Something to think about...When do you start preparing for the next worship session? For some, the answer would be on the night or morning of the service. To be honest, sometimes you are put in that position and you should work at having enough ability to walk in and "fake it." In these instances, staying as basic as possible and watching the leader intently will be your only saving graces.
However, for those who know that you have a few days before the next worship set, let me suggest a few things that I have found helpful with regards to releasing me from obsessing over notes to being freed to worship, and thus, providing an example to my fellow band mates and to the congregation.
I start by getting the list as soon as possible. After a while, you will grow quite a vocabulary of tunes that you already know. Keep a mental file of these tunes, if not a physical file filled with chord sheets and CD recording if possible. Once you have the list, ask your worship leader to send you any songs that you do not already have.
Once you have those songs, put them on a CD or your iPod in the order that they will be played on the given day. Take a day and listen to these tunes. Let the words soak into your spirit and the phrasing of the words become your song unto the Lord. I personally listen to the list over and over again, for the sake of time memorization and song map.
Finally, the last day before the worship session, physically play the songs along with your CD or iPod playlist. I do this on a practice pad, but I physically try to approximate the moves and fills that I want to attempt. This gets my body into a position where some muscle memory can be employed as well.
Once these things are done, I am ready to move beyond the physical and mental aspects of drumming, and move more into the spiritual nature of worshipping/worship leading. When I do not have this process behind me, I find that I am preoccupied with playing the right things and remembering the song map. This cuts into my enjoyment of the Lord and really keeps me from worshipping as I would like.
One final note to those who have a large vocabulary of songs "under their fingers." To the ones who have a select few songs to choose from, I give a warning: Don't let the words lose their impact. For you, I would suggest a more mental study. For example, how about writing out the words to the worship songs that you are going to play on the next session. Take those thoughts and study them, think them through. The saying that familiarity breeds contempt is a true one. And because I believe the drummer to be the emotional center of the band, I think it CRITICAL for a drummer to believe in his heart that which he is playing.
"Remember it does'nt take time, as much as it takes commitment."
Blessings,
Frank
8.11.2006
The Foundation For My Philosophy
As drummers, there are some things that are "a given" about our instrument. We should have good meter, good feel and appropriate volume control (In later posts, I will share my thoughts on how to develop these traits). In addition, as people, we should be professional in our attitudes and courteous to other musicians and sound personnel. These are things that are part of what every drummer should be in the natural, just because we are humans, sense. However, when it comes to being a Christian and a drummer who serves in the church, there are other points of character criteria that are absolutely necessary in addition to what is naturally expected of any drummer. For example, there is the necessity of service, unto the Lord first, unto each band member, but ultimately unto the congregation as well. We are servants, who must maintain a level of humility in this regard. An outworking of this philosophy is to help our band mates bring their gear in and play in such a way as to be sensitive to the congregation. Here are a few more...
- Help the soundman set up and tear down microphones.
- Be available to talk to members of the congregation.
- Be fully prepared for your job.
- Never make the band wait for you to finish setting up.
There are many more but I will leave it there for now. There used to be a song that we sung years ago called "The Servant Song." It had this line: If you want to be great in God's Kingdom / Learn to be the servant of all
This is entirely unnatural, but critical to being a drummer who is a Christian, who is serving in the Church context.
Really, to wrap this up, I think it best to examine the verse that best summarizes what I am talking about in this post. Written to the Church of Philippi, by the Apostle Paul, leading up to a description of the Lord's mindset while on Earth.
"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Philippians 2:3 (NKJV)
How about another translation?
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." (NIV)
This is the foundation philosophy for all of what we do in life, but especially as our lives are lived out on a stage before the watching eye of other Christians. Is this your foundation? If it is not, then you might want to consider your motivation and calling. In addition, if it is not, and I will admit that there have been many times when my heart was not there either, ask the Lord to do a work in your heart that would make this the rule for your life in ministry. There will be mornings when there will be exceptions to this rule, but Lord willing, as we seek, so shall we find that the rule is broken less and less.
"If I am called to minister with my instrument, then this is my aspiration."
Blessings,
Frank
- Help the soundman set up and tear down microphones.
- Be available to talk to members of the congregation.
- Be fully prepared for your job.
- Never make the band wait for you to finish setting up.
There are many more but I will leave it there for now. There used to be a song that we sung years ago called "The Servant Song." It had this line: If you want to be great in God's Kingdom / Learn to be the servant of all
This is entirely unnatural, but critical to being a drummer who is a Christian, who is serving in the Church context.
Really, to wrap this up, I think it best to examine the verse that best summarizes what I am talking about in this post. Written to the Church of Philippi, by the Apostle Paul, leading up to a description of the Lord's mindset while on Earth.
"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Philippians 2:3 (NKJV)
How about another translation?
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." (NIV)
This is the foundation philosophy for all of what we do in life, but especially as our lives are lived out on a stage before the watching eye of other Christians. Is this your foundation? If it is not, then you might want to consider your motivation and calling. In addition, if it is not, and I will admit that there have been many times when my heart was not there either, ask the Lord to do a work in your heart that would make this the rule for your life in ministry. There will be mornings when there will be exceptions to this rule, but Lord willing, as we seek, so shall we find that the rule is broken less and less.
"If I am called to minister with my instrument, then this is my aspiration."
Blessings,
Frank
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