Tyler Braun, from Portland, wrote a great article (http://manofdepravity.com/2011/07/14/anyone-can-make-fun-of-the-worship-leader/ ) about worship leader's reputations. Are the stereotypes valid?
Check it out for a quick read.
Enjoy.
-Luke
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Back-up Vocals & Harmonies
It has been a while since my last post on vocals. So this is much overdue. Anyway, these past few months have been busy and our church Bethany Bible Fellowship has been able to go to a few worship conferences in the area. One practical workshop that stood out to one of our vocalists was from the 2011 PURE Worship Conference by one of my worship leader friends, Gia Lucid. She has been singing professionally and leading worship for over 10 years and has been privlidged enough to gain a ton of experience and insight along the way.
The session outlined a few things that vocalists can do to help add dynamic harmonies to the worship service. Some of it is basic but the majority of this is gold if you can learn to implent it correctly. Here are some of the highlights from the sesssion: (this is not the full content or original order, but reorginized for flow)
1. Harmonies
- Don't get freaked out by the word "harmony" think of it as "my melody" or an "alternate melody"
- Be selective with your harmonies and parts. You don't have to sing the whole song and have the freedom to choose to highlight certain parts of the song using selective harmonies. Think about your how to feature sections, phrases, or even words of a song. In other words, you can fill backup vocals in for just a few words to emphasize more effectively.
-Tight vs loose. Tight harmonies (notes closer together) are usualy better and are less distracting from the focal point or melody of the song. Loose harmonies can be good if they are done well but are more difficult.
- Add dynamics with vocals which can help build certain parts of the songs more dramitically.
- You can use harmonies to add choral oohs, ohhs, and aahs which will bring a very corperate/united feel to the song. When done well this can add a lot!
2. Unison/Prime Unison
- Unison is when two people/instruments are singing/playing the same note on the same octave.
- In worship this usually means the guys and girls sing melody together (with the same octave).
- This can be helpful for altos who might be singing with a tenor and can not reach the higher/lower notes professionally. It also might be preferred for some arrangements because of the 'oneness' that it creates in the song if done well.
- You can read more about Unison here.
3. Echoes
- Helps change things up
- Use difference with the verses
- Don't always do this the enire song because it can easily become overwhelming
4. New Songs
- Establish a melody first with a solo or unison
- Listen first, then sing (don't try to sing along before learning a line)
5. Vocal Health
- Hydrate throughout the day. Drink a bottle of water first thing in the morning or try some herbal tea
- Warm-up properly. Ease your voice out (try singing in the shower), massage your face, lip trills (see below), start in your lower register to warm-up before reaching for the high/power notes.
- Try lip trills (humming with lips partly open, blowing air through them) which can help warm up your face muscles and teach you to sing with steady air.
- Exercise voice before rehearsals and sound checks. As soon as you start rehearsal you should be professional and ready to give 100% to the sound crew can set accurate levels.
- Use breath not throat for power
6. Notes/Tips for singing in worship
- Bring a recording device to practice (many phones can do this)
- MP3s can be emailed to others to share parts easily
- Bring a pencil to practice and sound check, take notes, pay attention to the leader
- Keep a folder of music with notes. Over time this will help you to stay consistant and grow vocally
- Natural harmonizers should help others learn the harmonies to the songs (with a humble attitude)
- Worship visibly with your face and body. We comunicate a ton without knowing it. Don't just stand there when you are worshipping, think about the lyrics and what the Holy Spirit is doing and join in the worship! Even when it is 'not your turn to sing'. You can still sing along, but step back from the microphone so that you don't change the intended mix.
- Blend with the worship leader. Follow thier words and melody, or the parts they gave you, follow thier tone, don't compete with some else's vibrato (work to flatten your's)
Also, here is a great video from Worship Team Training for back-up vocalists about Harmonies. Take a look and enjoy.
If you can't see the video click here.
The session outlined a few things that vocalists can do to help add dynamic harmonies to the worship service. Some of it is basic but the majority of this is gold if you can learn to implent it correctly. Here are some of the highlights from the sesssion: (this is not the full content or original order, but reorginized for flow)
1. Harmonies
- Don't get freaked out by the word "harmony" think of it as "my melody" or an "alternate melody"
- Be selective with your harmonies and parts. You don't have to sing the whole song and have the freedom to choose to highlight certain parts of the song using selective harmonies. Think about your how to feature sections, phrases, or even words of a song. In other words, you can fill backup vocals in for just a few words to emphasize more effectively.
-Tight vs loose. Tight harmonies (notes closer together) are usualy better and are less distracting from the focal point or melody of the song. Loose harmonies can be good if they are done well but are more difficult.
- Add dynamics with vocals which can help build certain parts of the songs more dramitically.
- You can use harmonies to add choral oohs, ohhs, and aahs which will bring a very corperate/united feel to the song. When done well this can add a lot!
2. Unison/Prime Unison
- Unison is when two people/instruments are singing/playing the same note on the same octave.
- In worship this usually means the guys and girls sing melody together (with the same octave).
- This can be helpful for altos who might be singing with a tenor and can not reach the higher/lower notes professionally. It also might be preferred for some arrangements because of the 'oneness' that it creates in the song if done well.
- You can read more about Unison here.
3. Echoes
- Helps change things up
- Use difference with the verses
- Don't always do this the enire song because it can easily become overwhelming
4. New Songs
- Establish a melody first with a solo or unison
- Listen first, then sing (don't try to sing along before learning a line)
5. Vocal Health
- Hydrate throughout the day. Drink a bottle of water first thing in the morning or try some herbal tea
- Warm-up properly. Ease your voice out (try singing in the shower), massage your face, lip trills (see below), start in your lower register to warm-up before reaching for the high/power notes.
- Try lip trills (humming with lips partly open, blowing air through them) which can help warm up your face muscles and teach you to sing with steady air.
- Exercise voice before rehearsals and sound checks. As soon as you start rehearsal you should be professional and ready to give 100% to the sound crew can set accurate levels.
- Use breath not throat for power
6. Notes/Tips for singing in worship
- Bring a recording device to practice (many phones can do this)
- MP3s can be emailed to others to share parts easily
- Bring a pencil to practice and sound check, take notes, pay attention to the leader
- Keep a folder of music with notes. Over time this will help you to stay consistant and grow vocally
- Natural harmonizers should help others learn the harmonies to the songs (with a humble attitude)
- Worship visibly with your face and body. We comunicate a ton without knowing it. Don't just stand there when you are worshipping, think about the lyrics and what the Holy Spirit is doing and join in the worship! Even when it is 'not your turn to sing'. You can still sing along, but step back from the microphone so that you don't change the intended mix.
- Blend with the worship leader. Follow thier words and melody, or the parts they gave you, follow thier tone, don't compete with some else's vibrato (work to flatten your's)
Also, here is a great video from Worship Team Training for back-up vocalists about Harmonies. Take a look and enjoy.
If you can't see the video click here.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Misquoting the Bible
Here is an interesting article that I found on misquoting the Bible. My question to you is; how often do we as worship leaders embellish on the Bible with our songs/lyrics/prayers? I think this is a conversation worth having. Here are a few streams of thought:
1. Artists can use imagery that can help us understand the Bible in a better way. We are not saying that these lyrics are from the Bible so we should not have to worry about what people will do with them.
2. Songs that are moving toward infamy can aid Christians in pulling their theology off of the Biblical texts and on to the song texts as "Biblical". Ex. "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me" - How many times have you heard this quoted and used to back emotional/spiritual arguments.
3. Should worship leaders/musicians be held to the same theological standards as the teaching pastors? Are they in some way less responsible for the theology of the congregation or are they also responsible for the doctrine and theology that they communicate, or fail to communicate?
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/05/thats-not-in-the-bible/comment-page-55/
1. Artists can use imagery that can help us understand the Bible in a better way. We are not saying that these lyrics are from the Bible so we should not have to worry about what people will do with them.
2. Songs that are moving toward infamy can aid Christians in pulling their theology off of the Biblical texts and on to the song texts as "Biblical". Ex. "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me" - How many times have you heard this quoted and used to back emotional/spiritual arguments.
3. Should worship leaders/musicians be held to the same theological standards as the teaching pastors? Are they in some way less responsible for the theology of the congregation or are they also responsible for the doctrine and theology that they communicate, or fail to communicate?
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/05/thats-not-in-the-bible/comment-page-55/
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Worship Cental: CREATE Conference @ RockHarbor
This year there are sessions and worship services with artists John Mark McMillan, Evan Wickham, and Phil Wickham. There will also be seminars with some great, experienced worship artisans and pastors. Sign-up at: http://worshipcentral2011.eventbrite.com/
I highly recommend signing up for this conference! I hope to see you there.
- Luke
Here is a list of seminars that will be offered.
Educating The Imagination - Caleb Clements & Trever Hoehne
Do you ever feel stuck or uninspired? Hear the journey of what it looked like for an analytical thinker to begin to to unlock the imagination. This especially geared to songwriters and artists.
The Relationship of Worship Leader and Lead Pastor - Todd Proctor & Alan Frow
Many worship leaders and lead pastors have a tension in how they relate. Too often they work against each other, rather than as a team. Hear from two former worship pastors that are now both lead pastors as they share their thoughts and learnings.
Mixing live worship - Paul Dexter & Scott Clement
Learn how it is possible to achieve great, consistent sound while training and using volunteers.
Effective use of the Arts in Church - Nick Benoit
We've all seen cheesy and awkward use of arts in the church, but is there a better way? Learn from what has worked at ROCKHARBOR from our fabulous Arts Director.
Developing the Next Generation of Worship Leaders - Keri Fox
Never before have there been so many young, eager worship leaders. How can we best develop them while maintaining a strong culture of worship in our churches?
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