Fork In The Road Music » rehearsal

Finally a Rehearsal CD Solution

Russell Martin — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:00:30 +0000

For many years as a worship leader I have struggled with making rehearsal CDs for my team to use. I was told that I could legally make them under the fair use policy. As I looked across to many different worship teams, and worship leader friends I could see that it was a common practice. My mind started to think, “as long as everyone else is doing it, it’s ok.”

The truth is that it’s not ok. And though the practical worship leader side of me understood the need to distribute music mp3s for rehearsal, the copyright holding, songwriter, not to mention law abiding not wanting to get sued for $150,000 per song side of me saw the reasons not to.

Finally, there is a solution. After years of waiting, CCLI has worked out a license for you to make rehearsal CDs, load music onto iPhones and iPads, email and even upload music to planning center. It’s called the Church Rehearsal License. It seems fairly simple, and the pricing seems good, especially when compared with multi thousand dollar fines.

Our church will be checking out this license and using it for our rehearsal cd needs.

Of course there is also a lot to be said about not being a Praise and Worship cover band and doing the songs just like the cd.

So what do you think? Will you be looking into this license? How do you handle rehearsal CDs? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

The Importance of Teaching

Russell Martin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:23:22 +0000

When working with my youth worship team I often find myself emphasizing rehearsing the songs. After all, we generally have one event or another to prepare for so that means creating a songlist, and working up that music to perform or lead with.
I have realized, however, that there is a huge benefit to teaching, and not just rehearsing. When I first started to teach guitar lessons I told myself that I wanted my students to learn why a chord was what it was, what the names of the notes they were paying etc… Instead of just “play this chord”
I believed by teaching them how to learn to play guitar, then they could continue to learn whether I was teaching them or not.
The same thing should be true for worship teams. We should work with them to teach the basics of chord structures, rhythms, balance, tone, song structure, etc… So that they begin to recognize these things.
What’s cool is that when your group starts to learn these things, they begin to play musically together. You don’t have to explain every part of every song, but they begin to feel it.
For us this has resulted in more productive rehearsals, and more enjoyable ones too.
So what basic lessons would you teach a beginning praise band?

The Right Key is One Key to Stong Vocals

Russell Martin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:54:40 +0000

There are many ways you can help your worship team vocalists sing strong with confidence. One thing I discovered this past year is that the right key is the key!

Last year I would introduce a song usually by listening to the cd then having the band try it and vocals sing. Many times they would like the song, however the vocalist would be struggling trying to sing out of their range, or flipping octaves between verse and chorus. Since the music was printed and we had already worked on learning in the original key, it was hard to change keys and we usually just struggled through.

This year we tried something different. This year every new song was first introduced to the vocals. After they learned the basic tune we found the key that best suited their voices. I made a note of the key and then during the next week would print music accordingly.

I have really noticed a difference in a few key areas:
1. They enjoy it more- When they are comfortable with the key they don’t have to worry about how they will hit the notes, and less worry means more fun.
2. They are stronger- Since we chose a key that fits their range they are more confident and sing out.
3. They get more done- Since we no longer take time out in rehearsal searching for keys with the whole band, and transposing music 2-3 times we get more done, learn more music and get better as a band.

What tips do you have for developing vocalists?

Appreciating Your Worship Team- Ask for Feedback

Russell Martin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:49:24 +0000

Each year I have an end of year evaluation with my pastor and other church leaders. This is a great time to look back on the previous year, talk about goals and identify areas in need of attention.

This year I decided to go a step further. I sent a short survey out to my worship team. After all, these are the guys who are in rehearsals and leading worship with me week in and week out, and I really wanted to know what they were thinking. I will admit I was apprehensive about doing so at first, however now that we have gone through the process it is one that I plan to do every year.

The set up was simple:

1. I used google to create a form

2. I emailed the link out to the team members

3. As they filled in the sheet the answers were collected for me

Here were my questions:

1. Rate the overall musical quality of the worship Team (1-5)

2. How much do rehearsals prepare you for leading worship Sunday morning (1-5)

3. Rate the variety of music presented (1-5)

4. List up to three things you think the band has definately improved on in 2009

5. What are three things you would have liked us to have improved on but we did not?

6. If you were in charge, could do anything you want, what one major change would you make?

7. Give me your idea of something new we should try to do?

8. Can you commit to the worship team for 2010? Why or Why Not?

9. What else would you like to say?

Through providing this opportunity for feedback I was able to hear things that I might not otherwise and address them before problems arise. I am excited too about new suggestions that were given and am looking forward to implementing them in the new year.

I encourage you to find some way where you can receive honest feedback from those you work with on a weekly basis. Not only will it help you to stop possible problems, but it gives your team members ownership.

So.. how do you give opportunities for feedback?

Your comments are appreciated.

Appreciating Your Band- Today is the Day

Russell Martin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:43:34 +0000

Today I passed out a rehearsal CD to our band. I spent some money and purchased everyone in the band a copy of Lincoln Brewster’s Cd “Today is the Day”. The songs are great, different from what we have traditionally done, and the style fits our group. Plus I have a sophomore kid playing guitar who can pretty much nail all the guitar parts. It was something simple that cost a little bit of money but that i hope goes a long way. Since we recently stopped making “reheasal cds” for our team, buying them a copy of a worship CD helps them to continue to learn songs, plus increases their worship music collection.

I am not sure if we will continue to buy CDs for the team but it seems like a great way to show a little appreciation and to stay within copyright regulations as well.

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Appreciating Your Band-Take a Break and Break Some Bread

Russell Martin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:27:54 +0000

I became the worship leader at my church over 2 years ago. After a while I felt like we were getting into a rut and stale in our music and our rehearsals. What I began to realize is that all we did was practice and lead. I decided that what we needed was a chance to spend time, not playing our instruments. So for one rehearsal I ordered fajitas from a local restaurant and treated them to a meal. It was nothing fancy, just some chicken, cheese and tortillas. We sat and ate, talked about stuff, learned about each other and we even ended up playing through some new songs, but that wasn’t the focus. The whole meal cost me around $100. The money spent is nothing compared to what has happened since.

Over the past years we have continued this tradition. Not on a regular basis but randomly. We meet together, share a meal and just chill out. Turns out I think it has been some of the most productive rehearsal times that we have had.

How often do you just take a break and do something different with your team?

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Sunday Setlist 2-22-09

Russell Martin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:12:37 +0000

This week at Williams Xperience service we had a great time of worship. Kerri was out so it was me and one other leading. The band was all here though and they were on. We started our rehearsal at 8:00 and went over not only our songs for worship but also introduced them to “Everlasting God.” They liked it so much they were ready to do it this morning at worship. We will do it in two weeks. I am glad that our new rehearsal schedule is working out so well.

Our songs today were the following:

Sing A Song- It was great to sing this along with our drummer. He does a great job playing and singing and his voice is suited for some of these Third Day songs.

Never Let Go- Our congregation has really latched on to this song. The driving beat and simple melody help, but maybe with circumstances in our lives today the words give so much comfort. God is always here.

Alleluia- This is one from my “Unfailing Love” album that the congregation seems to like. Although it is in 6/8 and recently I have noticed the congregation swaying back and forth when we do these. Once it was pointed out to me I can’t help but notice, and try not to get seasick.

He Reigns- I originally had Meet With Me scheduled but I thought we had done it too much recently, so I substituted this standby. The congregation knows it and sings well, and the band can do it with their eyes. It is definately one of those older songs that resonate.

We usually do 5 songs but this week our Liturgical Dancers did a great job dancing to “Identity”

This is part of Fred McKinnons Sunday Setlist Worship Carnival. Come see what other churches are doing each week.

Why We Don’t Rehearse Every Week

Russell Martin — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:00:55 +0000

How It Was

We used to reserve every Wednesday night for an hour and a half rehearsal. We showed up at 6:30 and rehearsed until 8:00. Then we would show up again at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings for an hour to rehearse and soundcheck before Sunday School and our service at 10:30 am. That all changed last summer.

When it Changed

Last summer I had a few weeks where I was leading worship for some church camps and I was going to be out two weeks in a row on our regular Wednesday rehearsal. So I decided that for one month we would take a break from our Wednesday rehearsals and just show up a little early on Sunday morning. We made sure that our songlists did not include any new music, just songs that we needed to review. The band loved it. We have decided to continue the process.

How it Works Now

We meet on one Wednesday per month to work on new music that is coming up. That means I have to be prepared atleast 4 weeks ahead of time with the probable songlists. We use that rehearsal to go over new music. We listen to the songs, double check the songsheet and then try to run it atleast once through so we understand it. I also record these rehearsals and email them the recording we made, or make it available on planning center.

Then Sunday mornings we meet from 8:00 till 9:30 to rehearse for that Sunday morning. We go over each song atleast twice, and then take the rest of the time to work on the new song for the next week, just to refresh. Then we are ready to go for Sunday morning services.

The Challenges

Doing our rehearsals and lists this way has had its own set of challenges. The first would be that I have to have our songlists done in advance. (How we do that). The second challenge is having enough time to go over songs. This has meant we have had to be more disciplined with our time and not waste time during rehearsals.

The Benefits

The first benefit I have noticed is that we have been forced to limit our amount of new songs. This means we have, as a band, learned the ones we use better. It has also meant our congregation has had time to learn the songs. It seemed like before we would learn a song, use it, and then not use it again for a while.

Secondly I have noticed we are not going over things twice. It seemed like no matter what we worked on for Wednesday we were repeating it on Sunday morning anyway.

Thirdly I work with volunteers who have families. We all do. I think it has been great to give my already busy dedicated volunteers an extra night most weeks that they can spend at home.

The fourth reason was more of a factor this summer when gas prices were topping $3.50. The less times that we were driving back and forth to tthe church, the less gas was spent.

Our band has agreed to keep Wednesdays free and I agreed to give one weeks notice of an extra rehearsal. We did this as we prepared for Christmas and probably will for Easter.

What is your rehearsal schedule?

Sunday Setlist 1/11/09

Russell Martin — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:12:36 +0000

When we started rehearsing today, my thoughts were that this was not going to be a good morning. If you follow me on twitter or facebook you know what I am talking about. On Wednesday we had installed four brand new wireless Sure microphones and when installed there were a few cracks and buzzes but I thought we had worked them out. Sunday morning, as we began rehearsal, the gremlins reared their ugly head and the microphones again were cracking. Luckily we had the old microphones, reinstalled them and we were good to go.

When things don’t work well I start worrying. I know I shouldn’t but we also had a guest singing with us this morning and I wanted everything to work well, you know, so she didn’t think that this is how it always was. So I really spent my morning worrying about pleasing people and not God. I think there is a verse about that. Thankfully God worked even inspite of me and the morning was great. The band sounded awesome, and the vocals did a great job. And yes.. the microphones worked great. It turned out to be one of the best Sundays that we have had so far.

So with all of that here was our Songlist

Wade in the Water- (Based on Eva Cassidy Version) Our service this week was on the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Having the voices of Shelly and Kerri this song was a natural choice for us to use to kick off the service.

Cover us- (The Sonflowerz) We heard this on the Song Discovery 72 CD. We actually will be working 6 or so songs from this CD in the next few weeks.

Stir In Me (Todd Proctor) They were doing this song even before I got here and it has made it through the years. I think it’s because it’s easy to sing and the band loves to play it.

Did You Know? and Thank You For Loving Me- (Shelly Wilson) The band loved playing this song off of Shelly’s latest CD and the best part was that she was here to sing them live with us.

You Never Let Go-(Matt and Beth Redman)- Our pastor ended his sermon talking about the fact that no matter how we feel God is always there no matter what. I didn’t know really how his sermon was going to end but this song fit perfectly.

To view what other churches did this week visit Fred McKinnon‘s Sunday Setlist.

Just a Glimpse

Russell Martin — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:59:54 +0000

For the past several years I have been working youth worship teams. Every year is different, mostly because with youth you have a constant flow of kids in and out. Some graduate, some get jobs and cannot particpate, and then there are some that join for the first time. Every year though with your group there comes a point where you hear it. What is it? It is a glimpse of what can be. It is when they aren’t just playing music but playing musically. It is when you see, that they see, that there is more to doing ths than just strumming, drumming, playing and singing.

Today we I saw it, and heard it. We came out of the chorus of “One Way” and into the bridge. The band dropped out, the keys kept playing and the singers came in on the words. The electric slowly built in, drums slowly got more intense and it just clicked.

2 minutes later the monitors weren’t working right, the singers didn’t understand their part, and it was time to go. The moment didn’t last long. It wasn’t all better after that time, but it did happen.

My encouragement to you is to listen to and identify those moments. Celebrate them and show the youth in the band what they sound like, so they can begin to hear what they sound like and strive for them.