Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

Keyboards in Worship: Out of Your Element

Recently, I played at my church in a different service than I usually do. They have a different style than the one I am used to fitting into. And to top it off, they were playing a difficult song with an orchestra – something I’ve not done before as a keys player. Yikes! For me, [...]

Keyboards in Worship: What Do I Play?

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 [...]

Keyboards in Worship: Virtual Instruments

Ok, here’s the deal. Lugging around keyboards stinks. It’s almost as bad as the drums. Stands for everything, and good keyboards with good weighted keys are heavy. Solution? 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 [...]

Keyboard in Worship: My Setup

I’ve been looking around the internet for good references and/or blogs on keyboards in a modern worship music setting. I haven’t found much as of yet, so I wanted to share whatever knowledge I have on this blog. This will be ongoing as I learn and experiment. So I hope some of you find this [...]

Music Like Poetry

I wish more music was like poetry. I’ve been trying to expand my musical library recently. One thing I’ve found is that the best music (for me anyway) is the music that feels like poetry. Music that isn’t so cookie-cutter or systematic. Music that is soulful, authentic, and emotional. Music that forces me to think [...]

Sometimes You Just Have to Do It

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 [...]

Catalysts: The Web is Changing the Music Business

Was on ChurchCrunch and I saw this post on the Catalyst Music Project. I got all excited about it. [ Catalyst Music Project | Aaron Keyes from Catalyst on Vimeo ]. So here’s the deal. The music industry is changing. No, it already has changed. Not everyone knows it yet. The Web is empowering the [...]

Turning the Internal Analyze Switch Off

Ok. You’re going about your usual day. You see something related to your work, and all of a sudden, you’re analyzing the heck out of something and you jump into work mode. Ahh! This happens to me with music all of the time! I’m listening to my iPod, just enjoying the tune, when I hear [...]

Looking for Meaning in Music, Part II

In my previous post, I said that music is essentially a vehicle of meaning. Music communicates emotions, but can only communicate so many before something else is added. 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 [...]

Looking for Meaning in Music, Part I

Music as Language Music is powerful to us humans. We consume – no, devour – music for everything. We play it for celebrations, we use it for sorrow, we use it to vent, we play it to romance. Music at its core is a language. Compare it to a spoken/written language. Music has letters (notes), [...]