I was reading this post on sojurnmusic.com about the keyboard and how to play it in a modern worship band, and I thought that some of it applies to all members of the band.
As a musician myself, when playing in a band you want to contribute all that you can. Unfortunately, when we do that, we tend to create chaos. So here’s a few things – some from my own head, some from the post above – that I would suggest for a band to become better.
Listen
The most important lesson you can learn being a musician is to listen. If you don’t listen to your fellow bandmembers, you will never reach your potential. Listening enables you to hear what each instrument is doing. If you are listening, you’ll hear when the bass line is sufficent. You’ll hear where that perfect hit will be. You’ll hear that you and the other guitarist are playing the same thing and you should back off or play something different. If you forget to use your ears, the music becomes more like mush than art.
Look
When you’re in a band, you need to look around. Looking is the act of communication that band members make. When the band is looking at each other, they are in sync. Listening can sometimes be deceptive, especially with timing issues. Just ask any school band member who has played in a gym. Looking is your confirmation that the band is together. Also, those perfect hits you were listening for need to be together. Watch the leader for cues. Look at the guitarist to tell him to start his solo. Look at him again to tell him to quit! If you’ve got your head stuck in the music stand, you’ll miss something.
Learn
Play and practice often. If this thing called music is your craft, refine it, make it better. Learn scales, learn licks, learn solos. Linking back to listening, go and listen to your favorite group/musician. Learn what they do, try to emulate it. Music is a language all its own. You need to learn its ABCs to make words, to make sentences, to make stories. Music, after all, is a story told through sound. In addition, learn what your bandmates are doings. As you play, you’ll begin to pick up tendencies, know where the drummer will fill, what line the guitar will take. This will allow you to do more listening and looking while you are playing. Which leads to better playing.
Less is More
Here’s the hardest part. Less is more. The crux of the problem. When we’re doing all these things, we want to do them all the time. Add little licks everywhere, throw in that cool thing we just learned, try that hit here or there. The problem is when you do too much, you end up taking away from the music itself. A fill in the wrong place covers the singer. A hit is only effective when the song warrents one. An overdone solo makes the song (and the musician) appear worse. The perfect solo may only contain three notes. The perfect fill may be one extra tom hit. I heard once that you always want to make the audience want just a little more. If you give everything in the first five minutes, then the impact is lost.
Above all, music is an art. Enjoy it.
