The Power of A Song

                Silent Night was composed in 1818 by Franz Gruber (music) and Joseph Mohr (lyrics).  It was first performed on Christmas Eve at St. Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf Austria.  I recently saw a movie depicting the history of this song,

                Joseph Mohr was a young priest and musician in a time when the Catholic Church was going through many changes.  There was a new ruling that mass should be held in the native language of the people.  However, many traditionalists were holding on to the traditional Latin mass. 

                Oberndorf was a poor town with many common people.  They did not attend church because the Latin mass and the ridicule of the town's elite caused them to feel excluded.  Joseph Mohr had a heartfelt burden for these people.  He wanted to share the love of God with them.

                Joseph ate his meals in the local tavern.  He sang songs with and befriended the common people in the tavern.  He encourage them to sing in the church choir.  He also began to conduct mass in German.  These efforts were opposed by the affluent members of the town and Joseph's superior.  The opposition was so great that Joseph considered giving up and transferring to a church in a different town. 

                With Christmas drawing near, Joseph decided that the town needed a special Christmas Eve concert to draw the people together.  He and Franz Gruber struggled to compose a special song for the occasion.  Everything seemed to be against them completing their task.  The traditionalists' opposition grew stronger, church attendance was down and the church organ even broke down.  Finally, they decided to set music to a poem that Joseph had written some time earlier. 

                Joseph accompanied the song on his guitar while he, Franz and the church choir sang.  The concert was well attended by both the traditionalists and the common people.  The power and expression of the song melted the hearts of the town's traditionalists and brought unity to the people.  It caused them to remember the power of God's love and the fact that they were all in need of His grace. 

                Words are amazing tools for communication.  Many great works of literature have been and will continue to be written.  Many powerful speeches and sermons have touched people's hearts and changed their lives.  However, there is something even more powerful that happens when an amazing set of words are combined with just the right touch of music.  A form of expression is created that can break through traditions and penetrate even the hardest heart.  A few verses can say more than an entire sermon.  That is the power of a song.

Connecting In Christian Music

                I have written before about connecting with the audience when giving a musical performance.  Music is meant to convey emotion.  Melodies, lyrics, rhythms, dynamics, slurs and other elements all work together to recreate a simulated experience of a past emotion that is familiar to the listener.  This is what makes music entertaining.  We can use it to pick up our spirits, or reminds about past events and feelings.  People even connect certain songs to particular memories from their past (example: the first song a couple danced to becoming “their song”). 

                Don’t get me wrong, I love music and the potential it has for emotional connection.  However, the number one thing I love is Jesus Christ.  He will always occupy the first place position in my life.  Therefore, there is another potential for connection within the music that I write. 

                Throughout the Bible there is a connection between worship and proximity to God.  Alters were often built in places where man met with God.  In addition, God often told men to take off their sandals in His presence.  In ancient Hebrew tradition a person would remove his sandal as a sign of relinquishing his rights in a given situation.  In Ruth 4, the rightful kinsmen redeemer gave his sandal to Boaz, relinquishing his right to marry Ruth.  When men take off their sandals in the presence of God, they relinquish their rights of self-lordship to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  This is an act of worship.

                James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded (ESV).”  When we worship God, we acknowledge the attributes that make Him God (His goodness, holiness, love, majesty, etc.).  When the reality of these attributes is revealed to people it compels them to repent and grant Jesus lordship over their lives.  This is the ultimate act of true worship.  This experience is difficult to describe.  It extends far beyond any earthly form of emotional experience that can be expressed through regular music. 

                The concept of drawing near to God through worship is reinforced in Matthew 6 where Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray.  Verses 5-13 say:

⁵And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  ⁶But when you pray, go into you room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.   And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  ⁷And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹Pray then like this:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

¹⁰Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread, ¹²and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

Prayer is communication with God, which implies drawing near to Him.  In the example of prayer that Jesus provides, He starts by worshiping God in verses 9 and 10.  Verse 9 exalts the name of God and verse 10 acknowledges His lordship.  This is the same pattern mentioned in the last paragraph.

                As Christian musicians, if we only seek the earthly emotional connection we are missing out on the opportunity to spiritually connect to God.  If we are honest, all entertainment is about promoting ourselves.  We can debate about whether or not artists genuinely care about connecting with their audience, or only connecting with their wallets.  However, it is clear that many of the artistic choices they make are also to draw attention to themselves and their talent.  Just like the hypocrites in verse 5 of Matthew 6 they perform to be seen by others.  Also like the Gentiles in verse 7 they “heap up empty phrases” in an attempt to connect with their audience and be noticed.  I am not criticizing this.  I am merely pointing out that it is a regular part of musical performance. 

                Christian musicians often end up emulating these same performance tactics in their music.  By doing so, they are limiting the band and scope of connection that their music can achieve.  Since the words to our songs extend beyond the topics of earthly songs, we have a distinct advantage as Christian artists.  We have the opportunity to draw near to God through an experience of true worship, and allow others to share the experience with us.  Our songs are not constructed with mere words.  They contain truths taken out of the Word of God.  Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.” in John 6:68 (ESV).  These are the words that we have access to in the art of Christian music.  Merely using these words does not automatically cause our music to connect with God.  In the same way that earthly artists connect with the lyrics on an earthly (human) level, we need to connect with our Christian lyrics on a spiritual level.  This type of connection cannot be faked through performance.  God sees past that, and looks into our hearts as we sing.  In John 4:23-24 Jesus said, “²³But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.  ²⁴God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (ESV).”  In this passage, Jesus explains the difference between counterfeit and true worship.   

                I understand that earthly fame, possessions and power are enticing.  I also understand that music is an art form that naturally brings out pride in all of us.  However, as Christian musicians we need to constantly remind ourselves that we are working with the “words of eternal life.”  Using these words to merely “connect to the wallets” (or Facebook pages) of the Christian community is wrong.  When I perform Christian music, I strive to connect to God through an act of true worship.  My intent through this public display of worship is for others to witness the power and beauty of the connection between God and man, and then desire to experience that connection personally.          

#1 Tip For Better Home Recordings

                As musicians we all know the famous quote, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice, practice, practice.”  We usually apply this to the development of our skills as a musician.  However, many of us fail to apply practice as the number one source of improvement in our recording and mixing skills.  Instead we purchase better equipment, watch instructional videos, read articles and purchase plugins with tons of presets.  We are always looking for a quick fix to our recording/mixing problems.  Why is that?

                Some people always want a quick fix for everything.  This is why alternative weight loss options can be such lucrative sales opportunities (by alternative, I mean other than proper diet and exercise).  However, we are not like that with our music.  Most singer/songwriters have learned the discipline of regular musical practice.  We understand the struggle involved with reaching higher levels of ability and standing out amongst the crowd of other performers. 

I think a major reason for us to search out a quick recording fix may be that we are musicians who record and mix as opposed to being primarily recording engineers.  We are already spending a good portion of our time practicing our musical performance skills.  Being a person who plays multiple instruments, I find it hard just to devote the proper amount of time to all of them.  My primary instruments are piano, saxophone and voice.  At least one of these always seems to suffer when I get serious about the other two.  If I am in the middle of a recording or mixing project, all of them suffer.  Meanwhile, my bass, drums and guitar are sitting in the corner collecting dust.

In an attempt to expedite our time management, we often look for quick fixes when it comes to recording and mixing.  Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes.  We can either pay someone who has taken the time to perfect his/her recording and mixing skills or put the time in ourselves.  My studio started with the thought “Why spend x amount of money on another album when I can build a home studio instead and make an unlimited number of albums?”  We have to realize that when we pay “x” amount to record or mix and album, we are not just paying for the use of the equipment.  We are also paying for the knowledge and experience that the engineer has acquired through years of practice. 

So, how do we practice our recording and mixing skills.  The basic answer is by spending time doing it.  The more we record or mix, the better we will get.  Pro engineers have spent countless hours training and learning.  Now they spend multiple hours per day working on projects they have been hired for.  There is no way that we will match their skills by spending one or two intermittent hours, dispersed between breaks of a week or more, practicing our skills.

Beside actual recording and mixing, we can engage in exercises that will increase our skills.  Ear training exercises can be used to familiarize ourselves with the frequency spectrum and the way that specific frequencies sound.  This will help us to make wise choices when modifying the EQ of our recorded tracks.  Dave Pensado has a You Tube channel called Into The Lair where he provides great mixing tips.  This link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xTXEDxfJwA) leads to the first of a series of videos where he discusses this type of ear training.

We can also practice miking various instruments from different distances and angles.  There are so many variables between input source, microphone placement, choice of microphone and choice of preamplifier (depending on what you own).  Before purchasing new microphones and preamplifiers, it is a good idea to have a firm understandings of the way your current equipment sounds on a variety of sound sources.  This will help us to make the right choices when in a real recording session.    

There are countless other techniques that can be practiced outside of actual recording sessions.  This, combined with actual time spent in sessions, will continue to add to our knowledge and experience.  Time is a precious commodity for most independent singer/songwriters.  We have to make the choice between paying for someone else to record us, or trying to record ourselves.  If we choose home recording, we have to find the time to raise our recording and mixing skills to an acceptable commercial level.  While pursuing this, I found that I began to enjoy recording and mixing almost as much as I love writing and performing music.  I started out just trying to save money, and ended up discovering a hidden passion.  

Enjoy Your Practice

                I know so many musicians (myself included) who have trouble practicing regularly.  There are some days where you feel driven and focused and other days where you feel like just watching television.  Why does this happen?  How could a person love music but have days where he/she does not feel like practicing music?  How could a person love music but look to other activities for relaxation instead of music? 

            Examining that last question may shed some light on this topic.  If a person is looking to other activities as a form of relaxation then he/she obviously does not find musical practice relaxing.  If this is the case, perhaps the person is not employing the proper balance of regiment and enjoyment.

            Yes, musical practice should have an element of regiment.  Scales exercises and drills all help to improve our technique.  However, we need to remember what we are building that technique for.  Musicians develop their technique to improve their ability to play music.  If you only practice drills and exercises you are missing the point.  Where is the music?  You need to also spend time playing beautiful pieces of music.  This is the time when you get to explore the qualities of your instrument that first inspired you to study it.  The tone quality, the expressiveness and the character of your instrument come to life while performing a great piece of music.  The experience of recreating beautiful musical sounds is the most rewarding part of being a musician. 

            The proper balance between technical study and musical application is extremely important in musical practice.  What is the proper balance of these elements?  There is no number or amount that can be universally applied.  Much depends on the individual and the moment.  Different people have different levels of drive and motivation.  In addition, a person’s level of motivation or drive can vary day by day. 

If you force yourself to practice scales and drills your discipline may end up being counterproductive.  The next day you may feel like taking a break from music.  Some playing is better than no playing.  Playing music (and forsaking drills) is better than playing nothing.  Each individual needs to find his/her own proper balance.  This balance will include enough drills to allow for technical progress without discouraging practice.  A good routine will also include enough musical performance to maintain an adequate level of enjoyment and relaxation.