REPLAY: Thank you, EQ

First of all, let me say "HEY!" to all of the folks from the Life Teen Musicians Training Conference this past week.  It was a blast meeting you all and sharing prayer and worship through music, along with Sarah Kroger and Joshua Blakesley. What a blessing.

We covered a LOT of topics in a short period of time. So, I thought I might dig up an old post here and 'replay' it. It still applies, after all. Some of you more tech-y folks might have some great input on the subject as well.

This was originally posted in May, 2011.

 

Has this ever happened to you?

You take lots of time during rehearsal to EQ everything. The pianist plays a bit and you adjust the highs and lows so that it sounds nice and warm, full, round…it sounds great. Then the guitarist does the same and you adjust the EQ, again making it sound nice and full, warm, round, etc. Then you do the same for the vocals, adjusting everyone’s mic so that they sound fabulous.

During the intro of the song the piano (or guitar) sounds great, along with the cantor, or soloist. Then the band comes in and it sounds like…mud.

What happened? Everything sounded awesome when it was playing alone. Suddenly you can’t hear the piano, so you turn it up. Now you can’t hear the guitar so you turn it up, too. Wait…the vocals are getting lost…turn them up! Turn everything up! Why are the monitors feeding back? I want to go home!

Many times it’s all about the EQ, or equalization. I don’t want to get too detailed here. First, I am not really qualified to do so, and secondly, there are many others who are better at explaining this than I am, but put simply: there is only so much room in the “sound” we are listening to for low frequencies (like drums and bass guitars) and only so much room for higher frequencies.

In other words, we can’t let the instruments get into each other’s ‘space.’ Since the bass guitar is dwelling in the low end of the sound, keep other instruments away from there or things will get all muddy or mushy as they bump into each other. Playing low synth pads alone, for example, sounds awesome…big and full. But, as soon as the bass guitar comes in, that synth player has to leave the left hand out or it will collide with what the bass player is doing.

In a solo acoustic guitar performance you want that ole’ six string to have a full sound, covering the lows and the highs. When playing with a band, however, the bass guitar and drums will be covering the lows. If you want the acoustic guitar to cut through, you need to “roll off” the low end and brighten up the sound. By itself it will sound rather thin and empty, but in the full band mix it will fit very nicely into the spectrum.

The same goes for vocals. Be careful how much low end is in there. Get the singers to move in closer to the mic. That proximity (nearness to the microphone) will give it a warm sound. Then you can roll of the lows (decrease the amount of low frequency) and brighten it up. Plus, if they move in closer, you won’t have to turn that mic up as much. Less feedback. Always good.

You’ll be amazed at how the sound will just clear up. You won’t need to keep turning things up to 11 in order to hear them. It gets easier on the ears, too.

This just goes to show that getting some trained, professional ears to help you is vital to sounding good. Remember, the assembly is going to listen to you on and off for about an hour! They deserve to have good sound projected at them. Consider hiring a pro to come in and set some eq’s during a rehearsal. If you have a digital board, great. It will remember the settings. If not, take a picture with your cell phone or digital camera and keep it handy in case something gets moved. You'll be glad you did!

"Choose love..."

So, I'm still in vacation mode (beach mode) and, at the last hour, I was looking for a second communion song for this weekend. I maintain a huge Word document with lyrics to all the songs we've used at liturgy, and quite often, I will do a 'search' for a particular word or phrase that really hits on a certain theme.  I began a search for the phrase "choose love."

I only hit on one song with that phrase.  One.

One song.

Out of all of them.

What?

Thank you, Tom Booth, for writing the ever-timeless "I Will Choose Christ."

Here are the lyrics to the refrain:

I will choose Christ.
I will choose love.
I choose to serve.
I give my heart.
I give my life.
I give my all to you.

I was surprised, then shocked that there weren't more songs with this simple, basic, Christian phrase in the body of the lyrics. There were no occurrences of 'choose to love' either.

Tom wrote this song for a Confirmation class at his parish, probably never realizing it would be sung so many times, recorded by mainstream artists (like Kathy Troccoli), or published in hymnals.

To me, it's a classic. It's simple, and beautiful.

And our parish will be singin' it this week!!!

Thanks, Tom.

Ed

Song Ideas for Sunday, 9/22/2013

Here are some song possibilities and suggestions for 

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

*All I Need by Brewster/Chambers/Houghton/Booth (Integrity) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

*Be Glorified by Giglio/Reeves/Tomlin (worshiptogether.com) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

 

Every Day by Jacob and Matthew Band (WLP) - (from the CD "Every Day" and found in the collection More Voices As One vol. 1)

Follow Me by Danielle Rose (WLP) - (from the CD Pursue Me, and the collection More Voices As One vol. 1)

For Your Glory by Matt Maher (spiritandsong.com) – (from the CD “Overflow”)

I Will Choose Christ by Tom Booth (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "The Best of Tom Booth")

Jesus, My Everything by Matt Maher (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "Welcome to Life")

Love the Lord by Lincoln Brewster (Integrity/CCLI)

Love the Lord, Your God by Al Valverde (OCP)

More Than Yesterday by Tom Booth (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "Cry the Gospel")

*Reason to Live by Ed Bolduc (WLP) - (from the CD "We Are Faithful" and found in the collection Voices As One vol. 1)

Take My Life by Tomlin/Giglio (worshiptogether.com)

The Beatitudes by Ed Bolduc (WLP) - (from the CD Word for Word, found in the collection More Voices As One vol. 1) – see this blog post about suggestions for performing this song.

*We Will Serve the Lord by Rory Cooney (OCP) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

*You're Worthy of My Praise by David Ruis (Integrity) - (found in the collection Voices As One vol. 2)

 

* indicates instrumental parts available for these titles in the Voices As One series. All titles from this series have C and B-flat instrument parts. Select titles have Saxophone and Brass parts. 

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 C Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Bb Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Saxophone and Brass Instrument Book

SONG - The Prodigal Father

This past week, the gospel told the familiar parable of the prodigal son. As I was planning music for that liturgy, one title kept coming up, for obvious reasons. The song is "The Prodigal Father" by Brian Flynn.

Since I work as a transcriber and arranger for World Library Publications, I have the privilege of hearing some music more than others. I remember transcribing this song from Brian's album "Born Again" and thinking, "This is really good. Simple, honest, and good." I promised myself I'd store it in the back of my mind for future reference and use at liturgy. I almost forgot it!

After talking it over with my associate, we decided that, for us, it would be best as a post communion song, and it would be sung as a solo with minimal instrumentation.

Well...I received emails, my associate received emails, and people kept asking about this song! It was moving people to tears at every Mass. Folks came up afterward and asked the musicians where they could find a copy of it. "Is it on iTunes? Who wrote it? Where can I get it?"

So, let me share this song with you if you haven't heard it already. It was on my song suggestions for last Sunday, so perhaps some of you have already checked it out.

The Prodigal Father by Brian Flynn (WLP) - (from the CD "Born Again")

The Song

I asked Brian to share the 'backstory' of this song with all of us. He immediately agreed and sent me the following:

"My own father, Vinny Flynn speaks all around the country on Divine Mercy. Years ago I was at a gig with him and heard him give a talk called "The Prodigal Father." It basically takes the story from the gospel of Luke and emphasizes the love and mercy of the Father. Up until then, I had always heard preaching about the passage emphasizing the son and his sin and how we should be like the son and repent and come back to the father. I, in my own life had rebelled as well and didn't come back to the Church until I was 22. Although I could relate to the son in the story, I also wanted people to hear about the unconditional love and mercy of the Father, so I wrote the song. The song reflects the truth that, although the son recklessly and, without regard, squandered his inheritance, so too the Father squandered His love and lavishly poured out His love and mercy on His son, as He wants to do for each of us. There is always greater rejoicing at the return of a wayward son than anger at his leaving!"    - Brian Flynn 

Cue the Drummer

This week's guest blogger, Craig Colson, discusses the role of the drummer through his experience as both a drummer himself, and music leader at Liturgy.


by Craig Colson

 


I think we have all been to the Mass with the overzealous drummer who was way too loud, played way too much, and just plain overpowered the entire group. Being honest, I have to admit that, at one time or another, I was that drummer. There is something about being a drummer that makes you want to play loudly! It just feels better and sounds better. While this may be great in a concert setting with mic’d up drums, sub woofers, a thumping kick drum, etc...it is not the case at Liturgy.

I began playing the drums at the young age of 13 for the weekly youth Liturgy at my home church. Having the opportunity to play drums at Mass was what got me involved in the church. It also got me interested in learning more about Liturgy. To this day, whenever I'm leading from the piano or guitar, I always seek to find the best drummer I can to play.

In our celebration of the Liturgy, it's about the voice! The music must support the people singing!

So, if it's about the voice, why do we need drums? First of all, we don’t always need them, but they are nice to have as a main instrument in our liturgies when played tastefully. Drums and percussion are mentioned several times in the psalms, most popularly in Psalm 150 which says:

“Give praise with tambourines and dance, praise him with flutes and strings. Give praise with crashing cymbals, praise him with sounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath give praise to the LORD! Hallelujah!”

Even the U.S. Bishops document on Liturgy “Sing to the Lord” says:

89. “However, from the days when the Ark of the Covenant was accompanied in procession by cymbals, harps, lyres, and trumpets, God’s people have, in various periods, used a variety of musical instruments to sing his praise. Each of these instruments, born of the culture and the traditions of a particular people, has given voice to a wide variety of forms and styles through which Christ’s faithful continue to join their voices to his perfect song of praise upon the Cross.”

So the question I would ask is: If these are the instruments that were used in the beginning, when the Ark of the Covenant was in procession, shouldn’t we be using them now? Don’t they express true worship and the true joy that we have in the resurrection?

A few things to be considered when using drums at Liturgy. First, the space you’re in can dictate a lot. If your church is made of stone and marble and is like an echo chamber, drums will be a challenge...but can still be used effectively. In this case, a great solution is to either use percussion such as congas, shakers, tambourines, etc. and/or to construct a drum enclosure that will help limit the sound of the drums. Microphones can then be placed on the drums to put them into the sound system so that the sound engineer can control the volume. This has proved very effective in many churches. Of course, we should do our best to make the enclosure as professional and as aesthetically pleasing as possible so as to not draw a lot of attention to the drummer.

This is a picture of the drum enclosure we recently built in my church. It is lined with acoustic paneling, the wood bottom is fully insulated, and there is a small door for the drummer to enter and exit through. It is cooled by the A/C vent in the ceiling.
 

Electric drums can also achieve a similar effect and some brands are better sounding than others. I would caution that if you are going to use electric drums, be sure that they sound as “real” and “acoustic” as possible so as to not make the music at Mass sound electronic or hokey.

The Drummer
Now that we know what kind of drum kit we will use and how to help control the sound, the next important element is the player. As I said earlier, a good drummer is essential. The drummer doesn’t have to- and shouldn’t be- flashy. 'Less is more' is always a good principal at Liturgy. There shouldn’t be any 'clicking sticks' to start songs, or 'trash can endings' at the end of songs. The drums don’t need to come in at the beginning of every song either. In fact, they shouldn’t! Dynamics are key to using drums effectively. Brushes and Hot Rods (which are a type of sticks that have softer sound) can be used depending on the feel of the song.

A good drummer will not always play the typical rock beat, but will listen to recordings to get a few different beats to build a song up and bring it back down. In contemporary music, a popular beat is to have the kick drum play on all four beats with just the Hi-hat cymbal and building into a beat adding a tom or two in-between to build the song. The use of playing the same beat with a side-stick (rim) instead of the snare is a great way to approach the softer section of a song. If you listen to what the drummer played on the song below you can get an idea of this concept as the verses use kick drums on all four beats and then add in the 'typical' rock beat on the refrains.

 

That's a clip from "Veni, Sancte Spiritus" off of Craig's new CD, 'I Am the Way.'  (see the sidebar)

‘Training’ a Drummer for Liturgy
When training a drummer for Liturgy, a great way to get them started is to have them play a few percussion instruments along with a more seasoned drummer who can 'show them the ropes.' Let them sit in on the kit for a song or two here and there. As their confidence builds, adding the newer drummer as the 'main drummer' can be achieved slowly and effectively. Sending out recordings to musicians is a great way to get them to learn the music ahead of time so that they are not just coming in cold, not having heard the beat on a song or knowing how it goes.

Contemporary music can be used very effectively with good, pastoral musicians. We need to strive to help our communities sing with full, active, conscious participation with a solid support of instruments to uphold their voices that praise our God...just as David did in the psalms, and our ancestors did in the early church.
 

Song Ideas for Sunday, 9/15/2013

Here are some song possibilities and suggestions for 

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

10,000 Angels by Aaron Thompson (WLP) - (from the CD "10,000 Angels")

Be Merciful, O Lord by Steve Angrisano (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "Set Free")

*Create a Clean Heart by Tom Booth (spiritandsong.com) - (found in Voices As One vol. 2)

Create in Me by Curtis Stephan (spiritandsong.com)

Faith Enough to Believe by Craig and Kristin Colson (WLP) - (from the CD "I Am the Way") - leads sheets imminent

I Will Rise and Go to My Father by John Angotti (WLP) - (from the CD "Rise Up, My People")

In the Arms of Jesus by John Angotti (WLP) - (from the CD "Extraordinary Love")

*In You, O Lord by Ed Bolduc (WLP) - (from the CD "The Face of God")

Lord, I Need You by Maher et all (worshiptogether.com)

Pursue Me by Danielle Rose (WLP) - (from the CD "Pursue Me")

Return to God by John Angotti (WLP) - (from the CD "Joy Beyond Our Dreams")

Revive Us, O God by Jesse Manibusan (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "Power of Peace")

*Shelter Your Name by Danielle Rose (WLP) - (from the CD "Defining Beauty")

The Prodigal Father by Brian Flynn (WLP) - (from the CD "Born Again")

*We Fall Down by Tomlin and Giglio (worshiptogether.com) - (found in Voices As One vol. 2)

Welcome Home by Steve Angrisano (spiritandsong.com) - (from the CD "Welcome Home")

*You Know Who I Am by Tom Booth and Matt Maher (spiritandsong.com) - (found in Voices As One vol. 2)

*Your Grace Is Enough by Matt Maher (spiritandsong.com)

*Your Love Is Deep by Jami Smith et al (Integrity) - (found in Voices As One vol. 2)

* indicates instrumental parts available for these titles in the Voices As One series. All titles from this series have C and B-flat instrument parts. Select titles have Saxophone and Brass parts. 

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 C Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Bb Instrument Book

Voices As One ® Vol. 1 and 2 Saxophone and Brass Instrument Book

Songs the assembly loves...

As music directors, I think we all find that a big part of our job is to look for good songs and hymns that can be played well by many different ensembles at different skill levels– songs with great texts, great melodies, and moving chord progressions. These are songs everyone from the youngest to the oldest all find meaningful to pray and sing. They instantly become part of our regular repertoire and frequently find their way into our liturgies.

I’d like to share two of those with you today…two songs I’d like you to consider using in your parish. If you already know and use them…great! Perhaps you can just listen to how we played and sang them in the video clips below. If you don’t know them, by all means check them out!

The first song is “We Fall Down” by Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio. I heard a story (I forget when or from who) that when Chris played the first draft for him, Louie said, “This song is going to touch a lot of hearts,” or something to that effect. He was right. The song was huge and is still sung a lot in churches today. I think the beauty is in its simplicity. Everything from the text to the chords, the melody to the vocal range, all serve communal worship well.

The song is published by worshiptogether.com. WLP (World Library Publications) has an arrangement available in Voices As One vol. 2. Instrumental parts are available as well as guitar, keyboard, and vocal parts. A recording is found on the CD Fountain of Mercy.

Here is “We Fall Down” used as a gathering song this past Sunday at our 8:30 am liturgy. (We used drums, bass gtr, ac gtr, piano, synth, flute, 4 female and 2 male voc.) The flute part you hear is from the Voices As One vol. 2 C-Instrument book.

 

The next song is “Behold the Lamb of God” by Matt Maher (spiritandsong.com). I don’t know anyone in our parish who does not hold this song dear to them. The lyrics are simple, yet fresh. The melody is beautiful…and the Refrain is about as good as it gets, both text and music-wise: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Get the music and start using it if you aren’t already. I mean that in the nicest way!  :-)

We have also used the Refrain of this song as a sung response during the reading of the Passion on Palm Sunday, in order to break-up the length of the reading. I think it’s perfect.

Here is a version from Sunday night at our parish. (We used drums, bass gtr, elec gtr, piano, 2 female and 1 male voc.)