7 Things I wish I knew Before Playing Drums at my Church:
1. Always Remember Who You're Playing For
Our purpose as worship drummers is to become that reliable backbone of the worship team that other musicians can trust to lead his people in worship. It does not matter the song or the particular style you prefer; the congregation comes first. It is not always about how creative you want to be on a song; your worship behind your instrument should be viewed as an act of service to others. Something that has challenged me recently is evaluating my heart posture before stepping on the stage. I pray that the Lord will use the skills he has so graciously blessed me with.
Whenever we are practicing or we are on the third service of the day and have lost the passion behind what we are doing, let us remind ourselves we are playing our instrument for a greater purpose. For our earthly treasures will be sorted up in heaven for we may not even see the reward of this deed until we stand before our heavenly father. Just think about all the blessings the Lord has rewards us with and how we use our talents to honor that. God will most certainly use you as a vessel as long as you honor him with little, he will bless us greatly.
2. Remember that the Lord asks for our Excellence
Several musicians have used the excuse that God looks at the heart and their performance does not need to be excellent and will commonly take the verse 1 Samuel 16:7 out of context. The Lord does honor our hearts, but as it talks about in Psalms 33:3 "Sing to him a new song, play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts" meaning he calls us to bring our best to the table when leading his people in worship. I like to imagine myself sitting before the throne of Christ, and him asking me to play drums for him and his angels. Would you not be wanting to bring your absolute best to the table? Yes, you would. We have to treat every opportunity to play just like this.
3. Focus on Timing
At the beginning of playing drums this was something that I originally struggled with quite a bit just because I would get excited to play my part, and although this thought process is not necessary wrong I had to focus on my purpose on stage and that was to keep the band together. If this is anything I have learned from my past 9 yrs playing drums, NOTHING is more important than making sure as a musician you are on time. As the drummer you have the ability to change the tempo of the song, the dynamics, the flow of the song, where vocals will and will not song, meaning timing is very significant in any sort of drumming.
4. Personal Practice and Practicing as a Band are NOT the same thing
I have personally met some musicians, not just drummers that will show up to pre-service rehearsal unprepared and not knowing their parts, which is very unprofessional and unconsiderate of the other musicians on stage. From another musicians perspective it shows the others on stage that their skills and time are of no significance to that person. Other musicians seem to think that practicing as a band is the same as personal practice time, and this is nothing but short of the truth. Personal practice time where we as musicians are to make mistakes, break down the song to learn the parts, experiment with different fills and dynamics, etc,. Band practicing time is to get dialed in with the other musicians on stage, but still having shown up knowing your parts and performance with excellence. All in all, don't be that musician that shows up unprepared.
5. Simplify your Parts
This topic is also something I had to learn as a growing musician. When listening to an album covering or just recordings in general you always want to be able to play the same parts as the drummer on the recording. It is okay to not be able to play the exact same parts as the drummer on recording, everyone is at a different style level. Part of being a mature in-pocket drummer is realizing where you are as a drummer, identifying your strengths and weaknesses and capitalizing on the aspect of drumming that comes easier to you. Some ideas for simplifying drum parts might be:
- Removing Tracking from your in-ears
Something that has helped me grow as a musician over the years has been breaking the song down into different sections, separating the verses from the course and bridges. Knowing where the song is going before it goes there is ideal when it comes to drumming. Also deciphering what sounds better around the drum kit is also part of removing excess noise besides the original click.
- Simplifying the Rhythm
Typically most worship drummers play a consistent rhythm that is relatively easier to follow however if you are unable to play it well and consistently then you must simplify the beat. This is something that is really humbling but it separates self-centered drummers from intentional drummers. Play the rhythm straight and the rest will fall into place.
6. Know your Dynamics
This aspect in drumming specifically worship drumming is what separates the pros from the average players. If you as a worship drummer want to stand out in a crowd, you have to master the technique of dynamics. Anyone can play loud, but having the ability to play loud and soft when the time arises is ideal. We have to internalize the counting, knowing when to start building and breaking down into a slower flow moment.
7. Be teachable
As a drummer, we have to be teachable knowing that we don't have it all figured out and there is so much to still learn everyday. Every Sunday we are pouring out our gifts out, and it can take a toll on us if we are not being pour back into. It is also important to surround yourself with musicians who have more experience and skilled than you so you can grow on your instrument. Finding those musicians that are humble and good teachers are even more ideal because it makes learning from them that much more enjoyable instead of them looking down on you and your skill level.