The Band In The Praise-And-Worship Tradition

Music in the praise-and-worship tradition is often accompanied by a small consort or band of instruments. Precedent for the band in worship goes back to the foundation of the Salvation Army in the nineteenth century. This article describes this history and suggests how the contemporary worship band can be used as a means of musical leadership.

Using Contemporary Instruments and Music The worship band may be defined as any ensemble of musical instruments with a rhythm section foundation. The rhythm section is comprised of drums, bass, and one or more of the following: piano, guitar, organ and/or synthesizer, and percussion. Other instruments in the worship band may include woodwinds, brass, or strings. (Sample instrumentations will follow.) The repertoire of the band generally consists of contemporary music in the pop, jazz, rock, or Latin idioms. (These are general categories. Other ethnic styles may be prevalent in some churches, particularly in areas with non-Western ethnomusicological influences.) Although the worship band is a fairly new development in Christian worship, the concept is not a new one. Throughout biblical and church history, elements of music which were labeled as secular by some were sanctified by others to sacred uses. Although King David created many of the instruments used in worship during his reign, he also utilized instruments that had been invented by other cultures. All these instruments were sanctified for the worship of Yahweh. Likewise, the pipe organ, which was developed by the Egyptians and Greeks, has been used by Christian churches for centuries to aid in leading congregational worship. Martin Luther often used secular melodies when he reestablished congregational singing because lay people were not musically capable of reproducing the intricate chanting which had dominated church music for centuries, sung only by clergy. Luther assigned or wrote godly texts to well-known secular melodies. Thus, the congregation didn't need to know how to interpret musical notation in order to enter into corporate worship. One of the prominent Mass-writing styles of the Renaissance period, the cantus firmus Mass, combined what was often a secular melody (the cantus firmus) with the sacred text of the Mass. One great example of this is the Missa l'Homme armé, based on the secular tune "l'Homme armé." There are over thirty known Mass settings of this tune by such composers as Josquin, Dufay, Obrecht, and Palestrina. Establishing Cultural Relevance With almost every great reform or revival movement in church history there has been an associated musical movement toward cultural relevance. In other words, the music of the common people becomes the worship music of the church. For musicians and theologians as well as lay people, the struggle with this trend has been, and continues to be, balancing cultural relevancy of musical style, instrumentation, and so on, with the attempt to reveal God's transcendence in the worship of the faithful. Both elements of relevancy and transcendence are vital to the Christian worship experience. There must be an openness to culturally relevant musical styles and instrumentations and so on, while making certain those relevant musical elements are sanctified by prayer, sacrament, and the Word of God to God's transcendent nature. The worship band began to be utilized in the late 1960s as an attempt to make Christian worship relevant to the young and unchurched of that generation. It continues to help fulfill that need cross-denominationally and cross-culturally. When sanctified to the Lord's purposes, the worship band significantly aids a congregation to relate to the more contemporary elements of both the congregation and the societal environment. It can provide some familiarity for those who are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with formalities of traditional or liturgical music, while simultaneously providing those same people the opportunity to enter into the relationship of worshiping God. Or for those who just prefer that musical style, it can provide for them a relevant worship experience. There are a number of musicians who desire to use their talents to lead others in worship but do not fit in instrumentally with more traditional musical offerings. The worship band can provide opportunity for these musicians to offer their talents to the Lord in corporate worship leading. Instrumental Music in Scripture Instrumental music is well founded in Scripture as a means for worship expression. One of the seven Hebrew words for praise is zamar, which means to praise the Lord upon musical instruments (Ps. 33:2, 3; 98:4–6; Isa. 38:20). Scriptures contain many promptings and much precedence for believers to praise God on musical instruments (1 Chron. 16:5–6; Ps. 150). In a number of Old Testament references, instruments are mentioned as being used to inspire and accompany prophecy (1 Sam. 10:5; 2 Kings 3:15; 1 Chron. 25:1). David played his harp so that Saul would be relieved of the evil spirit which had beset him (1 Sam. 16). Instruments, particularly trumpets, were used in warfare (Josh. 6:1–20; Joel 2:1; Num. 10:9; 31:6; Judg. 7:16–22). They were played in times of great celebration (2 Sam. 6:5, 15, 1 Chron. 13:8; 15:16, 19–22; 2 Chron. 5:11–14; 20:28). In David's tabernacle, the most comprehensive scriptural paradigm of spiritual worship, priests were assigned to play instruments in worship to the Lord regularly and continually in the house of God. While sin offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings were made in the temple, instrumental music played (Num. 29:1, 2 Chron. 29). The Psalms were written to be accompanied by instruments, often specific instruments. Selahs, which occur throughout the Psalms, are instrumental interludes during which the reader, listener, and/or writer reflects on what has just been stated in the previous passage. Trumpets were used to assemble the congregation of Israel, break camp, signal a specific message, and announce feasts, particularly the Feast of Trumpets. There are approximately 195 instances in Scripture that pertain to using instruments in the worship of God. Although instrumental music is not specifically mentioned in English translations of the Bible, the Greek words psalmos (found in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Ephesians 5:19, and Colossians 3:16) and psallo (found in Romans 15:9, Ephesians 5:19, and James 5:13) both denoted singing a sacred song with stringed instrument accompaniment. Several passages in Revelation indicate the existence of instruments accompanying the worship of heaven (5:8–10; 14:1–5; 15:2–3). The scriptural precedent for worship with instrumental music is clear as well as prevalent. The role of the band in worship should be based on that precedent. The band should accompany and help to lead the musical worship of the church. It should inspire and, at times, accompany the God-breathed prophetic Word as it is presented in the congregation. Instrumentalists should assist in the relief of oppression and lead in times of worshipful celebration. They should help believers to enter fully into God's manifested presence and lead them to reflect on the great attributes of God. Biases Against Musical Styles In many churches there exist some biases against certain styles of music due to the aesthetic nature of the music or its association with forms of immorality. Those biases are often aimed particularly at contemporary styles of music most prevalently played by worship bands. While we must be diligent in sanctifying styles of music for the Lord's purposes, we must also deal with the biases that exist in the church against those styles. Instrumental music often has a definite aesthetic value, and, sometimes, detrimental associations. It is the job of the church musician or minister of music to exploit musical aesthetics for the kingdom of God; i.e., use the aesthetic value of music to draw people to a place of encounter with the Lord. He or she must also either avoid music with detrimental associational value or gradually re-educate the congregation to receive it. The ministerial effectiveness of music is dependent upon the pure heart of the ministering musician and the receptivity of the listener. Instrumentation The instrumentation of a worship band can vary from a small rhythm section up to a full orchestra with rhythm. (Many principles covered in the article on "The Orchestra in Worship" apply here and vice versa.) Below are listed some sample instrumentations:

A. Rhythm section only:

1. Piano/Keyboard 2. Guitar 3. Bass 4. Drums 5. Additional keyboard—e.g., organ or synthesizer 6. Percussion B. Rhythm section with horns: 1. Rhythm 2. Trumpets—1 or 2 3. Saxes—1 or 2 4. Trombones—1 5. Flute C. Orchestra 1. Rhythm 2. Woodwinds a. 4 or 5 players doubling on sax, clarinet, flute, and double reeds b. Flute 3. Brass a. 3–4 trumpets b. 3–4 trombones (bass trombone doubles on tuba) c. 2–3 horns 4. Strings a. 3 (at least) Violin I b. 2 (at least) Violin II c. 1 (at least) Viola d. 1 (at least) Cello e. Double bass optional 5. Harp

The attempt should be made to accommodate as many players as possible while taking into account musical and spiritual standards for personnel and available space and instrumentation. It is possible and quite probable that the band could have more players than needed for a certain instrument. For example, there are often too many guitarists. So the players should be rotated, so long as consistency and quality are not sacrificed. Keeping as many players involved as possible helps to keep interest and excitement up when working with volunteers. It also creates resources for additional groups or backup players when needed.

Musical and Spiritual Unity It is recommended that the band learn to read charts, or musical arrangements. Using written arrangements can significantly improve the musical quality of the group and make them more effective in leading worship. Live sound mixing should be utilized in rehearsal so the band can work with the audio crew to achieve a quality house and monitor mix. This would be facilitated by allowing the band to rehearse where they play during services, if possible. The sections of the band should be congregated to avoid "bleeding" between sections; i.e., try to keep instruments of one kind together and somewhat separated from other sections to avoid microphones picking up too much sound from those other sections. However, segmenting the orchestra too much should be avoided as well. Maintaining eye contact for signals is crucial. One person should be designated to give signals. Because the rhythm section is improvisatory by nature, musical responsibilities must be delineated and accompaniment patterns simplified so as to avoid musical confusion and cacophony (noise). The goal of every worship band or orchestra is to achieve a concerted symphonic (sounding-together) sound musically as well as spiritually. That is, to be in such musical and spiritual unity that the congregation is led into worship rather than distracted from it.