What do jazz ensembles, choirs, orchestras, show choirs, rock bands, wind ensembles, and polka bands have in common? All of them have helped form me as a worship musician.
That may seem like a rather absurd statement, but I’ve been in ensembles of one type or another for 30 years (over half as a worship leader or worship musician) and in all that time, one of the most important things I’ve learned is that even more important than how well you play, is how well you play with others.
While a lot of the ensembles above have prescribed parts, it takes a fair amount of musical sensitivity to play well in the context of the entire group.
On a worship team, each band member’s contribution is often much less defined, which makes the need for sensitivity even more essential. Musical sensitivity is as much a skill as musical technique and it can make or break our effectiveness in leading God’s people in worship.
Now, here’s a disclaimer: God can use anyone of any skill level to accomplish His work in worship. God is not dependent upon our abilities to draw people to Himself, but we have a responsibility to join Him in His work by doing all we can to grow in our calling as worship musicians so that He doesn’t have to work in spite of us.
While I think most of us can agree that musical sensitivity is important for a team leading a congregation in worship, we have to acknowledge that there are many different paths to growth in this particular area. While certainly not an exhaustive study of the subject, the following are some of the things that have proven helpful to me.
1. Probably the thing that has impacted my musicality the most is also the simplest place to start: listening.
Listen to bands who express a wide range of dynamics and have a strong sense of how to make a song flow. Listen to how your instrument is used in the context of the rest of the ensemble. What types of parts do they play? When do they play? When don’t they play?
I’m not suggesting that you copy them exactly, but whether you are listening to recordings of songs your team is playing or simply songs in a similar style, there are lessons to be learned from others who play with the very sensitivity you hope to develop.
2. The second thing I would recommend is also incredibly simple: practice.
Learn how to play different types of parts by modeling what you’re hearing in a recording. Learn interesting chord voicings. Learn how effects pedals or different synth and keyboard sounds help you achieve different moods and atmospheres. Sing harmonies to develop your ear.
I know some worship musicians worry that preparation will get in the way of what the Spirit may want to do in the moment, but it has been my experience that the more familiar I am with my instrument and with the style of music that I’m playing, the more equipped I am to follow the Spirit no matter what might happen in the course of worship.
Planning and preparation are not antithetical to being Spirit led.
The Spirit can lead you in your preparation as easily as He can lead you in the moment. By preparing ahead of time, you ensure that however He leads, you’ve got the skills to follow.
3. Finally, I would encourage you to understand your band and your role within it.
Realizing that you don’t have to play all the time can bring a great deal of freedom, and fights a natural tendency to overplay a lot of us have. When you understand how all of the pieces of the puzzle are supposed to fit together, it is much easier to ensure that you are not just adding to the noise, but are contributing something that will help produce a dynamic, cohesive whole.
Similarly, understand how what you play relates to what others are doing.
When I play rhythm electric, I am paying attention to what the lead guitar player is doing to make sure we’re not duplicating a part, and that what I’m playing either supports his or her lead line or is in a different register if we’re both playing a rhythm part.
When I play bass, I am paying attention to the bass drum pattern so that my rhythm can lock onto it and together the drummer and I can provide a more unified drive.
When playing as a multi-instrumentalist (guitars, percussion, trumpet, vocals all in the same service) I listen to what everybody else brings to the table, then I add instruments that support what others are doing or that provide some texture or tonal interest.
If I’m not aware of what everybody else is contributing, anything I do will be either distracting or redundant and unnecessary.
Again, these are only a few of the things I have found useful in developing a sensitivity to serve effectively in a worship environment. What are things that have helped shape you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and continue the conversation as we seek to grow in our musicality, leadership, and worship.
This originally appeared as a guest post for the \'shift\115 Worship Collective. Check out their other articles and resources at http://www.shift115.com/ .
