10 Ways to Avoid Mishaps In Worship

Excellence is a great goal for our worship services each week. But as part of a local church ministry, we are faced with imperfection--not only with our own fallen nature and limited skills--but also with our volunteers, those who share ministry from the stage with us. Even though we put a premium on excellence, our primary goal is to see lives changed for Christ, and we are charged with the duty and honor of loving, leading and ministering to our team members and congregation.

We cannot avoid the possibility of mishaps during our services. It's not a question of "if" they will happen, but "when!" Without a game plan of how to handle these intrusions, we can be completely thrown off-guard when these distractions raise their ugly little heads.

Here are 10 considerations from my upcoming book, Worship Foundry, to help avoid being derailed during a worship service.
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With any performance, things have the potential to go wrong: microphones can stop working; the power can fail--causing silence and darkness; music cues can be missed, etc. Whether it's human error or just some freak accident, problems will arise.

In any event, our greatest ally is preparation. A thousand mistakes, and an equal number of equipment failures, can potentially be avoided by thinking through every possible technical, musical or transitional weakness that may be lurking in our weekly worship plan. Paranoia about something going wrong during a worship service shouldn't rule our planning process, though. If we plan far enough out from the performance, with plenty of time to process the program design--while utilizing the talent and wisdom of our planning team--we can anticipate problems and make corrections.

As I have written before, a seamless flow is necessary when leading our congregations on a weekly worship journey, helping to focus their full and active attention on Christ during the song set and while communicating the message of the Gospel. When things go wrong, the congregant's attention is deflected away from the intended focus and toward the distraction. This destroys that precious state of mind which every skilled communicator works for: the place where the audience is no longer self-aware, time flies and they are fully engaged in the moment.

There are two areas to consider when dealing with things that can go wrong during a performance: the stage and the audience. Here are 10 crucial things to keep in mind that may help avoid the most serious of problems.

From The Stage

1. Don't do anything from the stage that hasn't been scrutinized and agreed upon collectively by the worship production team. Of course, there will be times when God wants to go in another direction, and the pastor or leader of the service will have to make that call. Spontaneity doesn't always equate spirituality, though.

2. Make sure that during rehearsal the technical aspects of the service are tested and that the equipment is properly working; confirm stage entrances and exits, segment hand-offs, how staging will be moved, who will do what and where,when, etc.

3. Make sure that sight lines are established between the leader, band and vocalists. If this isn't possible due to a complicated stage setup, then create an audible means of communication if changes are needed during the performance (provide a wireless, in-ear monitoring system to stay connected with the tech team). Use pre-determined hand signals or gestures as a means of visual communication between the stage and the technicians at the sound console (front of house= FOH), without having to disrupt flow.

4. When a mistake is made, try not to draw attention to it. It is likely that the audience won't even be aware of the mess-up. Skilled performers know that a mistake can enhance a performance when, even after a stumble, they land gracefully on their feet (this is only for the highly-skilled among us)!

5. If possible, designate a person from the tech team to help with potential stage problems. When called upon, they can inconspicuously move to the stage to fix a sound problem or make an equipment change. It's important that those on stage remain focused on speaking, playing and singing. If a problem brings a performance to a screeching halt, it needs to be established beforehand who from the staff will stand in the gap and carry the program until a solution is found, or to conclude the service altogether. As said in an earlier post: an audience's trust in a good leader will go a long way in helping to get through a distracting moment during a service.

From the Audience

1. Some churches, pastors and leaders encourage children to sit with their parents during a service. But when disruptions come from babies and small children in the audience, it makes it all but impossible for others in the service to stay focussed on the message. If necessary, create a policy that limits certain ages to participate in services. If this is not possible, take the opportunity to promote your well-equipped, secure, clean and nurturing child care facility, where their age-appropriate behavior is better suited. Another great way to help with this is by supplying a private and discreet "family room" for parents or caretakers, supplied with a video feed of the service. A separate, private location for nursing mothers will also be very helpful.

2. Make it a policy for those who choose to sit toward the front of the sanctuary to remain seated during the entire service. Encourage those with pertinent personal or physical issues to sit in a place within the sanctuary where they can easily exit without disturbing those around them. Section off an area of the sanctuary for special needs. Sanctuary etiquette must be taught from the pulpit, as well as in orientation classes. Pastors and/or worship leaders will have to make special effort to teach worshipers proper behavior in casual worship environments. This may need to be done often, especially in a growing church.

3. Train ushers and greeters, in advance of any given service, to be aware of potential interruptions in the audience; teach them to assist the pastor in a proper and discreet manor when called upon. 

4. Make sure that a person of authority, other than the one leading from the stage, is available to help contain any situation that may arise during a service. If the pastor or leader makes a gesture from the stage, that appointed person can move quickly toward the disruption or spiritual need in the audience.

5. Sometimes a medical emergency may arise during a service. If the ill person is mobile, it's best to handle the situation and attend to their needs with as much discretion as possible until they are stabilized, or until emergency personnel can transport them. Sometimes the person cannot be moved immediately, or without profession medical assistance. But if it's at all possible, respectfully allow the service to carry on. Plan in advance how to approach a medical emergency, and make a plan as to how emergency personnel can enter and exit the facility with as little disruption as possible.

We can't prevent every disruption in our services. Problems can turn out for the better, though, if we plan for an "escape route" before things go horribly wrong. Let's face it, to ere is human, but to walk headlong into a problem because of poor planning or laziness is just plain inexcusable!

10 Tips for Creating Great Worship Vocals

Recently, I wrote a blog post with 10 tips to improve your worship band. I didn't want to leave out the 10 tips to improve your vocal team.

Most worship team vocal parts, like rhythm arrangements, are developed organically (with a little help from the original recording). I've been asked several times about how to develop great vocal arrangements. For me, it's all about creating a beginning, a middle and end to a song, which then helps it to blossom all the way to the final note. The tendency for some is to have everyone jump-in, find a note, and sing everywhere.

The following are 10 tips on avoiding the trap of over-crowding your vocal arrangements. I have included both technical and musical hints to give a song a place to start, to develop and grow, and to become an even greater tool to help lead the congregation on the worship journey.

Of course, it's important to correctly warm-up before vocalizing (my friends Chris and Carole Beatty at Vocal Coach can elaborate on the finer details of warm-ups and proper singing techniques).

10 Tips for Creating Great Worship Vocals

1. Confidence. This is so important because a vocalist is a high-profile position on the worship team. They are the most visible people on stage, next to the worship leader. An individual's confidence will set the congregation at ease as they help lead the singing. Confidence in one's part, and comfort with one's self, brings about positive and confident body language for the singer.

2. Find and stay on your part. Tenors usually gravitate toward the harmony right above the melody (following the major-third part of the chord progression); altos usually gravitate toward the harmony part above the tenor (following the fifth-note of the chord progression). Sometimes the melody will require the tenor and alto to “flip” parts, where the alto takes the major-third above the melody and the tenor takes the fifth, this time below the melody. Good harmony singers will be able to “flip” parts when needed. Avoid absolute parallel singing—it leads to an occasional gospel 7th and 6th, which may not be desirable for modern rock-styles of worship.

3. Unison, 2-part and 3- part harmony. Start songs with either a solo lead-vocal or a unison group-vocal to establish the melody for the congregation. Split-off into either 2 or 3-part harmony in the chorus to create a bigger sound. A harmony part (tenor: 3^rd above melody) will make the second verse stand up a little more than the first verse, but leaves somewhere for the song to progress into chorus number-two. Using this layering technique will help create differences between sections and will build musical interest. Some modern rock styles require less vocal harmony, so a simple harmony (3rd) above the melody in each chorus may be all that's necessary.

4. Dynamics. It's the lead singer's job to set the pace for vocal dynamics. If the song requires a breathy vocal sound, the whole vocal group should follow suit, and the same when there's a need for a more aggressive vocal styling. The goal is for the vocal team to sync with the lead vocalist. Sometimes dynamics can be achieved by having less or more people sing; sometimes it's achieved through the varying of volume and vocal expressions.

5. Blend. Sing like a group, not as individuals. Eliminate excessive vibrato and other undesirable qualities that cause individual voices to jump out within the mix. A vocal section leader—which may be the worship leader or the overall music director— must take responsibility for mapping out the song for phrasing and blend. It's so important for each vocalist to hear their part and the other singers, therefore, a proper monitor mix is essential. When singers don't hear themselves, they tend to over-sing. Please sing on pitch!
   
   
6. Phrasing. Good phrasing is singing a musical line so that it sounds effortless, not rushed, easy and carefree. When a song's melody and lyric are complex, it's a good practice to map out which notes to hold, and those to cut short. It's important to find appropriate places to breathe, where to pause and where to scoop or taper note endings. Good phrasing helps to tell the story of the song, and it emphasizes the emotion—if it's soft and delicate or high-energy and aggressive. When vocalists sing together, they must sing as if they are one voice; they must also pay close attention to ending consonants like P's, T's” and S's.
   
   
7. Proper microphone technique.  An inexperienced singer on the worship team tends to hold the microphone away from their mouth. It's important that they hold the mic at chin-level, at an angle suitable for capturing the voice, but not directly in front of the mouth (the area between the chin and the bottom lip is a good place to start). It's important for the audience to see the singer's facial expressions and articulation of the lyrics. Most microphones used in live-music settings are “dynamic” (utilizing a moving coil—kind of like a speaker in reverse—to deliver quality, consistency and durability, and to reject bleed from other sources with a high resistance to feedback). Therefore, since a dynamic mic is best positioned close to the sound source, encourage the vocalists to keep the mic as close to their mouth as possible whenever they sing.
   
   
8. Matching chords. Be sure that the vocalists are aware of the chord changes in a song for correct harmonization. Pay attention to embellished chords like minor-7ths, major-7ths and major-9ths, and be sure to add the definition to each chord when necessary. Make note of chords like suspended-2nds and 4ths, and see that the vocal team is matching the chord movements with the band. These little details will make or break a vocal sound.

9. Let the congregation take a solo. Build a time in the worship set for the congregation to sing all by themselves. It may be helpful for the worship leader to sing along softly, and for the band to lower their volume, but the congregation will appreciate it. They may seem reluctant the first few times, but soon they'll learn to jump in and sing with passion. After all, in worship the congregation is the lead singer, and God is the audience!

10. To fill or not to fill. So many of our favorite worship songs are recorded in live settings, where it's characteristic for the worship leader, or an assortment of soloists, to add “fills” (using certain words from the lyric for dynamic and emotional impact, or non-word vocalizations such as “ooh” or an “aah”) between phrases. This helps create excitement and helps the congregation to anticipate the subsequent lyric. When it's overdone, though, doing fills or vocal licks can get annoying (depending on the musical style,,,). It's best to figure out where and who will do licks beforehand in rehearsal to avoid confusion. Less is more, so make sure that a fill or any kind of talking between song sections is necessary to advance the song. If it's not, then let the song speak for itself.

I hope these hints are helpful for you and your team. Let me know some of your thoughts so we all can learn to be better worshipers.

400 Chances To Get It Right---Mostly Human, Rarely Divine

The number 400 holds many distinctions: Forbes has a list of the 400 wealthiest, most powerful folks (leading to the more-recognizable 500); it's the name of a famous Atari computer, a baseball average, and the number of days in a Gregorian calendar. But today, for me, it's the number of blog posts I've completed to date.

Since May of 2010, I've been taking a few hours each week to stare at a blank Blogger page, working diligently to compose a few paragraphs encompassing my crazy way of thinking and points-of-view, with musings on music, worship, family, and any other random subject that popped into my head. Many thanks to those of you who stopped by to read my posts over the past three years.

As you may already know, I am in the midst of composing a book on worship for leaders and teams, tentatively titled, Worship Foundry. It's in the final stretch, and I am so happy to have come through, thus far, with very little discouragement. The trial and error of writing a blog post here each week has helped me hone my book-writing skills, and I have been privileged to have tens of thousands of views from folks who patiently overlooked my grammatical and spelling errors. Hopefully you've ignored the flaws to see what I fought hard to say, but failed to accomplish technically. 

The main thing I've learned to appreciate through writing is that the process is really hard. Most prose writers, just as in great songwriting, rework their compositions over and over until they end up with a lean finished product, hopefully containing just enough information to carry the piece, but not too much useless fat to weigh it down. Stephen King said in his book, On Writing, "To write is human, to edit is divine." He also wrote, "When you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest.” These statements are as true for crafting a blog as they are with a book.

So today, with 400 blog posts under my belt, I'll pull back and look at the forest. I know I'll be tempted to pick everything apart and edit it to death. But it's true: I've loved every minute of this whole crazy adventure.

Here's to year four. I pray you'll be back here again for blog post #401. Cheers!

10 Tips On Becoming a Great Worship Band

Worship bands generally rely on developing their song arrangements organically. Even with a proper chord chart, it's left to each player to determine their specific parts. Listening skills and musical discipline is a learned-trait for most players, and unless we as leaders promote excellence of musicianship within our worship teams, the result will be confusion, and we will continue to dog paddle in mediocrity.

To get to the the next musical level, the following paragraphs contain very helpful information, beginning with the all-important 100% Rule, and concluding with a list of 10 helpful tips to launch your worship band into the realm of the sublime!

The 100% Rule

It's important to set a proper goal or standard for each player to maintain dynamics and musicality. This is best illustrated by using the 100% rule.

Using the diagram, we see that when a single instrument plays a song's accompaniment, the player can make use of 100% of the musical landscape: rhythm, bass, chordal movements, etc. But when another instrument joins the accompaniment—such as an acoustic guitar with a piano, for instance—each must adjust their playing to 50% of the musical landscape. 

When a bass player joins the band, the keyboardist can now focus less on their left hand-playing (bass), and the guitar can now focus on chord placement higher on the neck, away from the range occupied by the keys. Now 33% musical space is given to each of the three instruments.

When a drummer joins the band, the other players can relax even more to make room for the new instrument. It's no longer necessary for the piano, acoustic guitar and bass to carry the bulk of the  rhythmic responsibility. Though the rhythm is still somewhat shared, each player must be careful to avoid wandering into the other players' territory. As a result, each person can play even less: 25 percent each, and so on. The successive addition of instruments will result in each person having to play less.

To hear examples of "building block" playing, listen to the complex harmonic and rhythmic construction techniques of groups like Earth, Wind and Fire and Coldplay. Paying close attention, one can hear that each individual instrumentalist is playing relatively simple parts. But by pulling back and listening to the big picture, interactions between the elements create an intricate but satisfying sum total. In other words: a big sound can be created by interweaving smaller, simpler parts.

In all of my experience playing live and in the studio, I find that the three "Ls" of good musicianship are: Listen. Listen. Listen. When a musician pays close attention to what the others are doing, and conceptualizes that playing in a band is more about creating a conversation than each person making a speech, the music benefits tremendously.

Sonic Space and the Frequency Spectrum

Every instrument fills a sonic space within the frequency (or tonal) spectrum. Keyboards and guitars share similar characteristics of tone, so it's easy for parts to become “blurry,” or covered up when everyone plays in the same space. For instance, when a piano part is centered around mid-keyboard (middle-C), the guitarists will do better to find parts that occupy another tonal space in another octave.

Also, when using more than one guitar, it's important that each player decide where on the neck to play; one guitarist can play chords high on the neck, while the other takes a lower position. Sometimes an electric guitar can make a huge musical statement by playing a simple part on a single string with a creative effect like a delay or tremolo. Two keyboardists can choose between two patches and create complimentary parts to play. 

It's important to be creative and experimental in choosing unique sounds for each instrument's part. This will help to diversify the tonal pallet, making it easier for each part to be heard in the mix. (Sound techs constantly battle while attempting to mix a band that plays indiscriminately, whose players don't carefully select well chosen parts).

Here are some tips on playing economically, musically and skillfully.

1. Choose economical parts to play. Using the 100% rule as a guide, learn to play less as other instruments are added to the band. Sometimes go high, sometimes low...whatever is needed to advance the song. Develop a signature riff. Well constructed parts are the starting-point for a great sounding band. 
2. Make use of dynamics. Listen to each other. Don't play if the music doesn't call for it (what a concept!). Verses can be softer than choruses to create interest and diversity within a song. A song's power in worship is diminished when everyone plays full-blast, all the time. Like a good novel, think of a song as having a beginning, middle and end; decide which parts and instrumentation will be layered in and out to create an ebb and flow within the song.
3. Make sure that everyone plays the same chord progression. A well organized chord chart is essential for each player, displaying chords with corresponding rhythmic movements.
4. Make sure everyone pays attention to the fine details in each song. Solidify each rhythmic highlight, whole-note, dynamic rise and fall, and tempo change, Make sure everyone is accenting at the same place, at the same time.
5. Stay in tune. Make sure the band is in tune. Check that the keyboards are in correct concert pitch (A-440). They sometimes can be slightly off if  a keyboard player is not careful while scanning through patches and changing parameters. Guitar and bass players need to continually check their tuning (silently, please!).
6. Make sure everyone can hear themselves in the monitors, and can hear and see each other on stage. Good monitoring and proper sight-lines between band members is essential for communication.
7. Use a click. A click/metronome (for the drummer alone, or in the headphones of the band) is helpful to insure that the predetermined tempo is followed. Tempos that feel right in rehearsal may feel either too slow or too fast during performance—stick to what you decide beforehand! The drummer usually operates the click, so allow for enough time to adjust tempos between songs.
8. Be generous—give musical space for others to fill. Don't be selfish; give opportunity for everyone in the band to shine. The most important thing is to prefer each other in love (Romans 12:10), and for the collective, disciplined efforts of each player to focus on the betterment of the whole.
9. Play in time. Don't rush the beat, which is the most common trait of a novice player on the team. Be careful, when necessary, to lay back the beat in a musical fashion. Practice with a click. Make sure everyone hears plenty of hi-hat from the drummer, especially the singers (who may not be able to hear the click).
10. Pay attention to tone. Tone for each player is subjective, but it can be agreed that each instrument must be warm and full-sounding—without the annoying hiss of white-noise or  rumble of 60-cycle electrical hum. A good tone originates from well crafted instruments and amplifiers; high-quality cabling; good, quiet effects; proper microphone techniques and direct input devices. Don't expect to sound like your favorite rock star simply because you buy the same gear. "Bone Tone"—the individuality that comes from your unique touch—can be a good thing! Get help from a musician who's tone you prefer to help you create a desirable sound.
    
    These tips will get you started, but the consistent pursuit of excellence will keep you stretching for greater levels of excellence. Recording your band during rehearsal is very helpful; it will tell the truth! Your team will benefit from your hard work, your church will, too. But the most important thing is that we become a great worship band for the glory of God!   

4 Reasons Our Services Seem Too Slick

At what point is a church service too slick? That's a question I've been pondering lately. Most of the time too slick means that the service doesn't feel authentic...the preaching, or the performers on the team seem to be over-doing it.

When I see a church service that is “over-the-top,” I've come to these four conclusions:

1. The message is overshadowed by the method

The principle message we must convey during our services each week is the Gospel of Jesus, found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...” In an earlier passage from 1 Corinthians, chapter 5, Paul speaks of our new life in Christ: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here! (vs. 17)”

When too much attention is put on the performance--to the point where our cool arrangements, staging, band and singers, are a higher priority than the message of Christ--we're heading away from our true purpose. If our congregation walks away each week talking about the method and not the message, our services are too slick.

2. In the desire to create a quality product, the performance seems “over-produced”

It's a good thing to have high standards. We must give our best to God by using production and performance skills to help deliver the Gospel. But through our desire to excel, we may lose touch with our audience. Sometimes we try too hard to deliver a simple but profound message, one that can be complicated by gadgets, glitz, disco balls and fireworks. Sometimes our overuse of technology diminishes the human connection with our congregation. Our technology, regardless of its “coolness,” must serve the message.

3. The stage setting, lighting and backdrop don't match the emotion of the performance

Our audience will disengage if they sense a disconnect between the emotion of a performance and the feel of the stage. If the song we are using in worship is down-to-earth, with an acoustic feel, conveying an intimate mood, the performance is best supported by a warm, inviting and intimate stage setting.

A proper stage setting is much like music in a movie: the feel of the soundtrack will give emotional clues to the audience. If a Jaws-like cue warns of a circling shark, the audience is given a clue that there's immanent danger awaiting the actor. If there's a happy-sounding music cue, we have no worries for the actor at all.

When we plan our staging, even for regular worship services, it's important to match the emotion of what's happening onstage at any given time: high-energy lighting for high-energy points of the service; intimate and warm when the mood is more somber. Again, it's tempting to overuse technology. When the emotion of the stage and the song or sermon match, it helps connect the audience with the message.

4. The performer, while trying to connect with the audience, tries too hard and “over-sells” through exaggerated facial movements and hand gestures

When I started performing professionally in a secular setting, we were taught to “sell ourselves” to the audience. In church, we must still do all we can to connect with our congregations, but because many churches are using video screens, we must make use of more subtle facial expressions and gestures. We don't have to “overdo” our performances to connect with the audience. It's much more important to be authentic...real and approachable. When a performer, preacher or musician tries to “over-sell,” fake-ness corrupts the delivery and the service will seem too slick—too impersonal.

People want what's real; they want to relate to whomever is onstage at any given time. When a performer is comfortable, they can loosen up, slow down and deliver an authentic, from-the-heart performance.

I once toured with an artist who every night, just after he was introduced, would purposely tap the microphone and say, “Is this thing on?” He would then check his piano by hitting a few keys, adjust his chair, and chat with the audience before the first song was even played. As a result, people felt that his performance was just for them--almost like they were invited into his living room--and in return, the audience gave him their complete love, devotion and attention.

Our challenge in planning our services, and to avoid being too slick, is to: be authentic in our delivery, invite the congregation into our world to share the Gospel in word and in song, so that the wonder of Jesus follows them from the sanctuary, to their car and into their daily lives.