worshipful’ piano led song. All of this is stuff you figure out as you play it together.

And remember, a simple rule of thumb is ‘the bigger the band is the smaller the part you play is, and the more the part you play becomes an expression of your instrument’s unique voice.

The most important part – the vocal

And in all of this, remember when you’re playing a song, all of the music is there to serve the most important part of all – the sung lyrics. Is what you’re playing complimenting the vocal arrangement, fitting around the melody, making space for the vocal to cut through, communicating the same message as the lyric?

And remember, if you’re not sure what to play, how to play, if you can play. The answer is usually that you should just do less. And this in itself should free you up to worship more, and to lead God’s people into worship more.

One thing that the bible teaches, that we say we believe, but sometimes struggle to live out is “It’s better when we do it together”.

Sharing anything personal can be hard.

Especially so for anything you’ve felt in your heart, imagined in your head, and poured out on paper – whether it’s a song, poem, story or a work of art. For most of us, taking something we’ve created and putting it ‘out there’ is one of the hardest things we can do. Nevertheless it is absolutely necessary if we are to be good stewards of the gifts which God has given us. Here’s why…

1. Our gifts aren’t for us.

Every creative gift we have is designed to be a public reflection of the creator. If we never share the gifts and the things we’ve created, that aspect of his image and our creative response to him isn’t put on display and we don’t glorify him the way we should. Not only are our gifts designed to glorify Him, but they are designed to serve others. To inspire them to worship, to help them understand the greatness of our God.

The Bible instructs us to let our light shine before men in order that people will praise our father in Heaven (Matthew 5:15-16). This applies to every aspect of what we do – including our creative gifts.

2. Good stewards desire to grow in their gifts.

People who really want God to be glorified in them – and in their gifts – decide to be grow in their gifts as much as they can. Proverbs 27:17 says “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”. The truth is we all need help if we’re going to grow. This isn’t just mature and experienced mentors (although those are really helpful) but ‘one-another community’. Anybody who hears a song you write will have a response which is useful input for you – even if it leaves your song unchanged as a result.

A community is great because it includes people you trust, who care for you more than your creation, and love you enough to want to help you be great with your gift.

Ultimately it’s all about humility

It takes humility to go to people and say “I’ve written this song and I’d really value your input”. It takes even more humility to say “I think this song would be better if you could help me with it or we could work on it together”.

Humility has other implications as well. My problem is that I’m a perfectionist. When I create something I generally don’t see the good things, I see the flaws. I haven’t finished crafting it or there’s still something missing. Or maybe I haven’t found the time or space to come up with a perfect recording or a perfect performance. It takes humility (and trust) to let people in on my imperfect reality and also to speak into it.

Interestingly, every time I humble myself and put my creation ‘out there’ in front of people I trust and respect, I find encouragement as well as help. And all of us need that.

]]> http://worshipencounters.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/songwriting-in-community/feed/ 3 danielsmart http://worshipencounters.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/10-keys-to-a-thriving-creative-arts-ministry/ http://worshipencounters.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/10-keys-to-a-thriving-creative-arts-ministry/#comments Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:16:34 +0000 Daniel http://worshipencounters.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/10-keys-to-a-thriving-creative-arts-ministry/ ]]> To be honest this is post is more cut and paste than it is blog, but I wanted to share this from Nancy Beach, who oversees the creative arts ministry at Willow Creek. There are some thoughts and insights which might help you if you lead or serve in music or arts ministry.

One. Creativity
Find creative ways to bring new elements of worship and fresh ways of communicating Scripture. Strive, with God’s grace and strength to keep surprising your congregation. The order of your services should not get predictable. We should constantly be asking how we could go the next step. What are the new ways to get attenders in touch with who God is?

Two. Intentionality
Creativity must be grounded in intentionality. This will keep us from getting off track. Creativity is wonderful, but if it isn’t focused, we can really miss out. We have to be careful that we don’t just do art for art’s sake. We should have a clear mission and purpose for everything we do in our services. This must be tied to the overall mission and strategy of the church. Make sure you are biblically centered and theologically on track. And be intentional about the flow of your service. What is needed for you to go from one element to the next? Are you giving your congregation any opportunities to process what you are presenting?

Three. Excellence
We define excellence as doing the best you can with what you have. Excellence is basically giving God our best. In 1 Samuel 16:18, David said that he didn’t want to offer the Lord that which cost him nothing. He wanted to give the Lord his best. Excellence is not the same as perfectionism. Perfectionism is an unhealthy obsession that does not honor God. Perfectionism is something that many artists struggle with. Whatever we do, we should do as unto the Lord and not unto men. Don’t hesitate to ask for that kind of excellence from your volunteers.

Four. Evaluation
Closely connected to excellence is the evaluation. We can’t get better unless we talk about what worked and what didn’t. This is a delicate combination of celebrating what worked well and constructively dialoguing about what didn’t work.

Five. Process
If we do not pay attention to the process of ministry and to integrity in that process, we will pay every time. And eventually we will have low morale and volunteers who are not interested in participating. So you need to continually ask yourself: Does this process honor God and treasure people? This is all very closely tied to our personal integrity and to our character.

Six. Authenticity
As they play their instruments or sing their songs or dance their dances, are your artists doing it with authenticity? Are they real? Are we telling and showing the truth through the folks who participate in our ministries? People who attend our churches are discerning whether or not they believe us. Whether or not we are just performing. Whether we are in it for the attention of it or because we are seeking to communicate and serve as best we can. We need to go after anything that feels like showmanship or pride or inappropriate motives. We need to create art that is honest about the human condition because the people in the seats will know it.

Seven. Community
In addition to the fruit that God brings through our ministries, I think that community is one of the biggest payoffs there is. We need to try to figure out a pace of ministry that allows us to have a few of those moments when we’re connecting with each other — when we’re being Christ to one another and building community on our teams.

Eight. Leadership
All of these communities require leadership. The gift of leadership is essential to building effective arts ministries.We must not be afraid to lead. God is going to give us guidance and He will give us instincts. Artists often feel misunderstood, insecure, and discouraged.
As we seek to shepherd our flocks, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us choose our words carefully; to know when we need to be challenging and when we need to be gentle and sensitive.

Nine. Well-Ordered Hearts & Lives
The greatest gift that you and I can bring to our churches is not our talent. Of highest importance is that we do what Jesus taught us: abide in Him. We need to be practicing spiritual disciplines that will help us grow in our character. Resolve to find some times of solitude where you can look at your life and examine it to make sure that you are on a path that will allow you to be well-ordered, so that everything you do grows out of that centered place, abiding in Him.

Ten. Transcendent Moments
Whether we are designing seeker services or worship services, our aim is to prepare elements that God can use to deeply touch a human soul — to connect with us and give us a taste of His truth and presence. People should be different somehow when they leave. You and I will have failed miserably if people find our services creative or entertaining, yet over time they exhibit no life-change.

I’m sure this will provide fodder for newspapers, critics, and “christian blogs” for some time to come. I certainly don’t want to jump on the bandwagon but felt I should say something as I’d referenced the story in the post “Worship in truth when times are hard”.

Three thoughts:

1. Sin is a more life-threatening disease than cancer.

It turns out that the ‘disease’ that Mike was suffering from was not cancer but an addiction to pornography and a secret double life of sin.

I think it pays for us to listen up and pay attention here. Statistics show that this disease is far more prevalent than cancer. The Bible also tells us that a life of sin has far more destructive power and eternal consequences.

I might blog about this more at some point but in addition there is much about worship leaders, musicians, and general creative types that can leave us more susceptible to sin – particularly in today’s celebrity culture. In particular, sins that involve lust and any kind of fantasy, and there can be more temptation to live a hidden life of sin instead of walking in the light.

One thing I do know is that Satan loves to devour anyone – but particularly those who are in the spotlight, and those who are leaders. Be on your guard, stand firm in God, and resist him.

2. God really is the Healer

God does heal our physical sickness and He is a healer, but I believe in this time we’re here on earth he’s far more interested in healing our souls, our hearts, and setting us free from bondage to Sin through the finished work of Christ. To paraphrase “What will it profit a man to gain the best physical health possible but lose his soul”

3. Christ is the solid rock

Sadly we live in a world of celebrity and too many people will be rocked by this. Worship, ministry and life must be built on Christ alone if it is to remain unshaken. People will always fail. God never does. Make sure your faith is based on Him and He is first place in your list of heroes. The words of the hymn come to mind:

On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.

Here’s Paul’s encouragement to the young man Timothy:

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:19-22

Finally, if you’ve ever had any thoughts or prayers for Mike, his friends, and his family then don’t stop now. He still needs them – and the church army is one that should care for its wounded, not shoot them or just cast them aside.

“What makes any corporate time of worship successful”

If you don’t have a good (and biblical) basis for this you can find yourself working hard to achieve the wrong things. I also have often spoken to people who feel frustrated and hindered in their worship leading by things which – to me – aren’t important anyway. (Usually of the “we don’t have a drummer”, “our musicians aren’t good enough”, “the congregation doesn’t like the songs on my favourite album” type stuff)

Below is a great clip from Bob Kauflin talking on “What makes a successful time of corporate worship. He makes a great start with the following quote:

“If your goal is to pull off a highly-polished, sweetly arranged, musically-sophisticated time of singing that’s not necessarily a successful time of corporate worship.

The right goal… is to magnify the glory of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the spirit….I want them to see how the glory of Christ – what he’s done, who he is – affects their lives.”

Also watch out for his “one other thing that he adds” at around 4min. Hugely important factor in “what makes a successful worship leader”

Any other thoughts on what makes a successful time of worship? Feel free to comment below.

You can read more from Bob on his blog at http://worshipmatters.com