A couple years ago my friend Casey Corum, director of Vineyard Music USA, introduced me to using Ableton Live software and how he utilized loops (pre-recorded tracks) while leading worship. Since then, I've had the opportunity to integrate loops into live worship sets at Houston's First Baptist and I love using them every time I lead or play. This is just a brief overview of why I use loops, some of the down sides of using them, my personal setup, and also some great online resources.
Why I Use Loops
Additional Instruments
The most obvious use of loops is to cover parts of instruments not present in your band. This is especially helpful if you have a smaller band and want a "fuller" or more "polished" sound. Often recordings feature instruments that most bands don't have access to (folk instruments, strings, percussion, synths, or electronic drums) that using loops can cover.
Studio Parts
Sometimes, important parts of songs were created in a studio setting and can be difficult to perform live. Loops are especially helpful when it comes to sequenced drum or keyboard parts. With the growing popularity of electronic influence in popular music, Ableton can be great to help establish musical style in a song.
Consistency of Sound
Once loops are programmed or downloaded, they'll always provide a consistent sound or texture in the song. Pre-recorded tracks don't make mistakes (as long as there is no user error) and they'll have the same performance every time.
Freedom for Band Members
Loops can cover foundational parts that are simple or monotonous which can free band members up to be more creative. Often times, I'll use simple synth or percussion loops that allow the keyboardist and the drummer to cover the more important and/or complex parts in a song.
Cues and Transitions
If you use In-Ear Monitors, loops can also allow you to utilize in-ear vocal cues that can facilitate count-offs, song roadmaps, and quick transitions. I downloaded all my vocal cues from www.loopcommunity.com and they're nice for "silent" count-ins and cues.
Drawbacks of Using Loops
In-Ear Monitors / Click Track
In order to effectively play with loops it's helpful to play each song with a click track (unless all your loops contain some sort of constant rhythmic part). Playing with a click can be challenging for some and takes practice. In-Ear monitors are necessary as well if everyone is playing with a click track. As I wrote some last week, IEMs can take getting used to as well and obviously take additional resources for a church to purchase and install.
Reliance on a Computer
Obviously, computers or software can have issues and if you're leading, troubleshooting on the fly is impossible. Obviously, a software crash is very inconvenient when you're relying on loops for specific parts and click track.
Additionally, the very concept of a computer playing a pre-recorded track can be the biggest drawback for some. The tracks cannot adapt to the feel or natural growth of a song and they cannot improve upon what has already been programmed. For some, playing alongside a computer is fundamentally opposite of what good musicians have worked so hard to accomplish.
Designated Musician to Run Loops
Lastly, in order to run loops live, a musician with an understanding of each song and transition must trigger them in real time. This usually requires a musician already part of a band to split their focus between playing an instrument and loops. In order to effectively multitask, it takes some practice and preparation. Often, drummers are designated to run loops as they are also in charge of the tempo for each song. However, it's probably easiest for keyboardists to trigger loops as they have free use of both hands.
My Sunday Setup
For running loops live, I use a Macbook Air as it's easy of transport and loads programs very quickly. I always use Ableton Live, the primary and most powerful software program for running loops. For audio fidelity, I always send the loops out via audio interface - this also allows me to send separate loop and click tracks (pictured is a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6). Finally, I prefer to use a KMI Softstep midi controller, which allows me to trigger loops with my feet. If I'm playing keyboard I'll often use the KMI QuNeo for triggering.
As pictured, I've integrated my guitar setup alongside my loop setup. For guitar processing, I use the Avid Eleven Rack which features both amp modeling and guitar effects. I also use a midi controller for preset and effects switching with the Eleven Rack and an expression pedal for volume and continuous control of effects parameters. (Pictured is a Rocktron MIDI Mate and Roland EV-5).
Online Resources
When I first started running loops, online resources and information was fairly limited and unorganized and most of what I learned was through friends or trial and error. Now, the popularity of using loops in worship has grown and along with it, the amount of helpful resources and websites.
One of the best sites for learning how to setup rigs and sessions in Ableton is LOOP COMMUNITY. They've made so many great videos and have free resources, I can't recommend them enough.
Another great resource is MultiTracks, where you can download the original master tracks of a lot of popular worship songs in several different keys and even customize your mix.
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This is obviously just a brief overview of my thoughts on using loops in worship. I enjoy electronica music in general and I enjoy programming and experimenting with new sounds. For some, learning a new software, creating a new rig, and trying to make it work on Sunday may seem like extra work (it is!).
However, if you're interested and want to learn more, feel free to message me or comment as I'm always willing to give advice! Next week, I'll talk more about how I setup a session in Ableton Live for running loops during a service.
A few months ago (long before I started this blog), I wrote an entry about the Nashville Number System for my friend and fellow worship leader Stephen Smith. Learning the NNS is a great tool for any worship leader/bandleader and I decided to revisit it here on my blog today. Stephen dishes out some great thoughts and advice so check his blog out! (www.stephenandstar.com)
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You should learn the language of music. For hundreds of
years, smarter people than me have been writing about music and creating terminology in effort to talk about a purely aural experience. This field is called “Music Theory”. I’m not here to ask you to go back and get a degree in Music Theory (I’m a huge nerd so that’s basically what I did).
However, I AM asking you to learn a simple concept called “The Nashville Number System”. The system’s roots are found in classical music theory, and as the name implies, it was first utilized in Nashville in order to facilitate efficiency and creativity in recording studios. If you learn it, you too can facilitate efficiency and creativity in your rehearsals and times of worship.
Every song you play is in a key and each key is made up of only 7 different notes.
For simplicity sake, let’s use the key of C Major. Here are the notes in said key:
C D E F G A B
If you’re playing in the key of C, you’ll most likely play a C chord, an F chord, an A minor chord, and also a G chord. The Nashville System gives a number to each chord used in any key. For example, the C major chord will be called “1” and the F chord will be called “4” and the A minor chord will be called “-6", as seen below, etc.
C Dm Em F G Am Bdim
1 -2 -3 4 5 -6 7dim
This is the fundamental concept of labeling chords using the Nashville System. As you can see, we use a minus sign “-“ to denote a minor chord (flat third) and “dim” for a diminish chord (flat third and flat fifth). If you want to know more about what a “flat third” or “flat fifth” really means just Google, “Chord Theory”.
For practical application, it’s best to start by learning all the 1, 4, 5, and -6 chords, in several keys as these are most commonly used chords worship music. Here’s a list:
1 4 5 -6 Chords
Key of C : C F G Am
Key of D: D G A Bm
Key of E: E A B C#m
Key of G: G C D Em
Key of A : A D E F#m
Key of B: B E F# G#m
For chord inversions or “slash” chords such as C/E, we simply write it as 1/3, (You can say “one over three”).
For some more practical application let’s take a really common chord progression is C | G | Am | F (“With or Without You” aka “Blessed Be Your Name”) and with the Nashville System we could write it as:
C G Am F
1 5 -6 4
One of the primary benefits of the Nashville system is the ability to transpose songs to a different key very quickly. We can easily plug in the numbers and transpose “With Or Without You”/”Blessed Be Your Name” to the key of A Major. The progression would then be:
Key of C: C G Am F
Numbers: 1 5 -6 4
Key of A: A E F#m D
This comes in handy if you’re a guitarist and use a capo or if you’re just wanting to find an easier key to sing a song in.
Another benefit of the Nashville system is being able to quickly communicate chord changes to your team. Numbers are easier to understand in a loud rehearsal and you can also throw up some hand signals to let your band know which chord you want to go to next (especially helpful at the end of songs).
Things to practice: begin thinking of chords as numbers while you play, memorize the list of chords above from common keys, transpose as many songs as you can into several different keys, learn which notes are flats or sharps in any given key (called Key Signatures or Circle of Fifths), learn how chords are built, if you play guitar, practice a song with a capo in different places or without one, and finally, teach someone else the system once you get the hang of it.
Took a week off - back in the practical saddle again!
I want to give a few tips about In-Ear Monitoring (IEM) mixing this week.
A lot of churches have switched from floor wedge speakers to In-Ear systems in order to cut down on stage noise (giving the sound engineer more control and flexibility for front of house mix). Additionally, with the popularity of the Aviom system, musicians are able to create their own custom monitor mix.
In-Ears can take some getting used to and getting a good mix can be challenging at times. Obviously, the number one goal is to be able to hear yourself, but in order to achieve the "live" feeling that you may be used to and work together as an ensemble, it's nice to be able to hear others as well.
To try and help church musicians I've created a short, step-by-step process that I've found works best.
1. Plug into the monitor system. (Don't start turning things up before you listen to your mix!)
2. Make sure the master volume is around noon or one o'clock and all EQ at noon.
3. Bring up your instrument or voice to around 50-75% or until you can hear it comfortably
4. Turn everything else all the way down
5. Play through a song and bring up other instruments only if needed and just enough for you to hear them
6. Save your mix!
The truth is, it may not be necessary to add some of the other instruments either because you may not need them in your mix, or you may be able to hear them live due to proximity and/or stage volume.
Panning
For additionally clarity, it's helpful to pan instruments left and right especially if there are multiple players on a similar instrument. Generally, it's good to have your own instrument "center" or not panned along with the bass and drums as they're the rhythmic foundation. However, it can be beneficial to differentiate between two acoustic guitars or two keyboardists by panning them left and right. What's also helpful is experimenting with varying degrees of panning in order to achieve even more differentiation.
Bonus Tips
Get good, isolating In-Ear monitors. Isolation will cut down on the amount of stage or ambient noise you hear and allow you to have more control over your mix. Custom molds are best as they are designed for your unique ear shape.
Use BOTH ears all the time. It can be tempting to go "one ear in and one ear out", especially if you sing. However, using only one monitor can lead to permanent hearing damage as it encourages higher sound levels. To achieve the sense that you are hearing your voice "live", some systems allow you to add reverb to your voice or you may want to add an ambient mic(s) in the house.
Turning down is more effective than turning up. If you're having trouble hearing yourself, turn something else down! Turning a channel up can often begin chain reaction in which everything keeps getting turned up. Once you begin to turn others up, it may inhibit you from hearing yourself and can lead to an extremely loud, unhealthy In-Ear mix.
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Finally, it's important to realize that your instrument or your voice won't always sound exactly the way you want it to through IEMs. Realize that your comfort and personal preference are secondary to the overall mix and be confident in your sound and your playing. Lastly, speak with the sound engineer only if you think something is really wrong with your system.
I hope this was helpful for you today! Feel free to add comments, ask questions, or share from your own experience. Thanks for reading.
This post will be filed under the "non-practical" category, but I hope that you find it interesting and informative. I appreciate all of you reading this blog and I couldn't have imagined all the cool conversations, encounters, and even changes that have happened because of what I've discussed.
Today, I want to share with you a little bit of where I'm coming from when writing all this practical advice. The foundational motivations for all of the things written here is important to understand, especially when it comes to musicianship and striving to be a better musician.
I've spoken with some who have expressed fear about focusing on musical excellence - that by embracing or striving to improve musically, one might become too "performance driven". I'd like to examine what it really means for me to worship and to use music as a tool to worship. Again, this is probably more philosophy and theology rather than practical advice, but some of you are nerds so you might enjoy it.
Worship through Life (Music as Work)
I had the privilege of studying music composition at Houston Baptist University (I have very little school spirit, but I'm grateful nonetheless). Through the collegiate experience, I became very aware that writing, performing, and even listening to music is a complex skill. I came into contact with many talented Christian musicians and teachers who had spent their entire lives devoted to refining the craft and talent they'd been given.
Through that experience and those encounters, I realized that excellence in music is both hard work and also worship to God. I began to view everything I did as worship to Him - whether that meant practicing guitar, doing theory homework, or researching for a history paper. My perspective and my motivation were forever changed. Worship became my life.
The Apostle Paul writes about this in the book of Romans, chapter 12:
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
David Crowder calls it, "...a perpetually sacred acknowledgement of the Giver of every good thing (Praise Habit)."
It still is hard for me to comprehend that I get to play music all the time. Although it will never be just a "task" that I have to accomplish, being a musician is often hard work. In my work I seek to honor Him, to invest the talents He has given me and bring only my best in my everyday life of worship.
Worship through Song (Music as worship)
The amazing thing is, we get to use music as worship to God in a unique way. Through the lyrics of songs we declare truth, remember His word, remember His faithfulness, express our gratitude and our surrender, cry out for help, lift up praises to Him - the list could go on for a very long time. Music is an amazing vehicle through which we can express what we know and how we feel.
Martin Luther writes in his foreward to George Rhau's Symphoniae incundae - a collection of chorale motets, published in 1538:
Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits...This precious gift has been given to man alone that he might thereby remind himself that God has created man for the express purpose of praising and extolling God. However, when man's natural ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His product and His gift...
In leading worship, my only goal is to direct attention to the Lord and His word. As a musician, I don't want anything that I do to distract from the truth being sung. This mindset of "directing focus" is the reason for every decision I make - the songs I choose, the keys each of the songs are in, the way I play an instrument, the tones I use, the way I sing, the way I speak, the way I dress, etc etc. If there is anything that doesn't direct focus to Christ, I don't need to do it during a service. Although I may work hard to play or sing well, I do it in order to more effectively direct focus on Him.
I've also found that directing attention is best done when I'm well prepared and proficient on my instrument. The better I am at playing/singing, the less I need to focus on musical execution and the more I can focus on leading worship, connecting with others, and being open to the direction of the Holy Spirit.
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Let me close by saying that I believe the Lord uses each of us in our weaknesses and it is only by His grace that we can accomplish anything. We are all at different places musically and have been blessed with different skills and opportunities. Thankfully, He accepts our praise as long as we bring our best and do so with humble hearts.
To summarize, I started this blog so that we may strive for excellence in humility. May we become more refined and effective tools for His glory.
Again, these are just my thoughts and what I've learned from my experiences. Feel free to comment, give input or leave feedback!
