The "devil" beat

I am blogging... this will make quite a few staff members at my home church giddy as I have rolled my eyes when they ask me to check out their latest blog when they know I am so busy! So, I can imagine their faces when I ask them to go check out what I wrote with that unmistakable note of vulnerability.

I am excited to be a part of the team. I have enjoyed reading the recent posts by Shannon and Laura regarding instrumental music. It brings to mind a discussion I had recently on whether or not Pentecostals place too much importance on the role of music in their services.

Franz Liszt once said, "... music is the embodied and intelligible essence of feeling, capable of being apprehended by our senses. It permeates them... and fills our soul." As in Laura's example with her saxophone player, I have noticed that in those deep moments of worship, the vocals often cease and it is the musicians who continue to play out over the service. It is then that I believe it permeates our soul and expresses the raw emotion we are feeling in the presence of an Almighty God.

Then there are those other moments when the congregation is unresponsive until they hear the "magic" bass line that Shannon had me laughing about. In these moments there is discomfort as we realize that the music itself is getting much more attention than the God it is intended to glorify. There are many members of churches that will sit on the pew with no emotion simply because they do not like the style of music they hear.

The church is full of people driven by emotion. It is the reason they cry so hard in the altar after everyone else has begun to leave. It is the reason they fall so quickly back into self destructive behavior when around a certain group of peers. Without a relationship with God, there is no foundation that holds us steady amidst the changing winds of feeling. Likewise when we allow music to dictate how and when we respond in a service, then our worship isn’t flowing from an intimacy with God. It seems that music becomes the focal point in this setting, and when it does not trigger the correct response, we become anxious and dissatisfied. This gives credibility to the statement that sometimes we place too much importance on music in our services.

I believe music is an incredible gift, close to the heart of God, but it is not given to govern the way a service flows. It is given to express what flows from a heart desperately in love with God. I feel the need for an a cappella session of "Heart of Worship".

My name is R.J. Aycock. I have been on staff at The Point in Escondido, CA for four years. I am still a newlywed only two years into the journey. I love the weather in Southern California, curries, and electronic music. I loathe mayonnaise.

Do you believe in magic?

The piano is pounding. The organ is swinging. The drummer looks like he’s two rim shots shy of a seizure. Just another Sunday night service and all is well.
One of the best parts of attending a Pentecostal church is the music. We take pride in our ability to throw away our pride, and worship God in a manner which first-time visitors often find amusing. It isn’t really a good service unless someone was dancing in the aisles or took a lap around the sanctuary.
Like anyone else, I take great delight in our fervent spirit and can kick off my shoes with the best of them—but there is one phenomenon that causes me to raise an eyebrow. I call it the “Magic Bass Line.” You know which one I mean.
BAH-duh-dah-dah-duh-dah-dah-dah
BAH-duh-dah-dah-duh-dah-dah-dah
The bass player starts walking his fingers chromatically up those frets and there’s suddenly a traffic jam to get out of the pews. Why is this particular arrangement of notes so spiritually moving? Do the musicians have a secret deal with God that He will only come down when he hears the strings do this specific run? Funny how I never ran across that in my King James Version Bible.
I once took part in a Singles trip to London and one of the highlights of our itinerary was attending a local church on Sunday. The UK had there own way of doing things, to be sure—but a point came in the service when I noticed a change in the congregation. They started dancing and worshipping and I wondered what happened. But then I heard it. It was a little different than the American version. The sequence of notes sounded strange, but there was no mistaking it. I found myself being introduced to the British Magic Bass Line.
As a music minister, I find it very tempting to realize there is an almost foolproof method of getting the church members on their feet. We all love the shoutin’ good services that leave you with a smile on your face. But this begs the question—is it really worship or just musical manipulation?
I feel as if asking this question opens a can of worms that we would rather not think about, because I will admit—I love the Magic Bass Line, too. My feet start tapping when I hear it and I start looking for a spot to dance. As people in the pew, we all need a little help getting started, sometimes—especially after a long week of traffic, alarm clocks, and co-workers. Maybe this is just a musical cue to grab our attention and focus us on heavenly matters.
But as music ministers, I think we need to be careful. Nothing can ever replace a true move of God. If we depend more on the sequence than the Spirit, our sanctified shouting can become just as empty and habitual as counting off the beads on a rosary.

Do I Really Love Music?

Sorry for my delay in posting. I stoop to the pitiful “victim mentality.” I have unfairly fallen prey to the drama of two deaths, the ravage of Montazuma’s revenge as it swept through my family, concert preparations and a trip to Canada complete with snow storms and flight delays. All of which kept me from putting a single creative thought together for “Notes.” I will now avoid playing the victim card for many months to come. Meanwhile... enjoy the picture of my three sons... on a happy, healthy day!

Last week was the week of love, a commercial tribute of mass proportions. I was thinking about music and asked myself, “Do you really LOVE music? Or do you simply manipulate it and use it for selfish gain?” I got extremely overwhelmed by the whole thought and as I was wrestling with the question, another one of my sons came dragging in the room, looking … um… sickly green. My deep thoughts were pushed aside.

I Love Lyrics...

But I was reminded of my own ponderings as I read Ann’s frustrations on wanting to hear the lyrics of a song. I can identify with Ann’s love for good lyric. I have often considered myself a far better lyricist than composer. I work very hard for the notes. This is a confession that most people don’t believe, but I’m being honest.

Words, on the other hand, pour out of me like poetry. I’ve studied (and taught) the word painting of Steven Curtis Chapman. I do know what iambic pentameter is, and can list a bunch of songs that use it. I love finding lyricists who are minding their words and slip in an internal rhyme. There is nothing more moving than a powerful metaphor to describe the awesomeness of God. Note: Everyone please run to your ipod and listen to “Adoni” by Avalon.

Do I really love music?

Yes. I think I do. I am obsessed by chord progressions. I love the very cool Middle-Eastern sound of the b2 that has finally made its way into modern worship. It feels… Biblical! (Listen to the intro of Great God by Free Chapel for one example if I’ve confused you!) I love soaring string lines, so I am completely passionate about Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. I go crazy for the French Horn and Cello. And oboe too. And a husky tenor voice with a bit of “cry” in it. There is nothing better than a bass player who can play funky lines in the proverbial pocket. (Side note: there’s nothing worse than a not-so-funky-bass-player-with-bad-rhythm.)

But What Does God Love?

But in the end, it really doesn’t matter how much I love music. Or drum beats. Or orchestras. Or simple pure solo voices. Because the most critical question is, does God really love music? Not words and lyrics. Just the music. The chords. The beat. The strum of a guitar. The wail of a horn. Does God need a lyric to receive glory?

I believe the Biblical answer is no. There is a spiritual realm of prophetic music that goes beyond the need for lyric and statements about God. Imagine the pure cacophony created outside the walls of Jericho. Blaring horns combined with pounding feet of the masses must have felt very primitive. Dare I say... a bit like modern worship. Driving. Pounding. Not too soothing. But in that moment God broke the stronghold known as Jericho.

Many years ago, I heard someone suggest that the sonic combination of horns and pounding feet could have physically created a dynamic that caused the walls to fall. My grandpa would be holding his ears in disgust at that! But God was in that moment. The Israelites were, truly, the first Dancing Generation. And God delighted in their exuberance.

There is no guarantee that David was a master musician. The poor guy may have been a great lyricist who only knew 4 progressions on his harp. Maybe his playing was repetitive and musically uninteresting. But God used his music to "speak" away the evil spirits in Saul.

There are times at altar call where I have silenced the voices and allowed just the band to play. I have a dynamic saxophone player who will play out in these moments. He doesn’t even realize it, but a prophetic mantle comes over him. You see, when music steps into the prophetic realm, it becomes declarative, without the need for lyrics or statements about God. Through the combination of chords, melodies and rhythm God is DECLARING HIMSELF to be true, faithful and omniscient. It is those moments that I know, without a doubt, that I love music.

Lyrical La-La Land

At the risk of belaboring a point, I’ve decided to continue with some thoughts from my last post. In my last post I was expressing my frustration with the seeming lack of attention to diction that is so prevalent in Christian music, particularly in the Christian rock style. I suppose I should be upfront and candidly admit that I’ve never been a fan of intense electric-guitar/drum driven music. It seems that a switch just simply flips in my brain that causes me to zone out after about the first minute – in other words, it all starts sounding the same. I realize that is probably not entirely a fair thing to say – I get the same comments from students in my Music Appreciation class here at Gateway. Largely made up of students who have never heard a symphony, much less sat through a two-hour concert of purely instrumental music, I can sympathize with their glazed expressions that appear after about five minutes of a twenty-five minute piece!

But, back to my not being a fan of Christian rock. The illustrious creator of this fine website has asked me to do a few reviews lately of new albums by some new and some established artists. I’ll admit that I have enjoyed a few, but more often that not, I’ve found that I had to force myself to listen, and not just because I had to concentrate to understand the words. When I listen to a song I want to know exactly what it had to say and to hear a specific message. I need rise and fall, tension, climax and resolution. And this doesn’t just apply to classical music. (One of my favorite writers/artists is Michael O’Brien. I especially enjoy his music for that very reason – I know what he’s had to say and feel as though I’ve been taken on a journey through emotion and thought.) Further, if the album is labeled “Christian,” I expect to hear a Christian message.

The point is…..

So here’s the point: if I have to read the label, the lyrics, the credits, the “thank-you’s,” or the label name in order to decide if it is, in fact, a Christian album, then something is wrong. If the entire CD never mentions God, Jesus or any other Christian principle, it makes me question the intent and the goal of the album. The reason this concerns me is simple. If I were someone searching for God and I picked up a CD like this, would I realize that what I was searching for was God? Or would I just hear a positive message and continue to seek answers and resolution from every source except God? Yes, I agree we need positive, “yes, you can do it” messages, but I fear that we are often leaving out the source from which the strength “to do it” comes.

My Turn

Ann ranted a while back... I guess now it's my turn. I don't like to rant. I don't feel it serves much of a purpose when trying to engage in meaningful dialogue. But a recent post by Courtney (as well as subsequent posts by Ann and Laura) gave me pause to consider just some of my historical frustration with Pentecostal music. I suppose you could call this a "rant." I guess I will know if I struck a chord or if I was simply playing random wrong notes by the number of responses I get.

I am a classically trained musician (piano major) who just recently came in out of the cold fresh into the world of Pentecost. (Ok, more like ten+ years ago, anyway, but the musical trauma of the experience remains with me vividly). My chief frustration (among a few) to this day remains a lack of printed instructional material for Pentecostal musicians. Consider the chorus we sing, "In the Name of Jesus" (we have the victory... demons will have to flee... etc.). Who wrote that chorus? I was unable to find this information anywhere. Maybe this is a clarion call for me to be the one to compile a set of instruction manuals for Pentecostal musicians with note-reading backgrounds.

I'm not saying there aren't materials out there. I have two or three large collections of choruses with chord symbols. But these compilations never contain melodies. These are assumed. And vary widely from congregation to congregation, or from district to district. There are literally thousands of songs. So where do you start if you want to be able to play anything that might be randomly selected on the whim (or, hopefully, the spirit's leading) of the worship leader?

Which leads me to frustration number two. How do you accompany a song you've never heard before? Usually start with a I chord. Then try a IV chord, probably. Then either back to I or maybe to V. Or a ii perhaps before the V. (With apologies to those unfamiliar with traditional music theory). Unless it's a special in which case any number of unconventional or unexpected chords may underlie the melody. In which case I just end up still trying to play I, IV, V (maybe a ii or a vi or the occasional III) and it often sounds like I don't know what I'm doing. Well who can blame me?!!

A third frustration (and maybe this is God simply teaching me humility) is that my hours and hours of college practice room madness did me precious little good when trying to "play Pentecostal." I was a fairly (if barely) adequate classical pianist. But as a Pentecostal keyboardist I am barely mediocre. I can bang out the tune and often a chord with my right hand and octaves or a simple bass note with my left. I don't usually get much further than that. I can't play any fills or runs and we don't go in much for the fancy progression. I would love to. But I don't have the slightest idea where to begin.

Ok. This rant is over. I will try to put together something more productive and less destructive next time. Unless you want to hear more along these lines.