Playing as part of a group of musicians is a lot more satisfying than playing on your own. If you’re playing from music, as in an orchestra or band, the composer has already worked out exactly who should be playing what, when, how loudly, etc. When you’re making your own music you need to work cooperatively.
In most worship settings you will have a lead vocalist who will carry the melody. The other musicians will be adding harmony and texture, but they must not get in the way of the singer since the words are the most important part of what we’re doing.
Having learned how to play a tune by ear, for the most part you will not be playing the tune when you’re playing in a group. Sometimes it’s good to play the tune, e.g. as an intro or as an instrumental between verses, but if you play the tune with the singer then you’ll be competing in the same musical space and muddying the sound.
There are two ways to contribute, and you might use one or both.
- You play a simple harmony, generally long sustained notes, supporting the chord being played. This works well on strings as a pad or arpeggiated on a harp. It needs a sound that blends well. The notes are easy so focus on producing a beautiful sound.
- You play something more melodic in the gaps between phrases, e.g. at the end of a line, or as an intro or bridge. This can work with any instrument.
Play in the gaps
Take the time machine back to 1978 and listen to Mark Knopfler playing his Stratocaster in the gaps of his own lyrics.
The voice and the guitar form a duet, complementing rather than competing with each other.
It’s also worth saying that if there are multiple musicians, they can’t all do this at the same time, otherwise they compete with each other and the result is a mess. This is something you need to work at as a band, each finding your own place, and that will involve listening to what’s going on around you and being aware of your bandmates all the time.
Rise and Fall
Many songs have a natural rise and fall between quieter, more meditative sections and louder declamatory sections. Here is CityAlight singing Yet not I But Through Christ in Me, entering a quiet section, then building up out of it.
You can revert to long sustained notes (or just stop playing), then start bringing the rhythm and volume back in as the song builds.
In the classic modern hymn In Christ Alone, verse 3 goes like this:
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
The first two lines sound as if they should have a muted feel, but in the third line it starts building towards the victory in line five.
Keep the beat
When you play alone you can pause and go back to correct something. When you’re playing in a group or leading a group the most important thing is keeping in time. Correct as you go, but keep the rhythm going or chaos will result.
It’s also quite common to feel a sense of pressure when you think everyone is listening to you and that can make you speed up. Most groups will have a guitar, keyboard or drum kit sustaining the rhythm. Keep listening to that and stick together.
Keyboards and guitars
Most of this has been aimed at melody instruments. Piano and guitars will mainly function as the rhythm section, or keyboards playing a string pad as the background texture. Pianists in particular like to play the tune because that’s how the music is written, but you should generally resist this for the same reason as the other instruments.
This song from Porter’s Gate uses a very small band in a more intimate setting.
Here the voices provide most of the harmony without using words. The guitar keeps the rhythm going and the piano is somewhere in between, using arpeggio figures to add harmony and texture, but also providing melodic fills between sung lines.
It’s (not) all about me
Remember who we’re worshipping, and it’s not you or me. Our job is only to support the worship and not get in the way!