Tuesday, January 25, 2011

All are welcome...

I'm sitting here at Monkey Joe's. It's a party, play place for kids. I'm watching my son jump around on all of the slides and play areas with a bunch of other kids as they celebrate a classmate's birthday. They're having a blast!

Celebrating.

We celebrate different events in so many different ways. It varies among age groups. It varies among cultures. And, of course, it varies depending on what we are celebrating.

For example, I wouldn't expect a group of adults to choose a place like the one I'm in now to celebrate a friend's retirement! Or a 5 year old to choose a nice dinner and dancing! We all celebrate in different ways.

When we all come together on Sunday to CELEBRATE The Eucharist, we are many ages, many cultures...many people. I try to consider this as much as possible when planning what songs we will sing TOGETHER! Choosing only songs for kids wouldn't be right, nor would choosing only songs adults would find more familiar, or even teens. (and teens are their OWN culture) It's a balancing act. Contemporary, traditional, fast, slow, loud, soft, old, new...whatever works. Not only does it help to engage each age group, but it also helps everyone appreciate ALL styles of music.

As I sit here in this room designed for kids, I see flat screen tv's, recliner chairs, coffee, wi-fi, music from the 90's(!), etc. Even the adults feel welcome and included in the celebration. We are all joining in the festivities. Shouldn't the same hold true for Sunday mass?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

A LOT to consider

Each weekend I am responsible for choosing the music for many different liturgies. For me, it’s always a lot more involved than simply selecting music where the lyrics match the theme of the readings. There are a LOT of factors to consider:

The readings of the day, of course.
This could be an entire blog alone. Suffice it to say that the main thrust of the readings should be reflected in the song choices. Other factors are holidays, parish celebrations, etc.

What have we sung recently at that time slot?
Did we recently introduce a new song that could be repeated? Have we overused a song?

Is there a good flow to the music? Are there too many songs of the same tempo? Too many of the same style? A good variety always seems best. Would one of the song choices work better at a different point of the Mass?

Who are the musicians for that Mass?
Will the players and singers at that particular liturgy perform these songs well? Are there other songs better suited for their style of playing and singing?

Who is in the assembly for that Mass? Mostly children? teens? adults?
A good variety is always good, but who are we leading in song? Are we choosing age-appropriate music for the assembly?

I typically spend a lot of my time considering all of these factors when choosing music. I like to write the list down on a board and stare at it a bit until I feel that I’ve gotten it as right as I can make it. I’ve been known to make some last minute changes when something doesn’t seem right, or when something doesn’t go over well in a rehearsal. Or...I might write something if it seems like there’s a need in a particular spot!

Feel free to share your comments and ideas.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Chart your Progress(ions)

Have you ever had someone sit in with your group because a bass player or guitarist is out, so you hand them pages and pages of music with multiple endings, capo chords or...worse yet...a keyboard score? (especially to someone who is NOT playing keyboard!) What do you think the chances are that things will go well? Even to an experienced session player, a clean, easy-to-read chart is crucial to promoting success.

Sometimes publishers tend to be over-accurate when they publish music. That might mean the instrumentalists have to comb through 3 different endings of a verse simply because the vocal did something slightly different each time, even though the chords are the same! Or maybe the keyboard score is doing something pretty involved in the right hand, so there ends up being this cluster of chord symbols with alternate basses all crammed together above the staff, even though the bass just needs to stay on B-flat! Or there could be extra pages showing extra verses when all they really need is the same chord progression from verse 1. All of these things can cause even the best players to stumble simply because things are over-complicated.

Sometimes the best solution is to take the most complicated tunes (more than 2 pages, multiple endings that are essentially the same, over-complex chords, etc.) and simplify them for bass and guitar. Finale, Sibelius, or even hand-written versions are extremely useful. Eliminate the potential stumbling blocks. Save the new, easier-to-read charts for future use. Your instrumentalists, your singers...and your assembly...will thank you.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Sunday Night Live

I've been given the opportunity to lead the music at our 6:00 pm teen mass again at my parish. It's been several years since my wife, Karen, and I led the music at that mass, so were feeling a bit of nervous excitement as we head into it. Sunday was the first night we were back and, I have to say, it was really wonderful. There was a good energy, and some powerful worship...it was a great celebration of the Feast of Epiphany. We're both excited about continuing on!

One of the biggest (and first) decisions I had to make was: what will the band consist of, and who will be in it? I knew that I wanted drums, bass, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and 2-3 vocals to start. With these instruments we could cover a lot of ground.

I also knew that I wanted some experienced musicians...and not just experienced playing their instrument...but experienced in playing for liturgy. For example, there's a big difference in being a good drummer and being a good liturgical drummer: knowing how to orchestrate a drum part versus simply laying down a groove. Same for guitar and piano: knowing when to play out and when to lay back; knowing when to strum a guitar, play a piano melody, or comp chords in rhythm. Or when not to play. We are fortunate to have a great drummer and bassist as permanent members. I've actually played with both of them for quite awhile in contemporary liturgy music groups. They're fantastic.

And then there are the vocals: good, strong singers who know when to sing and when not to sing, how to blend and how to lead a verse, how to use a mic and not just always sing as close to it as possible. I am very fortunate that Karen is probably one of the best liturgical singers I've ever met: beautiful voice and a strong sense of what needs to happen at liturgy. Her sound, demeanor, posture...everything...is what we look for in a strong liturgical singer. She's not concerned about solos- just adding to the liturgy in any way she can.

So...it's a good start. We are still missing some pieces. We need a permanent guitar player...2 actually. We'll use subs for now. And eventually we'll add another singer. But for now, as long as we have the basics: drums, bass, piano (or guitar), and at least two singers (male and female), we can cover a lot of ground.

Wish us luck! We're looking forward to it!