A Beautiful Sculptured Image
I came across an interesting passage regarding this subject recently. In the book, Behind The Boards: The Making of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Greatest Records Revealed, author Jake Brown interviews famed record producer Daniel Lanois about his work with the Irish mega-group, U2.
Brown asks what Lanois considers to be an important tool as a music producer. “Note taking,” he answers. In the interview, Lanois explains that he records, in great detail, each recording session with notes on instruments used in a particular song, along with effects, EQ, compressor and fader markings.
For each song, Lanois prefers “writing out an arrangement, which is a very big part of what I do. I use graph paper for that; sometimes I use very big books, like a 12 x 18 graph page, and I start on the left and right of the pad — the long part which is horizontal — and I just write out the arrangement, and everything gets included on that page: all lyrics, all tempo shifts, all rises and falls and dynamics, notations about what needs to be reminded of at the next meeting. So by this one page, you see a complete graphic display of the song — the way it’s structured. So when you get in the band room, you can speak and connect it well because you know what you’re talking about relative to a beautiful sculptured image” (p. 359).
Getting On the The Same Page
Like Lanois, I prefer to have an overall view of the song, stretched out before me. When I lead worship, though, I must do some memorization, since having a music stand between me and the audience can be a bit cumbersome and distracting. In a situation where I’ll need to reference a chart while leading worship, I attach my iPad to the mic stand at a low enough level to where it’s not a distraction, and connect a Bluetooth pedal to turn pages while I play. If I am playing guitar, but not on the front line, I use my iPad, loaded with the master chord charts, for the service.
I find it frustrating when a band reads from differing charts for the same song. The point of a good chart is to bring everyone together on common ground. In some cases, it’s necessary for drummers to create a more manageable chart to reduce page tuning while playing. When doing so, it’s best to always refer to the master chart and make notes to match sections and measures. That way, the leader can address things at specific places on the master chart.
To introduce the more sophisticated chart system to your team, it will require training, patience and discipline. Plus, it will require commitment in both time and resources to create charts yourself, or by someone else on your team. Praise Charts is an excellent resource for supplying sheet music to your favorite worship songs, if you aren’t able to commit to doing your own custom charts.
Ways to get on the same page:
Forsake chords-over-word sheets and make the transition to chord charts and lead sheets.
Offer training for a team member, or learn how to use notation software in order to make custom charts for your team.
Offer musical training for those who cannot read music. At the very least, train your team how to read rhythms and chord changes on a staff.
Many popular songs have several versions, so clearly list the name of the artist and the CD from which the recording originates on the chart and other corresponding resources.
Encourage players to use master charts for songs in rehearsal, and discard outdated resources attached to songs that don’t match the master chart and recording (this includes lyrics).
Use a great resource like Planning Center Online, where all your resources are conveniently available in one location.
Go to the next level with your team! Pursue excellence.
I’m busy writing an instructional book for worship leaders, and I hope you enjoyed this installment from one of the sections. Please stay tuned as I round the bend toward its completion. Thanks for reading!
