Paul Baloche - Choosing a keyboard player for worship team

[torogami2]

John Lord

[simpsy23]

how should a worship leader manage playing keys....along with a guitar and bass players,.... its difficult to play piano and sing along and lead worship.... can sumbody help me out...????????

[denim98]

@simpsy23 If a worship leader wishes to lead with his guitar/piano, he should ensure that there is a second guitarist/pianist in the band so that he could occasionally take his hands off playing to gesture during worship.

[Gijoe125]

I'm a drummer that also sings and plays keyboard (not all at once)... I lead worship and the other guy that sits in for drums typically just plays too loud, so I continue to tell him "Same intensity, less volume". The idea of that helps a drummer find out how to express himself without drowning anyone else out. :) Hope that helps.

[ghopher2]

I used to make my drummer practice without cymbals. Make a huge difference made it all sound better.

[denim98]

@ghopher2 A crash would immediately drown the whole band especially in a small hall. It is unfortunately that most new inexperienced drummers love to crash the cymbals at every beat ala grunge style.

[marinemom77]

thank you for this...

[denim98]

"sits on the left hand ????" That's a waste of a good hand. A good keyboard player should be able to play two keyboards at the same time. I play strings/atmospherics on my left hand and brass/synth/sax/guitar/lead instruments sounds on my right.

[93SweE]

It's just for practise.. But you don't need to use two keyboards..

[denim98]

@93SweE it's like saying for practice we don't need the bass drum. we just play the snare.

[93SweE]

@denim98

But if you have a drummer always going to heavey on the kickdrum, maybe a practise with out the kick force him to think different and then open upp some doors in his drumming that makes him to a better drummer?

But if you don't have any problem with playing to heavey on the bass and midrange you don't need to sit on your lefthand to help you play better?

[denim98]

@93SweE A keyboard player does not need to play like the pianist. The left hand could be playing another keyboard . This is why i say many people do not know that a keyboard (synth) player should not play like the pianist.

[bducic1]

@denim98 Well, I think he's talking about playing a rythmic bass octive in the left hand. That's what a pianist does when playing modern worship music. This is neccessary if playing alone or playing without a bass player. However, if you have a bass player you don't need so much bass so if the pianist is used to playing very a lot of bass it can be benificial to practice without the left hand to get a feel for how things should sound.

[denim98]

A keyboard(synthesizer) player plays differently than a piano player. Perhaps most people don't know this - even the worship leaders.

[denim98]

Lots of pianists totally failed on the synthesizer. They play them like they play the piano.

[kimjoshua91]

@denim98 true

[MrJackanthony]

@denim98 I wish a lot of worship teams would realise this. However if the team is established and has a lot of instruments then just piano can be good. Your church has a motif xs used mostly for the awesome piano sounds!

[jaiver123]

Hi Paul, thank you for your great videos, and practical advice. You made really good points here. But what about including a lead guitarist or a second or even a third one in a worship band? What sort of skills or things do you look for when adding an extra guitar player? I'd be happy to watch a video of you that's particular to this issue.

[abmendoza1]

thanx to paul i have learned a lot of him i totally understand what he says .

[Wendiesel]

Paul has got it. He understands so much about Praise and Worship.

[DebJen7]

Thank you so much.

[joejohnson043]

as opposed to the way music is used by leftists and secularists to pull our heartstrings and elect a marxist, or donate money to a UN charity? The bottom line is music has always been used for worship since Man's beginning, thus, if men are worshiping Sports, Sex, Drugs, etc... they will use music, because that is their god, so don't be surprised when music is also being used to worship the True God, since that is the rightful use of the gift He gave us in music.

[joejohnson043]

I see what you're saying, but Paul & Silus in acts were singing praises in a prison and lead the jailer to Christ. Where you are wrong is in your conclusion about God's word. Modern churches are in a trend that has its shortcomings, but given how our society interacts and communicates, they are using those tools for good. We use music to supplement everything of value in our society: Weddings, funerals, sports, birthdays, government, news... they are merely communicating to our society

[speckofdust21]

huh....yes its on purpopse, i think...God made music for a purpose. what better purpose could there be than to pulls ppl's heartstrings to/ for God? lol...6 months late reply

[youngcha]

MoriahTrek, I disagree. The ministry of worship encourages people to lift their praises to the Lord. We all need motivation and conviction to grow in Christ, music is a great medium. As musicians, to develop our talents for the glory of God DOES please Him, and he will bless us. Colossians 3:23-24

[westdccs]

I agree with much of what Paul points out in a worship setting, but one thing he didn't mention is for the group to agree on what instrument will be establishing the harmonic rhythm of the song (keys, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass).

On the other hand, I bore of worship services where the keyboard player just plays strings or pads. Try layering in some EP's or pulsing synths, get a hammond in there if you can. Just make sure you are out of the way of the other instruments!

[Dglsell]

He talks about this in some of his other videos. Try his other video about Worhsip Band Workshop

[tzucuskie]

I understand, you certainly wouldn't want a talented board player who could run a complicated guitar patch that your lead didn't have time to figure out before Sunday morning. Much better to just play it safe.

[Zander971]

So basically you're looking for Rick Wakeman?

[erniebald57]

Keyboards all depend on the style of music you are playing. Urban worship has the busier style of keys and the organs. Guitar driven worship uses keys for fill with strings and ballad style piano. A busy piano player doesn't mix with guitar driven worship, so I think he's talking more in context with his style, which is acoustic guitar driven.

[rubindiego]

This is a great video and great info. I feel that this perspective comes from someone who leads from a guitar. Does this application work in an urban contemperary setting?

[denim98]

There is a difference between a keyboard ( piano-style ) playing and a synthesizer ( simulating other instruments like strings , atmospheric , brass , flute etc. ) playing. Pianists have to re-learn how to play when playing the synth..

[PrincessKinza]

I just to play piano, i got to grade 2. i still play it occasionally

[ngieol]

it doesn't matter. some people never had music lesson and play better at church than those who got to higher grade. IMO, it's better to play by ear in church because sometimes, during real worship service, things could go very different than what we had practiced. So just practice, and don't just read the chords. Practice with other musical intrument would be better.

[macmusicguy]

RE: what each hand does. Another possibility - something I regularly do at Vineville North - is to comp with your left hand (i.e. play chords in the middle C area), and then play fills with your right, in between phrases.

You can also use both hands to comp - can play some massive pads this way.