Beyond the Band:

Do you have musicians in your congregations who do not fit into the "traditional" worship team instrumentation? Perhaps a brass player who wants to play punch brass? Or perhaps a violist, clarinetist, or other orchestral player who would love to use their gifts and musical stylings? You may even have an instrumentalist who falls outside common western canon of musical instruments, like a sitar, koto, or dulcimer player. Congregational worship is for all and when working together, these instruments can elevate our praise and create a truly unique and beautiful sound. Here are five tips to help you include these types of instruments in your worship team.

 

Use Your Ears

Our greatest skills as musicians comes not from our hands or mouth, but from listening through our ears. When looking for a place to include non-traditional instruments, try to listen for melodies, rhythms, riffs, or motifs that they could play in a song and restructure your accompaniment to support them. Rather than trying to make their sound fit your band, fit your band around them. Sometimes these parts may not be written down and must either be transcribed or learned by rote.

 

Listen to Other Music

When preparing for rehearsal, don’t just listen to the studio recordings of the songs you are going to play – listen to music (sacred and secular) that includes the non-traditional instruments you are looking to add. This could be music that is in the native genre or style of the instrument, or fusion music that incorporates elements of different styles. Listen for how the instrument is used and appreciate and take note of what it does well. With the accessibility of music sharing today, you are guaranteed not to be the first person to include whatever instrument into your ensemble.

 

Use Resources

There are many resources that have supporting instrumental parts for modern worship music. Don’t be afraid to look for parts beyond the lead sheet and piano score. Websites like Praise Charts and the Worship Collaborative Series provide orchestrations of contemporary and traditional church music. If your instrument falls outside these categories, you can likely find an instrument in the same range and play their part – or use it as a jumping off point to create a new part!

 

Ask For Help

There are many talented composers, arrangers, and musicians across the Army world, and it has never been easier to get in touch with them. If you are struggling to fit someone into your group musically, or you have run out of creative ideas of how to incorporate some musical element, reach out for help. Territorial music departments are there to serve you and would be happy to assist. They may even have arrangements already created! Or maybe a budding composer in your corps or a neighbouring corps would like the opportunity to arrange something for your worship team – you don't know until you ask.

 

Experiment/Practice

Adding new elements is always tricky at first. It should always be intentional and is not meant to be something you throw together on a Sunday morning. Take some time in your week to practice

with your team or spend some time one-on-one with your new instrumentalist. This will help you see where they can best fit the group, and it will take some experimentation to figure it out. Swap musical parts around and continue to worship through the experimental phase. This is how a team and musicians grow. This is where faithful service shines and where new ideas flourish.