There is an awful lot you can learn from just watching bands play, more so bands that are doing it for a living.

reason is.. they are doing it for a living because they are producing music that people are willing to pay for.

Recently I was up at a concert and I listened to the song and watched what each person did.. You never saw any one person trying to dominate the song.. meaning.. trying to do everything and always play..

No it was quite the opposite, they only played their parts.. now that might sound funny as people might say.. well of course they are only playing their parts.. but what I mean by that is..

Keyboard playing for example.. It can either be good or horrid based on how much is being played.. now it depends on the style and the song. If the song calls for the keyboard to be playing through out the entire song.. fine!.. But if its only met to fill in here and there.. and then everywhere else just add in some backup quiet synth.. thats all it should be doing..

Here is an example.. You hear a song on the radio or you hear a song from a cd.

Your worship team pulls everyone together to learn it, and instead of each person going away taking that song and breaking it down, so they fully know what parts they are to play, when to play and when not to play… it usually ends up being a case of everyone is trying to do everything.. and while it still may end up sounding ok..

Its the difference between why some people get paid for a living to do music and those who dont.

Agendas are im sure one of the biggest obstacles that needs to be overcome in a band.. I mean how many stories have you heard of where.. bands have split because 1 or 2 people had major egos or.. they just wanted to do it their way and not be told to do it another way??? tons of bands!..

The bands that last! and keep earning a living from doing Music, Worship whatever it might be usually are people who have gotten together and said.. here is the song.. lets not just start playing it.. lets work out what you should or could be doing in this part, or lets try having you play this and. ill play this, or you dont play in this part at all.. then come in at the end only.. or.. we dont need people singing through the whole song.. just add in a harmony at this part and this part and thats it!.

Basically!…. what does the song call for???

If it doesn’t call for certain part.. dont play it or sing it. give it room to breath! That might mean putting your equipment down and stipping the song back to the basics of an acoustic or piano and then building upon that