Leaders, Ministry Leadership, Worship Leading, Worship Planning
Glorify God By Your Rehearsals (Show #84)
#We GlorifyYourName (Video Below)
4 min read
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What was your last rehearsal like? Was it filled with delays and set-backs; was it unorganized and unprepared? For worship teams, the rehearsal is not only a critical time for preparing, but it serves as a pre-cursor for worship.How can your next rehearsal be on point as it serves your people, while glorifying God with true diligence? When bands get together to rehearse, it sometimes can be a train wreck. Other times, the rehearsal is well planned out, and everyone feels ready to go to lead worship on Sunday.
If we are going to carry out this week’s theme – “We Glorify Your Name” – then, our rehearsals better be effective at preparing the band to lead the congregation in worship. Here are some tips on how to improve the effectiveness of your band rehearsals. Our offering of worship begins with our preparation.
WATCH SHOW #84!
Before The Rehearsal The secret to having a great worship band rehearsal is preparation. Much of what it takes to have a great rehearsal happens well before the rehearsal even begins. Here are some things to consider when getting ready for your rehearsal.
1. Rehearsal Space First you need to get a good rehearsal space. Depending on the size of the group, that could be your house, a recording or rehearsal studio, a church or a hall auditorium. Things to consider include good lighting, ventilation, acoustics and musical and sound equipment. The best place to practise is usually the place you lead worship. Be sure to show up early and make sure the space is organized, clean and ready to go. Do your own personal set-up ahead of time, to avoid anything from slowing down or distracting from the rehearsal.
2. Musicians Next, you need to organize the people you need to come to the rehearsal. That usually happens weeks ahead through email, texts and phone calls using a tool like Planning Center, which is a great tool to help in scheduling. People are busy. Make sure you give all involved the necessary lead time for them to be there, preferably several weeks notice. Consider adopting the rule that if a musician is not available to rehearse midweek, then they don’t play Sunday. This rule gets the best results in the long run.
3. Songs Picking great songs is a crucial step in the process. Questions that you should ask yourself include: Are these the best worship songs for this situation? Will these songs works for my congregation? What does God want? Can the band and singers successfully perform this style? Is this the best key for this song? What is the best tempo and metronome marking for this song?
4. Charts Next you need to prepare the charts. Different bands operate with different charts. Some bands only play by ear. Someone leads a song and the others just pick it up by listening. Today many worship bands use words topped with the chords. The best option is a full vocal chart with notes, words, form and chords. The more time you spend working on a great chart and arrangement, the less time you need to work on explaining those details to the band in your rehearsal.
5. Distributing Charts Once the charts are written find a way to send the band links to download them, along with notes to the players about which areas will probably need their attention. Either provide photocopies of the charts for the team, or ask them to download their own copies to their iPad or other device. Again, Planning Center Online is a great tool for this. Ask the band to come to the rehearsal with their parts already practiced and prepared. This will save tons of time during the rehearsal. Remember, practice happens at home along, and rehearsal happens together.
6. Leader’s Preparation The next most important step is the personal preparation of the leader. After the leader has spent time with God then their next responsibility is to know the music inside and out. Take time to know what the drummer’s groove should be, the basic bass patterns, what each vocalist should be singing and the form of the song; including the intro, ending and exact tempo. Other areas to know would be the lead lines for the keys and the lead guitar and the basic strumming and playing patterns you want each player to play. The more you know the music and what you need from each player and singer, the better results you will get.
During The Rehearsal Now it’s finally time for the actual rehearsal. With all of these preparatory steps done, the actual rehearsal should be effective, and fun! Here are some things to consider during the actual rehearsal.
7. The Rehearsal Start and end on time! If the start time is 7:30 PM then the downbeat (first notes played) should be at 7:30 PM. Be highly organized and keep the rehearsal moving. Make sure everyone tunes their instruments ahead of time. Start with the new material when the energy level is higher. Know the potential problem areas of the music before you get there. One possible rehearsal schedule could be like this: Greeting the team members as they arrive, do a quick sound check, pray, learn the new song, go through the rest of the song list in order, do one final run-through of the new song, prayer, thanks & goodnight. Also, expect and foster a Christian attitude among the band members. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Communicate clearly. Spend time worshipping God as you sense His Presence in your rehearsal. Remember, your actual goal is to worship God, not just do music well.
8. Listening As a leader it is important to really listen. Don’t get so caught up in your own playing and singing that you don’t listen to the whole arrangement. Is something out of tune? Is someone playing the wrong chord or note? Is that the right tempo? Is someone dragging or rushing? Is the groove for that song correct? How is the vocal and band balance? Is someone too loud? Is the band too busy? Great music has ebbs and flows, learn the dynamics of the song. When should the different players be sitting out of a section of the music? Generally speaking, the band will only get to the level that you expect from them. Don’t be timid about talking to the band and singers if you hear something out-of-place. Also, an important part of listening is getting a sense of what the Spirit of God is doing in that service. Is the Presence of the Lord resting on a particular song? What do you sense God is doing?
9. Excellence Finally, don’t be afraid to challenge the singers and players to play to the best of their ability. People want to be part of something good. Learn to speak the truth in love. Challenge people to practice the music and memorize the music. Expect excellence!
“They way you lead your rehearsals is reflective to the way you lead worship.” @BranonDempsey
Song Tutorial of the Week: “We Glorify Your Name” “We Glorify Your Name” written by Jason Ingram and Kristian Stanfill. Copyright 2011 sixstetps Music, worship together.com songs, So Essential Tunes, Spirit Nashville Three, and Windsor Hill Music.
Get the Full Track of Music Loops and Stems on GuideTracks.co
WE GLORIFY YOUR NAME Written by: Reuben Morgan, Matt Maher, Chris Tomlin, Jason Ingram, Ed Cash KEY – A (VERSE-1) D // F#m E Maker of the heavens D // F#m E Master of the seas D // F#m E Mover of the mountains D // F#m E Majes – ty (CHORUS) A E We glorify Your name (E) A We glorify Your name (A) D E Riff: D // F#m E We glorify Your name in all the earth (VERSE-2) D // F#m E Awesome God in power Author of my life All consuming fire Alive … Alive (BRIDGE) D A You are seated on F#m E A throne of praise D A E Unto You alone F#m E Let our voices raise
Putting It All Together Here are some final tests for your worship, music and rehearsal:
- Is this song really working at a musical level?
- Does this music minister to people and work for your congregation?
- Is the band and singers just playing music or are they also worshipping God?
- Does this music glorify God and do you sense God in this music?
Have your rehearsals gotten stale? Is the flow of your worship engaging and undistracted? How would you like your entire worship ministry to benefit from live customized training on your church campus?
Discover what a Weekend Workshop of Hands-on practical instruction can do for you! Copyright 2016 Worship Team Training®
