The Golden Rule for Worship Bands

The bands I work with probably get tired of hearing me say it – but I’m not sure it can be said enough: “Less is more.” Having the musicians/singers be picky about when they play/sing does a lot for the dynamics of a song. But it also does something on a spiritual level. It allows [...]

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Audio Mix Pyramid

From Technologies for Worship Magazine: Look at the Mix Pyramid. Notice that the top or focal point of the pyramid is the lead vocal. The lead vocal or soloist must always be on top and be able to be understood by someone who does not already know the words to the song. Just under the [...]

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Worship Band Tune Up, part 5

5. Lead guitars, sax, flute, and other instruments should not play the melody, but learn to play complementary parts in the pockets (between the vocal parts). Read Tune Ups 1 2 3 4 I think there are also exceptions to this rule. I know there are times when I’ve had a lead solo instrument double [...]

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When the worship band spontaneously combusted…

From ASBO Jesus.

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Worship Band Tune Up, part 4

Read parts 1 2 3 4. No one should ever play the melody line. (This is for the vocal team). The obvious exception is during an instrumental section of a song. But if a vocalist is singing, an instrument can probably think of something better to play than doubling the melody being sung. Some ideas [...]

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Worship Band Tune Up, part 3

Parts 1 and 2 3. In keyboard driven worship the guitar players need to listen and play a complementary part and not the same rhythm. (This also applies to a multiple guitar scene). When the keyboard is the driving instrument in a Worship Band (or just on a song), the guitar players need to do [...]

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How to Kick Someone Out of the Band (nicely)

Nancy Beach has a post about a colleague that believed they needed to ask a Worship Band member to step down in order to take the team to the “next level.” I’ve been there. To start, there are 2 main things I look for when selecting new Worship Band members. First there needs to be [...]

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Worship Band Tune Up, part 2

Read “Worship Band Tune Up, part 1″ here. 2. In guitar driven worship, the keyboard should use pads and strings so not to conflict with the rhythm of the guitar. Depending on what God gives you, your band may be more guitar driven than keyboard driven. The instrument “driving” the band is the one that [...]

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Worship Band Tune Up, part 1

Technologies for Worship Magazine had a great little tip from John Chevalier on how to build a Worship Band. I’m going to break apart his points and riff on each of them. 1. The bass should always play in sinc with the beat of the kick drum. This is key, as about 60% of your [...]

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