Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
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 [...]
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), [...]