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Taken the leap

7K views 26 replies 13 participants last post by  Mzhickteno 
#1 ·
Hi Guys,

I've finally taken the leap and put myself forward to be in the church band in a prayer and praise evening service. I chose an evening as there are less people and it is much more chilled out.

I am a bit terrified now, it has been about 8 years since I have played in a group of any sort and in the past I have always had sheet music.

I have been practicing at home along to recordings of some of the songs we play at church and generally most of what I play sounds fine, some actually sounds quite good.

I am concerned that on the night I am going to be so scared of playing the wrong note that I will hardly play anything whereas when I am at home I am not scared to push it a bit. Does anyone have any advice for me, specifically how I can keep myself playing without being too worried that the next note is going to be wrong?

Thanks
James
 
#2 ·
Take deep breaths. Play to the SOUND not the notes. Trust your deity to hold your sound.

This is called "performance anxiety", and we all have it. You have to believe in yourself to get past it. Everyone else, especially your deity, already believes in you :)

Remember, the point is the sound, not whether you get anything "right" or not.
 
#3 ·
James, when I play or conduct, I always try to put myself in a state of consciousness that sees the music being channeled through me to the listeners; that I am just part of a system through which the music flows. My role is to act as a conduit, who does justice to the music as a participant and, perhaps, as an interpreter, and moves it along to the listeners.

By taking my ego out of the picture, I am more able to perform stress free. The more the ego is involved, the more ominous and, perhaps, inevitable lie pitfalls and traps (i.e. stage fright, playing errors, etc.) into which I can fall.

Since this performance is in a spiritual context, you might want to do a short meditation or prayer asking God to allow you let the music pour through you to the worshippers and that your performance be flowing with God's will and love, for the betterment of all who hear and participate in it.
 
#6 ·
Thanks very much Steve! And than kyou everybody for your advice, I will take heed. I've also started recording myself playing along to recordings I took from church a while back. I try to imagine myself being there, and see what I might do, then when I listen back I can see what works, what does'nt and realise it doesn't sound so bad!
 
#5 ·
Art Lande teaches a resolution exercise - whatever note you hit, know what note to hit next to resolve it. Unfortunately I don't remember it exactly, but the basic idea is to get back to the root, but you don't necessarily just jump there. So if you hit 2 or 3, you go to 1. If you hit 4 or 6, you go to 5 and then 1. Or something sort of like that. (I'll see if I can find my notes, but the odds are slim.) The idea is that nothing is "wrong" if you know what to do with it.

And playing less the first time you are playing with the group is fine, too, while you get a feel for it.
 
#7 ·
Yep,

Playing and conducting in church is what I do. And I try to always say a prayer before we play asking that my performance be for the Lord and not to glorify myself. Then I just put it all in His hands. That usually clears my jitters. I'm sure it will help you too.

And just remember that when you are playing in church, you are exactly where you are supposed to be, using the talent given specifically to you to do exactly what you are doing. Nowhere else in life can we be so sure about what we are doing. It's a privileged and it's the best feeling in the world.
 
#10 ·
I have been playing in a church band for about 12 years now and I still get a bit nervous when there is a part that people know and I don't want to mess it up. I go over it in my head and fingers several times and then play it. Since I play in a band where I am the only wind instrument and there are no written parts, I have to go over the MP3's and play along to get a feel for what I am going to do in a particular song. I have learned over the years that my purpose is to just add color to the songs, while not overshadowing the vocalists. I tend to lay out on verses and come in on choruses when the level is usual up. Sometime I will follow the vocal line or just lay down in the background, emphasizing certain notes. I try to keep it simple, and open it up if the song and mood call for it. Eventually, you find that a lot of the songs use familiar chord patterns and feel. After doing it for a while, it becomes much easier. It has always been a blessing to play and get positive feedback from people saying that they were moved and blessed by the music. So, let us know how it goes.

Sincerely,
Matt
 
#11 ·
Yeah, I think I'll try and keep low key and add more in as I get more confident, not try and do too much to begin with. It's on the 6th of Feb, as you mentioned I'll post how it went afterwards.

Thanks!
 
#12 ·
Heya,

Played yesterday and it went fine. I found the upbeat songs easier than the slower ones to play along to, but it all went ok. I wasn't mic-ed up, so people probably couldn't hear my more hesitant moments anyway, to be honest not sure how much they could hear.

Thanks for all the help!

James
 
#16 ·
Just keep at it. The more you perform, the better and more comfortable you will get.

I've found that in some ways, develop as a church musician is very different from secular musicians. In the secular world, you practice unseen and work hard by yourself to become good enough to get a chance to perform in front of a large audience. But for a church musician, the Lord often works things so we end up out in front of an audience with only a small modicum of developed talent and we are forced to grow in that talent while everyone watches. That forces us to walk and play by faith sometimes. And overtime, it tells the audience a story of faith that they just wouldn't get if we came out all polished and perfect the first time we set foot on stage. For me, this is a journey that I hope never ends.

Also, do you play from sheet music prepared for the sax or do you improvise or play along with melody by ear? I'm asking because I've developed some harmony and counter-melody stuff for a few church pieces. And in case you are lacking resources, I might have some that you find useful.
 
#14 ·
Definitely the upbeat ones are easier to navigate than the slower ones. The slower ones sometimes give you the great opportunity to speak through your horn and move people. I can really use the acoustics in our small setting and feel the congregation moving during some of our slow songs. But I also use them as a time to drop out and listen. It's all about adding color to the moment. Glad it went well! Unfortunately, I had the flu this Sunday and could not play, and all after being caught in the middle of our weather mess last week here in Fort Worth. Looks like we get more of it tomorrow! :)

Sincerely,
Matt
 
#15 ·
Keep in mind that you are playing for your church. I would guess that everyone is pulling for you to do well and if you mess up a little I think they will just be happy that you are giving your time and effort to try and make the service a little more enjoyable. I just read that it happened already. Well good for you. I hope you do it again. There is nothing like an upcoming public performance to keep you honest in the practice shed.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Reading your thread really surprises me. I'm in the same situation.

About a month ago, my sax teacher (my pastor's son), an accomplished jazz musician who plays piano and tenor saxophone so very well said that I can play on Tuesday evening Bible study service. Yes, less people, much less than the regular Sunday service. It's a bible study service so the sermon is rather heavy stuffs. But what is so nerve wreaking is the worship leader who leads the worships. They are the best among worship leaders in my church. One lady and one gentleman singer sings so well with unusual notes (for me at least) that gives me who plays Eb Alto fits. What's worse is that because the church hall is filled only 1/5 of the regular, when you make mistake, all can hear it. Of course I made the most mistakes the most often. Nervousness caused me to overblow and squeaks and being too afraid make my sound too timid and can't be heard. But at the end of the service I would go to my teacher who is either on the keyboard or bass guitar that night or if not playing, busy with the sound mixer to ask for a review and comment. His answer is so simple but also encouraging, "Just come every Tuesday evening and make it regular. You'll get use to it and play even better."
 
#26 ·
I think it is true and probably universal everywhere in the world that regular church band players makes the best musicians. Because in the church is where musicians play songs (most of the time same songs) over and over again every week. If at first a fresh musician plays with many mistakes, very soon he/she'll get better. Because every week is a practice to get better week. Past weeks mistakes no matter how great is all forgotten and forgiven :)
 
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