Guide for effective rehearsals at your church // Worship Leader Wednesday

[@worshiptutorials]

Fuller, WHY DO YOU TALK SO MUCH LOUDER THAN ME? - Brian 😂

[@brianmichaelfuller]

Worship Tutorials what?

[@kmbewe1]

Some people have stronger voices.

[@belindawillmoth4898]

Worship Tutorials I was about to comment, “did you strain your voice, BW?” Fuller is much louder. 😂

[@henryvanweeren7233]

Passion. Frustration. Let's go with passion.

[@noemisolisrivas6324]

Fuller I can see the Stress that you get... just talking on this video. I'm praying for you Bro. Say this when you are overwhelmed. "Peace..be still, Jehovah God is with you" I promise you He is.

[@northtrader]

Glad you guys emphasized 'people over production'. That's one piece I 'missed' when I was leading a team 15 years ago. Not only is the people's schedules and time valuable, but they themselves are valuable. Being intentional to place the importance of John 17 oneness above the productions and, yes, above even the schedule is very mature. Refreshing to hear you guys have an intentional "relationship building and edifying each other" time baked into your rehearsals.

[@2003egon1]

Thank you guys! So encouraging.

[@michellesigler8654]

❤ wow very helpful. I'm going to take this information and run with it and do my best. Thanks brothers in Christ

[@Mooseboy08]

I adore having rehearsals with our Praise Band. Everybody comes 100% done with their personal practice (a must!) so that we can concentrate on the best way to deliver the message. And of course, that means that the music selection is done way ahead of time (in our case, several days). And in my mind the best part about being totally rehearsed is that when it comes to the service, everyone is comfortable with the logistics and arrangements. And because of that, there have been so many times when a dynamic or a transition goes better in the service than it did in rehearsal because everybody is so in tune with each other. In particular, last week our final song in the praise set sounded very good in rehearsal, but at the service, it was PERFECT. Rehearsal and THE SPIRIT made that happen!

[@mikebarker9187]

@Porter Maxwell Next to the pipe organ.

[@mikebarker9187]

@Porter Maxwell And alongside the harp and lyre.

[@noemisolisrivas6324]

Thank u guys... we have 2 rehearsals a month, with band and choir....we do the same in our rehearsals. We have 1 full run through on our Saturday services. We'll work on tweeks before our 1st morning Sunday service...by our 3rd service its spot on... in our circle time in the green room, the Holy Spirit will give someone a word to share in our team. It's been amazing. Our pastor is doing a series on the Book of Revelation, the songs have been beautiful and focusing on Throne of God, our Worship, our complete surrender.

[@K_d_-dz6ps]

This was so helpful and profound. As a worship leader, I totally agree: People above performance. And don’t make them stay beyond the expected time. #INTEGRITY 😇. God bless you and your ministry!

[@Theweeze100]

Just wanted to let you know I really appreciate the heart behind your approach with these videos. I am always encouraged, and very frequently come away with something new. Please continue to do what you’re doing as it is an extremely valuable resource for the body.

[@billmonroe9090]

Devotional Time sounds amazing! I love it! We don’t currently have a mid-week rehearsal, only Sunday morning. As a drummer, most weeks I spend the whole time in the booth with no verbal communication with the band until rehearsal is over.

[@JenieveRobertB]

This was very helpful....thank you boy you have saved me and my team from the pains we have been experiencing....wow...I will definitely implement these'life savers"

[@hosiannafaulds4021]

"I would rather have some loose grooves and some wrong chords and have integrity and have the people have fun and enjoy themselves, than have it sound like an album and everybody be like, "I'm not serving on this team again." Can I get an AMEN?!! Definitely not an excuse for not going for excellence, but at the end of the day, people over product is always the main goal. Thank you for this guys!

[@leonrice8399]

Great stuff guys!!

[@agnesr.4664]

Point 3: I get it - it is all about honoring your musicians and their time. However. This point needs to be balanced in the other direction as well: We as musicians being on the team is itself an honor and we ought to be humble about it, not as if our talent is granting us the task. God calls and then gifts not the other way around. So, it is not us doing the leader a favor by attending, but it is us receiving favor to minister to God and people. That is why musicians must be punctual (at least in our team it is a deal breaker). I believe, honoring each others time goes both ways.

[@jabezrbrain]

I agree with the communication thing - BUT - many people I am learning, complain - "I dont use email. I dont check email - I didnt get the email." etc... No matter WHAT form of communication you ATTEMPT - someone or many will ALWAYS say they didnt get it or dont use that method. So, expect some level of pushback. Good luck!

[@davidsuperdock7940]

I like what you're saying about not needing production there for an entire reheasal - I just have a couple practical questions about how you can manage without them in the beginning of your rehearsal. 1 - How does the band hear themselves without monitoring and someone to manage those mixes? 2 - What do you do about lyrics for singers? Are they literally all memorized?

[@worshiptutorials]

Our sound, lighting, and lyrics volunteers are there for the entire rehearsal. It's the other production volunteers that come at the middle (cameras, etc). I think for most churches who aren't doing video stuff, the whole production crew should be there for the entire rehearsal. But it's important that worship leaders and teams don't waste their time if they are there - for example if they show up and just sit there while the band tries to figure out how to play the song, that's bad. Hope that helps!

[@davidsuperdock7940]

Worship Tutorials ah yes totally understand what you’re saying, thanks.

[@mikebarker9187]

Your sound guy should be there prior to others with your stage plot in his hand, and his line checks should be finished before musicians walk onto stage. You should do a video on how to do a proper sound check. Not from a tech perspective of sliders and knobs, but from a human musician perspective of the methodical, systematic movement from person to person, from spot to spot, with somebody in charge on stage working with the board guy. Good vid. And there's much more to cover.

[@briharper429]

These videos are so effective

[@sublyme2157]

Thanks guys, helpful as always!

[@danielmyers3099]

Can you guys do a worship leader Wednesday for youth worship leading?

[@brianmichaelfuller]

Daniel Myers all of the same leadership principles should apply in a youth situation as well. With the exception of dealing with the intricacies of making sure to include parents when appropriate! That’s important

[@dominikf.zsindely851]

Thank you 🙏🙏🙏

[@IsidroRabacca]

Learning a lot from this topic. thanks guys. :)

[@nimsocproductions]

Great stuff great information thanks for sharing!

[@TheLukePartridge]

Love how Fuller completely lost his mind at 3:53.😂

[@Mooseboy08]

11:11 THIS! Not only for Praise Bands, but for every musician that rehearses with any group. Do you homework ;)

[@miltonrichards5532]

Love what you guys do! Have you considered using lapel mics? Some of us are a little hard of hearing. :)

[@martinrosa1240]

Hey guys could y’all please do a cover/tutorial on Kim Walker’s Smith-Spirit Breakout

[@DalisBattle]

Martin Rosa Thank you because I never heard her version, I only heard William McDowell’s.

[@anthonylee4142]

As an electric guitar player, how do you approach your worship leader if it’s decided the night of rehearsal that they want to change the key of one of the songs after the first run through and then the want to play it in the changed key immediately after in the next run though with the other musicians having to transpose on the spot? It’s happened more than I can count on one hand. When you take weeks to prepare the song in a particular key and then it’s changed (even sometimes requiring my guitar to be detuned since we play songs in already lower keys than the originals) , it can be very frustrating. Thanks !

[@ashking413]

The thing that you can do is to be stern in your opinion. Tell the worship leader that you can't change the scale/key. If he is not cooperating, then tell him to find some other musician.

[@jpement]

Same thing happened to me constantly, so much so that whenever I learned a new song I would also learn it in another key. Over time my knowledge of alternate positions and the fretboard expanded. Surprise key changes sucked, but it made me a much better electric player in the long run. As a result I'm not worried about that so much anymore and I can cope with last minute changes. Other people's lack of planning sucks, but if you stick it out you can use their disorganization as an avenue to become a stronger player.

[@basswulf]

What’s the reason for changing keys? Did the leader download a chart and this is their first time trying it? That isn’t too impressive (although it can be hard to nail a key that works live in a home practice environment). On the other hand, if it is clear other singers are struggling then it isn’t so unreasonable. Better at the rehearsal than at the even! In a spirit of service, perhaps it would be worth spending less time learning all the details of the guitar part off the record and more on building your transposition chops?

[@tylerfred7514]

As noted previously it depends on why they are changing. The singer cant sing it, and the md wasn't aware until then, not much you can do. As to approach them, just be honest and behind closed doors. DO NOT do this in front of the group. It will feel like they are being undermined and then your opinion will just be thrown to the side. 3rd and late thing. ( dont read this as an attack, I mean this from a place of helping you grow) How long have you been playing? I say this to say that in general changing keys especially on guitar (I play guitar) isn't the craziest thing to do, just drop down or up on the frets. Now I have practiced this though so changing keys is not out of left field for me, could be for you and that's ok, but that is a skill that you should aim to develop. Do you know the number system and are comfortable with that? If so that will allow you to jump into different keys more quickly. If it is a song that requires open strings, let the md know that as of that moment, you cant do that due to needing to learn the fingering and potentially use of a capo to get correct notes. Either way I would still talk with MD so you both are on same page. Most arguments and bad feelings happen when communication is not in the picture

[@marcusmaciel9042]

Love that guitar!!! What is that? And thanks for shareing your ideas with us. Greetings from Brazil

[@jamesdanko2465]

My team had our first Christmas practice yesterday and it left me with an interesting question. I’m scheduled to play electric for our Christmas Eve service but I’m not really sure what I should do or what that means. What kind of tones/things should I be looking for/doing/practicing?

[@JonathanRob]

Devotional time is important

[@madisonmueller5733]

Who is running the 30 min vocal rehearsal at the beginning? Is the pianist playing parts for them?

[@Wells306]

Our church does that. I’m never really a fan of it though, because it’s usually like trying to herd a bunch of cats who didn’t practice ahead of time and it just means starting rehearsal later for everyone else.

[@saucydanny6140]

Amen

[@Ryberg2.0]

How do you guys handle it when your pastor requests a song for the coming Sunday, which only a couple members of the team know? It doesn't happen often, but it does happen once in a while...

[@Wells306]

Ryan Bergeron Part of it is being flexible, but also it’s about setting clear boundaries and expectations. Changing/adding a song at the last minute is just as frustrating if not worse than changing keys. In the end, it’s about clear communication whether it’s through the band members or with the pastor.

[@rustyquinio3007]

Is it bad to have rehearsal Sunday morning before the service will start.

[@danielfmyers]

Rehearsal Mix should be renamed Practice Mix.

[@JohnDoe-jc3cl]

Never once do these guys talk about being lead by the Holy Spirit

[@benjaminthancock]

Because it’s very vague and can mean something completely different from person to person. So talking about practical ways we can lead can alleviate rehearsal stresses and allow us be more present and open to hearing the Holy Spirit move through our time of worship.

[@worshiptutorials]

We actually talk about it quite a bit in our worship leading/leadership focused content. But we tend to focus on the more practical aspects of leading worship.

[@JohnDoe-jc3cl]

@@worshiptutorials I do appreciate you guys getting back to me. Sometimes when a person writes comments, they’re in a different mindset a few days later. I’m reviewing your video here again. Maybe I was being too spiritual. What you’re talking about here is really good to know as a Worship Leader; “ Logistics “ I think? all the nuts and bolts things to make Worship practice more smooth and productive with the time that you have during the week.

[@MDRNClassic]

I get music 10min before service sometimes 😱

[@Mooseboy08]

Ouch! That's not fair to anybody.

[@MDRNClassic]

#wingingit

[@nldblanch]

@@MDRNClassic Spirit led worship

[@robertlennox3607]

That’s not cool, it’s actually disrespectful to musicians to do that. When I used to lead worship for a Sunday service, I would always try and get music to the band as early in the week as possible. Being organised is respectful to your team.

[@Brianmasangkay]

Ytghg

[@allstarsnetwork1602]

The more you’re stick to tracks and clicks.. it poors all out of the creativity. If tou have a bunch of people of a certain level, you can perfom any cermon without rehears

[@keyofjhay9175]

I love your tips but the way you laugh its not right