In Sync - Andy Chamberlin
I recently played guitar at a typical service. Most of the musicians hadn't played together much before, there were a couple of new songs to work through, and the worship leader was positioned way out front where the rest of the band could only see the back of his head. It wasn't the band's finest hour. Does that sound at all familiar? When examining some of the other skills we need to lead, band communication is often something that is overlooked but solved with a few easy measures so here are some ideas to help you communicate and play together more effectively.
Keep the Onstage Sound as Acoustic as PossibleTry to hear each other with the minimum of onstage sound re-enforcement. Place guitar and bass amps a good ten feet away from you, point them towards your face also towards the instruments that need to hear you (e.g. towards the drums and away from vocalists). Drum screens can cause a real communication barrier but that necessity often comes from drummers playing too loudly for the environment. It is possible to make drums sound full at low volume.
Conduct with Your EyesYou can communicate a huge amount about starts, stops and musical junctions just with eye and body movement. Think about how a song moves dynamically up and down and how you could interpret that with movement. Perhaps stand up on your toes or hunch down to indicate dynamic changes; a look or nod can clearly tell someone to start or stop playing. Whatever you do, exaggerate those movements and be expressive.
If You Can't Sing It, Say ItDon't be afraid to use vocal cuing, especially if you're not a strong singer. I've worked with some really good worship leaders who really can't sing. Now, if you sing flat or sharp it's obviously not helpful if it's off-putting to the congregation, but you can still direct the worship with vocal cuing (e.g. start off the song, perhaps use a singer to carry the melody and literally speak the first few words of the verse or bridge that you are moving to next).
Don't think you can't lead if you can't sing-God doesn't always use the most professional to create the most beautiful expressions. Just be honest and passionate.
Look UpDevelop a culture where you get your musicians to look up at you two to three bars before a change or junction in a song. When they do, make sure that you are communicating where to go next in as many ways as possible-just so they clearly get the message.
Just Practice JunctionsMost music comes undone at junction points in the song rather than in the body of it. So if you have limited time, just practice those junctions over and over in a loop until it really sinks in for everyone. Even slow it down if you need to. Also encourage band members to come in and out at junction points rather than drifting in and out ad hock.
Keep It FreshAbove all, I think a good worship leader should keep one eye on ways to keep things fresh. Not for the sake of new music or even for the fun of the band but just a single creative change can help remind worshipers what they are singing about. I've seen so many Christians switch to autopilot as they sing the same song in the same way again and again. So make small changes that help people realise that today we are worshiping. That could mean hanging on a tag line for a while to let key words or song themes sink in-repeating a verse unexpectedly where you would normally go to a chorus or bridge, playing a song unusually faster, slower, harder or softer. Needless to say, you don't have to wildly change your style to Jazz Odyssey to help people rediscover the meaning in a song, just use something simple that makes them come off auto-pilot.
Apply It:Take a song you know and move between verses and chorus in an unexpected sequence. Don't give any vocal cueing but just get your band to follow the changes through your eye and body movements. See if you can communicate other things likes pauses, stops, getting certain instruments to drop out and come back in again just with those movements. If it seems hard at first, persevere, as your band will learn to understand you as long as you give directions well before the musical junction is coming up.
