I love it when a plan comes together. It’s Easter season and for me that means planning, playing and helping execute on all the stuff that goes into putting together Easter services. You may have read on my bio that I’m a worship leader, lead electric and band leader of God’s House Band (GHB) at Broomfield United Methodist Church (BUMC). During Easter and Christmas we move our contemporary services from our sanctuary (seats around 350) to our gym (called the FLC and holds around 625 or so.)
One of the songs I identified early on for Easter was Michael W. Smith’s Prepare Ye The Way from his most recent CD, A New Hallelujah. The song opening starts with what almost sounds like a drum line from a marching band. It’s a 32 bar intro that builds up to a big entrance by the band with what I’d describe as a mystical guitar line – it’s echo’y and and floats on a synth pad with a strong, but slow and open, drum beat.
I wanted to do the song but not have to compromise and create a lesser version of it during the drum intro. I wanted something close to the CD version but done in a way that’s true to GHB. After talking with Rich Guess, one of our really talented drummers, it was pretty clear we could pull this off. He’d write up a drum chart and Cody and Bruce, two of our drummers in GHB, would all play it together. (Rich is the primary drummer on kit for Easter.) Kewl… step one: share the vision. Step two: recruit talented people to grow and fulfill the vision.
We’re doing Prepare Ye The Way for our opening song. This song will make for a very powerful opening. My goal for attendees, both members and visitors, is to have them go “Wow. This is church? Cool! I want to come here.” In describing the opening to our set and lighting directors (both extremely talented and gracious people, btw), I described it as a “Pink Floyd opening” with backlighting silhouetting the three drummers opening the song. Dave and Kevin were already planning to use big lights timed to accents in the music, and adding the backlighting fit in really well. I just wish we had some smoke – I’m going to email David to see if we could have some. I can just hear and see the opening song in my mind’s eye, and how the whole thing will unfold. It’s so very cool we all had similar and complementary visions for the song.
Today we had the first of three band and vocal rehearsals before Easter next Sunday. It was also the first time the three drummers got together to practice their opening. We’ve been trying to see if we could borrow a big bass drum and marching snare from one of the outside instrumental groups that use BUMC for rehearsals. So far that hasn’t panned out and I was worried we wouldn’t have the needed drums to rehearse today.
Cody showed up early and started pulling out and tuning up some of the drums from an acoustic set we have. Bruce then showed up asking, “Do you guys need a marching snare? I have one that I bought years ago but never knew if I’d get to use it.” I said, “I think you bought that drum for just this moment.” Kewl – We’ve got the tools to pull this off. Then they rehearsed Rich’s chart he’d created. Wow, wow, wow! I cannot wait to do this song.
Following the drum entrance on this song, the band comes in with a powerful but ethereal sound. Layered on top is the sparkly electric line I described earlier that flows over the music. I was so looking forward to playing this part, but I’m singing this song and it’s better that I not sing and play on a really tight guitar part. I could probably do it but it would never sound as good. So, Dave stepped in, a guitarist who has a fantastic ear for playing together with other guitar players. He’ll deliver that guitar line while I’m singing so while I don’t get to play it, I’ll have the pleasure of singing on top of it and the rest of the music, enjoying it all the same.
I can’t wait. I love it when a plan comes together.
I'm trying to figure out the guitar part for Prepare ye the way, do you have the tab?
Posted by: Paul | 10/29/2010 at 08:32 AM