2. It’s too loud

6 05 2011

Don’t have a lot of time this afternoon, so I’ve decided to address the glaring, yet simple complaint with today’s worship music: “It’s too loud”

I think this one can be summed up in 2 words: BAD MIX

I’ve been in traditional Easter services where the Orchestra is pushing 110 Db and the entire senior community is present and loving it!  So, I think we can say with confidence that when people complain about a 4 piece band running 95Db that the real issue isn’t volume, it’s the mix*.

I have run sound enough to know that when the average person complains about the mix, they generally don’t say things like, “I’m suffering from listening fatigue” or “The cymbals seem harsh, can you roll back the highs a bit” or “The vocals are way out front. Anyway to get them back in the mix.”  Nope, it’s will almost always, “This music is too loud” or, more specifically, “The drums are too loud!”

So, if your a senior or worship pastor:
Invest in some great FOH engineers. Acoustically treat your room. Isolate your gear(you can’t run your rig like The Edge unless you have 10,000 people in your venue). Invest in good equipment. And I promise you this: it will go a long way in unifying your church in terms of music.

If your a congregation member:
Administer some grace, churches aren’t run on elaborate budgets (at least yours probably doesn’t), and it’s likely your leaders are doing their best.  And in the meantime, feel free to offer constructive,  heartfelt, criticism and loving, authentic encouragement. (And try to do more of the latter than the former).

What do you think?  Do you agree? Do you disagree?

*This is a general statement. Sometimes, it’s just TOO LOUD!


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Categories : For Worship Leaders, Teachings on Worship

4 Common Issues With Today’s Worship Music

26 01 2011

Over the next few days/weeks, I’d like to address some common concerns and misunderstandings with todays new worship music.  If your a young worship, I know you deal with these. If your an older believer, there’s a chance you have thought one or all of these things. Things like: “Todays new music is too loud” or “Why are the songs so repetative.” (I’m also tossing the idea around of doing a “4 common issues with older music” but that’s for another day) I’d like to address these common issues for 4 reasons:

1. These are generally complaints that divide our generations in worship, which is not God’s heart. At all. As Bob Kauflin has said: “When we segregate our worshippers because of music, we perpetuate the idea that music has more power to divide us than the gospel does to unite us.”  Very challenging

2. If we never address these things, countless believers will continue to walk into church with a heart to worship and walk out discouraged or upset. This shouldn’t be so.  I think misunderstanding and communication are at the root of our problems here.

3. Unity has always been the precursor for outpourings of God. Look at the church right before pentecost: unified. And in Acts 4, even after persecution: unified. It’s almost as if unity is the vessel that allows the church to host a mighty move of the Holy Spirit. And I think that is what most of us really want.

4. I’m hearing some of this in my own congregation and I would love for those of you reading who are a part of riverside to be able to hear my heart, even if we haven’t gotten a chance to talk personally.

So that’s it. I’ll have a new post up in the next few days.  I’d love for this to be a conversation, so feel free to comment. Good or bad.

Cole


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Categories : Songs and Music, Teachings on Worship


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