Tag Archive for #Music
Linus has a blanket, you have one too…
This blog and website is a resource for church musicians. It is my hope that it provides useful insight into the practical matters of music ministry, a “how-to” site, if you will. I encourage you to share your thoughts and comments, and if you find the information here useful, that you share it with your teams, twitter tweeple, and facebook friends…
Growing up, we all spent time in front of the family television watching the great Peanuts holiday comics come to life. Classics like “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”, or, who could forget the loveable Linus van Pelt in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. He confidently walks out onto the stage, requests “light’s please”, and then delivers my one of my favorite passages of scripture detailing the birth of Jesus. Go ahead and take a minute to relive this great moment…
Last weekend I was serving my parish on their yearly confirmation retreat. We brought a large lighting and audio rig to get the job done in a room of 125 people. There I was, guitar in hand, amps on, with an extremely bright intelligent light in my face. This very cool light completely blinded me and rendered my security blanket absolutely useless. My security blanket? A MUSIC STAND!
How many of us operate with a music stand? Let’s look at what this security blanket does to us as music ministers…
- It is a mini wall between you and the people you are serving
- It beckons the attention of our eye, thus taking our eyes off the people we are serving, the ministry team, and the room
- It causes us to look down while we are singing/playing
- It creates a distraction of page turning, and interrupts the flow of spontaneous worship
- It looks unprofessional, and…
- It’s one more thing to pack and carry (boo!)
In reality, by the time I am ready to lead a group of people with a particular song, I’ve already played the tune a few dozen times. Memorizing modern worship songs isn’t rocket science (I have a friend who is a rocket scientist, and we have discussed such matters). This morning I took a look at the CCLI Top 100 list and wasn’t a bit surprised to see that the first 10 songs are all 4 chord songs that repeat the same pattern over and over again. I wasn’t surprised because repetition is the intended delivery of this style of music. These are songs of prayer, so by repeating a chord structure or lyrical passage you are more easily engaging a group into deep worship. So let’s pick a song and dive in… (we will go right to number 1 – Chris Tomlin’s “How Great Is Our God”)…
The original key is C, but that key is a bit of a stretch for my vocal range! The key that works well for my parish is Bb. If I am leading a small group in adoration etc, I will lower further down to A to make it more welcoming for a small group. That being said, if I am leading the song in Bb the chord progression is [Bb-Gm7-Eb-F] or Capo 3 on the guitar and play [G-Em7-C-D] – over and over again. Repeat!
I can easily remember chord progressions. I just hear them and my hands follow where they need to be, kind of like rain man. Lyrics are tougher for me to remember, so I have developed a method of getting them memorized. I try to embed the first line of every pass into my mind instead of memorizing the entire verse. In other words, when my mind can recall the first line of a verse or chorus, my memory fills in the remainder of the verse as I sing. So, with this song I would commit to memory..
- “The splendor of the King……”
- “How great is our God…..”
- “And age to age He stands……”
- “Name above all names…..”
Now, all that being said, those of us that work in liturgy do not have the benefit of a working band that plays the same set of music, every single night, the exact same way. I recognize that if we work in liturgy, the songs on the plan this week are different than the songs from last week. However, your ministry team probably (hopefully) has a seasonal or common group of songs that the entire group knows well, and that your parishioners sing well. In reality, you probably have these songs memorized already. With these types of songs, make a strong effort to not use the chart on the stand, but instead be focused on leading the song and being plugged into what is happening in the liturgical action and engage the room with your eyes and prayer.
So, back to Linus. He walked out on that stage and boldly proclaimed the nativity story. He didn’t need his security blanket, but it was on stage with him. My challenge to you (and to myself), is to ditch the security blanket this year and get rid of the music stand. If your working situation requires you to have one, make a strong effort to spend more time looking over the top of it and less time staring into it. After all, we’re not worshiping the music stand, are we?
Fire the Missals…
For Catholics in North America, this weekend (1st Sunday of Advent), welcomes the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal after years of prayer, interpretation, and changes. It is now time to pray with the new responses, and sing the new parts.
People in your congregation are going to be looking to you and your pastoral team for assurance. I call this the “Flight Attendant” syndrome (When I fly through rough air, I always look at the flight attendants on my plane to see if they are nervous). When you begin playing your new (or revised) mass settings this weekend, do so with confidence. Lead the parts as if you’ve been singing them since 1974. In addition, I am using familiar hymns and songs this weekend to give the people at Holy Trinity a chance to really focus on the new parts.
Welcome 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal…we are delighted you are here. Lord Jesus, guide your Church through this transition. Maranatha!
Let’s get out there…
This past weekend, I wrapped up my fall vacation time by spending both days with my family. We had two fantastic days together. On Saturday, my youngest son played in the regional 9u football superbowl. I flew back from the west coast early to make sure I was there for this big event. They took the lead and won the game with just 45 seconds left on the clock. I am so proud!
The other aspect of my vacation was that it allowed me the rare opportunity to attend mass at a neighboring parish. As a family, we decided to go visit St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Fayetteville GA. As we arrived in the narthex, we were greeted by one of the teens handing out songsheets. We quickly found a place to sit and prepared for mass. I was delighted to see my friend Amy Metzger, Director of Music, up at the front with the music ministry team. I knew from Facebook that she had also been traveling recently, so I wasn’t sure I’d have an opportunity to visit prior to arriving at mass.
I really appreciated the song selections, as there were familiar tunes and two pieces that I had never heard before. I always enjoy the opportunity to learn new pieces and have other ministry teams lead me in worship. The team did a great job presenting the material. Throughout the mass, I felt very welcomed to sing and participate.
Here’s my challenge to you…
Get out there and see what the churches in your area are doing. For many of us that minister in a Life Teen Mass, it can be challenging to visit another Life Teen mass at a neighboring parish as we all tend to have a mutual late afternoon mass time. Don’t let that stop you from visiting other parishes to checkout a morning liturgy, or even a vigil mass nearby.
In our faith lives, we experience, we learn, and we change…in that order. Think about how that formula applies to your faith journey. To continue growing as Christians and ministers, we need to constantly continue moving forward. Working inside “our box” can limit our sight and effectiveness. Get out there and meet some new people, expand your network of friends in the area, and keep growing. The Church is bigger than our home town parish. Thanks be to God!
I Love LA
I arrived in Los Angeles today for the 2011 Taxi Road Rally. I’m here with 2,000 other songwriters, musicians, producers, poets, and dreamers. I’m also here with grammy winning songwriters and producers.
In early spring of this year, I was praying in the church before leaving for the day, and clearly heard the Lord asking me to write songs for the church.
I have all the tools, all the skill, and all the encouragement of my family and friends. Now, all I need is the discipline to get to work…
Saint Brigid, Pray For Us!
Here is the setlist of songs the band and I used on the St. Brigid Confirmation Retreat “Emmaus”. If these songs led you into prayer, I encourage you to pick them up at iTunes and continue praying them over the next several weeks. The band and I were blessed to be with you at Covecrest. Peace to you my friends…Greg
Friday night…
Lean on Me- Bill Withers; Fires – Theme song from Matt Redman; Your Grace Is Enough – Matt Maher; Marvelous Light – Charlie Hall; How He Loves – Mark McMillan; The Stand – Hillsong; Open My Eyes – Jesse Manibusan
Saturday morning…
Days of Elijah – Robin Mark; Holy Is The Lord – Chris Tomlin; Everlasting God – Brenton Brown; Mighty To Save – Hillsong (Fielding); Open My Eyes – Jesse Manibusan
Saturday afternoon…
Big House – Audio Adrenaline; Our God – Chris Tomlin; I Will Follow – Chris Tomlin; Fires – Matt Redman
Adoration…
He Is Exalted – Twila Paris; Worthy – Matt Redman; Revelation Song – Phillips Craig and Dean (written my Jamie Riddle); How He Loves – Mark McMillan; Dwell – Casey Corum; How Great Is Our God – Chris Tomlin; Tantum Ergo (Traditional); Divine Praises (Adapted by Matt Maher)
Sunday morning…
I Saw The Light – Hank Williams; I Will Follow – Chris Tomlin; Your Grace Is Enough – Maher;
Near Faith Experience…
Two years ago I was at a conference for Whole Community Catechesis, where I got to hear Steve Angrisano present a musical workshop. One of the takeaways from his session was the expression “Near Faith Experience”. You know, it’s where you are at a retreat, or at mass, yet not really present to Christ and what is happening. I think NFE’s happen occasionally when you work in full time ministry. I find myself, after three masses and four rehearsals this weekend, having had a NFE. I know what the Gospel was about, I barely remember the second reading. The First reading from Ezekiel escapes me completely, and I heard it three times!
Lord, grant us the grace to enter completely into the liturgy when we serve You there, to remove the distractions, and love You with everything we have. Lord, I know that when I play and sing, it’s for an audience of One (Three, in Trinity). I love you, and I can’t wait to meet You in the liturgy again. Greg
Casting Pod’s into space
Next Wednesday, I will be embarking on a new undertaking. The youth minister I work with at Holy Trinity is a great friend, and we have decided to start a Podcast. It’s going to be fabulous, so stay tuned for the details… “The G.O. Summit” is coming soon…
Hospitality
I’m back on the blogging trail after a few weeks of events. As I drove in this morning the one consistent thing about the last few weeks has been how awesome the hospitality has been wherever the band has played. Back in early August, I was invited to play the appeal mass at Queen of Angels Catholic School in Roswell GA. The entire staff was a joy to work with. The best part is that two of my dearest friends, Ken and Terry Kenan, are staffers at the school and greeted us with an amazing spread of food and treats. The food was amazing, but the part that stands out was how it was made. You see, I know that they made all that food with love. They used eggs from their chickens, tomatoes and veggies from their garden. In addition to all that they had prepared for us, they sent us away with care bags full of more goodies. I know that when we left for the drive home, the guys reviewed the day and overwhelmingly felt loved and appreciated.
Two weeks ago, we were asked to play over in Griffin GA at New Life Church for their weekly Rock The Block session. Every Thursday, the church gathers in the parking lot and welcomes everyone in the community for food and music. The band and I loaded up with minimal equipment, and no expectations for the night. We were just on an adventure to pray, sing, and enjoy an evening of ministry. Here’s a photo of Lenny working with an interesting kick drum setup…
After we got set up and sound checked, one of the parishioners came up and led an opening prayer for an anointing on the evening’s worship. Just as we began our worship set, we could really feel God moving through our hearts. Just as we began, our host Ronnie took this photo…
I am convinced that it’s God reaching down to us. During our dinner break, we were treated to a spaghetti dinner with the best sweet tea Griffin GA has to offer. At the end of the night, the guys and I were loading up the truck and we were approached by different people that live in the neighborhood that heard the music and came out to enjoy the evening. This was the second night after the brutal GA heat subsided to a cool snap that made the evening perfect. We received many hugs as we packed up our gear and said goodbye to our new friends.
This past Saturday, the band and I played the Wide Open Worship event for the Southside of Atlanta, and were once again offered a dinner with the community. The guys and I had a chance to sit down and enjoy each other’s company before beginning the music sets for the evening.
I am blessed by the hospitality that has been extended to me and the guys in the band. Those that we have served have received us and been Christ to us. My heart is grateful…
