Comments on: Using a Click http://www.loopsinworship.com/blog/transitioning-your-band-to-using-loops/transitioning-your-band-to-using-loops-using-a-click/ Training and Tools for Worship Leaders to Create and Use their own loops Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:13:04 +0000 hourly 1 By: Andrew Catron http://www.loopsinworship.com/blog/transitioning-your-band-to-using-loops/transitioning-your-band-to-using-loops-using-a-click/#comment-8 Andrew Catron Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:25:47 +0000 http://www.loopsinworship.com/blog/?p=34#comment-8 I think that using a click for rehearsal and live performance is one of those things that is way underrated. When I first went on staff at my current church, I immediately made it a primary goal of mine to get all of the bands on click. My approach was to use it in rehearsal, but not in live performance until everyone was comfortable with it. Here are a few reasons why click can be so beneficial: 1. The identity of music is greatly influenced by the tempo it is performed at (imagine Cannon in D performed at 180). My church performs "How Great Is Our God" at 76 - that song gets it's feel from that tempo. The lyrics and melody were written with that tempo in mind. If you started that song around 76, but by the last choruses, were at 60 or 95, the song no longer is able to impact the way it was written to. In fact, it will distract from the worship experience. Keeping a song at it's appropriate tempo allows it to sound the way it is supposed to. 2. "The proof is in the pudding" No matter how accomplished the band is, unless you are able to play along with click, the timing needs work. The typical first reaction to click is that it just makes things more difficult, but really, it's the lack of internal timing that makes it difficult for the player to play along. With the click playing out the tempo perfectly, you can call out rhythm cues and the band can hear exactly where the beat is. For example, if a song has a push on the "and of 4", the whole band can listen for that beat in the measure to come, and then nail it. There is no estimating or guessing where the drummer or the piano player is going to play it at and then trying to follow. Describing where a series of "hits" are to the band will make sense when you say "and of 3, and of 4, then back in on beat 1" and they can place those hits in the appropriate place as the click keeps the time going. One last example, let's say you really want to drive that last chorus and make it big, so you tell the band to do a two measure build into it. The problem is that it can be difficult to do a two measure, 8th note build, and not speed up. I have literally heard a band pick up 10-15 bpm of speed in just two measures of build! Yikes. Also, no one has to try to start the song at the right tempo from memory - just fire the click and go. 3. Having the band on click provides the frame work to incorporate any pre-recorded or pre-sequenced material into a live performance. Once the band is comfortable with the click running while they play, you can program loops or record supplementive instrument parts and no one has anything time-wise to adjust to. They just notice that all kinds of cool stuff is playing along with the band. Then, you can take it a step further with Loops in Worship to be able to interact with loops like another instrument on the stage. I think that using a click for rehearsal and live performance is one of those things that is way underrated. When I first went on staff at my current church, I immediately made it a primary goal of mine to get all of the bands on click. My approach was to use it in rehearsal, but not in live performance until everyone was comfortable with it. Here are a few reasons why click can be so beneficial:

1. The identity of music is greatly influenced by the tempo it is performed at (imagine Cannon in D performed at 180). My church performs “How Great Is Our God” at 76 – that song gets it’s feel from that tempo. The lyrics and melody were written with that tempo in mind. If you started that song around 76, but by the last choruses, were at 60 or 95, the song no longer is able to impact the way it was written to. In fact, it will distract from the worship experience. Keeping a song at it’s appropriate tempo allows it to sound the way it is supposed to.

2. “The proof is in the pudding” No matter how accomplished the band is, unless you are able to play along with click, the timing needs work. The typical first reaction to click is that it just makes things more difficult, but really, it’s the lack of internal timing that makes it difficult for the player to play along. With the click playing out the tempo perfectly, you can call out rhythm cues and the band can hear exactly where the beat is. For example, if a song has a push on the “and of 4″, the whole band can listen for that beat in the measure to come, and then nail it. There is no estimating or guessing where the drummer or the piano player is going to play it at and then trying to follow. Describing where a series of “hits” are to the band will make sense when you say “and of 3, and of 4, then back in on beat 1″ and they can place those hits in the appropriate place as the click keeps the time going. One last example, let’s say you really want to drive that last chorus and make it big, so you tell the band to do a two measure build into it. The problem is that it can be difficult to do a two measure, 8th note build, and not speed up. I have literally heard a band pick up 10-15 bpm of speed in just two measures of build! Yikes.

Also, no one has to try to start the song at the right tempo from memory – just fire the click and go.

3. Having the band on click provides the frame work to incorporate any pre-recorded or pre-sequenced material into a live performance. Once the band is comfortable with the click running while they play, you can program loops or record supplementive instrument parts and no one has anything time-wise to adjust to. They just notice that all kinds of cool stuff is playing along with the band. Then, you can take it a step further with Loops in Worship to be able to interact with loops like another instrument on the stage.

]]> By: Jake Sumner http://www.loopsinworship.com/blog/transitioning-your-band-to-using-loops/transitioning-your-band-to-using-loops-using-a-click/#comment-7 Jake Sumner Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:40:03 +0000 http://www.loopsinworship.com/blog/?p=34#comment-7 I really appreciate the end of this post about keeping high expectations but stretching them over a longer time frame. Reading this post and rethinking my approach, led to a breakthrough in introducing clicks and loops with our band last night. After several weeks of trying out clicks and loops for all the songs we were doing in a set, I decided we would just focus on one song. We rehearsed all 4 songs for the night with no clicks or loops first. They were all familiar tunes so this only took about 30 minutes. With the remainder of our rehearsal time, we focused on playing a fully sequenced loop with a click on just one song. It took a few tries but they finally got it. For many of the musicians, it was their first time experiencing really locking in with the click. It's exciting to see our band start to play at this level. I'm looking forward to where our band will be in a few months if we just get confident playing one song per week with a click/loop. This new approach definitely made practice less stressful and a lot more fun! For the full story check out my post at www.jakesumner.com Thanks again for the challenge, encouragement and resources! I really appreciate the end of this post about keeping high expectations but stretching them over a longer time frame. Reading this post and rethinking my approach, led to a breakthrough in introducing clicks and loops with our band last night. After several weeks of trying out clicks and loops for all the songs we were doing in a set, I decided we would just focus on one song. We rehearsed all 4 songs for the night with no clicks or loops first. They were all familiar tunes so this only took about 30 minutes. With the remainder of our rehearsal time, we focused on playing a fully sequenced loop with a click on just one song. It took a few tries but they finally got it. For many of the musicians, it was their first time experiencing really locking in with the click. It’s exciting to see our band start to play at this level. I’m looking forward to where our band will be in a few months if we just get confident playing one song per week with a click/loop. This new approach definitely made practice less stressful and a lot more fun!

For the full story check out my post at http://www.jakesumner.com

Thanks again for the challenge, encouragement and resources!

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