The church is an organization and community built on service. As a result unfortunately, this kind of environment breeds the need to be seen, honored, and appreciated. We all go through seasons of feeling unseen, so it’s important that we ground ourselves properly ahead of time. But how? Mountaintop seasons come seemingly as often as …
What to Do When Your Church Doesn’t Validate You Read More »
Music is alive and breathing – so is your guitar playing. If you’re not giving your notes enough energy and emotion, you will choke the life out of your sound. This is where vibrato comes into play. Vibrato is relatively easy to do, but difficult to do with style. Some reading this may think this …
The One Guitar Technique You’re Most Likely Neglecting Read More »
I’ve attended and known people from many churches all over the world. Sadly, I’ve seen many people leave those churches. When I listen to the stories I’ve come to find a common denominator – poor communication. Some of the stories involve one specific breakdown, but many also just seem to be a long line of …
The One Thing Guaranteed to Disrupt Any Healthy Worship Team Read More »
I’m a rather classic perfectionist. I want to give my best and never let people down, and as a result, I hate failing. Unfortunately, the hard reality is that I can never escape failure, no matter how good I get at my craft. Professionals drop the ball more often than you may notice. A couple …
How to Take the Stage and Lead Worship with Confidence Read More »
As I’ve worked in Christian music and been heavily involved in church culture it hasn’t been uncommon to hear Coldplay played in soundcheck or comments such as “That part sounds just like Coldplay, I love it,” or “Coldplay is life,” throughout the week. My guess is that if you are a worship musician reading this, …
The Problem With Coldplay: And Their Effect on Modern Worship Read More »
One of the most common questions I get from guitar players—especially worship leaders—is this: “Where do I put the capo for this song?” And it’s a valid question, because a guitar capo isn’t just a clamp you throw on your guitar to make things easier. Used correctly, it’s one of the most powerful tools you …
The Ultimate Guide To Using A Guitar Capo – Where To Put It & Why Read More »
One of the things I get asked is how to play more complicated chord forms and whether they are necessary for worship music. It’s easy to play through a chord chart using simple triads while “avoiding” all the harder chords, but if you’re ready to take your playing to the next level, this post …
Another Sunday rolled around, and I was scheduled to lead worship that morning. Even though I had spent the entire week prepping the setlist and making sure the musicians were ready to go, I still got the jitters over how it would all work together. Would I lead “good enough?” Were the songs “right” for …
5 Tips to Help You Deliver & Receive Criticism in the Church Read More »
What makes a musician worthy of being called “great”? For the longest time, I associated it with technicality. I was impressed by guitarists that could shred effortlessly, drummers that could nail complex fills, and vocalists that could belt wild runs across many octaves. I would practice for hours trying to play as fast as possible …
From Good to Great: What Separates the Pros from the Rest Read More »
Every great musician isn’t just a musician. Great musicians have the ability to expand their perspective past themselves and see a bigger picture. Great musicians are also great producers. Whether or not you produce music, understanding how a producer thinks and acts equips you to best serve your worship team. It might even be the …
