Add Some Flavor

I was talking to a drummer the other night about worship drumming. The post below contains some different thoughts that may help you as a worship team.

The drummer is not the focus of worship. The drummer is the musical foundation of the band, yes, but what the drummer does should not detract from the point of worship, which is to worship. The goal of the worship drummer is to support the band by providing a steady tempo, add a level of flavor, but not detract from the singing which is the purpose of the worship team.  It's not about the drummer. Overbearing fills during lyrical moments detract from worship. Thoughtful fills during musical transitions add depth to the song.

We have the opportunity to create dynamic lead lines, poignant harmonies, and a rich sound, but the pause, the breath, the rest, makes everything else important.

Great percussionists of all genres know that the most important note that a drummer plays is a rest because it adds flavor and contrast to the song.

The rest/pause makes the notes prominent. In the case of a worship drummer, adding a rest removes you from the picture in that brief moment and makes everything else that just happened around you more important, which when it's a Godly lyric, emphasizes the attention being placed on God. So, as a team, when you're in a bridge and have a full band pause, the focus will be fully on what you're singing.

Worship music isn't about any one instrument being more important than what we're saying and expressing to God as a corporate body.

Just some thoughts.