Church Bands?

[MathOfInsects]

I'm not so sure they're all sober.

[Synthoid]

Where I cry foul is in how I perceive the emphasis shifting too far away from corporate worship. We're (Worship Leaders & their teams) not there to entertain an audience of spectators- we're there to engage and inspire all in attendance to a communal worship for an audience of one. That can't be done with only performance oriented pieces.

 

This.

 

 

[bill bosco]

mcgoo , i agree, we occasionally do performance oriented pieces

, usually to good effect ,but our priorities are elsewhere .the best

moments are when the congregation is fully engaged . nothing else like

it

[Ulf]

Worship leaders are notorious for changing keys.... they will sing the SAME song with the same group of singers one week later in a different key..... just because they feel like it.

 

Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with that very often.

 

It's common for one church to sing a song in a different key than another church, but most of the worship leaders I've worked with don't mess with constant key changes.

 

 

Actually, there are very good reasons to change keys for songs. I can guarantee it's not just because the WL feels like it.

 

Congregational singing is the big reason. If a church wants participation from the congregation (most do), songs have to be somewhat singable by the non-singer. That's a pretty narrow vocal range- A - D (octave + fourth) is pushing it. At a high D, most women will sound operatic and at a low A, most men will have zero volume. C-C is much safer. This (along with its sometimes nursery rhyme-like repetitive nature) is why hymns tend to be much more singable than a lot of contemporary worship songs- most have a range of a 9th or less.

 

Add to this that some churches will have a male lead one weekend and a female lead the next and the MD may move the key a little just so it fits them a little better.

 

From there, sometimes a WL / MD will change the key of a song so that it can flow directly from one song to the next. Dead air in a service is a real flow killer, so a seamless transition from one worship song to the next can go a long way in making a good worship experience for all.

 

Nailed it!

 

[ProfD]

The main difference between Gospel and secular music is lyrics. Same notes and chords.

 

Then, songwriters in an attempt to be clever and/or make more money started leaving out spiritual references altogether.

 

Nowadays, the lines are even more blurred as the lyrics are being sung and the music is being produced to sound indistinguishable from secular.

 

Regardless, depending on the type of church, the musicians have a lot of latitude in what they get to play.

 

I know a lot of musicians who weave in and out of both worlds Christian and secular music.

[Gwizz777]

I play with a group of guys, all over 60,that help out smaller churches on Sunday mornings. Sometimes people need a break. In smaller churches a very few number of people have to do all the work. If they are ill or just need to catch their breath..we will help them out for free. We all played rock in the early 70's and we really have missed the playing over the years. I think people enjoy our age and still being able to play. We practice on Friday nights and play on Sunday. We are staying pretty busy. Our biggest problem we come across would be the church "sound man". That seems to be a given in most churches. However, we have to remember they are working for free too and were likely pluck from the members and given the title sound man.

[Morrissey]

I'm intrigued by these contemporary church bands but somewhat ignorant of the repertoire. Is there a relatively standardized "song book" of common tunes or does it vary greatly based on the church/denomination? Are artists like Michael W. Smith still in vogue? Is there a "Mustang Sally"-like song in the repertoire that the congregation loves but the musicians may be tired of?

 

I'm not looking to go deep down the rabbit hole but would be interested in your opinions as to the very most common/popular tunes that anyone in a contemporary worship band should know.

[mcgoo]

REALLY depends on the demographic of the church. Rick Warren said in his book Purpose Driven Church "tell me what songs your church plays & I'll tell you the makeup of your congregation". Funny, but kinda true.

 

As a somewhat related example, I had a sub for myself lately that I know to be a great keyboardist and an experienced church player. The feedback from the team? Sound guy LOVED his piano playing during Communion- "so beautiful". Guitar player said he hadn't prepared a note & played everything off the cuff. Pastor said the guy's playing behind his prayer was distracting & too busy. I went back to listen to the service recording. He played nothing verbatim from the recordings (although everything he played was good / solid) & his underscoring during prayer was very "black gospel" oriented. It was lovely playing, (oh, how I wish I could play like that!) but his raised 9ths & diminished arpeggios were a bit much for our lily white congregation. Right there to me illustrates the different approaches from different cultures / denominations. Another sad reality is that some of the biggest examples you'll see of segregation can be found on Sunday mornings. Apologies if we're getting in uncomfortable territory here...

[ProfD]

He played nothing verbatim from the recordings (although everything he played was good / solid) & his underscoring during prayer was very "black gospel" oriented. It was lovely playing, (oh, how I wish I could play like that!) but his raised 9ths & diminished arpeggios were a bit much for our lily white congregation.

The mark of a seasoned musician is being able to play with taste and restraint.

 

That sub should have known upon walking into the church that no tritone substitutions and slash chords were required.

 

I apologize for dude giving your church the Pentacostal/COGIC treatment.

[MotiDave]

...Worship leaders are notorious for changing keys.... they will sing the SAME song with the same group of singers one week later in a different key..... just because they feel like it. ...

thats why we have transpose and note shift buttons (duck!)

[MathOfInsects]

thats why we have transpose and note shift buttons (duck!)

 

Those aren't transpositions, those are conversions.

[Tom Williams]

I've been in most worship situations, from playing pipe organ at a wedding mass, to playing drums for "contemporary" worship, to playing piano in a Presbyterian Mega-church in West Africa. My current regular church gig is playing keys and drums, and sometimes running sound for FOH or the online A/V stream, in a contemporary worship situation. Some random thoughts:

• Like in pop music, keys vary mostly by sex. Songleader women tend towards the alto range, whereas the men tend towards the tenor. There is usually about a 5th difference between 'em.
  
• Keys also vary by region / culture. In Ghana, men in the congregation will stretch up to G above middle C without giving it a thought. In West Virginia, they start dropping an octave by the time the pitch goes up to E-Flat.
  
• Each culture -- even across the street -- tends to think that its worship music style is "right", and that the others are wrong. I know people who, upon hearing a hymn, would leave the church because it reminds them of something they consider "dead." I know others who would leave if someone set up an overhead transparency projector, let alone a digital lyric screen. At some churches, my self-appointed "mission" was to teach them that contemporary worship was legit. Nowadays, it's convincing them that hymns (and Bach, and Buxtehude) are worthwhile.
  
• Ageism is real, but sometimes defensible. In my church, it was the senior leadership (in their 50s and 60s) who said "We gotta make worship meaningful to millennials, unless we want this church to die out." I don't really have a counter argument for that, though it affects me.
  
• Most of us don't get paid, even in churches where the music lasts 45 minutes and the sermon 20.
  

[retrokeys]

Thank you all for these insights. As one who came to this through the side door it has been enlightening.

[Ulf]

Thank you all for these insights. As one who came to this through the side door it has been enlightening.

 

All I can say is, you got to try it out. It might be for you. Or not.

[Macsaint777]

I'm intrigued by these contemporary church bands but somewhat ignorant of the repertoire. Is there a relatively standardized "song book" of common tunes or does it vary greatly based on the church/denomination? Are artists like Michael W. Smith still in vogue? Is there a "Mustang Sally"-like song in the repertoire that the congregation loves but the musicians may be tired of?

 

I'm not looking to go deep down the rabbit hole but would be interested in your opinions as to the very most common/popular tunes that anyone in a contemporary worship band should know.

 

Check out the official CCLI list for the top songs at this point. Based on my own experience as a worship musician, I can tell you MOST churches are indeed doing these songs in some capacity. https://songselect.ccli.com/search/results?List=top100

[Morrissey]

Macsaint: Thank you. This is exactly the kind of song list I had in mind.

[Pigmeat]

Sorry, but the idea of playing in a church band creeps me out.

[Macsaint777]

Maybe I'll regret it.. but Pigmeat, why is that?

[nadroj]

I'm starting to see this thread slip into forbidden territory...

 

[MathOfInsects]

I play for a church that the misguided Bobedohshe recommended me for. The music is basically pop. I like pop. The songs tend to stretch on, so buckle up. Ageism is real. People are nice. We get paid to play music, so the world is already strange. No reason to fix what ain't broke.

[Outkaster]

These mega church gigs are the best, like rocknroller says the hours are sweet and the pay is good. I don't know how it is around the country but from Louisiana to Florida this mini-mega churches are for real. Audiences of 3000 to 5000. The musicians are legit with good production, lights, fog, 8-10 piece bands with multiple singers. Real pianos and B3's.

 

I played in a worship band for a church outside of Marietta for about a year and a half. Great way to make connections and if you're single, the singers they hire are very attractive. I played for three churches over the last ten years and they all have the same blue print. Two keyboardists. The MD will play throughout the sermon but the full band will open with 20 minutes and close out for 10. 3 services. I played pads and B3. The MDs play piano and FM pianos. Those singers, I've got a thing for them.

 

The only problem I am running into is ageism. They want younger members in the band. Middle age need not apply. Oh also they feed you well. A lot of rehearsal time vs little playing time. I wish I would've started in my twenties but I don't know if it was a thing back then. Seems to be cats inspired by Osteen making these big churches. It is definitely huge in the South more social than spiritual, I'd say. But good musicians, they take care of you well and you can sleep at night. Beats being in a cover band by a long shot.

 

Sounds like you have never been in a good cover band.

 

I know right. Typical attitude.

[Tonysounds]

Pigmeat, I hear you. But I was lucky enough to be recruited by 2 different churches to come play (Despite having not stepped foot in one other than for weddings and funerals.), and I have to say, I've enjoyed it immensely so far. It's a small band, myself, bass and drums, and the MD plays acoustic guitar/sings. I've grabbed a bunch of the material for my solo piano gigs which Ive started doing, which is a nice advantage, but the biggest shock for me was when I was handed a solo and people lost their shit. And man are the people there appreciative. Maybe they're not always, but so far, this is every bit the musical experience I need from everything else I do, and it was a nice wake up call to find there are music lovers out there who just cant get out anywhere else.

 

Best part of it all...they want me to play like I play, they love it when I can bring some kind of funk element into it, and when they threw me into meditation segment with no warning (oh start playing something, but be quiet!!!), it was easy to improvise and punctuate what the speaker was saying, and they all really loved it.

 

I expected it to be okay, not fun. And no...I'm not on The Plan. I'm sort of the Rastafarian of the worship crew! And it was extra "warming" to know that you really are giving something of yourself to a community that wants and needs it.

[MurMan]

Those aren't transpositions, those are conversions.

Careful. Conversions are a religious issue.

[mcgoo]

... but the biggest shock for me was when I was handed a solo and people lost their shit. And man are the people there appreciative.

 

I find that pro musicians that don't regularly play in church are often afraid to let loose. Especially guitarists- it's like there's an assumption that you can't rock in church. Blows my mind how much I have to pull it out of people sometimes. With an artist like Chris Tomlin, the music is so simple, yet so attitude / vibe driven, that if the guitars aren't screaming & the drums not bashing, the song will lay flat. So I'm constantly on the players to "bring it".