Pedals for Bass

By Andy@Musicademy | July 1, 2009

Last time we looked at a few ideas for effects pedals for use with acoustic guitars. Actually for bassists similar rules apply. There are plenty of interesting bass pedals around but first question to ask is, can I realistically use this in my worship band context? Having said that I have seen a few bass […]

How to write a really good worship song

By Bob Kilpatrick | June 29, 2009

Awhile ago I wrote an article titled “How To Write A Really Mediocre Worship Song.” It was a tongue in cheek examination of good song-writing in reverse. I received many emails with many different takes on what I’d written. Some were offended. Some were really, really offended (Perhaps they were spectacularly successful at writing mediocre songs […]

Pedals for Acoustic Guitars

By Andy@Musicademy | June 22, 2009

I’ve done a few articles about recommended pedals to get started with on electric guitar in a contemporary worship band setting and in response a number of people have asked for something similar for acoustic guitar and bass, so here are some thoughts. Similar principles apply to both instruments so I’ll list the acoustic pedal […]

From train wreck to nervous wreck

By Tim Bowdler | June 18, 2009

  Nerves, fear, trepidation, lack of confidence are all feelings that can cripple a musician and stop him or her playing for, and worshipping God. Around ten years ago, I suffered from acute nerves when playing drums in front of an audience/congregation. At one point it became so bad that I would simply turn down […]

How to write a really mediocre worship song

By Bob Kilpatrick | June 16, 2009

In most cases, one can use these three qualitative judgments- good, mediocre, bad- in descending order. Good is better than mediocre. Mediocre is better than bad. But, in my humble opinion, it’s different in song-writing; good is best, bad is good and mediocre is bad. As an example of proof I would reference the Shaggs […]

Guitar Chord of the Month – D7sus4

By Steve Weeks | June 11, 2009

|— |— |-O- |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— G (sus4) |-O- |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— C (7th) |— |-O- |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— A (5th) |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— |— D (1st) |— |— |— […]

Perfection or Progress – Guest post from Mike Sessler

By Mike Sessler | June 9, 2009

I heard from a good friend of mine the other day. He was rather frustrated (that may be an understatement…) because he perceived some of the criticism he was subject of was coming from a desire for perfection in worship. Now, I don’t know all the details, but I ventured a guess that perfection was […]

The Art of Backing Vocals

By Marie@Musicademy | June 8, 2009

The role of the backing singer I listened to a fascinating documentary about the art of backing vocals on BBC Radio 4 a couple of weeks ago. The title was R.E.S.P.E.C.T. – The Art of Backing Vocals. Presented by Nick Barraclough. Due to licensing issues its not possible for us to bring you the actual […]