OK, hear my confession first: I am not a drummer.
In fact I don't even know a great deal about drumming in general either.
But one thing I do know: a contemporary worship team is certainly poorer if a good drummer ain't part of it.
The drummer is the musical foundation of a band 'cos it's the drummer's role to lay down the rhythm and keep time for everybody else. And that my friend is a very big deal!
Having worked with drummers in various worship settings, from a worship leader's perspective, this is what I would love to see in them:
Eleven Key Traits of Fantastic Worship Drummers
1. Study songs, collaborate with the worship leader/other musicians and take notes on what to do during each section.
2. Keep it simple and consistent. Hold back the heavy and fancy rolls/fills especially at the beginning of the song. Remember in worship, most of the time, less is more.
3. Know when not to play and don’t play at those moments. Put Jesus first and serve the song, not yourself.
4. Create dynamics by using different types of sticks, rods, brushes etc. In fact don’t only stick to the drum-kit; use shakers, scrapers, cowbells, chimes and so on to add different percussive colors to the song.
5. All play and no worship makes for a fruitless drummer, so don’t forget to worship. The worship team doesn’t need just another drummer, but a worshiper who drums is a most welcome addition.
6. Listen to others while playing, God deserves a team playing with vision, in unison and harmony.
7. Work out and rehearse signals and cues with the worship leader and others in the team.
8. Open your eyes and look at the worship leader especially at the end of each section of a song be it the verse, chorus, bridge; so you don't miss out those what-to-do-next cues.
9. Maintain and tune your drum kit regularly – it might be a good idea to invest in something like a Drum Dial too.
10. Work with the ‘sound guy’ to arrive at a balanced sound and volume; a ‘too-loud’ drum setup is an unfortunate worship killjoy.
11. Keep yourself physically fit with regular exercise and healthy diet.
Playing fast around the drums is one thing. But to play music, to play with people for others to listen to, that’s something else. That’s a whole other world. – Tony Williams
2. Keep it simple and consistent. Hold back the heavy and fancy rolls/fills especially at the beginning of the song. Remember in worship, most of the time, less is more.
3. Know when not to play and don’t play at those moments. Put Jesus first and serve the song, not yourself.
4. Create dynamics by using different types of sticks, rods, brushes etc. In fact don’t only stick to the drum-kit; use shakers, scrapers, cowbells, chimes and so on to add different percussive colors to the song.
5. All play and no worship makes for a fruitless drummer, so don’t forget to worship. The worship team doesn’t need just another drummer, but a worshiper who drums is a most welcome addition.
6. Listen to others while playing, God deserves a team playing with vision, in unison and harmony.
7. Work out and rehearse signals and cues with the worship leader and others in the team.
8. Open your eyes and look at the worship leader especially at the end of each section of a song be it the verse, chorus, bridge; so you don't miss out those what-to-do-next cues.
9. Maintain and tune your drum kit regularly – it might be a good idea to invest in something like a Drum Dial too.
10. Work with the ‘sound guy’ to arrive at a balanced sound and volume; a ‘too-loud’ drum setup is an unfortunate worship killjoy.
11. Keep yourself physically fit with regular exercise and healthy diet.
Playing fast around the drums is one thing. But to play music, to play with people for others to listen to, that’s something else. That’s a whole other world. – Tony Williams
