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Praise and Worship-help me out

E

emblymouse

exempt
Jan 22, 2006
5,395
1,475
#1
Is this a musical style? I see threads like 'best bass for praise?' and 'what effects do you use for praise' to paraphrase a few.

Is Praise music a unique sound that lends itself to certain tones like Country or Metal? I know Gospel is a distinct style of music, but even that doesn't conjure up a specific bass tone or approach to me. To me this would be more a venue distinction rather than a musical one, cause it seems that Praise music can be communicated through different styles from Soul to Pop, etc.

I am genuinely curious, help me out here.
 
#3
it has to do more with the type of music that is played; it encompasses the genres of gospel to rock to alternative, even, depending on your church. though the term is used loosely, praise music is rather distinct in that it does not (and should not, imo) be over-adorned with the bells and whistles of modern day music (i.e- synths, fuzzes, etc.).
 
#4
Yeah... yes all the above is very true.. "praise and worship" is way more than just "gospel".. there are as many 'styles' as there are churches that use praise musicians in the services. Whatever type of music the Musical Director calls for, is the style the praise team will be playing.. very much a wide range.
 
#5
derelicte said:
it has to do more with the type of music that is played
Click to expand...

yep.

as for the use of effects, that goes with whatever the 'style' is in the particular setting though.

my main 'praise and worship' gig is definitely a blend of James Taylor type acoustic intimacy with the potential (and quickly in some songs) to get to a full on Peter Gabriel type of orchestration and World Music tones and grooves.
 
#6
emblymouse said:
Is this a musical style? <snip> it seems that Praise music can be communicated through different styles from Soul to Pop, etc.
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I wouldn't call it a style as such - it's rather a mixture of songs from various genre's, carrying the same message (the 'Good News'). The general trend down here seems to be morning services leaning towards worship - thus quieter styles suiting the 'older' generation. Evening services are more praise oriented catering for the younger generations - more 'noisy' and fast, borrowing from light pop to rock-blues to pure rock styles of music.
 
#8
TheDarkReaver said:
Of course my associations may not reflect reality.
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heheh... you are righ... do not replect :smug:

Through the years I have done, praise and worship, playing from Jazz to Heavy Metal.. no problem... since the diference between praise and worship is "what does is speak of" (but I you not bother you with details)

I play both, church and not church music, and from my point-of-view... there are almost any difference between them...
 
#9
TheDarkReaver said:
Whenever I hear the phrase 'praise music' it makes me thing of happy clappy drivel.

Of course my associations may not reflect reality.
Click to expand...

Reality is relative. It's what YOU see as real.

It just may not be reality for someone else.


BTW, I'm in a church band. We don't call it P&W though. We're acoustic (with the exception of my Fender), kind of folky. Did U2's Peace On Earth a few weeks ago. We play about once a month. Change comes slowly in Presbyterian churches. :)
 
#10
You can play praise & worship using any style of music as long as it puts the audience/congregation in a state of worship.

You can sing about God or any other deity in a non-worship context. People do it all the time. However, my personal belief is that it's a worship song if it's exaltation or thanks to a deity. So in my view the song "Alive" by P.O.D. would count as a worship song though many would voice it as not for whatever reason (usually because of the music style). It doesn't explicitly state God, but it's obviously reverence to a higher being. In fact a lot of P.O.D. songs are like that. For some reason people have this idea that worship music has to all be watered down rock and ballads. And while there's some beautiful music out there in those genres including gospel, it does give many people the impression that all worship music is... well... watered down rock and ballads.

The whole "worship" thing does tread further gray areas. Besides whether a harder sounding song like "Alive" would be considered a worship song, some people believe that guitar solos in a song don't really lend themselves to worship because they often put the focus on the player and not God/Allah/Satan/whatever. However, a guitar solo can also get people pumped up.

I do believe that lyrics are important in order to classify a song as worship as it involves the audience being able to sing a long. Hmm. Maybe I should make a post of common worship song qualities.
 
#13
As a guy who has been involved with christian rock and contemporary christian music off and on scince the 70's when Larry Norman and Barry McGuire were among the early pioneering artists, praise and worship music is pretty much about an attitude of the heart imo, and the musical styles follow.

I play for the worship team of the church I attend and it's a blend of different styles as far as the contemporary side of it goes, besides the traditional hymns and gospel music forms being utilized. If you can cover a variety of different styles of music and have a good sense of taste as to utilize your skills of what you know, you'll do fine as a worship service bass player. I really can't define it as a particular style form as it blends so many together.

Praise and Worship bassist member #48
 
#15
I think you can create your own style in Praise and Worship.
Of all the gear I rotate through two churches I play for, the one that gets raves is a Dark Star'd mahogany P-bass through Eden 112XLT's or a 210XST. Why? Because with a full range rig you can play intros fills and moving lines when there aren't keyboard chops or horns. I'll shift EQ points and right hand technique, and write parts on the fly according to what the tune requires...supporting the vocals of course.
 
#16
As a worship bassist I feel there is no real 'style' of Christian praise and worship music. It is a blending pot of the styles that the members of the band bring to it (rock, metal, jazz, folk etc), along with an understanding of the culture of the church setting.

I believe what sets it apart is the intent of the musicians. They are working together using music as a tool to help people connect with God, or being used by God as a tool to help people connect with Him.
 
#17
Thanks, this reinforces what ideas I had about the variety of musical styles involved. A pop sensibility would be at home here too, being inclusive I'm sure is important.

I am still puzzled by the posts about specific equipment for P+W. How is this different that the rest of us?
 
#18
To clarify: Praise and Worship is a cover-all umbrella term for any music that is religious, usually specifically Christian music. It is more a term for music used in church services than the Christian music on the radio/TV you hear.

It covers any style you care to name, and any instrument.
 

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