The praise team sauntered off stage after worship. They knew that everyone has their bad weeks, but this was beyond bad. Afterwards, they sat together silently. Nobody wanted to be the first one to say it. After a few moments, the band leader spoke up, “What do you think went wrong?” The rest of the team hung their heads even lower.
Through his hands the electric guitar player muttered, “It sounded terrible. That’s what went wrong.” He wasn’t wrong. It did sound terrible. The instruments were off so much that music was nearly unrecognizable. One song got off to such a rocky start that the band leader actually had to stop the band and start the song again. Everyone felt terrible.
So what’s a team like this to do?
Should they realize that God is sovereign, and there’s nothing to worry about because He has them right where He wants them? Certainly. They should realize that truth, and breathe a sigh of relief. But should they continue on leading worship the same way? Certainly not. After a week or two of terrible music it would be insane to continue doing the same things and expect a better result.
Whether your praise team is like the one from the story, or not, having a tight band is crucial to engaging people in impactful worship. Here are 14 ways to tighten up your team as you think about rehearsals and worship services for 2014.
1. Set the expectation to show up on time and be prepared. This is the first step to creating a tight sound. No matter what you do during rehearsals, you won’t get a tight sound if your band is unfamiliar with the music.
2. Give your team music in advance. Obviously, if people are going to show up on time and be prepared, they need the music in advance. Be sure to get charts and recordings to everyone on the team at least a week in advance. This is especially true if you are doing a new song.
3. Start, start, start. In many ways, how well you perform a song’s intro will influence how the rest of the song goes. As you rehearse, start the song more than once. I like to count everyone in a few times. Then when they do it just right, I have them do it three more times. You almost can’t over practice the intro.
4. See the phrase ‘good enough’ as a red flag. Doing rehearsals week after week can be tiring. After a while there can be a temptation to think, that's probably good enough to a mediocre sound. View this as a sure sign that your level of excellence is beginning to slip, and you need to rededicate yourself.
5. Tightness drills. I’ve had success doing these with my teams in the past. And they’re my go to if I feel like tightness is becoming an issue. Count the band in, and have them all hit one note or chord at the same time. Then do that about ten times. It’s really simple, but it gets them focused on playing the same thing at the same time.
6. Memorize your music. Your team may not have the time or dedication to memorize their music. If they do, you’ve got it made. If not, then you’ll improve your ability to lead by memorizing. Cut your music stand loose, and free up space in your mind to listen to what the others are doing. That’s how you’ll pinpoint areas that need work.
7. Challenge the team to focus on tightness. Sometimes the fix is as simple as mentioning it to your team. There have been weeks where I’ll just look at my team right before we go on stage and say, “Let’s focus on hitting that first note right” or “Let’s play nice and tight out there.” Your words can be a powerful motivational tool for your team.
8. Use a click track. This is a heated issue for lots of leaders. Some love click tracks and others hate them. I don’t personally use a click track, but I’ve worked at churches that do. They’re a great way to get an excellent sound out of almost any group of musicians.
9. Make sure your charts match the recordings. There’s almost nothing worse than confusing charts and recordings. I’ve given bad charts and recordings to my teams before. The last thing you want is your drummer to be on one page, while your bass player is on another. Be sure to provide quality charts and recordings that match.
10. Expose your team to greatness. Almost nothing is more inspiring than seeing excellence at its finest. Take your team to a concert, or watch a DVD with their favorite musicians in it. If you have a team member who is having trouble making the commitment to practice at home, this may be the thing that helps him step up his game.
11. Intentionally select music with parts that will challenge your team to work toward tightness. Songs with instrumental syncopation, time signature changes, and complex transitions are great for pushing your team to work toward something they’ve never done before. Seek songs like these out and strategically put them into your worship set.
12. Get the right people. A couple months ago I had a conversation with Ray Barry, the Creative Arts Director from Cornerstone church in Chandler, AZ. He told me that he always looks for a great drummer and sound guy whenever he starts at a new church or plans services. You may value different positions, but make sure you have people you can trust. As a leader, trusting others is an essential element to your job.
13. Begin rehearsals with a focus exercise. Your worship team is made up of people who live high speed lives. When they come into rehearsal, most of them bring the baggage of an overcrowded life. Take some time to focus as rehearsal begins. You can ask an icebreaker question, pray, read a Bible verse, talk about the lyrics from a song, etc. Just do something to help everyone get on the same page.
14. Encourage tightness whenever it happens. As you work toward tightness, you’ll begin to see it in your team. When it happens, make a big deal out of it. Encouragement is one of your most powerful tools, use it liberally.
0 comments:
Post a Comment