As I was recently re-listening to Come Weary Saints I couldn’t help but notice an interesting choice of instrumentation on the title track. I’m not sure exactly because I purchased the mp3 set and don’t have the pdf handy to check instrumentation, but I’m pretty sure they are using a harp at the end of the song. It very well could be a nylon stringed guitar - but I think it’s a harp. I had never thought of using harp as a worship team instrument before, but now I think I could definitely find some ways to do it - which leads me to my question:
Apart from David Crowder’s crazy rigging of a Guitar Hero© controller, what is the most different or unusual instrument you’ve seen used by a worship team? I’d love to hear it all - even if you’re from another country and think that using a guitar is unusual!
Let’s hear it!
For a long time I’ve subscribed to the school of thought that playing by chord off of lead sheets or chord sheets is a much better way to go for piano players than playing straight from the actual piano music. You only have to have a couple of pages to turn through, you learn how to play chords just in case the piano music is unavailable, and you develop your ear. However, there is a problem: it’s much harder to lead if you don’t have experience.
Without Rhythm and Melody - Chords Don’t Go Anywhere
As I’ve begun to teach several piano players how to play by chords instead of by the piano music I’ve run into a problem that I completely didn’t expect. Chords, without being driven by rhythm and melody, don’t really go anywhere. I can tell the piano player to “just play by the chords on this one” and it leads to a great fit when I’m leading from the guitar. I can carry the rhythm from the guitar and let the piano color and accent the song. But if I say, “I’d like to you lead this one on the piano,” many of the piano players are not quite sure what to do. They can play the chords, but haven’t really been taught the rhythms to apply the chords to - so the song lacks movement. They can play the chords, but haven’t really been taught how to break them up and use passing tones to create interest - so the song lacks character.
What to Do?
I guess that is my dilemma. I can show the piano players what to do by saying, “Let me sit for a second and show you what I’d like.” But then they’re just watching me do something instead of actually learning how to do it. I would love to know what you’ve done to teach piano players how to play chords but play them rhythmically and melodically - able to lead a song well. Some things I can think of might perhaps be:
- Writing out piano parts for them for a while - then saying, “Okay - your turn to apply it - make up your own now.”
- Having a workshop with piano players on how to do these things - which is something I’d like to do - I just lack the time at the moment.
- Have the piano players listen and watch professionals to try and develop their ear and mimic what the professionals are doing
- Create an online youtube / vimeo video to help train - another thing I’d love to do - again with a lack of time
Are there any other suggestions that could help?
