How I Help My Team Be More Musical

A worship leader sent me this question:

“Our team has been growing in building musical dynamics that really create openings for people to enter in.”

Stop right there! I’ve never heard it said quite like that: “Musical dynamics create openings for people to enter in.”There’s so much there, but let’s keep reading.

“One area I haven’t figured out how to address without making people feel like ‘I don’t like their voice’ is helping vocalists understand there are times when dropping back to only the lead vocal creates an amazing dynamic that is lost when ‘everyone’ is singing. I have a similar issue with a piano player who is hyper sensitive to any comment I make that I would like the piano to drop out or play softer – they either are crushed or offended – and there is a temptation to just let them ‘do what they want,’ though it undermines some of what we are trying to achieve as a team. Can you help worship leaders know how to approach and address such types of dynamics in a way that builds teams and individuals, but doesn’t avoid necessary conversations?”

Now, before you conclude that this is YOUR worship leader because you’re sure she’s talking about your team with these exact dynamics, trust me, it’s not. Fifty churches within an hour of your church struggle with this same scenario.

The first thing is a small but significant tweak: When.

If you start playing a song and THEN give arrangement directions, it’s much easier for your team to feel like it’s personal. (“He didn’t like what I did.") So instead, give all the arrangement instructions BEFORE you play a song.

Like this: “On this song, I’d like to have the singers sing off mic for the verses, and come in with harmony on the chorus. Then on the first bridge, I’d like the piano, bass, and drums to drop out so that when they come back in, it’ll create a lot of energy. And can we try playing the intro at an 8, the first verse at a 3, first chorus at a 7...”

Notice three things embedded in that little sample:

1. Singers on stage should ALWAYS sing. But they only sing ON MIC at intentional points in the song. A singer who just stands there tells the congregation to just stand there.

2. Give a reason for why you’re asking for players to play. Answer the question, “How will that musical choice make the song better?”

3. Use numbers to give a somewhat more objective measure of dynamics. Quieter or louder isn’t that helpful. But a 2 out of 10 tells everybody that it’s pretty tiny. And if you play through something that was too big, busy, or loud, you can say, “That chorus was about an 8...can we simplify, thin out, or soften it to a 5?” (And yes, you astutely noticed that dynamics are NOT just how loud you play/sing, it’s how big/small and busy/thin too.)

So the first thing is WHEN to give the direction. The second is HOW.

We teach worship leaders to be well-balanced leaders who can adjust their approach based on the needs of their teams and congregations.

Remember, every worship leader (and team member) sees the world through primarily one of five identities. They plan, rehearse, and lead services through these identities. All leaders have to do the same tasks, but their motivation is based on their identity. We teach leaders to “adjust their Faders” up or down as needed for the moment.

So, back to the leader’s question above. Here’s how each of the Five Faders might address the question:

ARTIST

An Artist might say, “Team, tonight’s songs are so moving and it’s important that we really get what makes the songs feel so emotional. As we go through the set, if there are any points where you begin to feel bored with what you are doing, try something different. In other words, we start with what we decide to play or sing based on what the recording is - why wouldn’t we want to emulate great players and producers, right?! But it may not work in our context, so we have to make it our own and recreate that same emotion, energy, and beauty in our arrangement.”

SHEPHERD

A Shepherd might say, “Team, during tonight’s rehearsal, I will ask you to try things that could make you uncomfortable. It might be specific arrangements, where to play or sing, or how to play or sing. It’s important to me that you know that there aren’t any personal reasons I’m asking you to do certain things - it’s not that I don’t like you or what you are contributing! I very much value who you are and what you bring to this team. I’m trying to help us make beautiful music together, and instead of having each of us decide what that might be, I’m going to lead us. I’d like you to suggest ideas as we go through the set because I care about what you think. Do you feel okay with that, and do you have any questions that you’d like me to answer upfront?”

PRIEST

A Priest might say, “Team, as we rehearse, let’s really worship the Lord. I have some ideas about how we want to play these songs, but I want you to make it a personal expression of worship to the Lord. I know the recordings we listened to have a certain arrangement, and we’re aiming for something similar, but I don’t want that to box us in. If you’re inspired to ad lib, by all means. Let’s let our excellence musically be inspired by our excellence of heart in connecting and responding to the Lord.”

EDUCATOR

An Educator might say, “Team, during tonight’s rehearsal, I’m going to be asking you to do things, and you might not know why I’m asking for them. Things like specific arrangements, where to play or sing, or how to play or sing. What we’re trying to do is something called “serve the song.” In other words, our musical choices affect the song as a whole. And rather than serving our preferences, I’m asking that we serve the song. “What’s best for this song?” is the question we want to ask. So when I ask for something, just try it out. I’m listening to how the whole thing sounds, not just what each of us contributes. If you feel like you’re having to stretch just a bit, you’re probably right on track.”

PRODUCER

A Producer might say, “Team, when I sent you the chord charts with notes on them six weeks ago, I hope it was clear and helped you arrive tonight as prepared as possible. I want this to be really smooth. I’ve been thinking about how we want to be playing these songs for the last month and am really excited to hear how it sounds when we put it all together! Before we play, I’d like us to talk through both the map that’s typed on the top of each song AND point out the arrangement cues written on your charts. I want to make sure everyone is comfortable and knows exactly what our plan is. You’ll want to have your pencils handy for any notes that you’ll take as we talk through it.”

Each of these leaders helps their teams to play with musical dynamics but with very different motivations. The idea is to figure out what your Fader is and what your team needs and be responsive to that.

-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)

How I Help My Team Be More Musical (Nº 422)