This worship keyboard tutorial covers a common role for church keyboardists: creating the transition from the message to a final worship song. There are several things that can go wrong. In this post, we will identify four common mistakes - from playing technique to controlling your sounds - and how to avoid them. Mistake #1: Loud sounds Like a classic Steve Carell character, I'm not a fan … [Read more...]
How to lead spontaneous worship
Spontaneous worship is not a new concept, but it is seeing a resurgence as worshipers seek authentic experiences in God’s presence. It’s a prominent part of the music from Bethel Church in California, but it’s by no means exclusive to them. Here are some thoughts on what spontaneous worship is, what it looks like when done well, and a few tips on how you can be skilled in leading it. What is … [Read more...]
Simple thought process for strong musical transitions
One of the most important responsibilities of a church musician is to play sensitively. Providing the right musical soundtrack for different parts of a service shows that you... have the attitude that makes playing a supportive role possible, and you have a high degree of musical skill - the aptitude - to know and execute the right musical ideas. That was my task when I got up to play at … [Read more...]
Killing organists and future worship music
I just came from a meeting where I was singularly the face of the contemporary praise and worship movement. As a group of music folks from the community, we were discussing the possibility of a new part-time organ teaching position in town. Several of the group are current or former organists, many having served regularly in churches. Some expressed a desire to see the position be more than … [Read more...]
Deep ponderings about sitting and standing
Most of the time when I receive an email message, the needed response is a pretty simple "check out this video, it will show you the steps you need to take." In this post, however, I want to share a deeper response to a fairly simple question: should a keyboard player be expected to play while standing? … [Read more...]
