Playing Keyboard for Worship Music

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1 Playing Keyboard for Worship Music by Jacob Morrison

2 2 Playing Keyboard for Worship Music

3 3 Table of Contents Overview 5 Some Terminology 6 Additional Resources 7 Understanding Your Role 9 Play Your Part 11 Less is More 11 Know Your Keyboard 11 If You re Looking to Buy 12

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5 5 Overview Most keyboard players struggle with playing worship music. This is because the genre is challenging in a way that is unlike most other musical styles. Where most styles demand more from musicians, worship demands less. In worship, less is always more. This is largely due to context. Most musical forms are performed as entertainment. And, generally speaking, a better musician is more entertaining. But when a band steps on stage to play worship music, they are not there to entertain. They are there to create an environment where the church can come together and worship God. And though the band members themselves can not make the church worship, they are responsible for playing well and playing humbly so that the church can worship. Musicians commonly do two things that hinder this environment. (1) They will come unprepared and by playing wrong notes or worrying too much about the music, they distract people. (2) Or they will treat the worship experience like any other gig and they will overplay and distract some of the congregation. This manual aims to train keyboard players who want to play worship music well. It will do this by addressing these two problems. It will teach them about their role in the band and equip them with the techniques required to fulfill their role. And it will teach them how to prepare for their instrument.

6 6 Playing Keyboard for Worship Music Some Terminology Before you begin, take a minute to read through these few terms to understand them. Attack: Attack is the time it takes for a sound to reach its sustaining volume once played. Attack can be "short/fast" or "long/slow." For example, a piano has a short attack: when a key is struck, the peak volume of the note is reached immediately. A pad has a slow attack: the onset of each note is not quick or harsh, but takes time. Keys: Keys is another term for keyboard, or keyboard player. MIDI: MIDI is a communication language for digital instruments and software applications. Every keyboard made since 1980 should have MIDI capability. Organ/B3: Most organ sounds seek to replicate that of the Hammond B3 Organ. This sound has a harsher tonality than others but can be used to fill space in most uptempo songs. Pad: A pad sound is a soft, ethereal sound. It can be used in most worship songs to fill space and create atmosphere in slower songs. It is also used to play during prayers and response times at the end of a message. Patch: A patch is a sound, or a collection of sounds, that are played at one time. Release: Release is the time it takes for a sound to fall off once the key is released. Release can be "short/fast" or "long/slow." For example, an organ has a short release: when any key is released, the sound immediately stops. A pad has a slow release: when any key is released, the sound slowly fades away. Sonic Spectrum: Sonic Spectrum refers to the entire span of frequencies that humans can hear. It ranges from low, 40hz, to high, ~20,000hz. Most instruments work best in specific ranges. For example, a bass fills the lower end of the spectrum extremely well because of the length and thickness of its strings. But some instruments, like guitar and keyboard, can fill many slots in the spectrum. Consequently, these musicians must be intentional about what they play, being sensitive to their effect on the fullness of a song.

7 7 Additional Resources Many new keyboard players have trouble finding resources online that are helpful for playing keyboard in worship. This is because there really isn t much out there. There are a few useful sites maintained by other churches that I would suggest: Hillsong creative s blog is a great resource for musicians on all instruments. They post often and the content is always useful. Peter James is Hillsong s main keyboard player. He has set the standard for playing keys in worship. Pete reads and responds to questions in this page s comments section often. On this page, Hillsong has posted videos that show how to play ever keyboard part on the recent God is Able album. This is an invaluable resource because you can watch and hear parts that are often too subtle to notice in the album mix. This blog is similar to Hillsong creative s blog. They post often and the content is always useful. This page is similar to Hillsong s God is Able videos. On it you can see the keyboard parts for most of the songs off of Elevation s new album For the Honor.

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9 9 Understanding Your Role chapter one

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11 11 Play Your Part If worship music is less glamourous than other musical styles, then playing keyboard for worship is the least glamorous "gig" of all. The keyboard player is only there to support the band. They play to thicken the sound and to fill gaps in the sonic spectrum. They play in frequency ranges that no one else is playing in. If someone moves into their range, they move somewhere else. They must be aware of what everyone else is playing and be ready to change their own part to support someone else. Less is More While recording, a worship leader once told me, "A good keyboard player won't be noticed until they're gone." And this is true. What he meant was that, if a keyboard player plays correctly, they will not draw any attention to themselves. But when that same keyboard player stops playing, people will realize something is missing. They may not know what, but they will sense that something has changed. Because of this, some people may find that playing keys is not for them. They may be seeking more of a technical challenge or desiring something more apparent. For the rest, I think you will find that playing keys is rewarding in a unique and sanctifying way. Christ says in Mark 10:45, that, "even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve." In my life, God has used playing keys to work this characteristic of Christ into my stubborn and prideful heart. As an artist and a musician, I live in a stream of temptation towards arrogance, pride, and self-reliance. But everything about playing keys stands in contradiction to this artistic inclination, and I've realized that this is a blessing. It is an honor to be called into the humility of Christ, to play the role of band-servant musically. I hope that you are challenged and rewarded by this role as much as I have been. Know Your Keyboard Keyboard players today have a lot of options when they are looking to buy a keyboard. There are as many ways to set up a rig as there are keyboard

12 12 Playing Keyboard for Worship Music players. That being said, despite whatever set up you choose, I have one common suggestion for all: Know your keyboard. And know it well. Know it inside and out. Read the instruction manual. Watch videos on youtube. Learn new things. Try different sounds. Find a solid piano and a simple pad. Read the instruction manual. Find other people with the same rig and ask them how they use it. Ask them what patches they like and why. Read the instruction manual. If you don t have a keyboard, and you will be using the church s, do the same thing. Go to Guitar Center and play on it for a couple of hours. Get familiar with its operating system. Learn its limits. Find good sounds. Watch videos on youtube. Read the instruction manual. Ask other keyboard players at your church how they use it. Ask them if they would be willing to meet you before rehearsal and help you set up patches. I ve seen too many keyboard players fail to do this. In my opinion, knowing your instrument is as important as knowing the chords. Because our role is driven by technology, the technology becomes part of the music. And, as musicians, we are responsible for every aspect of our craft. A keyboard player who doesn t know his or her keyboard is like a guitar player who doesn t know how to tune a guitar. Knowing the keyboard is foundational. If You re Looking to Buy If you are looking for a keyboard to play at church, these are great options: Apple Mainstage with a MIDI keyboard and firewire audio interface ($500-1,500) Yamaha Motif or S series (~$1,500-3,000) Roland Fantom series (~2,000-3,500) Nord Stage (~$3,500-4,000) Each of these has its own advantages. Although it is the least expensive, I believe that a Mainstage rig is the best option. It is what I use. And it is what all the keyboard players at Hillsong use. Mainstage is a software application for Mac s that allows you to organize different virtual instruments by song and set-list. I believe it is the best option because, being computer based, the capabilities are limitless. Many professional keyboard players are moving, or have already moved to software based rigs because of the capabilities and the seamless integration with recording software. Preparing for a weekend is also easier with software

13 13 systems because your keyboard, your chord charts, and your music are all in one place. If you decide to get a Mainstage rig, you will need to buy a solid MIDI keyboard and an audio interface. You should try a lot of MIDI keyboard s out before you buy one because they all feel different and have different capabilities. Some good MIDI keyboards are: Akai MPK series M-Audio Axiom and Axiom pro series Novation SL MK II series Novation Impulse series Also keep in mind that almost every keyboard made since 1980 has MIDI capability. So if you like the feel of Yamaha s weighted keys, or Nord s waterfall keys, you can purchase one of those keyboards and use it with Mainstage. Some good audio interfaces are: M-Audio Firewire series Apogee One Apogee Duo M-Box series Motu audio interfaces

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