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Transitions In Worship
- Branon Dempsey
-
Published September 23, 2008
- Instrumental Training: Guitar and Keyboard
Fast to Medium
Medium to Slow
Suggested Songs for this style (and song theme) as indicated by video:
Coming from Beautiful One (Or Similar):
Medium Tempo to Fast
D (C) - Today Is The Day (Brewster)
D (C) - I Am Free (Egan)
D (E) - Angels From The Realms Of Glory (Chapman)
D (E) - Everyday (Brewster)
E - Everything That Has Breath (Redman)
E (F) - Rising (Baloche)
E (F) - All The Earth Will Sing Your Praises (Baloche) Lincoln Brewster Version.
E (F) - Arise (Moen)
E - Sing Sing Sing (Tomlin)
G (A) - Forever (Tomlin)
A - Real (Gateway)
A - Trading My Sorrows (Evans)
A (G) - Your Grace Is Enough (Tomlin)
Medium Tempo to Slow:
D (E) - When I Survey (Tomlin)
D (E) - All Creatures of Our God and King (Crowder)
D (Eb) - Be The Centre (Vineyard)
E (F) - Open The Eyes of My Heart (Baloche)
E (F) - This Is Our God (Hillsong)
E (F) - Here I Am To Worship with Call (Hughes/Hillsong)
G (F) - Surrender (Brewster)
G (F) - Oh For A Thousand Tongues To Sing (Crowder)
A - Amazed (Jared Anderson)
A (Bb) (C) - How Great Is Our God (Tomlin)
A (B) (Bb) - Everlasting God (Brewster)
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Perfecting Your Practice
- Branon Dempsey
-
Published June 21, 2008
- Directing & Leading
Does Practice Make
Perfect?
Well not exactly…but you do become more familiar and proficient in your
skill-set. Because time is the most valuable commodity, we desire to make the
most of it. How about perfecting your practice time?
You may call me an outdoor sports junkie. Sports has always been apart of my life as well as the injuries. I’ve played a lot in the past, but even more so, I have revisited my love for the game and process of golf. Whether I’m on the range or in the fairway, or in between, I play about 2-4 times per week.
This past weekend I re-learned a new concept: visualization and evaluation; they are key mental factors to any athletic motion. Simply, before you perform a shot, visualize the target and visualize seeing yourself in the approach, swing and follow-through. The main purpose for the range is to rehearse your game; while the coarse is your game to have fun. Most people use the range as their only attempt for golf. A built in instinct says “grip-it-and-rip-it.” People spend hours on end rehearsing the same bad shots without paying attention to what the body (not the ball) is actually doing. The ball constantly screams out of control and they walk away frustrated because they don’t hit like Tiger. Here’s a kernel of truth: it’s not the amount of time but the quality that makes your practice perfect. True, Tiger spent hours as a kid on the putting green, but he spent more quality time in perfecting his practice for the game.
How we visualize and evaluate a process will help produce a more effective result. Tie this into our love and sport of music. Usually, when we first arrive to rehearsal, all we want to do is “go-at-it,” like the grip-it-and-rip-it theory. I’ve heard of rehearsals lasting 4-5 hours in a single evening, when more than half of the time the band was focused on “jamming.” The other half of the time is practicing that same one chord, line or lick (this also takes 1-2 hours). Oh, you’ve heard of this too? Problem #1: you have a service to prepare for this weekend. Problem #2: you don’t have time to practice during the week. Problem #3: you wait until rehearsal to make up for your practice time. In this setting, where was the time spent on visualizing and evaluating technique, approach and execution? Unfortunately all the time was spent at the sacrifice of quality.
The rehearsal is much like the golf range; a space where you practice for
the main event. But true concept of visualization and evaluation begins at
home. Whether if you sing or play an instrument, our technique, approach and
execution needs to be rehearsed in a setting where we can individually focus.
How much time does it take? Not much, just 10 minutes a day is fine. This can
be done as a stress relief before or after work, or even just before you go to
bed (this may be the best time). It’s about the process of repetition. Muscle
memory (kinetics) takes over as your body remembers the process. You want to
use your practice time like a mirror, where you can visualize what you are
doing and evaluate your execution. By the time you get to rehearsal, you will
spend less time thinking “what-am-I-suppose-to-do?” or “how-did-I-do-that?” and
more time on “this-is-what-I-do,” and “this-is-how-I-do-it.” You will be
surprised at your ability to focus on the actual music because you took time
earlier in the week to get down your technique. Even easier, when you arrive at
the worship service, you’ve mentally and physically prepared and you are ready
to worship and have fun! This is what the service should be: serving God,
serving others. Now, you are not focused on “you,” but focused on the right
priorities. So, make it happen and begin to perfect your practice time. You’ll
improve your game as you will have more fun and more time.
Jackson - post
Wow, this is good, it really inspire me to practice more. thanks!
Debra - post
Outstanding!
Time is a precious commodity, one which can never be "recovered". For
those of us who are passionate about music, this is a very simple,
enjoyable concept: do what you love! What a great stress relief and
release. Not bringing our best offering to God is robbery--and God
agrees! Here's to more practice and to having worshipful fun on Sunday.
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Guitar Tech-Tips
- By Branon Dempsey
-
Published June 17, 2008
- Guitars
9 Ways to String Recipe
Many of you may have a system down as there are 1001 ways to
string a guitar. Here are a few tips I generally follow.
Ingredients: Guitar, new strings, pliers, neck rest system
and cleaner-polish.
Steps:
1. Rest Guitar on a neck rest system to ease stress.
2. Don't rip off those strings yet! Try this idea.
a. Change
one string at a time; leave the remaining strings on until complete.
b. Work
outer-strings first to inner strings: E and E, A and B, D and G. (as shown).
This method
ensures the fret board and truss rod from bending too much during typical
string changing.
While keeping tension on the guitar with the old strings as
you change-out with the new strings one by one, the guitar truss rod will not
freak-out.
3. Put on each new string, thread the string through the
machine head with one hand, keep tension on the string slack with the other
hand.
4. After threading the string through, at the top end of the
string, bend it back once and hold down to make the string lock over the
existing loop. This ensures no slippage.
a. Wind the number of loops per peg-shaft.
D – 4 G - 5
A – 3 B - 6
E – 2 E - 6
5. The string needs to be wound completely down to the
peg-shaft over the nut to make each loop smooth as it winds. Be sure to
check/press bridge pins down on the other end of the guitar before and during
winding to ensure the string's seating.
6. As you wind the machine head to tighten the string, keep
tension down on the slack to ensure a smooth wind around the peg-shaft. Tune-up
to the string's tuning note.
7. After initial tuning of new string, take one hand near
the sound hole and locate the new string. On the top of the fretboard, press
down on the new string with your thumb and hold; with fingers 3-4 pull up on
the string to stretch. Work your way down the fretboard as a combination of
thumb and fingers – pulling the string easily from frets 12, 7, 5, 3. This
process helps stretch and breaks in the string more evenly.
8. Repeat above steps on other strings – working your way
from outer to inner strings.
9. Wipe-down strings and guitar with Martin Guitar Polish.
Play at 350 degrees as long as you like – caution: fret
board may still be hot!
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Copyright 2008, Worship Team Training: Workshops and Resources to Inspire, Create and Transform the Leading of Worship.