So, I wrote my ideas down in a “manifesto” of sorts.  The things I see that we, as Church artists, should be thinking about.  What we should strive for.  They are now on the Church Art Manifesto page.

Please stop by and read it, comment on it.  Add your thoughts.  Or comment here with resources or comments relating to Church art.  I’d love to have a place where artists could come to find some resources.

This was the biggest question I had when I started playing, and I still ask this question.  What in the world to I play?!  I mean, I could play pads on everything, but that’d be boring!  And I can’t play cool lead synth lines on everything.  Somehow that’s not going to work for the response song.

The answer is play whatever fits best.

I can hear you now, “Well thanks for nothing!”, but that’s the answer.  Think about it.  For every song you play, you need to find something that fits.  For We Unite by Elevation Worship, the lead synth sounds good, because it suits the style of the song.  Playing The Stand by Hillsong you’re probably better off playing a pad.  For other songs, a straight up piano sounds great.

Now, as always, you can change it up for effect.  Elevation Church did this with their Remix stuff.  But again, the parts fit with the style of the song they wanted to play.

Ok, so now I’ve got a sound, but what do I play with that part?  Wait for it…  Play what fits.  For a song busy with guitars and drums, you really shouldn’t be soloing the whole way.  You could add a bit of dirt with a biting synth pad and let the guitars go to town.  If it’s a slower song where the drums are down and the guitars are playing swells, break out a pad or pay some piano lines.

The moral is that you don’t want to step on any of the other players parts.  If someone has a soloistic part, don’t play a solo over top of them.  Sometimes it’s great just to hang out on the chords and make the band sound better.  Add your cool riffs between lyrical lines.  Add an instrumental break if you need some musical relief!  (With your band leader’s permission first!)  If you want some inspiration, listen to other bands.  Listen to some good jazz music.  Listen to good pop music even.  The more you listen, the more ideas you’ll have, and the more you’ll hear what other good keyboardists are doing.

So what do you play in your band?  Lots of pads?  Synths?  Melodic?  Rhythmic?

[ Photo by orange grove media ]

Virtual instruments.

Basically anything that can replicate a keyboarded instrument inside a computer.  Anything from modeling analogue synthesizers to samplers with sound from vintage organs and electric pianos and string instruments.  You get the idea.

For my setup, I love using Reason.  It’s basically the synth rack of your dreams in your computer.  Multiple MIDI controllers to play multiple synths, control different instruments by MIDI channel out, ReWire into your favorite DAW, and it’s all fairly straightforward to configure (Google always helps).

I’ve got a master Reason file that holds all of my basic setup.  I have 4 audio channels out (2 stereo pairs); one for mostly synth/pad/lead items, and one for loops/beats/FX items.  These usually are run through Live and into the house.  Most weeks, I use maybe a patch or two.  The most I’ve used in a set I believe was four, which includes a loop.

The synths are set up simply enough, with basic pads up top, a synth lead, and a rhythmic lead (or two).  These are the bread and butter for my controllers.  I usually sit on a nice airy pad with a filter mapped to the mod wheel.  I can go from being under the band to being on top depending on the song.  I’ve got a nice Moog-type square lead that I use a lot that was set up for We Unite by Elevation Worship.

For the loops, I have two ReDrums set up with patterns all ready to go, which are triggered by the number keys on the laptop keyboard.  I also have an FX spot that I usually don’t use, but if I need some atmospheric goodies it’s right there.

The only think lacking in my setup is a good vintage electric piano instrument.  Native Instruments look like they have some nice samplers for that, so that’s on my list.

Any thoughts on this?  What do you (or your church) use, if anything?

To start, I wanted to go over my current set-up at my church.

I have a Yamaha S90, a Korg CX-3, and an M-Audio Oxygen 61 for my boards.  I sometimes use a Yamaha S03 as a MIDI controller as well.  I’m running the MIDI controllers though Reason and Live on a MacBook Pro.  I usually have the S90 and the CX-3 on a two-tiered stand (S90 on bottom).  I’ll have the Oxygen on it’s own single stand near the computer, and the S03 is similar when I use it.

The S90 has a great piano sound and feel.  It’s hammer weighted, so it’s great for that piano feel.  I usually use it just for piano and a particular synth pad sound that sits well with a variety of songs.  I’ve also found some other cool synth/pad sounds I use occasionally.

The CX-3 is a great Hammond B3 emulator.  I’m sure it won’t pass as the real thing, as it seems nothing will, but it sounds great in the house and the manual drawbars are wonderful for changing the sound on the fly.  I only use one preset, really, even though I should use more.  But I just change drawbar settings and turn percussion on and off for most of my patches anyway.

The Oxygen I use for transport control of Live to fire clicks and the occasional loop.  All of the sounds are from a custom Reason rack that I have set up.  There are a few pads, a few leads, and some programmed beats for whatever the service might need.

The setup works well for me.  The only addition I might make would be for a Nord Electro in place of the CX-3, because I’d get a good B3 sound plus good electric pianos to boot.  I’m not a fan of the S90′s Rhodes or other piano sounds.  But I was also thinking of just getting a virtual instrument for those sounds too.

This is just an overview, and I’ll probably get into specifics as I go.  Please let me know if there is anything you’d like to hear about.  I’d love some conversation on this!

One of my favorite parables is the story of the prodigal son.

The story goes like this: A father had two sons.  The younger was, well, young and thought he knew better.  He wanted his inheritance, and his father gave it to him.  He went away, blew all of the money on wine, women, and song, and ended up in the most degrading place he could think of, fighting not to starve.

Then something great happens.  The words in the Bible say that “…he came to himself…”.*  We’ll be back here in a second.

After this, the son realizes that even his dad’s servants were better off, and that he’d go home and beg to be a servant.  When he gets home, his father runs to meet him and welcomes his lost son back into the family, not as a servant, but as a son.  (There’s a bit more, so go read it in Luke 15).

As I emphasized before, there’s a huge turning point in this story.  The son comes to himself.  Meaning he comes back from his rebellious stage to the truth.  The words also imply that something happened inside the son.  They imply there is some point that we should all be at, and we can get away from, but we must choose to head towards.

This is important.  God will let us run away from Him.  He will always be there, but He won’t force you to stay.  It’s a choice.  And you and I choose.  When the son “came to himself” he chose to go back.  It’s subtle.  We control our direction.  We can either go away from God, or go toward Him.

So, if we’re away from God, we must make the choice to go back.  If we are near Him, we must make the choice to stay.

It’s all about coming to myself.

* The ESV and the KJV say “came to himself” and the NIV says “came to his senses”.  Same idea.

[ Image by h.koppdelaney ]

Sad fact: leaders in the church don’t always get fed.

Who leads worship leaders into worship?  Who preaches to and teaches the pastors and teachers?  Who mentors the mentors?

Burnout is a very bad thing.  But we too often do so much for the sake of the kingdom that we forget to rest and be filled.  God created the entire universe and He still got a day of rest in there!  There’s a reason.

Leaders, don’t be leading so often that you forget to be filled by God or forget to learn from other leaders.  No one can do it all by themselves.  Look for new perspectives or better methods from other leaders.  Take a day to sit and talk with God, or just to enjoy the day with your loved ones.

This isn’t to say that you should neglect responsibilities, but be sure you don’t overdo it.

Balance, my friend.  Balance.

[ Image by a4gpa ]

Sometimes the way forward is just that; forward.  Sometimes the next thing you need to do is the thing that you should have been doing all along.  Most times, we know where the next step is, we just don’t want to take it.  We feel like we can’t, or aren’t allowed, or shouldn’t.  We just need to start walking in that direction.

I play music.  It’s something I’ve loved since I was in grade school.  I’ve played in bands at church before, but recently I haven’t been playing.

Here’s the thing: I have been given a talent from God to play music.  It’s something that I am passionate about, and I love playing music.  But lately I haven’t been using my gifts.

Now, for a time, taking a break is fine.  But to not use the gifts God has given you is bad.  You lose something about yourself when you don’t use your gifts.

This past month, I started using my gifts again by getting involved in a new band at my church.  And it feels great!  I don’t know why I waited so long to get back into playing.

So here’s the point.  You all have talents and gifts from God that you can use.  Are you using them?  You can’t keep your gifts and talents to yourself and stay whole.  You have gifts and talents for a reason.

Move towards using them.  Move forward with your task.  Take the next step.

[ Image by carnavalet ]

I had seen and been told about LifeChurch.tv and this week my wife and I decided to check it out.  Here’s what I thought.

The message was great.  I think God reminded me of a few things.  I liked that the worship music was included in the service.  The podcasts or vodcasts I know of don’t do that (admittedly, I only know of a few).

Overall, I think this is a brilliant idea.  Church online had more attendees than some small local churches I know.  There is even interactivity, via chat rooms and virtual hand raising.  People connecting and praying.

This is a great outreach opportunity.  The relative cost of going to church online is zip.  You can just jump in, no questions asked.  It allows for people wondering about God and church to check something out, and maybe get connected with a church and God.  It allows people who, for whatever reason, can’t make it to services to “go” to church.  This is leveraging the technology of the internet!

I think we should still seek face-to-face interactions in our communities, though.  Being at church online made me miss being with everyone.  I think that people connecting offline will never be replaced.  Not that this is what I think LifeChurch.tv is trying to do (they have physical campuses all over).

But church online is good.  Check out this post if you want proof!  God moves in it.  Welcome to a new era.

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Adding Layers

Adding words to a song makes it more specific.  The sounds of music are like broad strokes on the canvas.  Lyrics are the details.  They bring the fuzziness of emotions into focus, or increase the effect.

When you add somber lyrics to a somber tune, it intensifies the effect.  When you add worshipful words to a glorious melody, it makes you want to worship.  You can also add irony and tension.  If you mix the two (happy tune, sad lyrics) you can add shades of meaning, ranging from comical to satire.

This is why music says it better.  If you say “I love you” to your spouse, that says a lot.  If you sing it to your spouse, that adds the extra emotions.  (Valentine’s Day hint…)

Creating a Response

We write music to convey something.  The human who creates the music shapes the meaning.  And this applies, I think, to individual performances as well.  One band can mean one thing with a song, but another band plays it and it conveys something else.

We also have our own response.  Art is about expressing Truth beautifully.  As such, the same music can have different meanings to different people.  Rock music is a good example.  To some people, it means to express freely.  To others, it is connected with rebellion.  Always remember the context!  And when you use context well, it empowers the song you write.

Remember, oh you writers of music, the power you wield.

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When the Church creates art, it is expressing what the soul wants to say to God.  It is our expression of what God has revealed to us to be Truth (as in absolute Truth).  This can be in a worship song of adoration, a novel based on a biblical story, or a painting of a sunset.

So how is it that we glorify God with our art?

From my standpoint, I see three big ways art from the Church glorifies God.

Building Up

When art builds up the community of God – His Church – then the art brings glory to God.  Some examples include worship music and books dealing with our relationship with God.  When a local church sings praises to God, the people get closer to God.  When we read a book that shows us how to pray, then we are encouraged and given knowledge.  These things build the community.  As the community is strengthened in God, He is given the honor for it.

Reaching Out

When art reaches people outside of the Church – as in leading people to Christ – then the art brings glory to God as well.  When the Church grows, the fame of God increases.  He receives the credit.  Examples here include movies or plays that intentionally reach out to people.  If someone goes to a church Christmas production and realize that a relationship with God is what they need, then God receives glory.

Personal Expression

Art leads the soul to some Truth, and there God is given glory too.  This category is quite broad, and it also gets into some gray areas.  What I mean here are the works of art that point to God.  Much of Christian music can fall into this category.  Hawk Nelson doesn’t make music that is designed for worship.  They play music from a biblical standpoint, pointing out spiritual truths, or looking at life through the lens of their faith.  Much of literature (novels, poetry, stories, etc.) could fall in here.  Thomas Kinkade paints a beautiful picture, but he doesn’t paint (I don’t think) to reach out.  He paints because that is how he expresses beauty.  And that beauty, in some way, reflects the beauty of God.  When we see that, we thank God for beauty, and that glorifies Him.

This is most certainly an incomplete list.  And many of the examples could fit into more than one category.  Think of the Psalms.  Most of them could fit into the first and third categories easily.

The point is this: each category has a place in the realm of art from the Church.  Just because your music isn’t sung on Sunday mornings doesn’t mean it isn’t Church music!  Isn’t it wonderful that we have so many ways to glorify God?

So go, create!

Read Part I

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