Can someone please explain worship music?

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marqueemoon
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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by marqueemoon » Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:46 pm

As someone who perhaps spends more time on Instagram than is healthy I've gotten to be very good at spotting the telltale signs of worship pedalboards.

- pedalboard is on clean carpet with a tasteful pattern
- shot is well lit in a way that shitty rock venues and practice spaces never are
- A Dusenberg, or boutique offset is visible in the shot
- tastefully weathered boots and/or clean and cuffed selvedge jeans visible in the shot
- any reference to Sunday in the caption
- visible drum shield or in-ear paraphernalia in the background
- visible XLR connection to the output of an amp simulation device

Jesus's favorite pedals (in no particular order):

Strymon Timeline, Big Sky, and Iridium
1981 DRV or a Rat if you must
JHS Morning Glory (duh)
Benson Preamp
Greer Litespeed
Walrus Julia
Anything Jackson Audio
Cali 76
Eventide H9
HX Stomp
Cabzeus
Tapestry Audio Bloomery (though they seem to be falling out of favor) A fancy volume pedal in general is a definite tell though, particularly when accompanied by several of the others and NOT paired with a wah.
Anything Goodwood

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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by s_mcsleazy » Sat Jun 12, 2021 1:35 am

marqueemoon wrote:
Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:46 pm
As someone who perhaps spends more time on Instagram than is healthy I've gotten to be very good at spotting the telltale signs of worship pedalboards.

- pedalboard is on clean carpet with a tasteful pattern
- shot is well lit in a way that shitty rock venues and practice spaces never are
- A Dusenberg, or boutique offset is visible in the shot
- tastefully weathered boots and/or clean and cuffed selvedge jeans visible in the shot
- any reference to Sunday in the caption
- visible drum shield or in-ear paraphernalia in the background
- visible XLR connection to the output of an amp simulation device

Jesus's favorite pedals (in no particular order):

Strymon Timeline, Big Sky, and Iridium
1981 DRV or a Rat if you must
JHS Morning Glory (duh)
Benson Preamp
Greer Litespeed
Walrus Julia
Anything Jackson Audio
Cali 76
Eventide H9
HX Stomp
Cabzeus
Tapestry Audio Bloomery (though they seem to be falling out of favor) A fancy volume pedal in general is a definite tell though, particularly when accompanied by several of the others and NOT paired with a wah.
Anything Goodwood
yeah, for some reason i've noticed they really like the 1981 DRV. i had one worship guitar player post a reply to my pedalboard saying "you need to loose the rat, they're so unusable try a 1981 DRV" and i remember thinking to myself "i've been using my rat II for 12 years and this dude who knows nothing about how i play is making assumptions? ok"

but you basically just hit the nail on the head with this post.

i've noticed amp wise (when there is an amp) it's usually some boutique amp that costs as much as a used 3 year old toyota corolla. for a while it was the matchless amps, then the dr. z amps, then the two rock amps. i've noticed there's usually a two notes attenuator.
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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by Veitchy » Sat Jun 12, 2021 3:28 am

marqueemoon wrote:
Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:46 pm
Jesus's favorite pedals (in no particular order):

Strymon Timeline, Big Sky, and Iridium
1981 DRV or a Rat if you must
JHS Morning Glory (duh)
Benson Preamp
Greer Litespeed
Walrus Julia
Anything Jackson Audio
Cali 76
Eventide H9
HX Stomp
Cabzeus
Tapestry Audio Bloomery (though they seem to be falling out of favor) A fancy volume pedal in general is a definite tell though, particularly when accompanied by several of the others and NOT paired with a wah.
Anything Goodwood
NGL, If I could roll my own board with no thoughts to budget a lot of those could be on there.

I also own some Redwings and a buncha blue Levis ???

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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Jun 12, 2021 6:38 am

Music and Christian worship have been hand in hand since I don't even know when... probably since the very start.

I can speak to Lutheran tradition somewhat, Martin Luther was a priest of course but he was also a well trained musician and songwriter, and he made sure that music was very prominent in what became Lutheran worship:

As Luther reformed the liturgy, he accorded full importance to the sermon and to community singing, see On the order of the divine service in the community in 1523. The singing called Choral singing was defined as an assertion of faith, and a spiritual commentary on biblical texts. It could be backed by an organ -chamber organs at the time-, or by an instrumental group.

To implement the change, worshippers had to be acquainted with music practice. Schools or parishes became responsible for vocal training, given by a “cantor”.

A hymn book also had to be designed and published. A team of musicians around Luther was in charge of the project that resulted in the geistliches Gesangbuchlein or small sacred song book. Luther himself composed thirty-six hymns on German texts, some based on psalms, others being spiritual commentaries, often adapted to folk melodies. But Luther did not discard the use of Latin, which he appreciated its facility in adapting it to music. Besides, some of his composer friends used both German and Latin.

Many of Luther’s hymns have survived, among which Eine feste Burg ist unser Gott (A mighty Fortress our God is still), or Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ lay in death’s bondage).

They are still in use in their simple harmony, but the themes were taken up in great polyphonies, those by Johann-Sebastian Bach being the most impressive.


Like Pastor Mike said above, the melodies would be kept simple in order that everyone in the congregation could sing along. The point is to encourage community.

As such, Martin Luther placed importance on singing songs in German and as such repurposed some Gregorian chant music with German lyrics (although not immediately as you read above). You may be aware that it was a big deal for Martin Luther to push the idea that the Bible should be printed in German instead of Latin, the idea was that the people of Germany at the time should be able to read and learn from the Bible themselves instead of having it preached at them in another language.

The same concept applied with music.

Anyway, I'm only discussing a bit of history here to illustrate that worship and music go hand in hand and always have, not trying to make value judgements or anything. I can't speak to other religious cultures very well, but I am certain that they all have their own wonderful singing and music. The fact is, music is a magic that all human beings have and every culture works that magic in fantastic ways and always has- always will.

Religious, not religious, it doesn't matter- celebrate that.

The reason that churches in the United States have Strymon pedals and guitars and PA systems is simply because a way too high percentage of musicians in the United States today are guitarists, and rock and roll has become so sanitized and universal in the American experience, so what else are you really going to find in churches today? That's the state of musicianship, technology and culture at the moment so that's what you will find.

When those factors were different, music in worship used singing, fewer and different instruments and buildings with natural reverb and amplification built into them.

I have no idea what the future is of spirituality, or music, or technology, but I do know that however human beings celebrate their spiritual lives in the future then music will be right along there with it, same as always- we can do no other.
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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by fleezinator » Sat Jun 12, 2021 8:13 am

jakeisjake wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 5:09 am
There is also a program called "Ambleton" (I think?) that "fills in the holes" of your band (no bass? Use the program!)
You’re thinking of Ableton Live, a DAW that is also used for performance mostly in the EDM scene. There are other tools that provide backing tracks that run on an iPad so a drummer could get the band back on the same page should a lead singer deviate, intentionally or not.

As others have mentioned, the point of worship music is to set an environment conducive to worship. That can look and sound like a lot of different things depending on culture. When it says to make a joyful noise unto the lord, all He really cares about is the heart and intent behind the music anyways.

I don’t doubt there’s some fancy gear on fancy stages but at our church, a Helix direct to the board is the easiest and cleanest solution. There’s definitely lots of “Edge-y” U2 sounds since that’s pretty benign but we’ve also done fun stuff as openers that serves a particular series like Satriani’s Summer Song, or a 3 electric guitar arrangement of the Superman theme song done up aka Iron Maiden. We loves the distortion around these parts.

The music can be fun or reflective but I t’s all heartfelt to me.

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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by marqueemoon » Sat Jun 12, 2021 8:59 am

Veitchy wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 3:28 am
marqueemoon wrote:
Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:46 pm
Jesus's favorite pedals (in no particular order):

Strymon Timeline, Big Sky, and Iridium
1981 DRV or a Rat if you must
JHS Morning Glory (duh)
Benson Preamp
Greer Litespeed
Walrus Julia
Anything Jackson Audio
Cali 76
Eventide H9
HX Stomp
Cabzeus
Tapestry Audio Bloomery (though they seem to be falling out of favor) A fancy volume pedal in general is a definite tell though, particularly when accompanied by several of the others and NOT paired with a wah.
Anything Goodwood
NGL, If I could roll my own board with no thoughts to budget a lot of those could be on there.

I also own some Redwings and a buncha blue Levis ???
Yeah. There are a few on the list I’d want to try. Definitely interested in a fancy volume pedal.

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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by s_mcsleazy » Sat Jun 12, 2021 1:17 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 6:38 am


The reason that churches in the United States have Strymon pedals and guitars and PA systems is simply because a way too high percentage of musicians in the United States today are guitarists, and rock and roll has become so sanitized and universal in the American experience, so what else are you really going to find in churches today? That's the state of musicianship, technology and culture at the moment so that's what you will find.

it's an interesting point. honestly, my understanding of church and worship music in the uk is really just an old lady playing hymms on an electric piano. granted, religion isn't as big an institution in the uk as it seems to be in america.
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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by jakeisjake » Sat Jun 12, 2021 5:51 pm

s_mcsleazy wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 1:17 pm


it's an interesting point. honestly, my understanding of church and worship music in the uk is really just an old lady playing hymms on an electric piano. granted, religion isn't as big an institution in the uk as it seems to be in america.
There's probably as many churches like this (an old lady playing hymns on an electric piano) than there are "contemporary" churches. We now have two services that blend traditional and contemporary; But we used to have two with one being traditional (that wasn't very traditional) and one that is contemporary (which wasn't very contemporary).
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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by noisepunk » Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:14 am

Ceylon wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 2:03 am
...what should I listen to to get the gist of what it's meant to be?
well, k-love seems to exist in every radio market, so you could just put that on. my own analysis is that most of it sounds like u2 crossed with nickelback, but somehow even more sanitized and self-aggrandizing. as someone who's a big fan of spiritual music from all over the world, i truly don't get the appeal, especially when your talking about a genre that for all intents and purposes exists in the same lineages as gospel, gregorian chants, shape note singing... even bare bones protestant music is more interesting, and to me seems more inline with christian ethos than soccer-dad rock gods and their solid gold rigs.

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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by Veitchy » Thu Jun 17, 2021 4:37 pm

noisepunk wrote:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:14 am
soccer-dad rock gods and their solid gold rigs.
I need to contrive a genre/musical mood that suits this as a band name. Possibly also a stagedressing option.

Related: Has anyone ever played doom metal whilst wearing a polo shirt?

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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by Embenny » Fri Jun 18, 2021 9:59 am

noisepunk wrote:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:14 am
my own analysis is that most of it sounds like u2 crossed with nickelback, but somehow even more sanitized and self-aggrandizing. as someone who's a big fan of spiritual music from all over the world, i truly don't get the appeal, especially when your talking about a genre that for all intents and purposes exists in the same lineages as gospel, gregorian chants, shape note singing... even bare bones protestant music is more interesting, and to me seems more inline with christian ethos than soccer-dad rock gods and their solid gold rigs.
Hilarious, well said, and I fully agree. I have enjoyed and been fascinated by sacred music from many different cultures and time periods on a musical and emotional level but cannot for the life of me find redeeming qualities in this recent trend. It is to sacred music what Kraft Singles are to cheese. It technically fits the definition but is a limp, mass-produced and flavourless descendent of something that once was full of flavour and reflected the diversity of each region and people who made it. And like Kraft Singles, it is apparently enjoyed by many. I won't shame people for enjoying either of those things, but I can confidently say that I've tried both with an open mind and don't feel the need to go back for more.

I should add that, when I say I can't find redeeming qualities in it, I mean on a musical level. I believe that anything that brings joy to people is good, and I fully recognize that the people who make and listen to this music get a lot out of it, which is a really positive thing. It's just completely musically uninteresting to me as someone who doesn't have that relationship with it, whereas many other forms of sacred music can fascinate, intrigue, or otherwise touch me without having to relate to its message or original intent.
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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by Singlebladepickup » Fri Jun 18, 2021 12:12 pm

mbene085 wrote:
Fri Jun 18, 2021 9:59 am
noisepunk wrote:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:14 am
solid gold rigs.
It is to sacred music what Kraft Singles are to cheese. It technically fits the definition but is a limp, mass-produced and flavourless descendent of something that once was full of flavour and reflected the diversity of each region and people who made it.
I find it to be more like musical Velveeta. People call it music and use it where music should be used instead, but it is golden-colored music substitute.

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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by s_mcsleazy » Fri Jun 18, 2021 12:37 pm

Veitchy wrote:
Thu Jun 17, 2021 4:37 pm


Related: Has anyone ever played doom metal whilst wearing a polo shirt?
no but my friend wears a lot of fred perry polo's and dropped my baritone while my amps and rat were on..... sounded like sunn o))) to me.
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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by Caddy65 » Sat Jun 19, 2021 3:19 pm

mbene085 wrote:
Fri Jun 18, 2021 9:59 am
noisepunk wrote:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:14 am
my own analysis is that most of it sounds like u2 crossed with nickelback, but somehow even more sanitized and self-aggrandizing. as someone who's a big fan of spiritual music from all over the world, i truly don't get the appeal, especially when your talking about a genre that for all intents and purposes exists in the same lineages as gospel, gregorian chants, shape note singing... even bare bones protestant music is more interesting, and to me seems more inline with christian ethos than soccer-dad rock gods and their solid gold rigs.
Hilarious, well said, and I fully agree. I have enjoyed and been fascinated by sacred music from many different cultures and time periods on a musical and emotional level but cannot for the life of me find redeeming qualities in this recent trend. It is to sacred music what Kraft Singles are to cheese. It technically fits the definition but is a limp, mass-produced and flavourless descendent of something that once was full of flavour and reflected the diversity of each region and people who made it. And like Kraft Singles, it is apparently enjoyed by many. I won't shame people for enjoying either of those things, but I can confidently say that I've tried both with an open mind and don't feel the need to go back for more.

I should add that, when I say I can't find redeeming qualities in it, I mean on a musical level. I believe that anything that brings joy to people is good, and I fully recognize that the people who make and listen to this music get a lot out of it, which is a really positive thing. It's just completely musically uninteresting to me as someone who doesn't have that relationship with it, whereas many other forms of sacred music can fascinate, intrigue, or otherwise touch me without having to relate to its message or original intent.

Well said. My sentiments exactly.

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Re: Can someone please explain worship music?

Post by Maggieo » Sat Jun 19, 2021 3:38 pm

Suburban White people: "Oh my, that Gospel music is sure nice! We should do our own version!"

Everyone else: "WHUT?"

SWP: "Pastor Jared has an acoustic guitar and Dr. Franklin has a fancy electric guitar with stripes in the wood. We should ask them to do some gospel music!"

Black folks: "WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT SHIT, Y'ALL!"
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