Picture the scene. The worship leader wants to create a bit of a different vibe to the Sunday worship time. So in a moment of intense clarity he thinks, “I know, I’ll get the drummer to play percussion instead this week. It’ll be\u00a0 great. After all drums and percussion are really the same instrument right?” Wrong wrong …WRONG!<\/p>\n
Although of course both are rhythm instruments, they do need some pretty different techniques to play them properly so right off the bat, tip 1 is don’t assume that because someone can play one thing,\u00a0they can automatically play the other. Second, the percussionist can be dangerous in a worship band: often the worship leader is not quite sure what to do with the percussionist and he or she just says \u2018Oh well, you just follow along and look out for the changes\u2019.
\nThis is bad.
\nA good worship leader understands what a percussionist can bring to the party: if the percussionist\u2019s instruments are well-chosen and played at the right moments they can add some real colour and interest to the whole groove. Conversely, a bad percussionist\/conga player is like a grenade in a nuclear arsenal.
\nA percussionist usually has a very light brief and is often\u00a0effectively asked to just jam along with no real sense of how their contribution will make any different to the overall sound. So\u00a0if you are one of these wonderful creatures that is finding life in the worship band an unhappy one, here\u2019s a few tips to hopefully help the whole perscussion integration gel a bit more<\/p>\n
1 Do\u2026 learn to pop and \u2018heel and toe\u2019<\/strong> 2 Don\u2019t\u2026 play all the time<\/strong> 3 Don\u2019t\u2026\u00a0 overplay the tambourine<\/strong> 4 Do\u2026 blend with the drummer<\/strong> 5 Don\u2019t\u2026 ever play rototoms<\/strong> 6 Do\u2026 get soundchecked<\/strong> 7 Do\u2026 practice with a metronome<\/strong> 8 Don\u2019t\u2026 pat the congas<\/strong> 9 Don\u2019t \u2026 overplay your new \u2018toy\u2019<\/strong> 10 Don\u2019t\u2026 keep changing the pattern<\/strong> Other posts you may like:<\/strong><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0acoustic guitarists<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0sound men\/women<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0backing vocalists<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0drummers<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013\u00a0worship leaders<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts \u2013 a guide for “insensitive” musicians<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nEvery instrument requires basic technique: a guitarist must learn a few strumming patterns, a drummer must learn his or her rudiments and a pianist must start out with a few chord shapes and simple music theory to get them on his or her way. For some reason the vast majority of conga players still haven\u2019t learned the basic \u2018heel and toe\u2019 technique. This is when you effectively rock you hand on the skin of the drum to deliver two very distinct sounds. Then there\u2019s the \u2018pop\u2019. This sound punctuates, and is extremely effective. If you don\u2019t know how to do this, log on to YouTube and search for a demonstration of a traditional \u2018Clave\u2019 rhythm. This should be the building block for your conga playing.<\/p>\n
\nThe congas can get lost in some tunes and they don\u2019t add anything particularly when the band is playing those rolling \u2018Coldplay-a-like\u2019 tunes that have a pounding 4\/4 beat. A conga in a rock setting doesn\u2019t usually work that well either, so on these occasions it\u2019s time to stop. These types of rhythms usually demand a well-played tambourine to keep the whole groove steady and that\u2019s pretty much it.\u00a0Perhaps its not\u00a0the fault of the congas\u00a0per se\u00a0but more about how you play them. Congas generally are brought out to add some off beat pushes add make a groove a bit more…well…groovy. If your church is playing white U2 esqe rock stuff, then offbeats don’t really feature in the language of that style, and to make it sound authentic all your instruments need to speak the same language at the same time. The same can be said of the Djembe. The way lots of people play it adds a real tribal type of vibe and it\u00a0sounds fantastic when there\u2019s a bit of space in the tune, or when you are playing an \u2018acoustic set\u2019 but it can just degenerate into a needless offbeat mush in the large, guitar-heavy numbers.<\/p>\n
\nRemember the 70s and 80s when Margaret from the front row used to bring her skinned tambourine with ribbons then \u2018bless\u2019 us with a thoroughly random rhythm on \u2018You shall go out with joy\u2019. This was the time when you wanted to grab hold of her instrument and place it in such a way that it doubled up as a mighty fine necklace. Remember this woman as you pick up your tambourine. Again..
\nIn your life you do not want to live with the tag \u2018Tambourine Man\u2019. You might consider this a term of affection, but this is nothing more than a sideswipe imploring you to put a sock in it. Use the tambourine at strategic moments but if you play it to death, a carefully placed marksman from the congregation will take you out.<\/p>\n
\nDrummers and percussionists need to work together. That\u2019s the rule. If a drummer has chosen a pattern that you don\u2019t think works very well for the song by all means tell him and suggest something that you think does. It\u2019s no good just playing what you think is right and the drummer playing something completely different. If you do this, it\u2019ll sound like an unholy mess. If you are playing the congas or djembe ensure that you are both locked into the groove with the bass player. If you do find a blend that works you\u2019ll sound fantastically tight and it\u2019ll give the congregation a platform to work to.<\/p>\n
\nYou must remember that the devil invented rototoms. If you are not familiar with the instrument you have done well, but if you were a child of the 80s you\u2019ll be well aware of these quite unnecessary percussion horrors. A rototom is a drum made from an alloy skeleton and it makes a sort of 80s \u2018booow\u2019 sound that is only really of use in early Bonnie Tyler tunes. That\u2019s about it. If you have some in your loft and feel tempted to get them out, don\u2019t. Leave them there to gather dust, or melt them down to make a nice cutlery set. So in conclusion, unless your church is regularly led into the presence of God with the Miami Vice theme tune, don’t even think about it.<\/p>\n
\nIf you are playing congas make sure you are miked up and make sure your instrument doesn\u2019t sound like a pale imitation of somebody slapping a ping pong table with dead chicken. Your sound needs to be controlled and it needs to be heard. If the sound man says he hasn’t got a spare mic…then go and buy a mic! Think of it as part of your instrument and if you are not in the mix, there\u2019s no point in playing. You might as well stay at home and watch Countryfile.<\/p>\n
\nCountless percussionists play out of time. Why? Because nobody seems cares whether they do or not. Don\u2019t be the percussionist who has an ‘in the general ballpark’ concept of tempo or time. Be tight, and if you find yourself shifting tempos and moving away from the backbeat then pop along to your local music store, get yourself a metronome and start practising playing to time. There’s probably an iPhone metronome app that will save you moving from your sofa. The wall of sound masks your timing frailties but the baldness of a metronome clicking away with nothing else will tighten your playing. Percussion, by its very nature is a rhythmical thing, so it\u2019s vital that you are, at the very least, rhythmical.<\/p>\n
\nAs we have said congas demand commitment. Mastering \u2018the pop\u2019 can be a painful process but if you have managed achieve that elusive \u2018bap\u2019 consistently then well done you. A decent conga player makes sure his or her sounds are crisp and in time, but there are some who still insist on \u2018patting\u2019 their instruments. This floppy, uncommitted approach yields an unfulfilling sound and if you are a consistent offender, stop what you are doing and get back to basics. The serial \u2018patter\u2019 is the scurge of a worship band and should be asked to step down until they learn their instrument properly.<\/p>\n
\nThe percussion toy shop can be a little overwhelming. The scores of African, South American and Oriental instruments in music shops can be hard to resist and once purchased, demand to be played, regardless of the setting or the tune it seems. Finger pianos, crotales, bells, chimes, rainsticks, Berranbows all have their place but they should be played sparingly and at exactly the right moment. There are percussionists with a rainstick fetish and they spend so much time using it that the large sections of the congregation feel the uncontrollable urge to pee. Also, don\u2019t be scared of the triangle. At school it was largely regarded as a cissy\u2019s instrument. No, a good trigger triangle can be used to great effect and if you have mastered the damping technique you can achieve some wonderfully vibrant rhythms with it.<\/p>\n
\nOnce you have decided on a pattern in the rehearsal then stick to it in the service. Groove is such an important part of music and if you haven\u2019t learned to groove as a percussionist\/conga player then it\u2019s time to put your instrument down and learn a racket sport. Stick to your pattern and don\u2019t change it. The congregation needs consistency because they want to be free to worship without having to worry about the changes in rhythm and tempo. A decent, simple groove is like honey dripping over a warm waffle.<\/p>\n