…I want to play in a band

Playing in church is great. I love serving in that way, but if you’ve read my last few posts on music, you’ll know what I like and and what I dislike about that, and what I feel worship could be but sometimes isn’t. What would my ideal situation be?

I want to play in a worship band. A band that isn’t necessarily tied to playing at a particular church for regular Sunday morning worship on a regular basis. Through practice and the familiarity that comes with playing with the same people over a longer period of time, I want to develop our own musical style and have a deeper purpose than providing a musically interesting worship experience.

The paradox of my position is that I believe music is the least important part of worship, and that connecting with God on a personal level through a musical high isn’t all there is. I’d love the opportunity to remind people (or at least be part of something that reminds them) that what you should take away from worship is a desire to love God more, to serve Him more, to get to know Him more. Maybe it’s odd, but music may be the vehicle to get that message out.

I want to be involved in worship services that mix modern music, maybe even band originals, and hymns. I know all this can be done in a modern style, and I know there are many people (not just myself!) who love modern music but wish hymns hadn’t become largely abandoned, apart from a handful of popular ones.

Musically, I want to avoid being a standard 3-chord-per-song rock band. I’m the type of keyboard player who can drive a song and make a groove, not just add texture, and I want the opportunity to do that. I want a band where everyone feels free to introduce new styles, to take a familiar worship song and make it something that stands out, not just something that’s performed well. A solid performance takes practice, not creativity; I want to incorporate both.

I don’t know if this will happen, but I do know that I have a message to go along with interesting musical ideas, and I want to find people to help share it in an exciting way. I believe more people need to hear the message about what worship is and isn’t. I believe in that enough to start preparing now for a musical future I can’t yet see.