Vineyard East Worship

11

variety is the spice of life … and worship! from another worship leader in a small church (plant) currently and experienced in all sizes I’d say … use what you get when you get it and don’t worry about changing off now and then with different drums and instruments. God is on the case no matter what! )

10

I have played drums at church in a few different venues. Some large rooms, some weird shaped rooms, and some small rooms.

We have tried the drum shield thing, and that worked to a degree, but be careful if you do try it out. The shield only redirects sound, it doesn’t make it go away. In some rooms that can make the “brighter” sounds (like cymbals and snare drum) bounce off the back wall and ceiling. Plus, the shield can give the drummer the idea they can play however loud they want and the people running sound will take care of it and it will sound ok, which isn’t always the case. And the shield can isolate the drummer from the rest of the band making communication difficult.

The last church I was in was so concerned about controlling the drum volume they spent $6k on a roland td-20. As far as electronic drums go, those are the very best. They are versatile, but it can take a long time to understand the programming and make them sound “real.” Plus, there’s no way to compensate for the lack of that “real drum” feel. They can be more of a hassle than they are worth, in my opinion. And now that church has a $6k drum set sitting on the shelf…

The church I am at now has a medium sized room with acoustic drums. The stage is smaller than I am used to, and can get very loud very quickly. Playing with sticks is just too loud for this room. I have switched to playing mainly with hot rods (different sticks that have less attack and volume than regular sticks). At first it was a bummer. Playing loud is fun and learning how to make these sticks sound good took some effort. Making the switch opened up a whole new world of sounds to use creatively for me though. It has been a lot of fun discovering a new way to play, and knowing the lower volume can help the church connect during our times of worship is great.

All that to say drums are a really great addition to any worship team, and they can help create an atmosphere where people can connect to God through music, but they can also be a big distraction if the volume is an issue. I have been on both sides of this . Communicating with your drummer about volume issues and working with them to make adjustments is best. Some people will resist, as I did for many years, but in the end the worship team exists to lead the congregation into worship and to do that best sometimes we have to change the way we do things.

~Jon

9

Hi Spring,

We are in the same position with about 75 people on a good Sunday. I’ve yet to get the drum kit I’ve been dreaming about. I too have never encompassed the idea of electric drums but the other day when I was in Guitar Center I just happened to check out the high end electric drums and was blown away!

The high end $ was between $3000 and $4000. If money was no object I would go that route.

But back to your post I think alternating would be a great idea. Keeps the congregation on their toes.

8

Hi Spring,
We set up in a gym with all hard surfaces (cement). We purchased the drum shields and backed up with absorption foam in the back of the drummer. Extra setup but all worth the sound quality. I’ve created a PVC stand up frame to connect and disconnect. This will take away some of the over ringing of the acoustic drums. We use plastic rings to tone down the drum toms. Works great. I alternated with an acoustic set week also. It works.

7

Oh man, in my hear I am SO anti-electronic drums, but in my head I KNOW the echo in that cafeteria with concrete walls is going to be a huge issue.

On a bright note, yesterday I had an older gal (not OLD, but with grown children heehee), told me she is a music teacher, and can play a variety of instruments… and her husband was a sound guy in their past churches! So I need to sit down with my list and see what my options might be again. Which leads to a new thread I am going to start- “how do you audition your musicians?”

Feeling really good about alternating and seeing what happens!

6

We have a few drummers, but i would think that having the rotation would give a more intimate setting on the “Off” weeks…which is never a bad thing when it comes to worship. I wish we’d dial it down a bit more often…

In His grip,
Mike

5

When we met in a school we had the same dilemma. We did add drums based on the availability of drummers – this was about every other week. I’d do it again if I had the chance. It made a huge difference in the worship response of the people. The “week off” of drums created a perceived need that others later stepped in to fill.

Note – one thing we did do is use an electric kit. I much prefer the sound of an acoustic kit, but the sound levels overwhelmed the echo chamber we were meeting in with a small group of folks. Electric was also alot easier to set up and take down. As we grew we did switch to an acoustic kit.

Blessings,
Sean

4

Thanks, guys. That is good to hear. Might possibly put off the full drum kit on Sundays for a bit, and alternate some simpler teams for people to have a break, and book a night of worship where we combine everyone for a big rockin’ team. And once people get refreshed from playing less often (half of us play on both teams right now), OR a couple more musicians come along, I think we’ll try alternating. I really appreciate hearing what has been tried other places!
Thanks again!
Spring

3

We’re in this same spot, Spring. We had 2 drummers but one just galavanted off to college for more lernin.

However, the only times I’ve felt “let down” as a participant were when I personally am not prepared to worship.

2

i lead for a small church and have to do this from time to time. it would be nice to have a full band every sunday but we do what we can…

i wouldn’t worry about the thoughts of a “let down” too much, if their hearts are right, they will be grateful for the added element whenever it is available.

1

Apparently this computer logged me in as Rich.. this really is Spring on this post! LOL!