Worship Podcast & Blog
Becoming a musician isn’t about “arriving” or “making it”.
Sure, some musicians are farther along than others. We all have our idols that we want to be like. But even the most advanced, skilled musician has more to learn.
The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop being a musician. The nature of music is that you never arrive. There’s a world of creativity to unlock.
Drums. You either love them or you hate them.
If your drummer is out of control, you can’t wait for him to stop. If he doesn’t have enough energy, you’re longing for the music to actually build somewhere.
The old adage is true – your band is only as good as your drummer.
But we already covered that here on the blog. What I want to explore today are some drumming tips that are unique to worship music.
I want to discuss being a drummer who is more intent on serving the people in the room than rocking their faces off.
A drummer who creates a musical context that is energetic and easy to follow.
If you’ve played worship music for any length of time, you know how important the keyboard is.
The keyboard is the carrier of the anointing, the sound of heaven. Matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a keyboard, soft pad-playing angel in heaven.
Of course, I kid ever so slightly. What is true is how a keyboard can help create an atmosphere for worship music.
But what if you just don’t know how?
Maybe you’re a classically trained pianist and you’re the only qualified person at your church.
Or maybe you’re the worship leader and your keyboard player doesn’t know how to play like this. What do you do?
How do you know when you become a pro musician?
Is it after you fully complete Alfred’s Basic Piano Library?
Is it when you surpass 10,000 practice hours and artists are beating down your door to hire you?
Is it when you can play sheet music like this with your eyes closed?
What is the official “Pro” threshold and how does one cross it?
Going pro is much more vague than that. It doesn’t depend on 10,000 hours of practice, though it may require that.
It doesn’t depend on a degree from Juilliard, though such an education would be helpful.
It’s not awarded to those who’ve taken lessons the longest.
One of the greatest decisions we ever made to our worship team was to memorize our music.
It has helped our stage presence, our stage cleanliness, and improved our musicality. But this doesn’t come easy. Memorizing anything can be hard, especially the older you get.
At least, that’s what we’ve conditioned ourselves to believe.
But what if you started to tell yourself a different story? That you could memorize your music. And not only memorize it, but play with a greater level of musicality and passion than ever before?
I don’t know about you, but that excites me. And I know you can do it. I’ve seen it happen to myself and dozens of musicians at my church.