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Archives for September 2009
Marks of A Professional Musician (Part 4)
Mark #3 – Does your attitude contribute?
Not only do professional musicians listen, watch, and feel the music, they have good attitudes. They have focused attitudes. Part of being professional is that you want opportunities to play and you know you’ll get them if your attitude contributes, rather than detracts from a band environment. Attitude is everything when you are playing with other musicians.
A bad attitude on stage is like gangrene in the body. It spreads. It does not just affect you but the entire team. I’ve had the privilege of playing with some incredible musicians over the years. Here are some ‘attitude’ items I’ve noticed, while playing in rehearsal settings:
- Take notes on your sheet music! This lets the leader know you care and he won’t have to repeat himself a thousand times. It also aids in not making careless mistakes.
- Don’t practice your scales/rudiments/licks at rehearsals in-between songs. Very frustrating to a leader. Focus your attention on what is trying to be accomplished.
- Don’t cry when your ideas get shot down. Someone probably knows more than you do.
- Laugh. Smile. Joke around. This contributes to a fun atmosphere.
- Don’t ever speak out of frustration. If you are frustrated about something, zip your lips until you can say it with kindness and cool.
- Invest all your passion, energy, and heart into the simplest licks & grooves. Don’t act like you are above simplicity. There’s no faster way out the door.
- Compliment other musicians on stage! Believe it or not, this is hard to do if you are a musician. Why? Because we love ourselves too much. Our identities can be wrapped up in what we do. Break that by encouraging others around you.
- Don’t act bored. Professional, enduring musicians play the same songs in the same way for more years than you’ve been alive. Get over your boredom.
Worship Leaders: Don't Listen to Too Much Worship Music
Is it possible to listen to too much worship music? Why would I even address such an issue? Am I one of those indie listening types who enjoy taking shots at Christian music because it is bland and lacks creativity? Sometimes. But that is not what I’m trying to do here.
I’m writing to my own heart. I hope this challenges you as well.
In the last 20 years, worship music has risen to the top of all Christian music. I don’t have facts, but I guarantee you it makes the most money. It is accessible. It is encouraging. A lot of it is very good and good for your walk with God today. I’m a worship leader. I listen to a lot of it. I even write my own songs and sell them.
My concern for worship leaders is that we spend so much time listening to professional worship albums that we feel pressure to mimic that sound/experience in our churches. Let’s be honest. You probably don’t have a David Crowder/Chris Tomlin/Hillsong quality band every Sunday. You work with volunteers. You work with the young inexperienced and the older over-experienced. You work with the 13 year old with his Mel Bay chord book and the old 70s rocker who can shred better than you can talk.
I think there is a beautiful value in that.
Yea, it would be nice to have the same team of professional musicians that you travel the world with and crank out songs with your eyes closed. I’m not saying we should disregard improvement. We have a lot to learn from the pros, but becoming Hillsong should not be your goal. Your goal should be to invest in the people God has given you today. Be a spiritual leader. Pray for them. Teach them. Love them. Laugh with them. Care for them.
Don’t be discouraged if your band doesn’t sound exactly like the new United album that just came out 15 seconds ago. Work on improving the quality of your band but don’t use them as a means to your self-glorifying goals. See their need. Bring them higher. Love them. There is more to what we are doing than click-track tight music and emotional sounds. The Holy Spirit wants to connect with His people through your worship leading.
God has given you an amazing opportunity. Be faithful.
Helps on Morning Prayer (Paul Miller)
I am currently reading Paul E. Miller’s book, “A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World”. Wow. I am hooked. Extremely practical teaching on prayer. Deeply Biblical. And my favorite – short chapters! It’s also very comfortable to hold. I’m convinced that when a book is attractive to the eye and comfortable in the hands, people will be more apt to finishing it. That may actually be an epidemic in our day – unfinished books. Just kidding.
Anyway, I loved his list of helps on ‘praying in the morning’. No, you don’t HAVE to pray in the morning, but I believe it is essential to a God-centered day. Here we go:
- Get to bed – what you do in the evening will shape your morning. The Hebrew notion of a day as the evening and morning helps you plan for prayer. If you want to pray in the morning, then plan your evening so you don’t stay up too late. The evening and the morning are connected.
- Get up – praying in bed is wonderful. In fact, the more you pray out of bed, the more you’ll pray in bed. But you’ll never develop a morning prayer time in bed. Some of my richest prayer times are at night. I’ll wake up praying. But those prayer times only began to emerge because I got out of bed to pray.
- Get awake – Maybe you need to make a pot of coffee first or take a shower.
- Get a quiet place – Maybe a room, a chair, or a place with a view. Or maybe you do better going for a walk. Make sure that no one can interrupt you.
- Get comfortable – Don’t feel like you have to pray on your knees. For years I was hindered from praying because I found it so uncomfortable to pray on my knees.
- Get going – start with just five minutes. Start with a small goal that you can attain rather than something heroic. You’ll quickly find that the time will fly.
- Keep going – consistency is more important than length. If you pray five minutes every day, then the length of time will slowly grow. You’ll enjoy being with God.
Marks of a Great Musician (Part 3)
Mark #3 – Do you feel it?
Not only do great musicians learn from listening and observing great music, but they also feel the music they play. There is a night and day difference between playing notes on a page and translating music from deep within who you are. Many people find my body language and facial expression quite humorous when I’m playing music. And rightly so. It is funny. This is not something I think about. It is a natural occurrence for me when I’m feeling the music. I’m not just playing notes. I’m speaking something about what I believe and who I am. I know that sounds incredibly deep.
Allow me to put it like this: when a speaker speaks he/she is trying to communicate a central idea. Breakthrough wisdom right there. When an artist paints he/she is trying to communicate a certain feeling. When a good musician plays, he knows he is communicating something as well.
When I play the piano, for example, I’m trying to communicate my passion for Jesus through what I play. My heart and mind and body are engaged together in worship.
Great musicians know where there music comes from, whether it’s good or bad. Making sound is not enough, my friends. There is plenty of that around. Communicate something. Contemplate a picture and create it with your music. Engage all you are in your music.
No matter how stupid it may look.