Being a keyboardist in the 80’s...in high school...was awesome. So many popular songs were piano driven: Billy Joel, Journey, Chicago, etc. Others were heavy on the synth side. I found myself learning the piano parts note for note and finding the right patch on my synth so I could try and sound just like the record. Or, I could just buy the sheet music to Hill Street Blues, or Cheers and everyone would recognize that opening piano part as I played it right from the score.
Later (still the 80’s!) I started playing piano in the folk group at church. We had keyboard books for all of the music, so all I had to really do was play from the score. No sweat, right? We had guitars, flute, percussion...everything. I just stayed in the background and played my part.
I never learned guitar.
Suddenly...I found myself leading a contemporary group at church.
Suddenly...there was a LOT more church/worship music being led by guitar.
Suddenly...I had to play those songs on the piano...because there wasn’t a guitarist at every mass!!!
Suddenly...(last one, I promise) I had to learn to play the piano like a guitar.
When I started leading the music for the Life Teen program at St. Ann’s there were a lot of times I was playing alone, without a band. Many of the songs the teens liked to sing were guitar-driven, so I had to figure out how to pull off these tunes on a piano. I learned to play rhythms in the right hand while adding simple off-beats in the left to imitate guitar parts. I’ve learned to fake a lot guitar figures this way, and I’ve gotten used to doing it quite often.
While this has its benefits, it can also get you (and me!) into some bad habits. Just tonight, at rehearsal, I found myself playing the guitar intro of a song on the piano...while there were 3 acoustic guitars in the room! I literally had to force myself not to play it. I am so used to leading that I sometimes forget to ‘let go of the reins’ and let someone else drive a song. It’s better for the other musicians, it’s better for you (and me), and it’s better for the song. I’m always talking about variety, arranging, orchestration, etc.
I need to remember that part of being a good leader means sometimes you need to ‘get out the way.’
(Thanks, JT, for the post idea)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Underneath it all...
Sometimes underneath the Opening Prayer, or during the Prayers of the Faithful, or when the priest or deacon is leading a prayer, I may play the piano softly. The purpose is not to distract from the spoken word, but to enhance it–much like the scoring of a film. Some people find this to be a wonderful addition to the liturgy, while others might not care for it so much. (This is why I started out by saying “sometimes.”)
Done well, this can serve to draw attention to what is being said, or prayed. Done poorly, it can draw attention away from the spoken word and instead, to the music.
Most of this depends on the player, both in style and technique. Here are a few things I’ve learned in my experience doing this:
1. Stay out of the way of the speaker’s voice. If a man is speaking the voice will most likely be in a lower register. Stay out of those areas of the keyboard (or guitar) and play in the upper. If a woman is speaking, focus your playing in the lower registers and avoid the upper registers. It’s like arranging a piece of music where the speaker has the melody. All of the accompaniment needs to stay out the way so it can be heard.
2. Avoid banging out a melody that could be distracting. If a familiar tune is being played too loudly people will begin to focus on that rather than what is being said. Instead, try to focus more on the chord changes of a song that was used earlier in the liturgy (or will be used later) with maybe a hint or a phrase of the melody.
3. If you play a melody, try changing up the rhythms ever so slightly by augmenting them (making notes longer) or shortening them. Create subtle variations that won’t encourage people to hum along with you.
People may glance over at you when you start to play, but they shouldn’t remain focused on you, especially if you, too, have your attention focused on the speaker (or, at least have your eyes closed or looking down.) They will hopefully realize what you are doing and turn their attention to the speaker.
There is really an art to this, and it may take some practice. Hearing and watching someone else do it well is the best way to learn. Just keep in mind that you are underscoring something else that is more important at the moment!
Done well, this can serve to draw attention to what is being said, or prayed. Done poorly, it can draw attention away from the spoken word and instead, to the music.
Most of this depends on the player, both in style and technique. Here are a few things I’ve learned in my experience doing this:
1. Stay out of the way of the speaker’s voice. If a man is speaking the voice will most likely be in a lower register. Stay out of those areas of the keyboard (or guitar) and play in the upper. If a woman is speaking, focus your playing in the lower registers and avoid the upper registers. It’s like arranging a piece of music where the speaker has the melody. All of the accompaniment needs to stay out the way so it can be heard.
2. Avoid banging out a melody that could be distracting. If a familiar tune is being played too loudly people will begin to focus on that rather than what is being said. Instead, try to focus more on the chord changes of a song that was used earlier in the liturgy (or will be used later) with maybe a hint or a phrase of the melody.
3. If you play a melody, try changing up the rhythms ever so slightly by augmenting them (making notes longer) or shortening them. Create subtle variations that won’t encourage people to hum along with you.
People may glance over at you when you start to play, but they shouldn’t remain focused on you, especially if you, too, have your attention focused on the speaker (or, at least have your eyes closed or looking down.) They will hopefully realize what you are doing and turn their attention to the speaker.
There is really an art to this, and it may take some practice. Hearing and watching someone else do it well is the best way to learn. Just keep in mind that you are underscoring something else that is more important at the moment!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Change your beatitudes, Ed
This past Sunday I chose to introduce the song “The Beatitudes” from the recording Word for Word. (WLP 008280) It’s a decent setting musically, but I was a bit apprehensive about singing it with the assembly. Obviously, there are a lot of words (it’s the beatitudes) and the arrangement uses a lot of syncopation in the verses. Still, I passed it out at a rehearsal (yep, rehearsal...more about that later) and we sang and played through it.
I figured the verses would be led by a soloist and we would bring in the assembly for the refrain. That meant the assembly would not be singing for much of the song. At least, that’s the way it was on the recording. Everyone played it great, and the singers sang the refrain easily. I told everyone, “I’m just not sure, yet. It’s not you guys, it’s the song. I need to think about it. I’ll let you know.”
That was Tuesday evening. I still wasn’t sure what we were going to do.
So, Wednesday (or Thursday, can’t recall) I get an email from Rick, one of our singers on Sunday and he says, “Hey! I have an idea about ‘The Beatitudes.’ Why don’t you just break up the verses? Sing the Refrain, verse 1, Refrain, verse 2, Refrain, Refrain?”
He was totally right. It made all the difference. Here's what we ended up doing:
Refrain (1st half): piano & solo voice
Refrain (2nd half): piano/guitar/voices unison
Refrain (all): piano/guitar/bass/light drums/vox with harmonies
Verse 1: solo
Refrain: full band
Verse 2: solo
Refrain: full band:
Verse 3 (which was the little turn-around at the end of verse 2- sounds like a Bridge): solo
Refrain KEY CHANGE: kick drum on 2 and 4/vocals with harmonies
Refrain: Full band
It made all the difference in the world. The assembly had plenty to sing. It worked great!
So, Rick reminded me of one of my own lessons on one of my own songs: don’t get stuck doing what the recording does! Sometimes you need to rearrange things a bit to make it work for liturgy.
I figured the verses would be led by a soloist and we would bring in the assembly for the refrain. That meant the assembly would not be singing for much of the song. At least, that’s the way it was on the recording. Everyone played it great, and the singers sang the refrain easily. I told everyone, “I’m just not sure, yet. It’s not you guys, it’s the song. I need to think about it. I’ll let you know.”
That was Tuesday evening. I still wasn’t sure what we were going to do.
So, Wednesday (or Thursday, can’t recall) I get an email from Rick, one of our singers on Sunday and he says, “Hey! I have an idea about ‘The Beatitudes.’ Why don’t you just break up the verses? Sing the Refrain, verse 1, Refrain, verse 2, Refrain, Refrain?”
He was totally right. It made all the difference. Here's what we ended up doing:
Refrain (1st half): piano & solo voice
Refrain (2nd half): piano/guitar/voices unison
Refrain (all): piano/guitar/bass/light drums/vox with harmonies
Verse 1: solo
Refrain: full band
Verse 2: solo
Refrain: full band:
Verse 3 (which was the little turn-around at the end of verse 2- sounds like a Bridge): solo
Refrain KEY CHANGE: kick drum on 2 and 4/vocals with harmonies
Refrain: Full band
It made all the difference in the world. The assembly had plenty to sing. It worked great!
So, Rick reminded me of one of my own lessons on one of my own songs: don’t get stuck doing what the recording does! Sometimes you need to rearrange things a bit to make it work for liturgy.
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