Finding Creativity and Being More Than a Cover Band
Breaking the Bounds of Worship Cover Bands
Leading worship is a great and wonderful responsibility. We have to maintain creativity with song and structural integrity. So how do you balance creativity over being a worship cover band?
It’s a fine line and there are many factors to consider. You have to rely on your band. You have to spend valuable time working the song. You have to break free from ‘the way we have always done it.’ And it has to work!
Otherwise, you’ll just be another worship cover band.
So how do break free from the worship machine mediocrity? Here are 6 suggestions to get you started…
- Acoustic or Piano Run-through – Work through the song with only an acoustic guitar or piano. There is nothing more humbling or eye opening than being this vulnerable. It may help you re-invent some classics.
- Change the Arrangement – Break free from the ‘usual’ way you do the song. Start with the chorus rather than the verse. Drop that extra pre chorus. Just try another arrangement.
- Ask Other Worship Pastors/Musicians – This may or may not seem obvious… but ask other worship pastors or musicians how they do the song. Use Twitter, Facebook, and local Network’s to find some creative versions of your worship tunes.
- Play an Acoustic Set – Sometimes simplicity is a beautiful thing. Try planning and playing an acoustic set for worship but use your whole band, don’t just use an acoustic guitar. Using drums, keyboard, bass, electric, and acoustic will force you to be creative.
- Add Other Instruments – By adding another instrument, say a banjo or accordion, you can really change the sound and textures of the song. This requires more versatility in your band, but certainly will help you be creative.
- Rely on Your Band - Too many times we neglect the valuable opinions and musical pedigree of our teams. They have a lot to offer, however, if they are never given the opportunity you’ll miss a great resource!
Leading worship means we rely on the creativity and divine inspiration of others for worship songs. But it doesn’t require us to be poor and uninspired cover bands. Creativity abounds and you will only be as creative as you want to be. Don’t settle… pursue creative ways to worship.
What do find is the hardest part in being creative in worship?
What are some other ways we can be creative in our worship bands?
*This blog post is a part of a synchro-blog that is tackling the issue of creative blocks.
Bryan Allain- Creative Blocks In Blogging
Rachel Held Evans-Writers Block
Keith Jennings-Suffering Creative Block?
Matthew Paul Turner-A Letter To Christianity From Creativity
Mandy Steward-The Block Pays You A Visit
Stephen Brewster-Creative Block In Church Creativity
Sarah Cunningham-Dreaming Blocks
Jeff Goins-Why Creative Blocks Aren’t Always Bad
Kyle Reed-Creative Block For 20 Somethings
Carlos Whittaker-Creative Block In Music
One struggle I face is the balance of new vs. familiar. It’s the art of growing your congregation; introducing newer music, but not to the point of losing all interaction. As I continue to understand the role as worship leader, I would sacrifice some creative freedom in order to help people connect with the message of the songs we sing.
One struggle I face is the balance of new vs. familiar. It’s the art of growing your congregation; introducing newer music, but not to the point of losing all interaction. As I continue to understand the role as worship leader, I would sacrifice some creative freedom in order to help people connect with the message of the songs we sing.
I think a great indicator is that you are already aware of it. And to add, being creative doesn’t necessarily mean sacrifice of the familiar. You know what I mean?
There is certainly a balance Stephen… now if we can only find it! Thanks for sharing man, appreciate it!
With new songs, see how it interacts with the congregation… Do it again. Giving them a lyric sheet in the bulletin so they can learn it with the team is like giving them an invitation. Keep doing the new song, till it is known. If it’s one that really catches on then bring it back around in a couple of weeks. I think when too many new songs are done it can bring a disconnect. I love doing new songs but we are there to serve, right? It’s great when a line in a song ministers to you through out the week.
Get together and write something as a worship team. Get creative~ Keep
it simple! See what God does with it! I’d love to try this. The name of your church is a great place to start… : )
New songs are great… when done in moderation. Don’t over due it but definitely take the time to set up your team and your church to be successful.
Great post Rob. I agree with you that we should rely on our band for creativity, but some people in our band struggle with that. Our bass player and keyboard player have played in cover bands for years, so they like to play the music exactly like the CD. I think stripping the music down can definitely help. I’ve also added some different instruments here and there (flugel horn, harmonica to name a few). Do you struggle with your band wanting to play it exactly like the CD?
Flugel horn?!?! Wow, I’d love to hear that Jeremiah!
I have always gave them the freedom to make the song their own from the get go, so it has become a part of our DNA. However we do get in ruts when copy the album version. Usually it because of a lack of rehearsal or we just revert back from time to time.Some of the songs we worship with don’t need to be changed.
I’d like to note… this post is in no means exclusive to familiar or ‘older’ songs… this pertains to all worship songs whether they are new or not. These are ideas to help us make any and all songs our own and creative.
Great post, and good ideas but why is music/songs the only avenue listed for creative worship?
What about incorporating flags or ribbons, dance and art? Worship does a LOT more than just get Sunday church goers in the mood to hear God. In the OT, singers and banner carriers (waving a flag) would go into the battle first. Ever wonder why the army commanders would send the ones without armour or weapons first? The battle is won through praising and worshipping God. The ones with the weapons were simply the clean up crew.
I definitely agree that worship can be expanded but think outside the box of just using music and incorporate many different expressions of the arts.
You can check out a post I wrote, Is Worship more than Songs? at http://www.andreayorkmuse.com
Thanks Andrea. By all means, worship is not exclusive to music. This post wasn’t intended to address creativity in all areas of worship… just specifically to music.
I’m a firm believer in the arts and preach this quite often. The point of this particular post was to address getting creative in the realm of worship through music.
Right, Rob, creativity is for new songs too. By the time our praise team works up a new song, we’ve started to feed our own style into it.
And sometimes we work over a familiar one — “Our God” was in the program last Sunday, and it was my week off the team and in the congregation. From the intro the guys used, I had a totally different song in mind. That keeps us awake.
BTW we did lose one member who wanted to stick strictly to how the song is on the CD.
Karl, I think it is important for every band to own the songs and make them their own. If they sound really similar, that’s okay as well as if they are completely re-arranged. At least in my honest opinion.
Bummer about losing folks for a reason like that…
Right, Rob, creativity is for new songs too. By the time our praise team works up a new song, we’ve started to feed our own style into it.
And sometimes we work over a familiar one — “Our God” was in the program last Sunday, and it was my week off the team and in the congregation. From the intro the guys used, I had a totally different song in mind. That keeps us awake.
BTW we did lose one member who wanted to stick strictly to how the song is on the CD.