Worship Musician! Magazine - Sep/Oct 2012

International House of Prayer’s “Magnificent Obsession”...

the Word of God

Product Review

PRS SE Angelus Custom Acoustic Cutaway Guitar SEP/OCT 2012 Volume 10, Issue 5

Record Reviews 09

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Product Review Yamaha MGP16X

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Rehearsal Power-Outage? by Branon Dempsey

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Finding the Right Music Gear for Your Church Just Got Easier!

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Lincoln’s Go-to Gear:

Real Li Live:

practicals as well — the musicianship. I’ve said this for years, that all really good gear does is better re-create reality.”

LLincoln in Brewster

This approach applies to recording as well as live sound in the church. “People say, ‘If I could just get Pro Tools, then I can make a record.’ Well, no. Pro Tools is just going to better reveal what you have. Pro Tools doesn’t make records; Pro Tools ALLOWS people to make records.” He adds, “We’ve got to be careful of the “golden hammer” syndrome. We don’t worship the tools. They’re just tools. We commit to being smart with what tools we need, how much we need to spend, be frugal, make wise choices, and then get after the task at hand and focus on doing a great job.”

on Music Technology in Modern Worship You would be hard pressed to name a modern worship leader and musician who has better utilized music technology than Lincoln Brewster. Renowned both for his songwriting chops and his virtuosic guitar skills, Lincoln makes the most of his cutting-edge music gear — while sharing the message with heart, grace, and humanity. Currently serving as the worship arts pastor for Bayside Church in Granite Bay, CA, Lincoln also continues to tour nationally. He has released seven full-length albums since 1999, including his acclaimed latest, Real Life. A new Christmas album is due out this year, and plans are in the works for a live album. It goes without saying that he has come a long way.

Renowned e o ed singer, singer, ge , songwriter, g so song gwriter, te , aand ndd gguitari gu guitarist ta st Lincoln co Brewster’s acclaimed latest Bre st re rele leease, ease, ase, Real Lif Life,, is release, available now. To find out more ore about about ut Lincoln Linco coln and hhis is $ 00 3199r.com. uplifting new album, go too linconbrewster.com. lin lincon connbrewste nX 61brewste om.

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Workstations: Powerful Tools for the Worship Leader

Choosing the Right

KEYBOARD Whether you’re looking for a simple instrument that just plays and sounds like a real acoustic piano, or you’re seeking a powerful centerpiece for all your worship team’s ambitions, there’s a digital piano that’s right for your church. To help you zero in on the perfect keyboard for your needs, let’s take a look at the different kinds of keyboards available, as well as the important factors you’ll want to consider when making your decision.

When Less Is More Many church pianists we work with often feel overwhelmed by the number of choices out there — and even more so by the number of knobs, buttons, and controls on keyboards. “All I need,” they tell us, “is an instrument that plays like an acoustic piano and has a fantastic natural piano sound.”

If this sounds like you, you’ll want to select what’s called a stage piano — and ideally one with a full set of 88 weighted keys (also called weighted action). These keyboards actually mimic the response of a grand piano’s keybed, where the lowest keys require more force to strike, and the upper keys feel light and airy beneath your fingertips. To nail the sound of an acoustic piano, today’s top keyboard manufacturers have gone to great lengths to record some of the finest grand pianos in the world, putting these sounds right inside the instruments. Not only can you get the sound of a classic Steinway, but on many you can also push a single button to get the sound of a Bosendorfer, a Yamaha C7, or a character-filled upright.

If you’re replacing an acoustic piano, you should consider the importance of aesthetics to your church. If you have more-traditional services or are seeking a really natural look up on the platform, then you may want to choose a more authentic-looking stage piano. We have options available with wooden cabinets, in a variety of finishes, so you can choose an instrument that matches the decor of your church.

FIVE Main Features to Consider As you take a look at the keyboards featured on the next few pages, these five factors will help you start narrowing down your decision:

1. Action

Do you want keys that are weighted to feel and play just like an acoustic piano’s? Or do you want keys that glide beneath your fingers so that you can easily play synth and organ parts?

2. Sounds

Do you primarily need an authentic acoustic piano sound, or would you like to have other sounds such as strings, synths, electric pianos, organs, and more?

3. Arranging/Recording Capabilities

Will you be composing songs with your keyboard? If so, you may want to have a built-in sequencer, onboard drum sounds, and a direct-to-computer connection.

4. Size and Portability

Choosing a 76-key keyboard instead of a full-size 88-key instrument can be a great way to cut down on weight while maintaining a first-class playing experience.

It’s bound to happen at some point: the mix disaster. Maybe your church’s regular sound person calls in sick at the last minute. Maybe the new volunteer sound person doesn’t know a volume slider from a sliding door, or a mixing board from a mixing bowl. Whatever the circumstance, something has to be done to save the service.

Without decent sound, the congregation won’t be engaged or inspired by the music, >> Line 6 $ 44999 lost. and the message be completely XD-V55may (HANDHELD)

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Have more questions? Our Sales Engineers are here to help you choose the best keyboard for your church’s goals. In fact, what you see in Worship Sound Pro is just a small sampling of the many keyboards we have available. Give us a call today at (800) 222–4700.

Roland FP-7F Fantastic piano voices plus modern capabilities

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Bodypack transmitt transmitters allow you to plug in a lavalier microphone or a gu guitar cable, giving you both wireless and hands-free conveni convenience. If you are going to use a lavalier microphone, you’ll most likely want to choose one with a cardioid (unidirecti (unidirectional) pickup pattern rather than one with an omnidirect omnidirectional pattern. Cardioid lavaliers reject sound that doesn’t enter them directly, making them less likely to create feed feedback. Just remember this: no matter how much freedom wireless microphones give you, you still can’t walk in fr front of the loudspeakers without causing feedback. >> > Shure

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Dropout is just as bad as feedback. Even intermittent dr d dropout opout n line line can ruin an otherwise wonderful service. An unbroken ntennas of sight between the transmitter and the receiver’s antennas is ideal, but seldom is that possible. More times than not, the urfaces wireless signal must rebound off of walls and other surfaces opout. pout. pout to reach the receiver, and that increases the risk of dropout. t, the If you put a bodypack transmitter in your back pocket, signal (unable to pass through you) will have to find an sk of alternative path to the receiver. So, to minimize the risk ket signal dropout, keep your bodypack in your front jacket pocket.

Another major problem is broadband noise and radio interference. If your church is in a city, chances are thatt an ork k inexpensive entry-level wireless system simply won’t work tthe he for you. The same precision technology responsible forr th gh-end high simultaneous channel count common to most high-end g out ou o professional wireless systems is responsible for shutting ich h noise and radio interference. Digital wireless systems, which reject noise and other nondigital signals out of hand, are less excellent cost-effective alternatives to traditional wireless systems.

All professional wireless receivers are “true diversity” receivers, s. That which means that they use two independent antennas. way, if the wireless signal doesn’t reach one antenna, itt can tennas still reach the other. Quality wireless receivers have antennas that twist off, allowing you to mount them on stands and eases spread them out. Separating your antennas vastly increases >> AKG

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Though creatingaamong the perfect sound mixmic fortypes! a service is a mong different modeled true art, a sound person with little or no mixing experience can still achieve good sonic clarity and deliver the message with pleasant and effective audio. Here are some tips for their effectiveness. Even spreading your antennas out just a saving the day with a quick, last-minute mix — whether few feet and moving them away from your other gear will you are working the sound booth yourself or have the help vastly improve your system’s performance. Also, if you have a of a volunteer. multichannel wireless system, you may also need an antenna distribution system, which will allow you to connect only a 1. Keep it simple. single pair of antennas to multiple receivers.

Unfortunately, mix emergencies rarely occur when you have Whether your future wireless system is a single-channel, loads of spare time to work on a solution — it single-speaker setup or a larger system for the whole worship almost always happens minutes before the service is team, it should effectively and accurately spread the message. supposed to start. While your sound booth may have racks Unfortunately, many budget-priced wireless systems may make of processors and sophisticated audio equipment, now is it difficult and unpleasant for your congregation to hear that not the time to experiment with effects or to randomly message. If the number of quality wireless systems you need start turning knobs. Focus on the bare minimum you is beyond your current budget, practice wise stewardship and need to get the job done. Leave the special effects for save your money until you can afford the system that your another time. house of worship deserves. There are excellent single-channel wireless systems that you can start with and expand later. Your 2. Use what’s already there.

Sweetwater Sales Engineer will be happy to help you find the Hopefully, your church. sound system is already set up, the cables and right system for your the snake are run to the mixer, and the monitors are tuned in to prevent feedback. Plug the mics into the mixer or snake in their usual positions. Try to use the same “old standby” microphones and other gear you usually use — again, now is not the time to experiment with new gear!

3. Have a conversation with the worship team.

Explain to everyone that the regular sound person is not available and that help is required to have the service go well. This means guitarists need to turn down, drummers need to control volume, and so on. Explain that the monitor

8. Build the mix by bringing up the volume faders for the basics first.

Start with the bass drum and the bass guitar, turning them up to a comfortable level and balancing them against one another. You may need to adjust the level of the master volume fader to get the overall level to the right point.

9. Turn up the volume faders for the vocals.

system may not be perfect — forewarning the team that everything may not be ideal will go a long way toward easing the process for everyone. At least they will know what to expect!

Now focus on the vocals. Set them to a comfortable level, balanced against the bass guitar and the bass drum. The lead vocalist needs to be the loudest, with the background or harmony vocals filling in behind.

4. Turn it on.

10. Turn up the volume faders on the other instruments.

Turn on the speakers or the amplifiers last; this prevents loud thumps and pops from coming through the system.

5. Reset the mixing board.

Begin by pulling all the volume sliders (faders) down to zero. (Usually these are found at the bottom of each channel on the mixer.) Set the channel gain to a mid position (Usually this knob is found at the top of each channel on the mixer.) Next, reset all the equalization (tone) controls on the mixer to their center position, which is essentially off. Turn the auxiliary or monitor sends off. Make sure that mute or solo buttons are disengaged. (Usually these buttons are off in the up position.) Set the master volume fader to about 50%.

6. Begin testing each sound source through the mains.

Have the main vocalist speak or sing into his or her mic.

Bring up the volume slider until you can hear the vocals in the main speakers. Turn up the auxiliary or monitor sends until the vocalist can hear himself or herself in the monitors.

As you verify that each mic or source works, pull its volume fader back down to zero. You can leave the aux (monitor) sends turned up so that the singers can hear themselves. To prevent feedback, don’t run the stage monitors too loud.

More info on pg. 26

This inexpensive digital wireless system is a real performer onstage!

Photo by Jon James and Troy Behrens

7. Have the worship team begin to play a song.

Watch for red overload or “clip” lights on the mixer. If you see these, turn down the gain controls at the top of that source’s channel.

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One at a time, begin turning up the other instruments. Start with the rest of the drums, then the guitars, the pianos, the keyboards, and any other instruments; adjust the volume as needed. Balance each one against the vocals, the bass drum, and the bass guitar. This is a place where you can err on the side of being conservative. The vocals are the main focus, and you want to ensure that they are clearly audible. Use the other instruments to fill around the vocals, without obscuring them. As you go, adjust the master volume fader to control the overall level.

The Best Technology for Worship Worship Sound Pro features the latest and most essential music equipment and technology for today’s houses of worship.

Sweetwater-exclusive Interview with Lincoln Brewster

The inspiring songwriter and guitarist shares advice on using music technology in your house of worship — and talks about his favorite gear.

Essential Guides for You and Your Volunteers

RSS V-MIXING MIXING M SYSTEM

The Basics of

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How important is it that your church’s keyboard resemble an acoustic piano? Do you want an integrated stand, or would you prefer to use a more portable stage-style keyboard stand?

Westone UM3X RC

Worship Sound Pro 101 Guides

organ sounds Increasing in popularity are keyboards that feature a built-in microphone them themselves up for you, and once you’ve set them up, you don’t need to touch them sselves input. These are perfect for the performing worship leader and great for again. simple technology, how you can put g n n. Here’s a simpl e overview of wireless microphone te scaled-down youth services. The vocal microphone goes right through the again keyboard’s output, so you’ll need to amplify only one signal. Better yet, and$ how to00avoid it tto w work in your church, ch d some common commo pitfalls. there are professional vocal effects built in, so you can refine the vocal sound More info on pg. 111 without having to purchase an extra piece of gear.

There are two basic types of wireless transmitte transmitters: handheld units and bodypacks.

Handheld units combine a microphone m and a wi wireless transmitter into one device.

Don’t Forget About Realistic Organ Sounds They ar are extremely convenie ent for worship lead convenient leaders, and even some pastors prefer Roland RD-700NX them hem because b you can move e a handheld microp microphone away from your mouth if you The organ is still a very popular instrument for worship services. And while Platform-ready playability ee ed to cough. Wirele need Wireless handheld microphones are also less most of the keyboards we carry feature a built-in organ sound, you can get $ 00 ne and sounds ssusceptible su usceptible to dropou dropout, because the transmitter part of the that organ-playing experience — complete with drawbars — by choosing a More info on pg. 108 unit naturally point u points out toward the receiving antennas. dedicated instrument for the task.

5. Appearance

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Building a Mix

Classic Hammond

pg. 130

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lincolnbrewster.com

Picks

WIRELESS WIREL WIR W EL LES

Liine 6 Line POD HD500

pg. 96

Lincoln neatly affirms his path as a musical messenger when he paraphrased a quote by Martin Luther: “Aside from theology,” he says, “there’s not even a close second to music in terms of communicating God’s word to people.” He adds, “It’s obviously a very important part of what we do as a church.”

3599

A Balance of Features for Modern Worship

AVID A VID D Pro Tools + Eleven Rack

You can find Sweetwater-exclusive signature Lincoln Brewster patches on both the POD HD Pro and Eleven Rack systems. What’s more, Lincoln has been a Sweetwater customer “for almost 24 years. I could tell even back then: well-run company, thought a little bit outside of the box. If a church calls you up, ‘Here’s what we’re wanting to do,’ Sweetwater is able to really give them a comprehensive view of product options.”

Keyboard Pro 101 Guides

If you don’t need the all-out power of a workstation, but you’d still like a Roland Jupiter-50 handful of cutting-edge capabilities — maybe built-in drum patterns for Incredible piano and rehearsals and a lighter sequencer for a quick songwriting sketch pad — there synth tones — and more $ 00 are a number of options that fall somewhere in between the two categories we’ve already mentioned. Instead of choosing an 88-key option, which has the More info on pg. 112 same number of keys as a full piano, you can select a 76-key — or smaller — version. These instruments trade a slightly reduced range (many keyboardists never use the highest and lowest keys anyway) for lighter weight and a more portable form factor. You can still get fully weighted keys on a 76-key piano, Wireless Wirel ess technology can be a little daunting g at first. But don’t d worry, wireless or you can choose a semi-weighted version that works well if you perform a Wire Hammond XK-3c blend of classic and modern instrument sounds, rather than strictly piano. are m understand Most wireless systems much easier to un derstand today than ever e before. M

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pg. 123

Lincoln also relies on Avid’s Eleven Rack to get his favorite guitar tones in the studio. And, speaking of getting guitar tones, he gets plenty from one of his favorite new guitars, the Line 6 James Tyler Variax. “I think every studio ought to own one of those,” he enthuses. “It’s just amazing how spot on those models are. It was pretty stunning; I knew the guitar was cool, but at that point I was just a complete believer.”

While streamlined, piano-like instruments are ideal for a number of worship Yamaha MOTIF XF8 Great workstation, leaders and church pianists, many other houses of worship rely on keyboards $ 99 loaded with free extras for much more than just piano sounds. In fact, if you’re a piano-centric More info on pg. 104 worship leader, you may very well be able to perform and produce your entire service with a single powerful instrument called a keyboard workstation.

More than just keyboards with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of instrument sounds, these instruments often feature multitrack sequencers, so you can layer all the different instrument parts into a full orchestration. It’s very similar to working with audio editing and production software, only you’re Kurzweil not tethered to a computer — and you can easily play these backing tracks >>Sen Sennheiser nheiser heiser $ PC3K8 95 Amazing feel and right from your keyboard during services. And even if you do have a complete EW 33 3355 G3piano soundsMore info on pgpg. 24 $ 00 worship band, you can use a workstation to add a few choice backing Churches es across the country swear by More info on pg. 107 instruments to fill out your sound — perhaps a second trumpet part, a stringChurche pro-level this pro--level UHF wireless system! section, or even an extra kick drum sound for more power.

849

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When he heads into the studio, Lincoln uses a Pro Tools HD rig outfitted with Waves and Universal Audio plug-ins.

He also uses plenty of outboard gear in addition to working “in the box.” Mic-wise, “I use a handbuilt ADK tube mic (CS67J) that’s based off of a U-67; it’s awesome. I’ve also got a pair of Shure KSM 44s. I use them for vocals, but those mics work on anything.”

So, how would Lincoln approach gear and technology if he were starting from scratch? With an eye for effective sound solutions that don’t overwhelm the team or the budget, for starters. “”I think, if I were to go back to some of my earlier ministry days and start smaller, I would start with a good sound system,” he says.

“The nice thing is that you can get some great sound systems that don’t cost a lot of money, that have a lot of flexibility, and are designed for volunteer use or for people who aren’t at a ‘professional-caliber’ level. Line 6’s new StageScape PA system is just phenomenal,” he says, pointing to the system’s intuitive touch-panel controls. “What a cool concept! Things like that which are now available are making it possible for churches that are smaller and don’t have the big budgets to come up with really great results.” He warns against looking to technology as the total solution, rather than an aid. “Before you have something in place the way you want it, it can often become your focus. Technology is definitely one of those things that offers that danger. So, we can consistently, day in and day out, be about, ‘Oh, if we just had this, or if we just had this.’ You’ve got to have the right components, but it doesn’t require as much as most people think.” He adds, “Once you get some things in place, I think a lot of people need to ask what they’re going to do with it. I think a lot of worship ministries, if you went, ‘Okay, here’s everything that you’ve ever needed. Ready, go,’ then some of them might freeze for a minute because they’re so not used to thinking about what they’re actually supposed to be focusing on.” He points to the bottom line: “I think that our focus has to be on: how do we get God’s people connected in an authentic way? How we get them worshiping? What’s going to make that experience work? I ask myself p y that everyy week when I’m putting II’m ppu utti utt ttin tt ng my set ttogether. ogether. I’m going, ‘Alright, ‘Alrig Lord, are the songs? what’s h it going to ttake aake kkee tth this thi hhii w week? week e What ar say?’ focus on the AAnyth Anything nyth thi hingg I nne nee need eed eed ee ed to to ssa ay? ay?’ aay yy? y?’ ?’ An And really And r y focu experience exp expe perience ppe erience from om m th thatt angle gle le and a work on the Customer-favorite

Take a look at the instruments we’ve highlighted in this guide, including Yamaha’s MOTIF XF8, the affordable Roland FP-7F, and the piano-like Kurzweil Worship h Sou hi Sound und PC3K8. You’ll also want to check out the Hammond XK-3c.

LLine ine 6 JJames amess TTyler yl V ariax ri x Variax

Lincoln’s own setup pairs the latest technologies with classic tones. “I’ve got two Custom Shop Strats that are sort of based around ’57s.” Rather than relying upon miked amplifiers onstage, Lincoln opts to run his POD HD 500 rig direct. “Most of the dates I do on the road are fly dates; we’ve got to fly just about everywhere we go. I want something that sounds great, that feels great to play, and will give me consistency every night. For me, that means being able to fly with it. So, for me, that’s where it [using the POD] started. I recorded some tracks on my very first album with Line 6’s Amp Farm, and I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, it’d be great if I could take this on the road.’ And then the POD came out. I started using it, and, back then, running direct was blasphemy. I’d have people show up after we’d play at a festival and they’d say, ‘How do you get your tone? I want to see your rig!’ And I’d go, ‘You don’t want to know, trust me.’ And they’d say, ‘No, no, I wanna know!’ And I’d show them. What I’ve found consistently is that people’s brains would not allow them to hear what their ears heard. They just couldn’t get past the reality of what it was.”

He usually opts for a Line 6 G 30 or the G 50 wireless instrument system for his guitar. Lincoln also points to the flexibility Line 6’s new XD 75 wireless microphone system gives worship groups, thanks to the handheld transmitter’s array of built-in mic models. “I was really shocked at how good the models were inside the microphone. The fact that you could flip through a bunch of different mics and try different ones out and see which one worked was killer.”

For onstage monitoring, Lincoln depends on Westone in-ears. “I think top to bottom there’s not a better company for in-ears. The UM Series is great. I carry around UM 3Xs along with my 5 drivers for backup. They sound awesome and they fit great.”

Lincoln’s upbringing in Alaska was anything but idyllic. He grew up in a broken home, seeking solace in music. Gifted at guitar and other instruments from a young age, Lincoln poured his energies into improving as a player and performing live. By age 19, his talent and hard work got him noticed. Recording contract offers began coming in, but by then, Lincoln had let the Lord into his life and chose a different path. He played on a Steve Perry (formerly of Journey) solo album and toured with the singer for six months in the mid-1990s, but soon returned home — now in California — to be with his new wife and work with his church as a sound technician. Eventually, Lincoln moved to Nashville, working alongside his wife as a youth pastor. Upon hearing his production work during a demo session, executives from Integrity Media took notice of his talent and signed him to their Vertical Music label, and Lincoln relocated to California and began his work at Bayside Church. His experience on the platform, on tour, and behind the scenes gives Lincoln unique insight into what it takes to make technology work in the context of worship. As he points out, “I think that a lot of people have allowed for things to get overly complicated, and ‘technology’ for some people is a bad word — when technology is supposed to be our friend and help us out.”

Worship Sound Pro 101 Guides

Lincoln Brewster puts a lot of thought and experience into choosing the gear he relies on when he’s performing on the platform and recording in the studio. Throughout this issue of Worship Sound Pro, you’ll find several products that are similar to the ones Lincoln prefers. Here es! are a few great examples!

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spikes in sound. Ask each worship team member what he or she needs to hear from the monitors — one at a time so that everyone doesn’t speak at once — and adjust the auxiliary sends accordingly.

13. Don’t try to overtune the mix, and don’t make it too loud.

Set things up so that they are clean and clear, and at a comfortable, conservative volume level. Then stop! Once you get to the point where it sounds okay — this should happen fairly quickly — stop tweaking the knobs. It’s easy to lose perspective and get lost in knob turning, even though the goal has already been achieved.

14. Here’s a final tip.

When in doubt, focus on making the vocals, whether spoken or sung, clearly audible. The congregation is there to hear the message, which is contained in the words and lyrics. The music is inspiring and essential to a great service, but it plays just a supporting role in the grand scheme of things. Ensure that the vocals are heard, and the service will be a success!

11. It’s time for the equalizers.

Up to this point, we haven’t touched the equalizers (tone controls) on the mixer. If you find that the sound is getting too bassy or boomy, use the “low” or bass tone control to reduce the bass frequencies a small amount on instruments such as bass guitar, keyboards, and piano. Vocalists, especially male vocalists, may also need their bass reduced a small amount. To increase the clarity of a vocal or an instrument, add a small amount of treble or high frequencies by using the tone controls on that mixer channel. Be careful with the tone controls, as overuse can lead to feedback!

In-depth, down-to-earth articles help volunteers, pastors, and worship leaders to understand the ins and outs of the latest in worship sound technology.

12. Fine-tune the mix and the monitors.

Adjust volume levels so that instruments and vocals are balanced, and adjust the bass and the treble controls on channels ls as necessary to prevent boomine miness, harshness, or or boominess,

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Sweetwater.com/worship 101 Guides

With valuable advice on live mixing, miking techniques, instruments, and more, our informative guides give you the tips and tricks you need to make your services sound better.

News and Articles

Get useful, up-to-date editorials, reviews, and information from experts in worship sound — and stay current on the latest developments.

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Living Tone Amplification was born out of a love for great tone. We at Living Tone have our history both in professional level live sound reinforcement and in playing contemporary worship settings. With experience on both sides of the coin, we have a unique vision and approach to amplifier design. We know guitarists are challenged with having to cover a wide variety of tones and styles of play, especially on the worship stage. From the large stage, stadium-style venue, all the way down to the small stage; our offerings cover the rigorous demands of today’s worship guitarists. Yes, even if you find yourself on a small stage, you can still enjoy the beauty of true vintage tube tone at reasonable levels.

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At Living Tone we build British and American-style vintage, point to point, guitar amplifiers with top-shelf components for maximum playability and tonal enjoyment on the stage, in the studio, or at home. We feature modern refinements in these vintage-style circuits, including a variable wattage system, and our own custom hand-wired A/B/Y pedal with tuner mute. This pedal opens up the vintage architecture of the two channel amplifiers to make them more useful on stage. The old-school, two channel, design also affords us a unique opportunity for some custom voicing to accommodate the unique demands we face on the worship stage.

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Editor’s Corner

In Memory of... A Good Melody

SEP/OCT 2012

VOL. 10, ISSUE 5

Features

Okay, before I bring up this topic please keep in mind what I am NOT doing. I am not putting anyone down, and I am not discounting anyone’s moment of inspiration (including my own).

What I AM commenting on is that for the last few weeks in 8 Product Review

By Eric Wylie church I have been making a point of listening to the melody of Yamaha MGP16X the modern worship tunes we sing at my local congregation. A lot of the songs my own church sings are ones that have sprung 10 From the Drummer’s out of the more youthful worship streams, and some of them Perspective are written by our own worship leaders (who are influenced by

By Carl Albrecht many of those same well known worship songs). So I get that The Next Big Thing in Worship our folks emulate the other songs out there. That is all fine and Drumming dandy; I’m cool with all of that. I also get several CD’s in our (A word for all of us) offices here each week, and oftentimes when I take the time to listen to them I have the same thought that I feel at church 12 Keyboard sometimes. What is that thought bouncing around in my head,

By Ed Kerr you ask? Simply this: Where are the memorable melodies?

Create, Don’t Just Imitate

Yes, we need words that are full of God’s attributes and grace, doctrinally sound, and uplifting in spirit; but if we are going 15 Bass

By Gary Lunn to marry those words with music, we need a good melody to really bring it home. That is what makes it music. If you don’t How Do I Play to the Room? have a good melody, then maybe you should just call it poetry 16 Vocals and read it from the stage?

By Sheri Gould

Again, I am attempting here to bring a topic to our attention so How To Be An Effective we can discuss it openly and start teaching ourselves and our Background Vocalist fellow worship songwriters to focus more attention on making their mark with not only well written lyrics, but to also fuse those 18 Tips for Tight Teams words together with a well written melody. That is what makes

By Sandy Hoffman it really good music.

Team One/Team Two Do you think the songs you are singing now will be easily remembered a year or two from now? If it has a really good melody line you may recall it 15 years from now!

42 The Band

By Tom Lane Different Expressions, Not Different Directions!

43 Product Review

By Mitch Bohannon TC Helicon Mic Mechanic 44 Camera

By Craig Kelly Be Prepared 46 Worship Team Training

By Branon Dempsey Rehearsal Power-Outage?

Plugging The Power Back Into Rehearsal 48 Product Review

By Bruce Adolph PRS SE Angelus Custom Acoustic Cutaway Guitar 50 Musicianship

By Mark Shelton Memorizing Music

(Which Team Are You?)

26 Songchart “Wounded One” Judy and I were trying to remember the words to a Maranatha

by Davy Flowers

song from their very first record (that has to be 25 years ago).

We were able to hum the melody, and the more we sang it 30 Record Reviews the more the actual words came back to us. It was a song that

By Gerod Bass we could have sung in our sleep back in the day because you • Jared Anderson heard it all the time, but now 25 years later it was the song’s • Jesus Culture melody that brought it back to our memory. Kind of like how a • Israel & New Breed certain smell can spark something you haven’t thought about in 15 years, so too a good melody can bring back a tune from 36 Ministry + Artistry = the past.

Profitability? Creating your Continued on page 53

4227 S. Meridian. Suite C PMB #275 Puyallup, Washington 98373-5963 Phone: 253.445.1973 Fax: 253.655.5001 Email: bruce@christianmusician.com Website: www.worshipmusicianmagazine.com Publisher/Editor: Bruce Adolph Vice President: Judy Adolph Customer Service: Brian Felix brian@christianmusiciansummit.com Copyediting: Kevin Wilber Design Layout & Production: Matt Kees Advertising Sales: Bruce Adolph bruce@christianmusician.com • 253-445-1973 Worship Musician! is published bi-monthly

by The Adolph Agency, Inc.

MAP™

By Scott A. Shuford How To Design An Effective Ad? (or If Your Ad Says “Available Now” – Nobody cares!)

38 Authentic Worship

By Michael Gonzales Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills

Interview 20 IHOP’s “Magnificent Obsession”.. The Word of God

by Aimee Herd

40 Guitar Grab Bag

By Doug Doppler Which Version Are We Playing This Weekend?

WORSHIPMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM SEP/OCT 2012

7

PRODUCT REVIEW

By Eric Wylie

Yamaha MGP16X Yamaha has been in the pro audio market for 40 years and offers a wide range of analog and digital consoles.

The new MGP series of mixing consoles have their origins in the MG series of mixers and would be considered the ‘Pro’ line of the MG consoles. Some of the MGP series highlights include Yamaha’s new D-Pre, a class-A preamp, new X-pressive EQ, one knob compressors on the mono channels, dual digital effects, and Apple products interface. There are currently two models in the MGP series: the MGP12X and MGP16X. Yamaha provided the larger MGP16X for review.

iPod into one of the stereo channels. If someone needs to make an announcement, they use channel 8 and the music volume is automatically, and momentarily, brought down and back up. Imagine at the same event that a wide range of music styles is being played with varying volume levels.

Turning on the leveler will help control the volume differences between tracks. No more running back and forth to turn the music up or down. Both are simple but useful enhancements. The mixer also includes 4 buss channels, 2 track in, and your standard set of output options.

The MGP16X features 16 line inputs including 8 mono and 4 stereo channels.

There are a total of 10 XLR mic inputs, with two being on stereo/mono channels.

Each mono channel includes Yamaha’s one knob compressor, three band EQ with sweepable mids, two aux sends, and two f/x sends. There are two mono/stereo channels with three band EQ, two aux sends, and two f/x sends. Finally, the two stereo channels have the same EQ and send, and also include built-in duckers and levelers. Both are very useful features for smaller church events and parties.

The ducker is triggered off channel 8.

Imagine you’re running music from an

The MPG series include 8 effects programs from the Rev-X and 16 programs from the SPX products. The SPX program channel includes a dedicated tap tempo button and both programs have their own return channels. Let’s take a look at the iPod, iPhone, iPad functionality as it related to the f/x and stereo channels.

It seems like almost everyone has some sort of Apple product these days. The iPod signal can be run through a stereo channel or direct to 2 track out. The port also charges the Apple device. Is there an app for the MGP series? You bet! With the MPG app, the ducker, leveler, Rev-X and SPX effects can be edited and stored. This keeps the mixer controls nice and simple, but allows for greater functionality. (A nice side effect is the settings essentially become ‘tamper proof.’)

So how does the unit perform and sound?

I used the mixer at several rehearsals for a pop/adult contemporary band consisting of drums, bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and vocals. In order to test the ease of setup, I skipped the manual and threw caution to the wind…. After a few minutes of staring at the mixer wondering why I wasn’t getting any output, I realized the stereo mains have an ON button.

Yamaha – 01, Eric – 00… The moral of the story is to always read the manual first. The MGP16X sounded fantastic and was a huge improvement over the other brand name board in use. The preamps are incredibly quiet and the compressor knob worked quite well. The EQ points

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SEP/OCT 2012 WORSHIPMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM

worked very well and sounded exceptionally clean and clear. The default f / x settings sounded a little on the thick side on their own, but blended in the mix quite well. After the rehearsals, I downloaded the MGP app from iTunes and edited the f/x settings. The app worked nicely and has a very intuitive interface. Custom settings are saved after the mixer is powered off, by the way. In all, the mixer performed very well and could easily hold its own against other small size digital boards. The band liked it enough to ask if they could buy it and keep it. That sounds like high praise!

No product is ever absolutely flawless and a few minor things jumped out at me. First, Yamaha mixers use an ‘ON’ switch instead of a ‘MUTE’ switch on the individual channels. This is opposite of many manufacturers. Most people should be able to adjust to this quickly though.

Secondly, all of the ON buttons on the channels, except for the f/x channels, were click type. The f/x channels were soft switches. The only difference is a little bit of tactile feedback, but it was inconsistent. There were no significant complaints.

Yamaha mixing consoles may not be as visible in the market as some manufacturers, but they certainly hold their own quite well. The MGP16X includes an impressive array of features and would be well at home in any smaller church, coffee shop or as with a smaller band.

It would also work nicely for smaller DJ setups. The Yamaha MGP16 has a retail price of $999 and is available nationwide. For more details on the MGP series contact your local dealer or go online to http://usa.yamaha.com/ products/live_sound/mixers/analogmixers/mgp/ Eric is a bass geek and works for Warmoth Guitar Products, Inc. He is also active as a music educator and performer in the Pacific Northwest. For more info: www.summit-music.com

FROM THE DRUMMER’S PERSPECTIVE

By Carl Albrecht

The Next Big Thing in Worship Drumming (A word for all of us) presentation and using all the tools at our disposal to tell the world about Him, and making Jesus’ name famous in the earth, is part of the “great commission” in this modern age. I know that to be true without any doubt. But I see and feel the struggle that has intensified in these times.

And it is sobering, if not frightening!

to see how we can use “what God has made us for” to best serve at the table. If that attitude remains central in our hearts then our selfish pride will surrender to the Lord’s purposes for us. We become free to enjoy what He is doing in and through us rather than being tormented by our own narcissistic tendencies.

Every ministry is hotly pursuing the latest in modern technology and excellence in presentation so that we can be noticed more. OH… or did I mean to say, so that HE can be noticed more? Wow… It In this amazing season of worship doesn’t take much for our motivation and music exploding around the earth I can focus to get off track! see that it’s harder for musicians to not It’s so easy to get caught up in the latest get caught up in the business, branding, trends. We hardly notice that in our and marketing of ministries with an “vision casting” meetings that we don’t emphasis on image and personalities take time to pray or call on the Lord to give rather than the presence of God. Even us wisdom to show us what He wants us in smaller communities of faith, artists to do. We’re more concerned with the are constantly challenged with battling a latest market analysis, staying culturally spirit of pride. This is just not a problem relevant, or making sure we sound and for mega ministries or recording artists. look cool on stage. It’s so hard to not be And… I do know this is not a new issue. influenced by our culture. After all, look The battle for humility is timeless! But I at the overwhelming number of talent see an overwhelming struggle in these competitions on TV. So, this is not only a days, probably because of the immense corporate challenge, but also a reminder influence of media and the power of the to us as individuals to stay close to the Internet. We ARE living in the information Lord so we can really hear from Him age - the age of expanded knowledge, about the direction we are headed. and the power of influence. It is truly a time where “All the world’s a stage!” And Now before you get all stirred up and feel like I’m looking down my nose at it’s affecting all of us. anyone, I want you to know I’m looking As you can tell, this article will not be just at the man in the mirror as I share this. for drummers, but for all musicians and This is about ALL of us. So please resist artists in the church. Bruce, our editor, the temptation to be offended. I’m feeling always reminds us to address issues challenged by the Spirit to judge my own concerning musicians as it relates directly heart concerning these issues as I reach to their work in the church and other out to the artistic community in the church worship ministries. While brainstorming to remind us of who we are and our and praying about what I would write great calling. I’m involved in international about next, this topic exploded into my ministries, as well as serving in my local spirit. REALLY! I felt the Lord shake me to church. And, believe me, the battle rages attention about what is confronting all of everywhere! us in this age.

In big and small ministries alike the Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t have a challenge is the same. People struggle problem with being skillful, excellent at with being noticed or recognized in some what we do, and disciplined in our talents. way for what they “bring to the table.”

God’s people are gifted, “by Him,” to be But really our intention should always be the best at what they do. Making a great

I’ve been watching a lot of music videos and YouTube clips of worship events.

Even some that I’ve been apart of stir a caution within me about guarding my heart from being captured or impressed by the presentation rather than meeting the Lord in that moment. It has been a reminder that when I receive honor and accolades to always give the glory to God.

What’s the next big thing in worship drumming? Well my friends, it is NOT we drummers! If you want to become great (big) in drumming or in life, you must become the servant of all. Mark 9:35 (NIV1984)…Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

The Lord is calling us to “stay low” in our journey of being His minstrels in the earth.

By staying low I mean staying humble.

This is absolutely necessary! Especially in these days!

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We also need to help people keep their hearts, as well as our own, turned towards the Lord in moments like this. It’s really just a matter of not being impressed with ourselves, but amazed with the greatness of God and focusing everyone’s attention on Him. We are privileged as artists to be called to lead people in worshiping the creator of everything. I’m always aware of that priestly calling that artists and musicians have to minister to the Lord and to encourage people to join us in that endeavor.

I pray we all continue to grow in the faith, humility, and focus to keep all that we do in God’s proper perspective.

Blessings to you as you endeavor to stay low and point to the One who is higher than all.

Carl Albrecht has been a professional drummer & percussionist for over 25 years. He has played on over 70 Integrity Music projects; Maranatha Praise Band recordings & numerous other Christian, Pop, Country, Jazz & commercial projects. He currently lives in Nashville doing recording sessions, producing, writing and continuing to do various tours & seminar events. Visit his website: www.carlalbrecht.com or send an e-mail to: lmalbrecht@aol.com.

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KEYBOARD

By Ed Kerr

Create, Don’t Just Imitate It’s beautifully written, with lyrics of great play a phrase with 8th note activity. Here’s depth and a timeless melody. Clearly a possibility, what I’ll call phrase A: (Ex.3) this is a song that will be heard often in Extending the E minor chord through the worship gatherings for years to come. second bar here creates a nice contrast And therein lies a challenge for you and with the usual harmonic momentum of I as musicians who serve our churches on the chorus. For bars 3 and 4 of this new worship teams. A year from now, when section, I might quote measure 1 from What song comes to mind for you today I’ve played the song many, many times, phrase A and then depart from what I’d when you read those sentences? For me, I don’t want to always be copying the done in measure 2. Something like this, it’s “10,000 Reasons” by Matt Redman piano part from the recording. There’s phrase B: (Ex. 4) and Jonas Myrin. A few weeks ago when absolutely nothing wrong with doing Notice that on beat 4 of the first measure I introduced the song at my home church that, and you and I can learn a lot by of phrase B I’ve used an inversion. No I was amazed and delighted with how getting great piano parts like this “under inversions are heard in this chorus, so well the congregation knew the song. our fingers”. Figuring out exactly what using this quick G/B provides some notes are used. Where activity is nice movement in the bass line. Also, as played. Where it’s left out. you play these two measures note how But you and I weren’t made just strongly the D chord wants to resolve. The to imitate beautiful music, but to most common resolution would be to a G create it as well. That said, next chord. So, play phrase A, phrase B, and time I use “10,000 Reasons” as 2 bars of a G chord. (Ex. 5) part of a worship set, I want to Note that in the example above I’ve take a little time, say 8 to 16 shown a repeat sign. This repeat is measures, to present a unique optional. Let your ear and your musical intro to the song. There are instincts determine whether or not to 10,000 different directions such repeat bars 1 through 4. I like hearing an intro could go, but here are the repeat of bars 1 through 4 because a few things that might influence this delays the resolution to the G chord. the musical and creative direction Whatever you do, after playing the two I take. bars of the G chord, try singing the first Step back from the melody chorus. of the song and ask yourself Of course you can imitate the beautiful what short ideas in it could be piano part from the Matt Redman developed within your new intro? recording when you present this great Here’s the melody of the chorus. song. I hope you’ll spend some time at (Ex.1) your instrument though, exploring the Look at the beginning of the infinite possibilities there are for preparing 3rd line where “Oh, my soul” is your congregation to sing it. Get other sung above the C, D and E minor musicians on your worship team involved chords. It is such a beautiful in these creative pursuits as well. moment in the song’s melody, and Our God delights in being creative, as a phrase ripe for development. we see in Genesis 1. Again and again it When the chorus is sung, you says, “God saw that it was good.” Let’s go right from “Oh, my soul” to be imitators of God and develop our “I’ll worship Your Holy Name”. creative potential. Note: Visit kerrtunes.

Since I’m trying to create an intro com for audio related to this article. that doesn’t do what’s usually done, I want to do something As a songwriter Ed has writunexpected here. One option ten over 100 songs with Integis to hold the E minor chord rity Music. He has a Masters throughout the bar following it. Degree in piano performance.

Like in Ex.2.

Ed and his family live in WashIt really is remarkable. Someone writes a worship song, records it, releases it, and within a matter of months it’s known around the world. It’s sung regularly in thousands of churches. It’s heard on the radio, becoming instantly recognizable from the first few notes of the arrangement.

Ex. 1

Ex. 2

Ex. 3

Ex. 4

Ex. 5

Play this using a grand piano ington State. Ed plays Yamaha’s Motif XS8. www.kerrtunes.com sound. During the second measure, create whatever you activity you choose. Go to a higher octave, for example, and

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SEP/OCT 2012 WORSHIPMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM

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BASS

By Gary Lunn

How Do I Play To the Room?

I was recently asked that question and it reminded me that it is now very rare that I get to play in a worship band setting without headphones, but rather with actual wedges and amps! A few weeks ago I was invited to play an opening night celebration for a conference here in Nashville. The main worship leader was a person that we all know and love (I won’t mention the name, but this person is one of the most honorable people I have ever known, has handled fame extremely well, and is still doing a lot for the Kingdom in the areas of music and charity). I thought that you might find it interesting if I shared my thought process through the afternoon sound check and the evening performance, in order to give you an idea of some things that I consider to be important for my quality of performance and servanthood to those with whom I am working.

The band was made up of studio musicians. The singers were a combination of session singers and local choir members. Fantastic situation! Even though it was a benefit effort, we still had the opportunity to request the backline gear of our choosing. Of course, I requested my favorite amp of all time: the Ampeg “SVT.” Call me “old school,” and “old rocker,” or whatever, but for me, standing in front of an SVT with a bass-drum-blaring monitor at my feet is a little slice of heaven (it has never been practical for me to own my own SVT they’re so big and heavy and I like to travel light...http://www.markbass.it/ product_detail.php?id=41).

The room in which we were playing was about a 500-seat room with 20-foot ceilings; a medium sized venue. As we got closer to sound check, the drummer began playing, so I set my bass amp output to a level that I felt would not be heard at the sound board (with everyone playing, of course). As a responsible musician, I want to be the “last person on earth” who will make the soundman’s job more difficult. In other words, I don’t want the soundman to be forced to mix everything around my level. Usually it’s the drummer or the guitarist(s) who gives sound men that challenge, but that day I was playing through an amp capable of competing with anyone else’s volume level, so I wanted to be sure not to play too loud (no matter how much I liked it).

Sound check went great. I asked the

front-of-house engineer if I was too loud and he said that my amp level was fine. When the monitor mixer asked me what I wanted to hear in my monitor, I asked for a moderate amount of lead vocal (and alternate worship leader vocals), a moderate amount of the worship leader’s instrument, a little electric guitar level, a little of the auxiliary keyboard level, a moderate amount of hi-hat, a hefty amount of bass drum, no snare, and NO BASS. Here are my reasons for my request.

“bouncing” around everywhere, the musicians’ individual monitor settings can go completely out the window. Usually the first thing you see is the musician getting the monitor mixer’s attention, pointing at his/her monitor, and then excitedly pointing towards the ceiling. Turning up the monitor’s overall volume will usually fix everything (except for extra wear and tear on your ears). Just be sure that you have a clear line-of-sight with the monitor mixer before the event starts. It also doesn’t hurt to speak with him beforehand, asking him Worship leader vocals and instrument - to “keep an eye” on you.

No matter how good a player or singer In smaller rooms, always try to be he/she is, you must always be able to aware of your bass amp volume. Bass hear what they are doing. If they change frequencies travel in long sound waves the arrangement on-the-fly, you have to and usually take between 30 and 40 know where they’re going. feet to form to full volume, so ask friends A little guitar(s) and “aux” keyboard - in the audience and the front-of-house It’s good to hear what they are doing so engineer if your stage volume is too you will know how to stay out of their way. loud. Remember that the more control the How else would you know? Besides, engineer has over your sound level the somewhere during the set, a guitar player better the mix will be. He can’t control it if it’s too loud. Try thinking of your amp WILL turn his amp up. It’s a given. :-) as a personal source of feel rather than A moderate amount of hi-hat - That’s massive coverage all over the room. where the groove is.

OSHA (the Occupational Safety and A hefty amount of bass drum - That’s Health Administration) recommends that where the pocket is. people avoid prolonged (over eight No snare drum - I can usually hear hours) exposure to noise greater than plenty of snare through the hi-hat mic. I 85 dB, and have very limited exposure love the snare drum’s role (pun intended) to noise above 115 db. Most rock where it pertains to the drummer’s feel concerts are 115 db and higher. Have and style, but snare drums can be used earplugs with you always. Besides, you can hear the mix better with earplugs than as sonic assault weapons. :-) without (you eliminate most of the room’s NO BASS - My philosophy for that is negative acoustic properties). Be careful one of perspective. I only listen to the bass with the ears God gave you. If you are from my amp. Everything else is in the in a situation where you are close to monitor. Listening to the two instruments drums, cymbals, loud guitar, etc., be sure split out from each other helps me to be to use earplugs. Also, try not to endure more aware of the drummer’s pocket. I prolonged exposure to high decibel can more easily measure their “groove levels. As for me, I want to be ready relationship.” Try it sometime. It will clear and able to hear that sound of a mighty up your monitor mix, too. rushing wind when He comes! Be richly The gig went very well. The only problem blessed!! with sound-checking in a medium sized room with a powerful sound system is that everything changes when the event Gary is a session player/ starts. Not only does the sound of the producer/writer in Nashville, room change when it’s full of people but, currently playing for Lindell also, the soundman will typically “up” Cooley, MMI, home recordthe volume of the main speakers as the ing, and many recording session accounts, attending Grace evening progresses (they get inspired, Church in Franklin, TN. Contact him for sestoo...). Unfortunately, that can trigger the sions or over-dubs at lunnbass@aol.com. phenomenon that occurs when a room fills up with sound; it creates big changes www.facebook.com/garylunn, in the way things sound to the musicians on stage. With all that extra sound www.gracechurchnashville.org

WORSHIPMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM SEP/OCT 2012

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VOCALS

By Sheri Gould

How To Be An Effective Background Vocalist In this month’s column I would like to address a few key elements to becoming a truly effective background vocalist. An effective background vocalist is a real asset, as well as a blessing to not only the upfront singer/worship leader, but to the audience/ congregation as well.

Less Talented?

Oftentimes we think that a background vocalist is typically “less talented”. This could not be further from the truth! Many of the most celebrated singers of our time have found themselves in the position of singing backing vocals, from Whitney Houston, Carly Simon, and Mariah Carey to Elton John, James Taylor, and Michael McDonald! Truly, singing background vocals is not (necessarily) an indicator of mediocre talent. In fact, it takes a good deal of skill to be good at singing in the background without upstaging and demanding focus. A good background singer also needs to have the ability to blend in and be able to sing harmony parts. So let’s look at some of the aspects of what contributes to an effective background singer.

Essential Skills There are a few really essential tools that every singer needs to have in their “toolbox”.

Here is a suggested list (not exhaustive) of goals that every background singer might want to work toward: • Good Intonation • Flexible Tone Quality • Natural Vibrato • Sight-reading Skills • Ability to sing and Create Multiple Harmonies (and ability to switch parts if necessary) • Humble/Approachable Attitude • Commitment Let’s have a look at each of these and assess their value to the platform while giving you some tips as to how to achieve them.

Intonation - is the ability to sing notes in tune at will. This may seem obvious, but many singers lack this important skill. Good intonation must be consistent. I train singers to be able to sing simple half-steps and whole-steps without the aid of an instrument.

This helps to tune up their ears. Singing a cappella can also help to improve intonation by forcing singers to rely on their own internal sense of tonality rather than depending on an instrument. If you need more help, try some training software like Sing & See (http:// www.singandsee.com/).

Flexible Tone Quality - is imperative for

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being able to blend with other singers. You do not have only one specific tone quality as a singer. This tool is invaluable, as you need to be able to shade and color your tone to meet any need. If you have never learned how to affect your tone quality through different resonance then I suggest you buy my DVD called “Developing Style” (http://sherigould.bigcartel.com/ ) Please don’t resort to the unhealthy practice of adding air to your tone to be able to blend with others, there are so many other, healthy ways to blend with other singers.

Natural Vibrato - is a naturally occurring vibrato that is healthy and not over powering-it is air (volume) generated and not pitch generated. There are times while blending that even a natural vibrato may need to be curbed, but overall a natural vibrato is an asset. It is only the mechanically imposed vibratos that cause problems. These vibratos are too prominent, overwhelming the singer’s voice and every other singer’s voice as well. For a complete treatment on the subject of vibrato, please refer to the May/June issue of Worship Musician!

Magazine (http://www. scribd.com/doc/92863896/WorshipMusician-Magazine-MayJun-2012) or write to me at sherigould1@aol.com and request your own personal copy.

Sight-reading Skills - are generally extinct in most church environments with today’s highly technological world of both large and small screen generated lyrics (sans music). I will likely go to my grave still extolling the virtues of learning and being proficient at this long lost (and seemingly dying) art. The ability to read and understand (at least a rudimentary knowledge of) music should be an obvious requirement of any person who aligns him/ herself as a musician. Sadly, most singers do NOT consider themselves musicians.

This is likely because in the strictest sense of the word—they aren’t. But they should be and they need to be!

There were very good reasons that the original “writers” of the Gregorian Chant found it useful to write down the notes of the famous tune—not the least of which was so that they could remember it correctly in the future! How much time is wasted in our rehearsals today because our singers lack this skill? Reading music is not a difficult thing to learn. Try a little bit of reading each week as a team. Building this skill will improve multiple aspects of your team.

Sadly, I find it more and more common that “musicians” are proud of the fact that they

cannot read music. To me this is like living in a country for years and being proud of never having learned the language.

The Ability to sing and create Multiple Harmonies - although it may not be essential to being a background vocalist in the truest form of the word, is nonetheless a wonderful asset. I require ALL my background vocalists to be able to sing harmony, and not only ONE specific area of harmony, but to be flexible enough to be able to switch parts if necessary. Anyone who can sing and hold a tune can learn to sing harmony. Next month I will devote my entire column to ways you can learn how to sing harmony. For now, start listening for the harmonies on the songs you currently enjoy listening to. They are there. Start to tune into them and try to sing along with them. Stop yourself from only singing along with the melody; this will start you on the road to singing harmony yourself.

A Humble / Approachable Attitude and Commitment - are perhaps the two most important things a background singer can posses. With these two things in place, I can do miracles-even if some of the other skills are lacking. Being a background singer is all about supporting the lead singer and the team. This means not drawing attention to yourself or your own voice, but making the leader and the team “look good”. No leader can function with a team that is inconsistent; therefore being confident that all the team members are on board and will be there for rehearsals/performances will allow a team leader to plan and move the team forward in every way. Humility in all the team members also allows the leader to do what’s best for the team without worrying that one of the members will be offended.

All egos need to be checked at the door.

With these aspects in place, you’ll be well on your way to being an Effective Background Vocalist. God bless you and keep on singing for Him!

Sheri Gould is an internationally acclaimed vocal coach. With a degree from the University of Ill, she has been coaching since 1979 and leading worship since 1985. For weekly vocal tips, check out Sheri’s FB page at www.facebook.com/officialsherigould. For information on products, including instructional DVDs, check out http://sherigould.com

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TIPS FOR TIGHT TEAMS

by Sandy Hoffman

Team One/Team Two (Which Team Are You?)

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness...”

Psalm 100:1, 2a (NKJV) TEAM ONE Team One steps onto the stage. Almost business-like, they prepare to lead others to worship God. Minds engaged, heads down, faces stoic, sticks and picks in hand...they’re off! (Remember that word: “off.”) For the next twenty-seven minutes and thirty-two seconds the people are treated to a cacophony of bleeps and blunders, dissonant disasters, frowns and flaws, stops and starts, and musical mishaps! Why all these problems? What’s missing from this team portrait?

THE MISSING (WORSHIP) LINKS 1. Heart. Notice that Team One has their minds engaged, approaching worship leading in an almost business-like manner.

This cerebral efficiency does have its place in worship, but not at the expense of heartfelt jubilation and adoration to the King of Kings! In order of priority, I believe, Jesus quoted the first and great commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 (NKJV) If we have our heart-priorities right, the others fall easily into place.

2. Countenance. Heads down, faces stoic? They say the eyes are the mirrors of the soul. If they can’t even see your eyes, how can they read your heart? In leading worship, facial expressions can say it all!

Remember: worship is not a funeral! Smile, and look up to Jesus. You’ll soon find others following you there.

3. Preparation (team rehearsal).

Bleeps and blunders, dissonant disasters, and musical mishaps can be avoided. As relates to team excellence and cohesion, a weekly rehearsal, other than a quick brush up on Sunday mornings, will make all the difference in your worship-world. “So the number of them...who were instructed in the songs of the Lord, all who were skillful, was two hundred and eighty-eight.” I Chronicles 25:7 (NKJV) Wouldn’t you like to add your team to that list?

team is walking in the revelation of the presence of the Lord with full expectation that He will show up. Don’t you just love being led into worship by someone with that much unwavering confidence in Christ? Let’s be like them!

3. Polish (personal practice).

Why does the body language of Team Two signal self-confidence and readiness? chord progressions to smooth out the Because they did their homework. bumps between the tunes? (see pages Yes, corporate rehearsal is a must, but 69-91, “Tips for Tight Teams” book, personal practice (at home) is even more www.WorshipTeamWork.com) These vital. To do a good job, you gotta do worship devices are valuable tools in the “schlogg.” (And you can quote me creating a seamless worship experience. on that!) Practice time alone is the key to They help to keep the hearts and minds of confidence, boldness and excellence. the worshipers focused and concentrating 4. Flow. The Team-Two-type-team on the object of our affection. Worshiping stays mainly in the stream (say that ten “in the stream” produces a platform where times fast!). Worship-flow is about not we decrease and He increases. interrupting the focus of the people on “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, the heart of the Lord. We must do all we and into His courts with praise. Be can to facilitate seamless worship-flow. thankful to Him, and bless His name” This includes smooth transitions between Psalm 100:4 (NKJV) songs, complimentary keys from song to song, comfortable transitions between TEAM TWO songs, (especially when changing Unlike Team One, this team bounds into tempo), interesting vocal and instrumental view, brimming with thankful enthusiasm arrangements in songs (not everyone on as they take the stage! They are kinetic the team is singing and/or playing all and animated in their approach to the time) and a clear understanding by leading others into worship. They want to the team of where each worship time is take you where they’ve already been. It’s heading. A central theme or scripture, obvious they’re listening with their hearts, reintroduced throughout the worship set, is not just their heads! Their faces reflect the foundational and fundamental to smooth joy and peace of the Lord and their body worship-flow. It promotes consistency language signals self-confidence and and uniformity of the meaning and the readiness. Not even one person notices message of the music. how long this team is on the stage. The 5. Gel. You know what I always say, worship is SO not about them, smooth “A gooey team is a good team.” What?! and unified, that the clock on the wall in the back of the room seems simply to It just means you gotta gel. You gotta disappear. Yes, every gaze is fixed upon be stuck like glue, unified, connected to a singular face; but it isn’t the clock face one another. Be of one mind and one mission. Get it? The team which shares this time, it’s Jesus’! a common heart for Christ, love for His WHAT NOT TO MISS “sheeple”, common direction, and well 1. Energy. Team Two is charged! developed musical skills is gonna be Notice words like “bounds” and hard to beat when it comes to worship“brimming,” “kinetic” and “animated.” time effectiveness. The proclamations of a These guys can’t wait to worship. Team Two type-team will be heard. And Excitement genuinely oozes from their yet, when the people reflect upon the time collective being, reflecting what must be of worship, it won’t be the team they’re a worship lifestyle practiced in places remembering. Instead, they’ll be shouting other than on the stage at the church. with one voice of praise: “So then my friends, because of God’s “For the Lord is good; His mercy is great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer everlasting, and His truth endures to all yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, generations!” Psalm 100:5 (NKJV) dedicated to His service and pleasing Charged! to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer.” Romans 12:1 (GNT) Sandy

2. Expression (facial). The eyes of Team Two really are the mirrors of their Sandy Hoffman serves 4. Transitions (flow). A worship time souls.

Look into them and you’ll see the the worship community in without distraction moves with an easy flow reflection of Jesus. Wow! This sounds like Santa Fe, NM from one song to the next. Instead of the the perfect worship team, doesn’t it? Just Find out more about his shock of stops and starts between songs, as the “men of Galilee (the apostles) stood “Tips for Tight Teams” online at: why not incorporate pivotal chords for painless key changes and “free worship” gazing up into heaven” in Acts 1:11, this www.WorshipTeamWork.com

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IHOP’s “Magnificent Obsession”...

On the outskirts of Kansas City, the acronym IHOP likely conjures up a different image in the mind than pancakes—one of passionate worshipers of Jesus deep in prayer, led by skilled musicians and singers, pouring their hearts out to God. That’s an accurate description of the main prayer room at the International House of Prayer, where music-based intercession has been lifted up, non-stop, for 13 years now. I spoke with three of the many worship leaders in the 24/7 prayer room about what it’s like to be a part of something that resembles the Tabernacle of King David, and about how that’s being shared with the rest of the world through their latest CD: “One Thing Live-Magnificent Obsession.”

Aimee Herd: Misty, you’ve been at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City pretty much from the beginning of the 24-hour prayer and worship, right?

Misty Edwards: Right. It started in 1999 and I was one of the first of five interns.

AH: What was the spark that started that idea? And did you expect it to continue and grow like it has?

ME: It was prophesied in the early 1980s that there would be a house of prayer, 24 hours, 7 days a week, led by singers and musicians. The church that Mike Bickle led had that promise hanging on the prayer room wall. They had a prayer room there for 16 years before our house [of prayer] started.

It was something that we knew was coming but I don’t think anyone knew what it would look like, or what it even meant to go 24 hours a day, 7 days a week [in prayer and worship]. I don’t know if anybody knew what we were really getting into in 1999 when it started. But it was the fruit of a prophetic promise. Then, over those 16 years [before it started], Mike started searching the Bible, finding the Scriptural basis for it, and spent a lot of time in prayer; so it was a natural

progression for him.

ME: Well, like you said, I don’t know if there’s any exact science, but for me: I moved here in 1998, so I hadn’t been that familiar with the history of singing the Scripture. Because we’re it. But when it started, just the idea of singing a lot, and probably 50 percent encountering God and being in a place of what we’re doing is spontaneous. where I could sing to Him, day and One of the ways that we stay fresh is night, knowing it’s never going to stop, through worshiping spontaneously. was just very invigorating. I was just So, we’re always discovering new a teenager and it totally captured my melodies and new lyrics, new chord progressions. It keeps a freshness to it, imagination. that’s one thing.

AH: Was that IHOP style of worship But, in that spontaneity, actually and intercession all new to you, or were singing the Scriptures. Not just word you familiar with the concept? for word, or chanting the Scriptures, ME: Oh, it was a whole new concept but developing them. We’re actually for me. I was a Christian, and I had having a “singing Bible study.” followed some of the Charismatic worship, like Vineyard—that was very We’ll take a Scripture like a psalm or impacting to me. ...And worship something, and we’ll spend 2 hours leaders like Kevin Prosch and Dave breaking it down—line upon line— Ruis, and also prophetic singers like through spontaneous song. That’s what JoAnn McFatter and Julie Meyer—I’d keeps it fresh. As far as bringing the been aware of that style of worship, Presence of the Lord... I don’t know but the idea of going 24 hours a day, who said it, but I’ve heard it said, “the 7 days a week was a bizarre and chariot the Holy Spirit rides best in is the Word of God.” So, singing the exciting concept.

Word of God is probably where I’ve AH: Misty, we know there’s no encountered the Presence of God the “formula” for coming into God’s most.

Presence, but as you’ve led worship AH: Just on a practical level, is there in the prayer room, what are some things you could point to, that you’ve ever time for rehearsal, and how does noticed—things that really seemed to that work if so? stir hearts for the Presence of the Lord?

ME: We have a big emphasis on excellence. We have 14 different worship teams that lead here in the main prayer room (we have four other prayer rooms), and each worship team has about 10 people on their team, and each of those groups practice once, if not twice, a week. That’s where they’re rehearsing and arranging songs and getting things tighter. The 50 percent that is not spontaneous is rehearsed.

AH: Being on a worship team too, I know from time-totime there can be the dreaded “train wreck.”

Have you experienced that, and what

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The Word of God

by Aimee Herd

do you do when it happens there in the and they’re going back home and main prayer room? starting prayer meetings. The model ME: (Laughs) Oh, we have had more that we do, with so much spontaneity runaway trains and train wrecks than and singing Scripture may not be you can imagine! But, the thing about appropriate for a Sunday morning here is we can’t stop. It’s not a place [service], so what we’re finding is where you can stop and acknowledge people are going back to their churches “oh yeah, we messed up”...it’s not a and starting a Tuesday night Bible study jam session, and the fire can’t stop (we or prayer meeting, and then they’re define the fire as the music), so even using our model, so to speak. when there’s a train wreck we have to keep going. Most of the time, we just kind of chuckle about it and move on, and we always have debriefings after every set. The whole team meets together for about 10 to 30 minutes, depending on what happened, and that’s where we would address that.

We’ve had tons of train wrecks because I always encourage all of our worship teams to take risks, which means you’re gonna flop...a lot. But, you’re never going to fly if you don’t take risks either, so it’s kind of a catch-22.

AH: That’s true, I bet it’s a real period of growth for people who just join the team.

ME: It can be, and some people are very uncomfortable with the spontaneous side of it, but others just thrive over time.

AH: I personally love the spontaneity.

ME: Me too, that’s my favorite.

Or, if it’s intercession, the prayer leader will come up and he’s the one introducing the passage. He might say, “Oh Lord break into Kansas City with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.”

Then he’ll stop and we do the same thing [singing] around the intercessory burden.

AH: And, I’ve noticed that your singers take turns singing.

But, yeah, I’ve seen it all over the ME: Yes, that’s called antiphonal nation, and really all over the world. singing. Typically they’re singing pretty Churches with prayer rooms and prayer short phrases, so that everybody is meetings are springing up everywhere. staying involved, and so one singer isn’t AH: That’s awesome. So, if someone going off for 20 minutes or something. was interested in doing that, and said, We’re basically having a dialogue, “OK what is the model for doing this through song, about the Scripture or kind of worship?” What would you tell about the intercessory burden. And, them? we’re directing it all to God, so it’s ME: We have what we call the “harp prayer. So, they sing short phrases, and bowl” model. I could go into then the prayer leader will jump back great detail, but basically, in a 2 hour in, and then another singer. And, we set, we’ll do about 20-30 minutes of do choruses to get the room involved, worship, then someone will introduce we’ll repeat a line a few times so a passage [on the mic] like a psalm, everybody can enter into it, it’s kind of just a chunk of Scripture—2 or 3 verses, like a corporate meditation. not a whole chapter. Then the prayer leader who is speaking–we always try to interact between the speaking and the singing—will pray one or two sentences at the most (relating to that Scripture), he’s kind of directing us. And then we’ll sing around that Scripture.

AH: And, this is all based on the worship and prayer instituted by King David, way back in the day, is that right?

ME: Yes, it was King David and that’s where we get our primary inspiration; that prophetic word that was given about this house of prayer, was that it would be “in the spirit of the Tabernacle of David.” King David had 4,000 singers and musicians who did it full time, 24/7. And there were others throughout history who did [similar houses of prayer and worship] too.

For example: Someone reads “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

Then the prayer leader says, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” And then we break it down in song... “The Lord takes care of me, the Lord is guiding me, He’s in control...” And then we move to the ME: We have anywhere from 500 to next phrase “I shall not want.” “...You AH: Misty, I’m going to ask you about 1,500 visitors every weekend. They’re provide everything for me, You are in your songs in a minute, but one more coming really from all over the world, control of my finances...” I mean, we’ll question about IHOP; when you’re but especially from here in America, sing anything around “I shall not want.” praying and worshiping 24/7 like AH: Have you heard of this concept and Word-based style of worship branching out into other fellowships, maybe from visitors to the prayer room who come and take it in, then in turn help foster that in their own church?

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International House of Prayer: by Aimee Herd

continued

that, it’s got to affect the surrounding community somehow. Have you heard any reports of the community being impacted by what’s been going on at the House of Prayer?

but I haven’t had time to develop that skilll.

is going day and night, it’s at www. ihop.org. You can tune in and watch AH: What brand of keyboard is used us live. Sometimes I’ll wake up in the in the prayer room and what do you middle of the night and watch to see what’s going on. prefer?

ME: We’re actually at the edge of Kansas City, in the Grandview area.

It’s been slow, but that town is being affected by IHOP being here. We also have the IHOP University, and in that whole area around it the crime rate is going down. And, we’re about to launch a new ministry called Love Grandview, where we’re going to go into the high schools and the neighborhoods as more of an outreach kind of thing.

ME: I don’t get the luxury of being too picky... we use a Yamaha keyboard in the prayer room. But I prefer a real piano (laughs), if I was to get my way I’d be playing a real piano up there.

And, I don’t use any programs—some of our keyboard players do—but I haven’t had the time to learn any of those programs.

AH: The Magnificent Obsession CD was recorded at the last One Thing Just the constant prayer going up, youth conference. Do a lot of the has measurably affected the spiritual young people who attend it stay on and atmosphere around Grandview. I don’t become part of the team at IHOP? have the statistics, but I have heard them and it is documented that the crime rate ME: Yes, a lot of them do. A lot of has gone down, and that the prices of them end up coming to our university, houses have gone up. This used to be or they’ll come for an internship—we one of the dying-est cities in America, have 4 different internships—and that’s their on-ramp to joining the staff. One and we’re reversing that.

Thing is probably the number one place AH: Wow, that’s exciting. Now tell where people get to experience IHOP me about your own music... you’ve got and see if they want to come or not. a few songs on the One Thing Live CD, AH: Misty, what about for you and also on Simple Devotion, and then you have your own CDs as well. How personally; how have you been much of your music has come directly impacted and changed by these last from the spontaneity of the prayer 13 years serving in the prayer room at IHOP? room?

ME: Oh gosh, I would say for my music—I don’t know about the other worship leaders—it would be about 90 percent. In the early days I was singing 6 to 8 hours a day in the prayer room.

I would always come up with melodies and spontaneous ideas... so I would take those spontaneous moments, and then I’d go to a practice house or at home, and I’d work it out and write it into a song.

AH: Your song that jumped out at me from the One Thing: Magnificent Obsession CD is called “Measure of a Man” which you do with David Brymer.

It’s a beautiful song.

ME: Thank you. That chorus I had been singing spontaneously—just throwing it in. And then I went to the practice house with David and was showing him some choruses that I was working on. We wrote it together in the practice house. We put the verse to it there, but it was birthed out of the prayer room.

AH: Your main keyboards, piano?

ME: Oh goodness, I don’t even know where to start with that. I was so young when I began... even in the first three years, everything changed. I know that sounds extravagant (laughs), but my worldview changed. It was because I was singing the Scripture. And back then it was so small. It wasn’t about leading 25,000 people or having 3,000 people at our university—we were so tiny [at the start]. So, it was about singing before the audience of One. Singing the Scripture, I was really connecting with God for the first time in my life. Six hours a day, eight hours a day, ten hours a day—connecting with Him. Then small things started to look small, big things started to look big; I started to see the way to impact society, and that you can’t do it without prayer or without the Presence of God. My whole ministry view changed, my worldview and my music changed.

There were times where there was literally no one [besides the worship team] in the room for hours.

AH: If people can’t get to Kansas City to visit the prayer room, they can watch ME: Yes, I wish I played guitar... I online, right? think I have the soul of a guitar player ME: Yes, we have a web stream that

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instrument

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is

AH: Misty what advice would you give to a worship leader who is interested in facilitating that kind of worship, and maybe even a house of prayer in their fellowship, but it isn’t a church that is familiar with the harp and bowl model of singing Scripture and antiphonal intercession.

ME: I would suggest starting a prayer meeting, like getting permission to do it on a [weekday] where it wouldn’t be so invasive as a Sunday morning.

Then just get a small group of people together, you don’t need a whole church—get a band together and a couple of singers and just start doing it.

If you’re consistent with that one day, then eventually you add another and another—it will affect the Sunday morning worship too, because it will overflow. But, that way it won’t be so jarring [for the congregation].

That way the people who want to come will come, and those who aren’t interested don’t feel pressured. That kind of eases everybody into it, and you can also then get a feel for how much interest there is.

AH: ...and how the players and singers on the worship team will do with it too.

ME: Yeah, if they’ve never done it, it will take a little time for them to get used to it and into the rhythm of it, so it’s better to do it in a smaller context.

JON THURLOW AH: Jon, how long have you been leading worship, and at what point did you decide to go to IHOP? Jon Thurlow: I started leading worship at 16 or 17 in my high school youth group. But, I didn’t arrive at IHOP until I was 23 years old.

AH: And what was your first impression of the 24/7 prayer and worship room?

Had you ever experienced that kind of worship before?

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International House of Prayer: by Aimee Herd

continued

JT: Any singer or musician that plugs into the worship team at IHOP is going to be doing six 2-hour worship sets a week, so you have so much time playing in a band context, plus practices [on top of that]. A musician’s ability to flow in a band context grows rapidly here.

JT: I had only heard of it before I came there. Initially, I was drawn in by the music. I had gone to college with the goal of graduating with a music degree and plugging in at a local church somewhere in the state and serving as a worship pastor or director of music. I knew, in that context, I’d be doing a Sunday morning, maybe Sunday evening and probably a Wednesday night, so probably about 2 hours a week [leading worship].

But with worship at IHOP, you’re going to be doing at least 2 hours a day of live worship. That startled me, but I thought, “Wow! I like this.”

AH: Was it difficult at all to get into the flow of the way they do things there?

JT: There was a learning curve for sure. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in music, so I have a lot of classical training, and I’d been leading worship for maybe six years by that point, for college chapel. I was used to a 20-minute worship session.

But when I came to IHOP in 2004, just the worship and prayer combined, and the structure of how things are done, took me a good six months to a year to get comfortable with. The worshipmixed-with-prayer (harp and bowl) model comes from Revelation chapters 4 and 5 where there is worship and songs around the Throne of God coming from the living creatures and the elders and angels. Then you have the prayers of the saints that is represented by the bowls of incense. The idea is, this is what’s happening in Heaven: worship around the Throne, prayers of the saints coming up into the throne room, and we’re trying to worship “on earth as it is in Heaven.”

AH: Jon, what has leading worship in the prayer room done for you as a musician and otherwise?

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AH: Tell me about the One Thing annual conference. How many youth attend that usually?

JT: I would say the last two years has averaged about 25,000, and it’s growing. It started about 10 years ago with maybe about 3,000. It’s our largest conference of the year for young adults 18 to 25-year-olds. We move the prayer room downtown for it. I love getting to see that many people all at once, connecting with the Lord. It’s long too; it goes from 9am to sometimes In the last 8 years, midnight.

I’ve watch musicians AH: During this last One Thing come in with a lot of conference in December, was there any good training on their particular experience that especially instruments but they’re not used to impacted you? playing this much. Within about six months to a year, they’re way more JT: There was. One of my friends and comfortable; this drummer’s much fellow worship leaders, Misty Edwards better at following the worship leader; (she’s probably one of the most known this bass player’s really found his worship leaders at IHOP) and another niche... We just play so much, and I worship leader from California, David think one of the primary ways we learn Brymer did a song that they wrote together; “Measure of a Man” [it’s on is by doing it. the new One Thing Live CD] and it just As a musician, the novelty of what really grabbed my heart and took me we do, and even the songs—you somewhere with the Lord. quickly get past the “cool band/ AH: That’s such a moving song, and team” mindset... The nature of 24/7 prayer and worship forces my heart another song that’s really powerful on as the worship leader, into that place the One Thing: Magnificent Obsession of: “I have to connect with God when CD is “Storm All Around You” which I’m leading.” Otherwise I’m going to you wrote. burnout. The only thing that’s going to JT: I kind of pieced that song together sustain my heart when leading day in from two spontaneous worship moments and day out, is looking at the Father that happened, maybe over a 2-3 seated on the Throne with the eyes of week period. I was somewhere in the my heart every day. middle of a 2-hour set, and internally I But that’s the beauty of it. It’s one of was having some “traffic” going on in the most challenging things I’ve ever my own heart that was distracting me done, but it’s also the most rewarding during my worship time, and making because I’m connecting with the Lord. me feel a little frustrated. I felt the Lord gently say, “You know what, son, I love It keeps my heart alive. you and I love your heart—even with AH: Has this experience changed the this thing that’s distracting you. But, way you write songs? right now in this room, I want to do JT: One of the main values we have in something different.” I was like, “Okay, doing our sets every day is, our singers I’ll just try to let it go...” So, I pulled are singing the Scriptures [sometimes some language from Revelation 4 and in a paraphrased way]. That leaks Revelation 19 and started singing, but into my songwriting. My own human it didn’t feel anointed in that moment. expression is valuable to the Lord, However, I could tell the room was beautiful to Him... but when it comes starting to engage, and probably to impact, power and authority in a within about 10 minutes, I started to song, if I’ve been using the Scriptures, feel a tangible—I don’t know—wave or it’s going to have a greater impact with cloud (I know that sounds dramatic) or more power on it. Because it’s the something, and there was a shift in the Word of God. room. I was like, “Oh my goodness, So, as a songwriter, whether it’s word- okay Lord, You have my attention!” We for-word [or paraphrased], I always try ended up doing those choruses [at the to have a Scriptural idea at the core. end of the song] for about 45 minutes— I want the Scripture to get stuck in just over and over—we’d start a chorus people’s heads.

Continued on page 52

Your one-stop worship resource!

SONGCHART

Wounded One

Words and Music by Davy Flowers 6/8

One Wounded

Words and Music by Davy Flowers VERSE 1 6/8 G/B G D/F# C

Key: G

Time Signature: Wounded One Key: G Words and Music b Time Signature: 6/8

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain VERSE 1 G G /B CD/F#

G/B C G D/F# The One is wtho he sglain reat wall of enmity, and gave me His name Worthy he bLroke amb dwown ho wtas G GD /F# D/F# G /B C

G/B C How g racious i s M y r edeemer, K ing J esus, t he S on o f t he H ighest The One who broke down the great wall of enmity, and gave me His name G C C G DD/F# /F# G /B G/B What ould I piossibly give to You, but the ftragrance mH y ighest How gcracious s My redeemer, King Jesus, he Son of otf he G

D/F#

G/B C PRE-­‐CHORUS 1 What Gc ould C I p ossibly B7 Cgive to You, but the fragrance of my Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah PRE-­‐CHORUS 1 G G C C B B7 7 C Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, H allelu-­‐-­‐jah Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah VERSE G C B7 2 Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah G D/F# G/B C

Holy is the Man of Sorrows VERSE 2 G G D /F# G /B D

G/B

C /F# C Destroying the of the evil one, all with Your own blood Holy is the M an woorks f Sorrows G G DD/F# /F#

G/B G /B C C And m ercies b efore a nd b ehind Y ou, s uch b eauty a ll a round You Destroying the works of the evil one, all with Your own blood G /F# C C G D D/F# G/B G /B And could I ever repay You, Ybou, ut swuch ith tbhe fragrance of mYyou And h mow ercies before and behind eauty all around PRE-­‐CHORUS G 2 D/F# G/B C And ver h Gow Cc ould I e B 7 Crepay You, but with the fragrance of my Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah PRE-­‐CHORUS 2 G G C C B B7 7 C C Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, H allelu-­‐-­‐jah Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah (repeat) G C B7 C Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah (repeat)

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VERSE 1

G D/F# G/B Worthy is the Lamb G The One who broke G D/F# How gracious is My G D/F# What could I possib PRE-­‐CHORUS 1

G C B7 Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, Hallelu G C B7 Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, Hallelu VERSE 2

G D/F# G/B Holy is the Man of So G D/F# Destroying the work G D/F# And mercies before G D/F And how could I eve PRE-­‐CHORUS 2

G C B7 Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, Hallelu G C B7 Hallelu-­‐-­‐jah, Hallelu

© 2010 Davy Flowers CCLI # 5996812 (Administered by Music Services o/b/o Forerunner Worship (ASCAP) a division of the International House of Prayer, Kansas City). All rights reserved. Used by permission. © 2010 Davy Flowers CCLI # 5 the International House of Pray © 2010 Davy Flowers CCLI # 5996812 (Administered by Music Services o/b/o Forerunner Worship (ASCAP) a division of the International House of Prayer, Kansas City). All rights reserved. Used by permission.

SEP/OCT 2012 WORSHIPMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM

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A158

RECORD REVIEWS Jared Anderson The Narrow Road 1. Bless the Lord 2. Impossible, Possible 3. The King is Coming 4. Great I Am 5. According to His Word 6. Behold Your God 7. Pouring It Out For You 8. Call on the name of the Lord 9. When the King Comes 10. The Narrow Road 11. Lines 12. Go Ye 13. I Am Free Known for his work as Worship Pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs and as an original member of the acclaimed Desperation Band, Jared Anderson is the writer of such modern worship favorites as “Rescue”, “Free”, and “Great I Am”. On September 14th, Jared will release his latest solo project, The Narrow Road, which was produced by Paul Baloche bassist, Michael Rossback.

This new collection of worship takes the listener on a slightly different journey than most releases from similar sounding artists.

This album is up to its neck in wonderful, scriptural passages that point the worshiper to a God who is not only loving and full of forgiveness, but also one who is powerful and calls His people to action while on earth.

“Bless the Lord” is a nice take on Psalm 103 that starts the album off in typical, modern worship style. Rock guitars and a driving drumbeat greet the listener as we are told of God’s wonderful mercy and grace. We are called to “…bless the Lord at all times in all circumstances”. It is a fun beginning song that is very memorable and could be a solid choice for a call to worship song or service opener for your Sunday morning set.

One the powerful themes of The Narrow Road that is evident in more than a few of the songs is the life-changing power of God and how this awesome power has secured victory over death and the grave for us. “The King is Coming” gives the best lyrical picture of this idea as we are taken to a place where Christ’s redeemed are looking to the sky in expectation of His return while the dead are rising from the grave and the freedom song rings out. As I listened, my heart was

By Gerod Bass stirred and I thought about how wonderful that day is going to be when we all lift our hands to the sky and as one body lift our praises to our coming King. “When the King Comes” is very similar in thought and substance but views His return from a slightly different angle as we hear about a shaking earth, running mountains, and everything moving out of His way as He returns to claim His own.

This collection also includes a studio version of the well-known worship anthem, “Great I Am”. This version is slightly more stripped down, highlighting Jared’s smooth vocals and adding a wonderful string section while keeping the power of the final chorus.

Based on Malachi 3:10, “According to His Word” is one of my personal favorites from this album. Anchored by piano and strings, Jared encourages us to trust our Father in all circumstances because He never fails. We are reminded that in every situation, He will provide according to His Word. This is a song that every worshipper will instantly connect with because of its intimate lyric and singable melody.

The title track really caught me off guard, but also put the biggest smile on my face as I listened. Jared uses Matthew 7:1-14 here and creates a worship song that convicts the listener, yet offers a declarative statement of worship while offering the Gospel of grace at the same time. We are told of the wide road that leads to destruction and that our path to Heaven lies along the much less traveled narrow road. Jared breaks the lines of what is “normal” in the way of the worship genre by actually reading the first 14 verses of Matthew 7 at the end of the song. I was so pleased to hear someone take a bit of a risk, especially on a title track; and even though it’s not my favorite song melodically, my faith was strengthened by it. Thank you Jared!

The album ends appropriately with the previously released “I Am Free”. This song beautifully weaves together the album’s earlier themes of God’s power, His call to us to preach the Gospel, and to live lives that follow the narrow road by reminding us that we can be bold in proclaiming Him

*Gerod’s Personal Picks in bold.

Overall impression Average church congregation could learn/participate on the first hear Can be learned/adapted by a band of average skill Lyrical creativity and integrity

Jared Anderson The Narrow Road Jesus Culture Emerging Voices Israel and New Breed Jesus at the Center highest marks

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in all we do because of the freedom we have.

The thing I appreciated most about this album was how Jared was able to write a collection of worship songs that were not only steeped in scripture, very singable and relevant, but more importantly, made me examine my own faith journey.

It made me think about what we in the church SHOULD be singing about during our worship services. These are worship songs that will both challenge the listener to ponder their personal faith while at the same time praising God for his faithfulness and unequaled power over death and the grave. The Narrow Road is a deep theological album that will have you on your knees in humbleness while singing for joy. Well done Mr. Anderson.

Jesus Culture Emerging Voices 1.

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Here We Are I Belong to You Mighty Fortress Let It Go Be My Love We Just Love You (Be My Love Reprise) 7. Who Can Compare 8. You Are My God 9. Where You Are 10. Glory Come Down 11. I Won’t Settle In 1999, Bethel Church in Redmond, California held their first Jesus Culture Youth Convention. That was the beginning to what has now been called one of the most influential youth revivals in the world, and at its core is the music of Jesus Culture. Their 7th release, Emerging Voices, showcases a new group of up and coming worship leaders, Derek Johnson, Mary Kat Ehrenezller, Nate Ward, and Justin Jarvis.

Bethel Church Youth Pastor and Jesus Culture Director, Banning Liebscher describes the rationale behind Emerging Voices…“We believe that there are emerging voices being raised up around the earth right now, and these voices are going to be used to see entire nations awakened to the love of Jesus. Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, and Melissa Wise-How were worship leaders who were young and involved in our youth group and that the Lord began to anoint to see their voice stir the hearts of the Church and awaken people to Jesus”.

The CD begins with “Here We Are” as we hear the all too familiar sound of the Hillsong type keyboard pad and guitar intro that seems to kick off most worship CD’s these days. Justin Jarvis’ vocals

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RECORD REVIEWS

are declarative and moving and kind of reminded me of Eoghan Heaslip. Besides being incredibly catchy, this song is a good beginner to the album as the attributes of God’s glory and mercy are celebrated nicely.

The standout track on Emerging Voices is “Mighty Fortress”. Written and sung by Mary Kat Ehrenezller, this driving worship anthem boasts a killer bass line and sublime guitar work creating a wonderful platform for Mary’s breathy vocals to float above. This song points us to a God who has not only secured victory for His people, but also rejoices over us with singing. The song ends with a power declaration of praise….. “Upon the rock of revelation, we’re dancing now, no enemy could ever shake us”.

“Be My Love” is another mid-tempo love song that, on its own, isn’t the best track on the album; but as it flows seamlessly into the following track, we get a glimpse of the honest and powerful spontaneous worship that takes place during Jesus Culture Conferences. For almost three and a half minutes I was drawn in by the glorious sounds of God’s people lifting their hearts and voices in praise and adoration. It is a telling highlight of this album, and I found myself lost in worship by the end of it.

“Who Can Compare” boasts a gorgeous acoustic guitar, while Mary Kat Ehrenezller (who has far and away the best voice on this album) uses her Brooke Fraser-esque vocal to draw the listener into this gorgeous prayer about God’s greatness in our lives.

Overall, Emerging Voices has some very nice moments of jubilant praise and quiet reflection that should find a place in your church music library. This album kept my interest throughout as I weaved my way through the jubilant choruses and tender worship moments. Although not breaking any new ground in the way of musical ingenuity or lyrical depth, this offering from Jesus Culture does what it is intended to do: It brings people closer to God as they worship the Almighty One. Israel and New Breed Jesus at the Center DISC 1 1. The Intro – Colossians 1:15-20 (Msg) 2. Jesus the Same 3. Rez Power 4. No Turning Back 5. Te Amo 6. More Than Enough 7. Overflow 8. I Call You Jesus 9. Church Medley: Jesus is The Sweetest Name I Know / Oh How I Love Jesus 10. Jesus at the Center DISC 2

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1.

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Jesus at the Center (Reprise) Speechless It’s Not Over (When God is in It) Your Presence is Heaven More and More Medley: Hosanna / Moving Forward / Where Else Can I Go 7. Medley: You Have Me / You Hold My World 8. Medley: To Make You Feel My Love / Name of Love 9. It’s Not Over (When God is in It) (Studio Version) 10. Jesus at the Center (Studio Version) 11. Your Presence is Heaven (Studio Version) Grammy award winner Israel Houghton has once again joined forces with New Breed to create a powerhouse of worship in their first live release in 5 years, Jesus at the Center. The 2 disc, 17 song compilation includes 3 studio recordings as well as an interactive DVD that was recorded over 4 days at Lakewood Church in Houston with more than 29,000 worshipers in attendance.

This hefty compilation is a broad appeal mix of Gospel, rock, blues, funk, and reggae that will warm your heart and have you lifting your hands in praise. Led by Israel, along with a myriad of worship leaders including Michael Gungor, T-Bone, Bishop Michael Pitts, Tina Baker, and even Israel’s daughter, Mariah Houghton, Jesus at the Center is a daring and uplifting collection of worship proclaiming Jesus at the center of all we are.

The track that has been getting the most attention (which is also my personal favorite) is the title track. Previously released by Israel and New Breed on their greatest hits album, Decade, “Jesus at the Center” is a powerful prayer of dedication to our God on a very emotional and personal level. Starting softly with the chorus, Israel proclaims “Jesus at center of it all, Jesus at the center of it all, From beginning to the end, it will always be, it has always been, nothing else matters, nothing in this world will do, Jesus you’re the center, everything revolves around You”. Backed by a gospel choir and wispy piano, this is an instant classic that is somewhat convicting as it really makes one think about how Jesus so often takes a back seat to our busy lives.

It is a song that allows the worshiper to reconnect with their Creator; to start over and once again put Jesus back on the throne.

If you are a fan of funk like I am, you will love the upbeat and energetic song, “Rez Power”. An intense bass line and rhythmic horn section create a wonderfully unique

worship moment as Israel’s voice leads us in a song of celebration of the resurrection power of Jesus. Continuing in the same style is the James Brown-esque funk tune “No Turning Back”. The groove is incredible as Israel and the band crank it up a notch while proclaiming the faithfulness of God no matter what the world may throw at us.

The song ends amazingly with the Gospel choir belting out a supercharged version of the classic hymn of the same name.

“Speechless” is a soulful Gospel midtempo song that defines the attributes of God while giving one of the best payoff choruses on the album. “Lord Your grace, I need it, I receive it, I’m amazed, so amazed when I see it, I am speechless, You take my breath away”. I am continually impressed at how Houghton writes such intimate songs of worship, and in fact writes songs that we didn’t even know we needed to sing until the words are on our lips.

“Jesus the Sweetest Name I know/ Oh How I Love Jesus” showcases Israel’s unmistakable vocal strength; while “Your Presence is Heaven” takes the best of old school jazz and some suave modern R&B to give us some quieter moments to reflect on God’s presence after a mostly upbeat album.

The entire album does a really great job of keeping the theme of Jesus as the center of our lives at the forefront. Israel’s voice is obviously God-inspired, and there is such an honest, soulful feel throughout these two CD’s, you can’t help but just love it.

Although it will be near impossible for a worship team of average skill to mirror the complex arrangements contained within this collection, most of the songs could be adapted easily to a Sunday morning setlist.

I do wish there had been a few more moments of meditative worship as the album as a whole has a lot of upbeat energy and some of the songs tended to ramble on with no end in sight, but overall Israel and New Breed are once again on the forefront of cutting edge Gospel and R&B. This is an important album with an unmistakable message for God’s people that will have a lasting impact of the lives of those who listen to and worship along with it.

Gerod Bass is a ministry veteran who has been serving God’s people through worship and youth ministry for more than 20 years.

Since 2009, he has been living his dream, serving as the Minister of Worship and Music at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Tacoma.

Gerod is a singer, guitarist, songwriter, and recording artist who has a passion for taking Biblical truths and implanting them on the hearts of God’s people through music.

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33

FOH ENGINEER

By Bill Gibson

Guitar Sound: Part 1 In order to create a great-sounding house mix, two things must be verified: (1) The instruments must be in excellent working order—they have to sound good to start with. (2) The connection to the mixer, whether a microphone or direct box, must be intelligently implemented so that the excellence presented at the source translates well to the amplification system.

In other words, GOOD SOURCE + GOOD MIC TECHNIQUE + GOOD SYSTEM = GOOD SOUND. Electric Guitar Guitar is fundamental in the establishment and authenticity of a good-sounding mix. Anyone who has been around music for a while will testify to the cyclical nature of trends in guitar sounds. As the era of electronics in music grows, we can expect that the sounds we love today will become dated or irrelevant tomorrow. With equal certainty, as we continue to move forward, history will repeat itself. Someone will rediscover the beauty of an era gone by, revive it, and reclaim it. The bottom line is: Save your toys. They will be cool again!

The guitar is a great instrument and offers definitive sounds that crystallize the stylistic feel of the song. In order for your rock band, worship team, jazz band, or bluegrass group to sound right, the guitar sounds must be right. If your guitar player is entrenched in a bygone era, you’ll have a tough time getting your mix to sound current and culturally pertinent. If this is the case, be honest with the guitarist, supply some currentsounding CDs, and ask that he or she try to emulate the guitar sounds on the recordings.

With any instrument, especially guitar, much of the sound that comes from the instrument is a result of the musician’s touch, aside from any effects or mic technique. Therefore, much of the quest for the best guitar sounds relies on the guitarist liking the type of music the group is playing and understanding the mindset behind it.

Guitar Fundamentals

frequency of the highest note on a standard 22-fret six-string guitar is D6 (1.174 kHz).

Standard tuning for the six-string guitar is E2 (82 Hz), A2 (110 Hz), D3 (147 Hz), G3 (196 Hz), B3 (247 Hz), and E4 (330 Hz). It’s interesting that most of the frequencies we accentuate in a guitar recording are well above the majority of its fundamental frequency range. It’s typical procedure to roll off the frequencies below about 100 Hz; fullness is usually around 250 Hz, and boosting a frequency range between 3 and 5 kHz adds clarity. We should deduce from these facts that the harmonic content of the guitar is what we really find most appealing about its sound.

Tone and Timbre Tone and timbre are terms that are often used interchangeably; however, closer inspection of the guitar and its tonal characteristics leads us into a study of the subtle differences between these two terms. Whereas the tone controls on the electric guitar decrease high frequencies or low frequencies, in actuality timbre has more to do with the instrument’s harmonic content.

Individual guitars sound different for various reasons. The type of wood used is a factor, especially in the instrument’s sustain. More dense materials tend to produce instruments with a greater capacity for natural sustain. Softer woods tend to provide a warmer tone, often at the expense of sustain. The physical composition of each instrument influences its harmonic content or, in other words, its timbre.

Tone and timbre are also influenced by the musical expression and nuance that comes from the guitarist. A ten-dollar guitar in the hands of a master guitarist can sound like a million bucks—a million-dollar guitar in the hands of a beginner can sound like ten bucks. An excellent instrument in the hands of an excellent musician sets the stage for musical excellence and a greatsounding house mix.

Pickup Placement The position of each pickup on an electric guitar is very important to the sound of the instrument. The reason why the bridge pickup sounds thinner than the neck pickup is explained by the harmonic content at each location.

A guitar isn’t really a full-range instrument.

Although it offers a full sound, which ranges For a simple illustration of this concept, from ear-piercing to soul wrenching, its let’s consider the neck pickup on a musical and sonic strength lies in the standard Stratocaster. Sonically, this efficiency of its range rather than its breadth. pickup provides a deep, warm, and The frequency range of the fundamental somewhat hollow sound—much warmer pitches in the guitar is fairly narrow. The than the other pickups. If we look at the fundamental frequency of the lowest guitar physical position of the pickup, we’ll see note is E2 (82 Hz). The fundamental that it is exactly one-quarter of the distance

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from the bridge to the nut.

Most guitarists know about harmonics on the guitar neck, especially at the twelfth fret, where lightly touching the string while plucking divides the string into two halves, producing a harmonic one octave above the fundamental. If we were to position a pickup at the twelfth fret, we would not hear much of the harmonic because the string is essentially still at that location— we’ve stopped the fundamental and allowed the first harmonic to ring freely in the two halves of the string. This point at which there is no vibration is called a node.

There are also natural harmonics at other locations on the neck. One of these is at the fifth fret, which is the point where the string is divided into four segments.

This harmonic produces three nodes between the bridge and nut—one at each quarter of the length of the string.

A standard Stratocaster neck position pickup is positioned directly below this node, explaining its hollow and deep tone. Whereas this pickup hears next to nothing from this harmonic, it receives a strong fundamental and first harmonic.

In fact, the first harmonic (stopped at the twelfth fret) is strongest at this point.

Like equalization, in which reducing one frequency band accentuates the bands on either side, the same concept applies to harmonic content. The virtual elimination of this midrange harmonic results in a sound that is full in lows and rich in highs.

This simplified illustration of harmonic content provides a clear delineation between tone and timbre. Timbre consists of the sound created by the relative levels of harmonics. In this Strat neck position, no amount of tone control—frequency boost or cut—can add back in what is harmonically missing because it simply isn’t an available timbral ingredient.

In actuality, there is a constantly varying balance of timbre as the guitarist moves up and down the neck. As the length of the string changes during the fretting process, the balance of harmonics changes at each pickup position. This becomes part of the inherent sound of the instrument, which provides musical inspiration for the virtuoso and, at times, frustration for the novice. Each song provides a new opportunity for sonic inspiration as the key changes and the relative typical string length controls the available textures at each pickup position.

Bill Gibson is an author, instructor and music producer.

He has recently worked with Quincy Jones writing his autobiography published by Hal Leonard.

Shining ever so brightly, the CL Series is the newest addition to the Yamaha digital mixing console lineup. 3 models – CL5 (72 mono, 8 stereo inputs), CL3 (64 mono, 8 stereo inputs) and CL1 (48 mono, 8 stereo inputs), all feature 24 mix and 8 matrix busses (also usable as mixes for a total of 32 mixes) + stereo and mono output busses (for a total of 35 mixes), 16 DCA’s, 8 mute groups, 16 user defined keys, 4 user defined knobs, 300 scene memories, 2-track and multi-track recording/playback and much more. With extraordinary capability to creatively color your sound, the CL Series highlights a premium rack featuring Yamaha’s inventive VCM analog circuitry modeling technology and the acclaimed Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5033 EQ and 5043 compressor. In addition to the consoles, 2 new rackmountable I/O units – Rio3224-D (32 inputs, 16 outputs) and Rio1608-D (16 inputs, 8 outputs), offer expandability via Audinate’s highly flexible and scalable Dante™ network.

Visually appealing with a channel color bar, channel naming, sleek new faders and an iPad/iPod shelf, and easy to use with Yamaha’s familiar Centralogic™ operation, touchscreen, CL Editor, and StageMix for iPad® app, all the features you’ve come to know and love from the evolution of Yamaha consoles have been taken to a whole new level.

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MINISTRY + ARTISTRY = PROFITABILITY? CREATING YOUR MAP™

By Scott A. Shuford

How To Design An Effective Ad?

(or If Your Ad Says “Available Now” – Nobody cares!)

Here’s a little tip for your faith-based or faith-friendly advertising. This will be short and sweet. If your ad says “Available Now” it’s pretty likely that nobody cares, and that the lack of caring is showing up in your click or open rate results.

If you are not Chris Tomlin or TobyMac, with throngs of people hanging on, waiting for your every word and next project, then you’ve got to provide something more than “available now” to get that click on your banner, web site, email newsletter link, or to get that direct email ad opened.

Instead of “available now”, use action words like hear, view, watch, see, read, act, explore, download… You get the idea. If you’d like some help or feedback in your ad design process, contact one of FrontGate Media’s Audience Delivery Specialists.

We’d be happy to offer our thoughts on your ad.

Look at the Page CXVI ad pictured here. It’s a With all advertising and promotion, you very good ad. They’ve have to ask yourself, “What benefit am I offered a very valuable providing?” or “Why is my target person download, they’ve told going to click this?” you what you will get: “making hymns People click, and ultimately buy, because known again”, and they’ve told you it benefits them. They are exclusively where to get it. They made great use of tuned into WIFM radio = What’s In it For the asterisk to bring some humor in while Me! Their time is valuable. Their budget reemphasizing that the songs are free. is at their discretion.

Per last month’s column, they are doing Christian music fans like to hear music. Data Capture when giving away the free If you are not providing the opportunity songs, so they will end up with the email for them to hear, download, or watch you address from the music fans who respond and your music, why are you bothering to to their ad. They will get to communicate waste their time? Christian book readers even more to those fans in the future. A like to read. If you are not providing them great job! with access to preview-read your book, What are your thoughts on this topic? you are likely losing out on customers.

Game players like to play… Cause activists like to take an action… College candidates like to explore college options…

See Scott as part of the Creator Leadership Network teaching team at this year’s Christian Musician Summits. He has led classes for us at NAMM as well as teaching on marketing to the Christian Leadership Alliance. Featured in Adweek, Scott is the President of FrontGate Media, the #1 culture-engaged media group reaching the Christian audience (www.

FrontGateMedia.com) and the largest in reach to Church musicians.

Exclusively for Christian marketers seeking to promote projects to the Christian audience.

If you want to be the first to know about promotional and advertising deals as well as the latest options to reach Christians, tune in to the...

FrontGate Media’s Offer of the Week 36

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Offer of Week every Monday in the FrontGate Media blog.

Our blog is the only place to get this information!

Go to the blog now

www.FrontGateMedia.com/blog Also follow Scott at…

Twitter: @ScottShuford Facebook.com/FrontGateMedia

NOVEMBER 9-10, 2012 : Overlake Christian Church, Redmond, WA

PAUL BALOCHE

ONE SONIC SOCIETY Jason Ingram Stu G Paul Mabury

DAVID CROWDER

JESUS MUSIC AGAIN

BRENTON BROWN & THE WORSHIP REPUBLIC

Bob Bennett Bill Batstone Alex MacDougall

JENNIE LEE RIDDLE

GREGG BISSONETTE

PHIL KEAGGY

LINCOLN BREWSTER

THE HYMNALS Dwayne Larring Jonathan Thatcher Stephen Petree Arie Tidwell

BENJI COWART

MICHAEL FARREN

ELEVATION WORSHIP

ONE-DAY INTENSIVES on NOVEMBER 8, 2012 for songwriters, singers, guitarists & audio techs

CMS NORTHWEST 2012 10th ANNIVERSARY WILL FEATURE...

2012 will feature our 9th

• Worship led by Paul Baloche and Brenton Brown • Keynote message by Pastor Mike Howerton • Performances by David Crowder, One Sonic Society, Phil Keaggy, Jesus Music Again, Lincoln Brewster, Gregg Bissonette, Norm Stockton, The Hymnals, Elevation Worship, Jennie Lee Riddle, Michael Farren, Benji Cowart and more!

• The Presentation of the 5th Annual “Roby Duke Creative Life Award” • Lots of new workshops and clinicians

with

Jason Ingram Brenton Brown Jennie Lee Riddle Michael Farren Benji Cowart Dwayne Larring and more...

www.ChristianMusicianSummit.com

AUTHENTIC WORSHIP

By Michael Gonzales

Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills “In the last analysis, what we are life every week I want to do the right communicates far more eloquently than things, and no matter how hard I try—I fail. That failure may not be in the “big anything we say or do.” sin” category, but whenever people are

-Stephen Covey involved someone might not see things the same way that I do, and if not As persons in a public ministry it is how we corrected will lead to the greater stages live in private that reveals our true character. of disappointment and ultimately, disgust.

As artists we also have this emotional side Here are some thoughts on sharpening that seems to be a little more sensitive than your communication skills that might others. We write songs based on those prevent emotional injury and, in fact, emotions, we cry out to God emotionally, make you a better leader. and we sing with passion. Then there is Let’s go back to the word “emotional.” the other side of being a worship leader.

Dealing with the management side of things Artists carry a certain sensitivity unlike may be harder than leading a congregation. other skilled craftsman. Leading in a Scheduling, staying within the yearly worship arts program leaves no room budget, auditioning people, picking songs, for so-called leaders to stop everything etc. are all parts of the business of leading. and start scolding people publicly as if they were military drill instructors. Who I think one of the hardest things to benefits from that? Especially when accomplish is to be transparent and be the person you are trying to imprint a a leader at the same time. I know in my message is a volunteer. It just shouldn’t be done.

people and build a rundown.

If things go wrong, one key element is to check yourself. Are your emotions under control? Are you aware of the people and environment around you?

One time I forgot to notify a brass section about a concert. I had so many things on my mind and I thought everyone knew the schedule. When we showed up, someone asked, “Where are the horns?”

I made a call from the pastor’s office and realized I goofed. The pastor was looking at me the whole time. Outside, I was all smiles; but inside, I was burning up. We did the event and it went well in spite of my forgetfulness. One thing for sure, I was proud of how I handled it. I kept myself in check. I learned from that mistake.

Believe it or not, many great worship leaders are introverts. They are great on stage with their instrument or vocal ability, but once their work is done they would rather hibernate in a cave. One way Every person is valuable. They bring to break out of that is to start spending something to the table and that “thing” time with people. You don’t have to be could go beyond talent. I would rather the center of attention and say a bunch have a dependable worship team of things because you are the “leader.”

Your first, best effort is to simply be there member than a super talented one. and be a good listener (that may also Another tip is you need to find better ways mean putting your iPhone down and of relating to your team members. A good demonstrate that you are really there for way to start would be to ask everyone your team). to bring a CD of their favorite worship Finally, one of the best leadership skills songs (maybe limit it to five songs per person). That way you are demonstrating is to listen carefully to feedback from leadership as well as making them feel your group. Don’t start off by defending they are contributing something of worth. yourself. That doesn’t make you a good leader, but it does put up a caution flag in Be a visionary, but also be a coach. I’ve the minds of others around you. seen our worship leader, Joe Wofford, work as a mentor/coach during rehearsals I would also like to suggest that you find to train up new worship leaders. That’s a group of other worship leaders and what I love about leading—your mandate compare notes. See what is happening is to give your life away, and sometimes in other churches; pray, and support each it’s the small things that count. I’ve seen other. him build confidence in potential leaders.

These may not sound like great It’s that one-on-one coaching that requires life-changing events. These are ways good planning and patience. Trust in of opening yourself up; and you never the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom as know, you could really change the life of to when your worship leader trainee is others, not by what you say, but how you ready to lead in service. live.

In today’s culture, all the new media tools should be part of a your Michael Gonzales, Ph.D. communication skills arsenal. Use social Professor, Biola University media like Facebook and Twitter to offer mike.gonzales@biola.edu words of encouragement to your team.

Use a great scheduling program like PlanningCenterOnline.com to schedule

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GUITAR GRAB BAG

By Doug Doppler

Which Version Are We Playing This Weekend?

Here comes trouble! As I’ve been writing a book for the Worship Musician series for Hal Leonard, there have been a few topics that have come up repeatedly.

One of my favorites is how to deal with multiple versions of the same song. While this can be a bit challenging, let’s keep it fun as we address some of the ins and outs of how to manage the implications of “Salvation is Here”, and there, and so on.

KEY CHANGES I’m a firm believer in creating an arrangement that fits the vocalist’s range.

It’s never a good idea for them to feel pressured to sing something that could actually hurt their voice while trying to keep up with the band—not everybody plays on a silent stage.

Moving a song like “Salvation is Here” to a “girl” key like D can kill the vibe of a melody in terms of where you have to play it—unless you get little crafty. Many of us are using modeling gear, through which we probably have access to some sort of octave device we can use to beef up a line we’ve had to move up the neck, or add something to the top of one we’ve had to move down.

ARRANGEMENT The key signature is not the only consideration one has to make when playing multiple versions. I am most fond of Lincoln Brewster’s version of “Salvation is Here”, for a couple of reasons. Aside from some fabulous guitar playing, the arrangement is really outstanding.

Replacing the bass solo with guitar (sorry Norm), the descending chromatic keyboard pad in the bridge, and the killer re-harmonization heard in the tag, make this a serious showcase for how to breath life into an arrangement. Played in the original key of B, you also get that

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gorgeous open E on the IV chord in the chorus. While I defer to supporting the vocalists, ideally this song was meant to be played in B, and Lincoln nails it.

DYNAMICS Not to give Lincoln too many props here, but his version is also the most dynamically diverse. While you can establish dynamic peaks and valleys by using the flow of the set, when you massage the dynamics of an individual song, as Lincoln does here, it really adds a level of intensity to the arrangement.

Since this song seems to be placed most frequently at the top of the service, with an arrangement this dynamic you could keep the intensity up as you transition, or pull things back as you move to the next song. Either way will work because of the dynamic possibilities of the arrangement.

WHAT TO DO When there are as many arrangements as there are floating around for this song, it always seems that different people love different arrangements, which can pose a bit of a challenge when trying to keep track of who likes which version. A huge help here is Planning Center Online, one of the best tools ever rolled out for worship teams. Being able to attach charts and MP3’s will eliminate confusion for a given service, which is a major plus.

ascending octave line in the second verse are standard fare for everyone, so I make sure to grab those.

WATCHING THE DRUMMER Guitarists are not the only ones having to juggle multiple arrangements for a song like “Salvation”. Every time we play a different version at my church, the drummers end up writing a new chart.

Noting that by the time we end up at rehearsal each drummer will interpret the respective version a bit differently from the recording, I pay special attention to watching their hands and feet, as well as where they are sitting with the click. A really seasoned drummer will move the snare a bit from section to section to help massage the groove to create a hint of rhythmic tension.

GIVE THE BASS LINE A LOOK As much as we love to let the bass player get a chance to worship with a few sixteenth notes, I’ve had to cover this bass solo a number of times over the years. On parts like this it is a good idea to have them in the bag just in case you need to pull them out.

COMMUNICATE

The worship pastor and/or worship leader usually has a reason for preferring one version over another. In talking the various arrangements through, you may DEVELOPING A MASTER GUITAR be able to agree on a global arrangement ARRANGEMENT for the team, which ultimately may work Having played this song at least a best for most teams. hundred times by now, I have more or less created my own master arrangement.

Doug Doppler is signed to The melody at the top gets treated appropriately for the key, as described Steve Vai’s Favored Nations above. Since most teams don’t do label and is currently in production on the Get Killer Lincoln’s version I try to at least grab a hint Tone DVD series. He and his of the excitement he pulls off. Parts like the wife Melissa live to serve the Kingdom and are members of Cornerstone Fellowship in the San Francisco Bay Area.

THE BAND

By Tom Lane

Different Expressions, Not Different Directions!

As worship leaders and teams, it helps to remain aware of two primary roles we serve: touching God’s heart, and facilitating others in worship.

We can argue that it has less to do with the latter and more to do with the former than we might think, and often emphasize; but both matter.

We tend to equate good worship with emotional responses, expressions, and audience participation. It’s common practice for leaders to discuss the worship after the fact. To review, debrief, and unpack all that happened in the service, so as to improve it next week. Not to say that we shouldn’t care and aim for excellence, but honestly it has always bothered me to judge a service the way we would a performance or concert. For me, it’s an encounter with God, and is not dictated by music and a sermon. I can worship despite of and through both, and don’t need to rate worship as a success or failure.

The Word says that God draws human hearts unto Himself, and also that He cares deeply for those that don’t know Him as much as His own children. To facilitate believers in worship is different than entertaining. It’s a corporate expression of thanks, praise, celebration, lament, honor, etc., to and for our God, and no other. The part that is for us, is to come humbly and united in a concert for One! His presence then infuses our lives with His contagious love for others, which spills over and fuels outreach — Evangelism.

Evangelism is a major part of our mandate as Christians. My personal feeling is that it flows naturally from transformed lives quicker than entertaining events. What I encourage is being authentic and true instead of chasing after or importing a style other than our own. Also, be mindful that unbelievers do come to our churches.

That doesn’t mean we change who we are, but it should affect some of what we do and how we do it, so as to relate more to the community and century we live in. God still speaks, and will reveal a strategy that will work where we are if we are listening.

Some thoughts: 1. Skill and excellence: Both are worthy, inspiring, and attractive, but not preeminent over the heart. Though people are drawn to them naturally, because gifts do make room for the gifted and are noticeable, they never replace the Spirit. God repeatedly uses the most unlikely tools in the shed to accomplish His work, choosing the willing and pliable heart over the talented every time! We remember King David’s great skill, and how effectively he wielded it; but we shouldn’t forget it was his heart that won him favor with God.

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2. Measuring the presence of God: I’m not quite sure how we can do this ultimately since; a. we’re not the Judge, b. we cannot know another’s heart enough to determine what God is/is not doing within, c. we certainly shouldn’t quantify or qualify worship by the amount of excitement, emotion, or pleasure derived or generated from it. Moses never fared well by feeding off of the people’s responses or feelings. Who do we fear more, God or man? Believe it or not, it matters and factors into our worship planning regularly.

3. Relevance: as times change so should the face of the church if we intend to be in, and relate to the world. That doesn’t mean we become like it, nor alter the truth to fit into it. Relevance is not morphing into who we’re not supposed to be, and does not equal the presence of God! Honesty always translates best. The same Paul that encourages becoming all things to all men in order to reach some also exhorts us to be orderly when we gather, walk in the spirit, to be pure and honest, and above all — to love. We’re mistaken and misguided when we ignore this!

If we want to influence those we live among, we do it best by living as faithful followers alongside them. Not by inviting them to our programs and asking them to walk away from ‘life as they know it’. Jesus transforms lives from within, resulting in lifestyle changes we often try to impose on others.

If we do attract people to a great program, we should be prepared to walk with them in life too!

In this generation we desperately need to lead the church by hearing and responding to the Lord’s voice, more than reacting and playing to the people. This is a hard one as it requires the unity of the church leadership, and that sometimes doesn’t include worship leadership.

It also requires prioritizing, communicating, and educating on the ultimate importance of pleasing God above preserving our own comfort, style, and tradition. That starts from the top down. Most often people will follow if we lead by serving, not just talking and singing about it.

Bottom line is, we as a family need to be moving towards God together, not as individuals on separate missions within the church. Different gifts, not a different spirit. Different expressions, not different directions!

Nashville, TN is home for Tom Lane though he is involved in ministry and music around the world. As a singer, songwriter and guitar player, Tom has been teamed with many worship leaders and artists. He continues to record his own work, lead worship, and writes regularly for various worship publications worldwide.

SEP/OCT 2012 WORSHIPMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM

Improving Musicianship | Inspiring Talent

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MercyMe • Tenth Avenue North • The Welcome Wagon Matthew Perryman Jones • The Choir

Tech Talk with Phil Keaggy

• “I’d Do This for Free” by Bryan Duncan

PRODUCT REVIEW

By Mitch Bohannon

TC Helicon Mic Mechanic Over the years, I have used several TC Helicon products... Always impressive.

Recently, as I was looking over new products presented at the NAMM show in July, I saw the new TC Helicon Mic Mechanic and just had to give it a try.

The first thing to catch my eye was the simplistic approach TC Helicon took with this pedal. Lights and buttons are often impressive, but likewise confusing. This unit looks more like a traditional guitar stomp box.

For weeks now, I’ve noticed my vocal overdriving in my in-ears on big notes during worship. The compression feature completely corrected this issue. I much prefer the overall power and body of my vocal using the Mic Mechanic pedal!

For a separate test, our college ministry worship leader, Jonathan Berry (some of you may have met him with me at CMS in Buffalo this year) used the pedal for the college ministry kick-off last week (singing through an SM58). Jonathan opened the night with “Afterlife” by Switchfoot. He Dealing with my guitar, good tone is used the echo setting with a thick reverb extremely important. It should be equally to start the song. That effect only being important in dealing with my voice. You needed for the first few sentences of the may be like me; I like to tweak the sound song, it’s easier to be able to toggle the of my vocal a bit more than the average effect yourself than to hope a sound tech soundboard EQ allows. For this review, will turn it on and off on cue. Having I tested the Mic Mechanic on my Electro the footswitch makes that possible. And Voice RE410 (handheld condenser which then, just as easily as making slight I really like) and then also on a standard adjustments to a guitar stomp box, the SM58 (handheld dynamic mic).

Details about the pedal… It has balanced XLR in/out (that will provide phantom power for my EV RE410 or another condenser mic) and a gain control is located on the left side. Top controls include reverb/echo/delay selector (3 reverbs, echo/delay, and combination of both), “wet/dry” level control, and a level control for the auto pitch correction.

The standard pedal footswitch turns the verb and pitch correction on or off … the footswitch also doubles as a tap tempo for the delay feature. Additionally, there is a “tone” on/off easy-press button that will trigger auto-EQ, De-essing, Gating, and Compression.

reverb settings can quickly be changed for the following songs. Stomping on the pedal only triggers the reverb effects… the ‘tone’ button continues to maintain the De-essing, Auto-pitch correct, Auto EQ, and Auto Compression/Gating.

For both mics, the Helicon Mic Mechanic really preformed well. Overall, it added body and richness to the vocal… a presence that really cut through and placed the lead vocal where it truly should sit in the mix. It was very simple to setup and made a huge difference whether using a dynamic or condenser microphone. The addition of the Auto EQ and De-essing to the reverb makes the vocal very clean and makes it stand out!

Way to go TC. Helicon!

Mitch Bohannon is the Worship Pastor at First Baptist Church in Dayton, TX. He helped develop the Short Cut Capo for Kyser Musical Products. Mitch and his wife, Noelle, have the three most awesome kids in the world!

There are a couple of additional features on this pedal ( I did not test these )… next to the XLR output is a mini-USB port to connect the Mic Mechanic to your computer for version updates and online tips. Also, on the side is a mic-control on/off button for remote pedal control using the MP-75 microphone from TC Helicon, which has an on-board control button.

I set up the Mic Mechanic on my pedal board. It took about 15-20 minutes to scroll through the reverb settings and test out the ‘tone’ button, and then it was ready to go. For two Sunday’s I have led worship using the pedal (singing through an EV RE410). What a great difference!

WORSHIPMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM SEP/OCT 2012

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CAMERA

By Craig Kelly

Be Prepared Often, I prepare and research the article ideas I’m about to write about by posing a question to the Linkedin group called TV Camera Operators that I started a few years ago. This is a free group, and often you will find discussions that may be helpful in your career as a camera operator.

creativity, or reliability; and he will always choose reliability first. Finishing the job with usable video is first priority. If the crew is creative and provides quality, then that much the better, but getting all 3 is ideal. The reason that reliability is so important is because there are too many horror stories of jobs that got screwed up The question I posed this time was: and ended up with unusable videos, all “What do you do to prepare for a shoot because something went wrong, usually the following day?” Obviously, I am with the equipment or with an unprepared talking about a single-camera style of crew. This looks bad on the crew but is shoot – but could include multi-cameras all even worse for the producer. This is why used as single-camera style configuration. producer choose their crews very carefully and only from recommendations of other My most in depth response came producers. from Nino G., a first-call Director of Photography in the U.S. who also holds I live by the Murphy’s Law of “If something workshops. I included a couple of other can go wrong it will”. I was also a Boy responses too. Let’s take a look at some Scout and firmly believe in their motto “be prepared”. of the responses here.

I drive a full size van with $250K Nino G - The first hour of my workshop is dedicated to “reliability”, or the art of of equipment inside. The van is in not screwing up. Ask any producer if he my AC garage, and I have a large had to make a choice between quality, workbench where I constantly test and do maintenance on my equipment. Most screw-ups are caused by equipment malfunction, which is in turn usually caused by an operator who caused the equipment to malfunction.

MATTKEES.com “Matt Kees is a very musical songwriter, producer, mixer and a very good friend of mine. I love hearing his work as he is one of the best in the business. I always look forward to working and making great music with Matt.”

~ Gregg Bissonette

(LA session drummer and member of Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band)

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don’t have to be there in person. With Google Maps I can see the place and even drive on the street without being there. If it’s an outside shoot I need to know where the sun will be at the time of the shoot. This will determine in advance what equipment I will need to unload from the van so I don’t waste time on the shoot day.

If it is an inside shoot I will call the contact on location and ask what rooms are available, and if possible to send me a quick photo with their smartphone. I need to know, based on the requirement, if I need to black out windows or bring props. I also need to know if there are consistent noises that will affect the quality of the audio.

Check the weather forecast and be prepared. I have plenty of weather protection stuff in my van, but if I know for sure that we can expect rain, and here in Florida in the summertime it will rain, I have a 12’ x12’ E-Z UP canopy that I only take along if necessary. Keeping my equipment dry is a priority.

As most of my work is for broadcasting I don’t get to do too many preparation of “after the shoot” as usually at the You ask about what do we do the day end of the day I hand the video to the before, but this is only when we get the producer and all I have left to do is send assignment the day before. In reality the the invoice. preparation starts immediately the moment The list of preparations goes on, and we get booked for the assignment. I want it varies with each assignment, but this to know in advance everything that there should be a good start. is to know about the job so that I will not get there uninformed. All my inquiries are I think most cameramen will offer up the via e-mail and not by phone so I can same advice – be prepared in advance for anything you can think of and you will have a record. save yourself frustration and hassle. Your Most importantly, get all the technical work ethic will show, and that’s what will requirements upfront, like 720 or 1080, give you your reputation and career.

24/30/60fps, etc. Don’t wait to get them when you’re there because most producers don’t even know those details Television director Craig and they need to get that info themselves, Kelly’s career has included meaning time wasted.

The most common questions are the location address, call time, contact at the location, and of course, the most important “shoot schedule”. I turn down jobs where the schedule itself screams “screw-ups”, where producer is trying to squeeze in as much shooting as possible while also expecting top quality.

Part of the preparation is to scout the location. Thanks to modern technology I

over 3,500 live shows, events and concerts in broadcasting, corporate television, events and sports production since 1977. He is also involved in ministry based events and concerts, and has produced or directed internationally distributed DVDs. With a background as an international freelance cameraman, he has shot national and local level sports and corporate video for over twenty years. These days he is often involved in speaking, workshops, writing and talking about Television camera operators and directing.

WORSHIP TEAM TRAINING

By Branon Dempsey

Rehearsal Power-Outage?

Plugging The Power Back Into Rehearsal No matter if you rehearse during the week, or do an all-in-one-shot Sunday, it can be a waste of time to some, or a value to others.

Think about the uses for home electricity . . .without it, the simplest task would be problematic. When we experience a good and productive rehearsal, our team is better prepared and energized to lead. The result is a worship service that is vibrant, confident, and full of life. Wherever your team may be, it might be time to plug in and recharge those rehearsal batteries.

Get Organized. You may have experienced the all-too-familiar scenario: the rehearsal starts at 7pm, people show at 7:15pm and the amps aren’t cranking until 7:30pm. Stragglers, pow-wows, and talk-time now land us at 7:45pm, and it’s already 45 minutes into “rehearsal,” and we haven’t even touched the music. This repetitive weekly event can often lead team members to eject.

Make A Plan. This involves the overall rehearsal time, down to the individual songs. Beyond writing out the set list, think about which songs deserve the most time to rehearse, along with the tough parts.

Keep track of your players to handle certain songs and team rotations. Jot down your musical ideas in order to reference them in the moment. Out of habit, I will put minute markings per song, indicating the length of time to work each tune. Next, I’ll scribbledown notes about the key, tempo, trouble spots, and when to change-out the drummer (just kidding).

change those guitar strings and swap out that old sustain pedal. Create your own catalogue of music, kept in a folder and easy to locate. Don’t forget that pencil.

Plan to arrive early at rehearsal and get your gear ready. If meeting time is 7pm, your downbeat time is 7pm. Vince Lombardi once said: “To be on time is to be late, to be early is to be on time.” (aka - Lombardi Time) 30-20-10 Rule. When leading a rehearsal, your time management is to serve the members of your team. Rather than rehearsing three songs for two hours, I follow what I call the 30-20-10 Rule.

Let’s say we have five songs, we’ll take 30 minutes total to work trouble spots – that’s 5 min per song. Take 20 minutes (4 minutes per song) to run the set top to bottom without stopping, and the last 10 minutes of rehearsal for questions.

The idea is to work backwards: begin with each song’s toughest part first to the easiest, address the transitions, and move to the next song. This plan takes about an hour, give or take depending on the music material and needs. The purpose is to stay on task and finish on time without missing a beat.

Rehearsal Time is Not Practice Time. Another large problem in rehearsals is people not knowing their music. We are busy people with many excuses. Practicing at home is a must have before entering rehearsal. Ask any professional - live, studio, or orchestral musician, and they will tell you the same.

When you arrive, you simply rehearse what you’ve practiced. At this pace, your Sunday mornings become a run-through and not another rehearsal.

Be Early On Time. Having the simple things ready to go, like music and charts, is huge. Go through your music, and notate what needs fixing. When you’re finished, make those copies and bring them to rehearsal. Maybe do a walkthrough on In your rehearsals, when a song sticks your stage to clean up trash, reorganize out and is not ‘jiving’, immediately fix music stands, cables, and etc. Preparing it. Never rehearse mistakes. Don’t run your own gear is another added benefit: through your set trying to make it perfect.

In reality, you want to look for the mistakes in order to improve the song. When the problem goes un-addressed, most likely you will repeat the same mistake in a real service. Make it right and move on.

Another big component is communication: keep it clear, positive, concise, and never point out anyone publically. Lastly, make it fun.

Grand Finale. When you finish rehearsal, thank people for both their time and commitment. Remind them of the musical points mentioned and confirm your meeting time for Sunday. Take that extra time as well to check on others to make sure everything else in life is cool.

Pray for one another and be there for one another. Before you know it, making music will be more fun, more productive, and more meaningful. Plug the power back into your worship team and make your next rehearsal one that people will remember.

Branon Dempsey is the CEO/ Founder and Training Director of Worship Team Training® (www.worshipteamtraining. com) a ministry providing live workshops and online resources for local worship ministries. Branon is called to lead worship teams, leaders and artists in becoming authentic worship-followers of Jesus Christ, serving 40+ churches per year. He holds an MA in Worship and BM in Music Composition/Performance. Featured WTT Radio Show Host on Creator Leadership Network to 70k listeners, Instructor/Speaker at Christian Musician Summit, New Column Writer for Worship Musician Magazine, Religious Product News, Technologies for Worship Magazine, News Channel Church and TCMR iLevite Magazine and CCLITV Video Training Contributor. Worship Team Training® is sponsored by Creator Leadership Network, Christian Musician / Worship Musician Magazine / Christian Musician Summit, Line 6, A’Addario, Sibelius USA and G3 Music Publishing; endorsed by Promark Drumsticks and Jim Hewett Guitars.

Copyright 2012 Branon Dempsey | Worship Team Training® | Administered by For His Music. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. www.worshipteamtraining.com

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“Producers have Pro Tools. Writers have Word.

Songwriters have MasterWriter.”

Rob Thomas Grammy Award winning songwriter and artist “MasterWriter will not only help you write great songs, it will make you a better songwriter in the process.”

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PRODUCT REVIEW

By Bruce Adolph

PRS SE Angelus Custom Acoustic Cutaway Guitar If I give it any serious thought whatsoever, I easily come to the conclusion that PRS has set quite a high bar for themselves by making an SE acoustic guitar of any kind.

The reason being is that I regard their SE electric guitars to be one of the finest instruments you can buy for under the $1,000 price point (and they are well under $1,000 when you get to street pricing). The craftsmanship of the SE electrics is top drawer for an overseas manufactured guitar. These new SE acoustics are made in Korea, just like their electric SE counterparts, and after viewing the binding, fretwork, in-lays, and overall appeal of the new Angelus acoustic cutaway guitar, I wish every overseas-made guitar I’ve played in the last five years (either Japanese, Korean, Indonesian or Chinese) was made in this factory that PRS has going. The work is just a cut above everyone else… it is that simple.

With their acoustic guitars, PRS set out to duplicate the same strategy they used for their electrics: they first came out with handmade USA models, and then once they have their own signature look, feel, and sound… they then present the less expensive mass market SE series of instruments.

guitar comes with PRS’s own SE Tuners and a nice middle-of-the-road hardshell case. The Angelus Custom we reviewed does not have a pick-up system on-board, but PRS does offer the option of having one of their own PRS pick-up systems installed (an under-saddle design with three bands of EQ and an anti-feedback loop). To top off the Angelus experience you will appreciate the traditional PRS headstock design.

But how does the Angelus sound?

That is always the crucial question, isn’t it? Here is what I found. The lows are tight and well defined. The mid range is clear, and the highs are gorgeous. Not brittle, but sparkly. For me personally, I would prefer a little more thump/boom in my bass strings; but the overall blended tone of bass, mids, and highs presents a great mix for cutting through in a worship band situation (especially since you have a bass player and/or keyboard player supporting the low end spectrum).

What blew me away however was the sheer loudness and sustain of the Angelus. When you jump on it using a flat pick the guitar responds! I laid into an open A chord with one single hard strum and the chord rang out with enough midrange sustain that I thought to myself, This is a benefit to players who want to “This reminds me of trouser flap coming emulate some of the sights and sounds of from my amp”. The inside bracing design the high-end guitars but don’t have the makes quite a positive difference here. deep enough pockets to invest that kind The more I strummed the Angelus Custom of money in one. and played some familiar tunes, the more The PRS design team has delivered on I was impressed with this guitar’s graceful power. The neck feels great, and I found these acoustics. myself smiling as I played on. All of this The Angelus’ specs and features are for a street of $799.00? The pickup impressive for a retail price of $1,229.00 system equipped version of this model (street of $799.00). You get a solid streets for $979.00 sitkaSitka spruce top, solid East Indian Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, rosewood back, and laminated rosewood sides. The body style is a 15.5” wide PRS has kept their part of the deal by cutaway with a mahogany neck and offering a quality laden acoustic guitar at ebony fretboard. The internal bracing is a value price that truly lives up to their SE a X-brace/Classical hybrid. More class series expectations. is added with an ebony bridge, a bone Bravo! nut, and a compensated saddle; and to top it off, the iconic PRS bird inlays are Website: www.prsguitars.com prominently placed as fret markers. The neck is wide and comfortable, and this

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SEP/OCT 2012 WORSHIPMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM

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MUSICIANSHIP

By Mark Shelton

Memorizing Music Back in the seventh grade, my band director explained that memorizing our solo pieces for the upcoming festival was required. Performing with the sheet music would result in a lower rating from the judge. Determined to avoid the penalty, I began my foray into storing the strains of “She’ll Be Flammin’ ‘Round The Mountain” into the hippocampus region of my junior high brain.

I was not a stranger to memorizing. Elementary school had included many assignments to learn poetry and prose for recitation in class and of course, the multiplication tables were stored in my gray matter by the fifth grade.

With these assignments came very little in the way of instruction on how to memorize. I just memorized with some sort of brute force and repetition.

That was the basic method that I employed for memorizing the aforementioned snare drum solo as well as several seasons of marching band music. (The tenor drum part to a high school cadence is forever etched in my limbic area.)

Studying a piece of music to the point that it is firmly embedded in your brain allows a performer to concentrate on things other than which string should be played next or if the upcoming phrase begins with a triplet.

Without your head in the page, you can think more about subtle dynamic shadings or locking in your part with the rhythm guitar or (gasp) connecting with your audience. Having the freedom to look at your instrument instead of the paper can also boost your accuracy in a thorny passage.

In certain situations, a piece of music can be so lengthy and complex that using sheet music is necessary, but memorizing just certain portions can be beneficial. Many times in orchestral work, I have memorized a small section so that I could look away from the chart and focus on striking the correct bars on the xylophone or glockenspiel.

There are several methods that you can employ to memorize music and check your memory in order to perform confidently without being tied to the music stand.

That “brute force / repetition method” from my early years still works and is probably the primary memorization technique used by most of us. It functions best when the repetitions are accurate and consistent. Keep in mind that incorrect notes and rhythms are learned along with the right ones. Endeavor to implant only the information that you want to come out in the performance. In addition to hearing the music and seeing your hands playing, you are also developing muscle memory as you make those repetitions. Your hands and fingers are memorizing their movements. (Actually it is

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SEP/OCT 2012 WORSHIPMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM

your brain that’s storing those gestures.)

Also known as kinesthetic memory, this type of retention has come to my rescue many times when my hands just kept moving and found their way to the right notes as I succumbed to a momentary brain fog.

Work at memorizing in small chunks such as a four bar phrase or the B section of a fiddle tune or a single verse from a song. As you memorize the pitches and rhythms, try to also learn the dynamics, phrasing, and other nuances.

Analyzing the theory and form of the music can help in the memorization process. Does the tune remain in the same key? Are there accidentals in the melody? Is the second section of the melody the same as the first but at a different pitch level? Do the chord changes occur in a common progression? Is this piece in binary (fiddle tune) form or 32 bar song form? Gaining an understanding of how the music is assembled provides certain frameworks and boundaries that assist your memorization.

Once you can play the selection in a confident fashion, make an accurate recording and start listening. Put it on a loop or repeat mode and let it soak into your brain so that you have a definitive aural example locked in your mind. This process really helps me when I am trying to memorize the form of a song.

Try saying the note names in order in the correct rhythm. You will probably need to slow the tempo down a bit. You can do the same thing with the chord changes.

You can memorize away from your instrument.

This forces you to imagine your instrument and see your hands playing the correct notes on that instrument. This gives your brain a workout AND you can get in some valuable memory training while waiting in line at the donut shop.

Study the printed score and memorize how the music looks on the paper. Look away and picture the notation in your mind.

Attempt to get a mental image of each measure.

You can reinforce (and test) this notation exercise by writing the music from memory.

This can further ingrain the music and point up some foggy areas that require more study. These exercises can be valuable when memorizing form or chords.

In practice sessions, we often start playing in musically convenient places such as the beginning of a phrase or the start of a chorus. Our memory slips frequently occur between those convenient points. During a practice session, test your brain by skipping around to various sections and starting to play (from memory) in odd places.

In my grad school days, I read about the method of memorizing from the end back to the beginning. (My original source for this memory technique has ironically slipped from my memory!) The “end to

the beginning system” has become a favorite of mine and I have shared it with many students.

Instead of memorizing the opening section first and then adding subsequent sections, begin memorizing the final section of the material. After that is learned, move to the preceding section and add that to your memory. Continue in this direction memorizing segments until you reach the beginning. Always review the portions memorized in earlier sessions.

In this way, the ending material is known the best since it was memorized first and reviewed the most. As you play from the start to the finish, you know the material increasingly better as you progress through the composition. This works great. You can play with greater confidence the further you play into the piece.

Use the metronome to check your ability to recall and play at various tempos. You may find your memory tested a bit when that ballad tempo is increased dramatically or the lightning fast fiddle tune is taken at half speed.

When you feel that the memorized material is strongly imprinted in your noggin, strive to play through the music several times without interruption. Within seconds of sounding the last notes, dive back into the beginning.

As the first performance of a solo piece approaches, I will sometimes try to play the selection from memory around 15-20 times.

A major trepidation with playing from memory is the fear of forgetting during performance and never recovering. That fear breeds lack of confidence. Bolster your confidence by building a system of memory backups. The techniques in this article (and others you may encounter) are those reinforcements. These “layers of learning” come in handy. When one layer fails, there are others ready to pick up the slack.

Also, actively work on recovery. While practicing, use those momentary mental slips to deftly get back on track, maintain composure, and continue with assurance.

Investing practice time in a multipronged strategy to store music “between your ears” will foster your ability to perform from memory with greater confidence.

Reprinted with permission from Dulcimer Players News

From the early days of his career as Visiting Artist at Coastal Carolina Community College to his current work as a soloist, clinician, sideman, and entrepreneur, Mark Shelton has created programs, products, and educational services for a variety of ages.

Over the years, Mark has memorized a lot of music but sometimes cannot remember why he walked downstairs.

Mark Shelton www.marksheltonmusic.com

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International House of Prayer: by Aimee Herd

continued from page 24

At home I just have an upright acoustic piano; it’s a Yamaha U1, just a standard piano. And I have an acoustic guitar.

I like the old-school sound, and the classic instruments, that’s just my bent.

and another wave of God’s intense Presence was there.

That’s unique (laughing), it doesn’t happen all the time.

In doing that, I’ve built some of the deepest relationships with people that I just love, and share the same values with. I’ve experienced praying the Bible with these people and intercession—I have so many sweet memories of interceding over some of the crises that have happened in the past few years.

The earthquake in Haiti was one—we rallied around in intercession over DAVY FLOWERS that tragedy that happened in Haiti, developing a heart together for the AH: Davy, when nation. you first came to IHOP, had you been So, the highlight for me has been just a worship leader being here, and being able to [worship] in the night. It’s rare, and it’s a gift. I’ve prior to that? loved being on the Nightwatch and Davy Flowers: standing in intercession by night. If I’d been leading there were more than 24 hours in a day worship since I was we’d give it to Jesus, but there are only 14—in youth group 24! (Laughs) and things like that.

AH: I love the fact that the overnight Then, I worked is referred to as Nightwatch and not the for a missionary organization; I’d “graveyard” shift. led worship at our DF: (Laughing) That’s awesome. different training camps, so I’ve been AH: What are the actual hours of leading awhile.

Nightwatch?

Of course, when I came here it was DF: We’re in the prayer room a completely different expression than from 12am to 6am. If you’re on the AH: As you listen back to the album anything I’d ever experienced leading worship team, you lead one 2-hour Magnificent Obsession, what are some worship before. set in that 6-hour block, but you stay other songs that really stand out to you?

AH: Was it difficult to get used to? in the room for the other four, leading JT: The first song on the album, “Worthy in prayer [or reading Scripture on the DF: No, not really, because it’s so of It All.” That’s David Brymer—he’s the mic, or praying/worshiping in the worship leader I mentioned who wrote fun—I came here and just “jumped congregation]. There are four worship in the water.”

When you’re creative, the song with Misty—the first couple times teams on the Nightwatch, so each team I heard that song, I thought, “This is my and you naturally love to create songs, is doing 5 sets a week, and one team is it’s exhilarating.

My first couple years new favorite worship song.” I immediately doing 6 sets a week. We do 36 hoursstarted doing it in live sets, and in a were very exciting to me. a-week in the Nightwatch. couple of months, half of the other worship AH: So, the aspect of spontaneity in AH: Is there one time in particular of leaders at IHOP started doing that song. worship didn’t scare you? worship-intercession that stands out to AH: Jon, you’re a keyboard player, DF: No, because I had already been you that you can share about? what is your preference for gear? connected with IHOP on the mission DF: Hmmmm... well I mentioned Haiti.

JT: In the prayer room, we have a field, and I was already listening to a When the earthquake happened, we Yamaha CP300. I’ll be honest, I’m kind lot of the music, and practicing being just adopted that nation in prayer. of a purist when it comes to piano sounds spontaneous in singing a melody and The day after it happened, I saw our and I’d love to have a real acoustic the Bible. So, I was used to it, even leaders begin to do the research and piano—a Yamaha C7, something like from a distance, and then when I got connect with Believers in Haiti—letting that. But, realistically, because it would be here it was like, “Yay, I can do it for them know that we were standing played so much, we’d have to be tuning real now!” with them. To this day we still have a it, every couple of days. So [an electronic AH: And what would you say is your Tuesday 4-6am Haiti prayer [focus]. It’s keyboard] makes more sense there. favorite part of being involved with been going ever since the earthquake.

AH: Easier for recording purposes too. worship at the 24/7 prayer room at And since we’ve been praying for this IHOP? nation, we really have developed a JT: Absolutely, mic-ing an acoustic heart for the Believing community there.

DF: My experience has mostly been piano, you’d have to really know what We’ve actually been sending out teams you’re doing to make it sound good. on the Nightwatch [overnight worship to go there once a year. shift]—I’ve done that for almost four But, in the last five to ten years, a lot of And then also, the last election; praying keyboardists will bring their laptop with years. It’s a very special community all their keyboard software, and just run of people who’ve decided that Jesus is for the future president. It was just so it through the CP300. In that way they worthy of flipping your whole schedule cool to be amongst a community of have control over the sound, loops and upside down. He’s worthy of it; He’s people believing that God is governing worthy of incessant prayer and worship. keyboard patches that they want to use.

Continued on page 54

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Editor’s Corner - Continued from page 7 The funny thing was that just the week before that Judy and I were trying to remember some of Ron Kenoly’s songs. Back in the day Ron was writing some cutting edge stuff with really good musicians backing him up. Our friend, (and author of one of our upcoming new Worship Musician Presents series of books with Hal Leonard Publishing), Tom Brooks was the music director for those groundbreaking albums. Ron had some great melodies in his songs, and after a few minutes of us searching our memory banks for clues Judy and I went from humming to singing some of those classic tunes.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some really strong worship songs circulating today that have good melodies. I just want to remind us all to pose the question…Are we writing great vocal melodies today? Are we pushing ourselves to not just settle for good, but to strive for great?

In the songwriting sessions at conferences, in the music rooms at our churches, and in our own homes… are we skillfully constructing the melody lines to our own psalms, hymns, or spiritual songs? Will someone search their memory banks to bring back our song ten years from now because it had such a good melody?

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53

International House of Prayer: by Aimee Herd

continued from page 24

you through their in-ears (Aviom). And in addition, different worship leaders will develop signals for what they want, but generally we all use a lot of the same signals. And then, because a lot of people play on the same team But, since I’ve been here—I’ve done for years sometimes, you’re able to four years in the Bible college here, and feel each other, and follow each other I graduated a couple months ago—I without much communication. have given myself to hours-upon-hours of reading the Word and singing the AH: That’s interesting about the TalkWord. And journaling about the Word Back Pedal, has anyone accidentally too; to the point where now, it has forgotten to press the pedal and then actually come alive in me—I actually talked to the team but it’s gone over the believe this stuff. (Laughs) I have main PA? bought in to radical devotion to Jesus DF: Yes, several people have. It’s by the way I’ve encountered Him in the the funniest thing ever when you’re in Word, in the Gospels. the prayer room. (Laughs) And when

this whole thing and that we are able to heart in singing, songwriting and partner with Him in that way. That was worship leading. I didn’t read the Bible a special time too. a whole lot, I didn’t sing the Bible a lot AH: Davy, on the new One Thing either. I didn’t realize that it was God’s Live: Magnificent Obsession album, you main way He wants to speak to me. have a song on there called “Wounded One”--tell me how it came about.

DF: During the time that I wrote that song, I had been on the Nightwatch for about a year. I had entered a time when I was really talking to the Lord about the cross, and meditating on passages from Isaiah 53 that talk about Jesus as the “Man of sorrows” and the suffering Servant. They lay out the details of what took place in Him being crucified.

Night after night I would open the Bible and put that before me and sing it to God; asking Jesus questions about it. ...How did it feel when they placed the crown of thorns on Your head? ...How did it feel to see people in the crowd that you’d had conversations with...?

The cross became real and alive to me as I began to connect with the Lord’s heart in it.

It was from that place that wrote it. One morning, I woke up with this melody in my head, it was the melody of the chorus (sings an example). I thought, whoa, that’s a really cool melody, I’m going to sit down and write a song around it. I literally got the melody, sat down at my kitchen table, and wrote the song in 30 minutes—the verses, the bridge, chorus, all of it. And it wasn’t even a huge effort on my part, it happened so fast! The next day, I took it in to my worship team, played it for them and said, “Guys I wrote this song and we’re going to go in and do it.”

They did it for the first time that morning and they nailed it. It quickly became this anthem for us. I just honestly feel like the Lord put it on my heart.

That’s what’s changed for me. And now I feel like all of my goals, values and songwriting—everything—is now dictated by the Word of God. And also, because this is a praying community, and because I’m in the prayer room for 6 hours a night, 6 days a week—if you do that, you can’t help but run into Jesus.

DF: I think, prior to coming here, I didn’t realize how powerful a weapon the Word of God is to the life of my

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SEP/OCT 2012 WORSHIPMUSICIANMAGAZINE.COM

AH: And, I noticed when the next team is ready to take over, the music does not stop. How does the change of teams work?

DF: If it’s a guitar worship leader and another one is following, they’ll switch When I first came here, I felt like I was out, but the first will tell her team to facing my own barrenness, in such an keep going. Our singers are numbered intense [prayer setting], because I’d go 1, 2, 3, and singer 1 is like the chorus in the prayer room and feel nothing. I leader—second to the worship leader— didn’t really know how to talk to God; so they’ll keep going [while the rest of I felt like there was some formula that the team switches out]. would “get me in.” But, over time I AH: So, in 13 years, the worship realized that there is no formula, there is no method. It’s just simply connecting in that room has never stopped for with Christ and relating to Jesus, and anything? fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit is a DF: It’s never stopped. In fact, I’ve very natural thing. I had to do it, I had experienced in the prayer room, if there’s to find the way because I can’t just sit in a thunderstorm and the electricity goes a room for 6 hours and stare at a wall, out, the worship team just comes to the I had to get a prayer life! front of the stage...someone gets some So that change in me is having a candles, another one finds a djembe, really alive heart...after four years I can and we’ll just keep going [unplugged] honestly say I am fully devoted to Jesus with no lights, anything...it’s really cool. and deeply committed to Him. But I’ve also experienced during a blizzard that’s what happens when you pray this when we were snowed in, and we just kept going. much.

AH: Wow, just a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit. So cool. Now, you play and lead worship with guitar, AH: That’s so inspiring, Davy, wow. what brand and model?

Just to get a little musically technical for DF: Yes, I have a Martin. But, I also a few minutes, I have some questions enjoy playing Taylors. I don’t know about leading worship in the prayer what model my Martin is because I room. I’ve watched the live stream, and never looked at it in detail. But, it has a noticed that whoever is leading seems nice, warm tone. to have hand signals worked out for the AH: Over the course of leading team and the sound engineer as well. worship for Nightwatch these past Are those universal to all the teams or several years, how has that affected unique to each worship leader? you as a leader, and as a musician, and also just in your walk with God; from the time you first began at IHOP up to this point in time?

you’re the leader and the one who did it, it’s the most horrifying thing, but everyone just laughs and you move on.

It’s a really neat thing that God is doing out here. And that’s very much evidenced on the One Thing album, the songs are very much telling of our core value; the heartbeat of every song is for our eyes and hearts to be lifted to gaze upon the beauty of Jesus, and the supremacy of Christ. This one is a favorite album of mine because our message and our heartbeat is very clear, even in the title: Jesus is our DF: Well, there are some general “Magnificent Obsession.” signals that most people are familiar To experience the 24/7 Prayer with like: “bring it down,” “build it up,” at the International “vocal break.” Those are very clear, Room anybody will know what you mean. House of Prayer, Kansas City, But we also use a Talk-Back Pedal—you for yourself, and for more press the pedal and speak into the mic information on IHOP, log onto: www.ihopkc.org and only the worship team can hear

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